As Jayce and Howard urged their teams into motion, the two couples waved good-bye to their friends and to the soldiers who had gathered to bid them farewell. All four glanced backward to have a last glimpse of Fort Whipple, then exchanged smiles with each other before the two newly married women cuddled close to their husbands on their wagon seats as their journey began…
Epilogue
In October of that year, Mr. and Mrs. Jayce Durance were poised before a cozy blaze in the bedroom of their new home in St. Louis. The ex-soldier stood behind his beloved wife with his arms wrapped around her waist and with her hands resting over his. Her tranquil body leaned against his virile frame, her blond head nestled in the hollow of his neck.
As they savored each other’s touch and the romantic moment, their thoughts almost matched as they reflected on their first meeting, their adventures apart and together, and their families.
Howard and Charlotte were happy and prosperous at Greenbriar, which had eluded the war’s destructive forces. Tom was living and working with them, and a promising romance was in progress for him. Henry was back home in Gettysburg with his wife and children, and doing well on his farm, which fortunately had escaped the perils of the lengthy conflict.
Jayce’s family—his father, mother, grandparents, sister, two brothers, and his siblings’ children—had come through the four years of turmoil without physical or property damage. The cherished black stallion and weapons Jayce had left behind in Washington had been returned to him. Currently he was in business with his father and brothers—a large company that purchased furs for eastern markets, sold supplies to travelers, and offered a guide service for wagontrains and others going west, though to that date Jayce hadn’t been called upon to be one of those escorts.
They hadn’t shared a visit with Lily and Richard yet, but an exchange of letters revealed the Stevenses were doing fine with their prospering hotel and were expecting a baby before Christmas.
Cleo, Belle, Bertha, and Alvus still worked at the Southern Paradise; and all had sent their best wishes to Laura and Jayce in Lily’s last letter.
They also had heard from Emmaline and Jim, who were delighted to be home in Ohio and also were expecting their first child next year, which more than delighted Laura and Jayce.
Laura thought about the letters from General Grant, Benjamin Simmons, and President Johnson that were in the same box with Jayce’s note. Laura and Jayce had been thanked for serving their country so well during the war. Their joint assignment had ended after submission of their final reports; her uncle’s accomplices in Washington and Atlanta had then been arrested, tried, and placed in prison for their crimes.
In an ironic twist of fate, a rich vein of silver had been discovered in the mine where Jake had concealed his stolen cache and held her captive. Since the property had been registered in her father’s name, Howard had signed it over to the families of the men who had been slain as a result of his brother’s evil. Great wealth had been under Jake’s nose without his awareness; yet, even if he had found it, Laura was certain, revenge had been what the crazed and embittered man most craved. At least, she hoped, her uncle was at peace and rest now.
The image of Clarissa Carlisle drifted before her mind’s eye, the woman who had brought about her meeting with Jayce by taking her to Richmond. In a roundabout way, Clarissa also had caused her father’s meeting with Charlotte, since Clarissa had gotten her into the spying business which in turn had resulted in her being sent west. Laura hoped the kind and gentle lady, the unknown matchmaker of two glorious romances, was resting in peace.
Laura glanced at the gold band on her finger and smiled at the symbol of unending unity. The dark past was settled; their present was wonderful; and their future looked brighter every day, if possible.
Laura gazed up at the artist’s sketch of them which was hanging over the fireplace, then at the dried flower in an oval frame on the mantel: special mementoes of the early days of their romance. She sighed dreamily.
“What are you thinking about, my love?” Jayce asked as he tightened his embrace for a moment and kissed her cheek.
After Laura told him, he said, “You’re no longer the Union’s Vixen, but we have exciting stories to tell our children. One day, you must decode your journal so they can read about our adventures. One thing for certain, my beautiful and stimulating wife, you’ll always be my vixen.”
Jayce turned her around and kissed her thoroughly. He unfastened her robe and cast it aside, then discarded his, leaving them naked. He lifted her in his arms and carried her to their bed where they snuggled upon it. His questing hands ventured over her responsive body, titillating and pleasuring as he visited every peak, valley, ridge, and plain upon it. He smiled as his fingers trailed over her rounding stomach, thrilled by the tiny life that was growing there.
They kissed and caressed each other with intermingled leisure and haste. At last, they could make love slowly or swiftly, as nothing and no one stood between them to influence their actions and schedule.
Laura’s hands enticed him ever upward on that intoxicating spiral to rapture’s realm. “I love you with all my heart and soul, my husband, and we’ll always be this happy together.”
