Impending Love and Madness

by Laura Freeman

  “What ghost?” Deidre demanded.

  “Every castle has a ghost.” He grinned. “My mother talked about seeing one roaming the halls of Ravens Roost. That’s why she didn’t like living there. She said the cabin by the lake was friendlier.”

  “It sounds intriguing. Now, I have to visit Ravenswood.”

  Zach slid the map across the table. “Then keep this until you come.”

  ****

  The troops gathered around the capital in late May. Zach found the Twenty-ninth Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry camped in Alexandria. The Army of the Potomac was marching through town in the Grand Review on May 23. Although the Twenty-ninth had been part of the Twelfth Corps for three years, they had been transferred to the Army of the Cumberland and would wait until May 24 to march through the streets of Washington City for review by President Andrew Johnson and General Ulysses S. Grant.

  Zach pulled on the reins of Romulus and Remus to halt the wagon when he reached the Ohio camp. The pair of draft horses belonged to Blake Ellsworth, but he had given authority to Cole over all his property during his absence. Union soldiers had continued to fight knowing a home and job waited for them when they returned. Desertions had been high in the last year of the war for the Confederacy. Rebels had returned to