He gazed into her glowing green eyes and radiant expression, and his heart overflowed with joy. “Yes, we will, for I love you with all my heart and soul. Finding you was the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Soon, their pleading bodies were joined in a blissful union. Their hearts and lives had been bound forever by generous destiny. The war was over and reconstruction was in progress; for the most part, peace ruled the country. Total recovery and healing would take a while, but they felt that both would come if people allowed them to happen through love, forgiveness, and understanding.
Yes, Laura thought, the storm clouds had passed for America, and for her and Jayce as they surrendered to ardent desires. Their hearts were no longer troubled by defiance, just filled with love and joy as they also awaited the birth of their much-wanted first child.
As her hands and lips roamed her beloved’s muscled frame, Laura Adams Durance knew they would take countless erotic journeys in the future like the one they were enjoying tonight…
Author’s Note
Every attempt was made to be accurate with the data and historical figures used in this novel. However, no Galvanized Yankees served in the Arizona Territory and at Fort Whipple to my knowledge; the closest they came to this area was Sante Fe. The majority of ex-Rebels (the lst-6th U.S. Volunteers) were used for the reasons listed in the story and mainly to fight the Sioux, Cheyenne, Kiowas, and other Indian Nations in what became the states of Colorado, Utah, Kansas, Nebraska, Montana, Wyoming, and North and South Dakota from September 1864 to November 1866.
In addition, there were conflicting facts about who was in Prescott and at Fort Whipple during this time period, so I took the liberty of using my imagination and employing fictional characters. Two of the people in question were: Governor John Goodwin, who was reported there in some sources and in Washington as of 3/4/65 as the Congressional delegate from Arizona in others; and General Mason, who became commander of Fort Whipple and built his headquarters there in ’65. But nothing was mentioned of when he arrived and took charge, and the 1865 map of the fort lacked his headquarters, and so I omitted using him. The same was true for other Union officers who were listed as being there in ’63 and ’64, but were not mentioned during ’65 accounts, and so they were omitted.
* * *
For those of you who like to know what happens after a story ends:
April 26: Booth was slain in Virginia during a shootout with Federal troops.
May 2: President Andrew Johnson accused Jefferson Davis of ordering Lincoln’s assassination and offered a $100,000 reward for his capture.
May 4: Lincoln was buried in Springfield, Illinois.
May 10: Davis was captured in Irwinville, Georgia, and was taken to Fort Monroe on the twenty-second. For a time, he was kept
chained in his cell; and was convicted of treason by a jury of seven whites and five blacks. He was released in May of 1867 and was pardoned in 1868. Afterward, he became a traveler, author, and unlucky businessman. Davis’s release was the result of efforts made on his behalf by his adoring wife and northern newspaper publisher Horace Greeley.
He lived on the Beauvoir estate in Mississippi from 1877 until his death in December of 1889 in New Orleans. Thousands turned out to mourn the passing of the man who led the Confederacy. He is buried with his family in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, where he lived and worked during the war.
May 13: The last skirmish of the war took place near Brownsville, Texas.
May 23/24: There was a Grand Review of the Union troops in Washington.
May 25: Most of the Federal soldiers were released to go home.
May 29: Amnesty with exceptions was granted to Rebel soldiers. “Johnson’s proclamation followed the pattern laid down by Lincoln except that persons who participated in the rebellion and had had taxable property of over $20,000 were excluded from amnesty. Others excepted were those who held civil or diplomatic offices; those who left U.S. judicial posts; officers above the rank of colonel in the Army or lieutenant in the Navy; all who left Congress to join the South; all who resigned from the U.S. Army or Navy to evade duty in resisting the rebellion; all those who mistreated prisoners of war; all who were educated in the U.S. military or naval academies; governors of states in insurrection; those who left homes in the North to go South; those engaged in commerce destroying; and those who had violated previous oaths.” Johnson granted clemency where “such clemency will be liberally extended as may be consistent with the facts of the case and the peace and dignity of the United States.”
June 6: Confederate prisoners who were willing to take an oath of allegiance to the U.S. were declared released by President Johnson.
June 23: Blockade of southern states was lifted.
October 11: Johnson paroled Confederate Vice-President and Cabinet.
November 10: Henry Witz of Andersonville Prison was executed.
November 13: SC ratified the Thirteenth Amendment to abolish slavery.
December: AL, MS, GA ratified the Thirteenth Amendment.
1865-1877: the Reconstruction Policy was in effect.
April 2, 1866: “Now, therefore I, Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, do hereby proclaim and declare that the insurrection which heretofore existed in the states of Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Florida is at an end and is henceforth to be so regarded.” Texas was added in August. “I do further proclaim that the said insurrection is at an end and that peace, order, tranquility, and civil authority now exists in and throughout the whole of the United States of America.”
To which I add, God bless America and may she ever be the “land of the free and the home of the brave.”
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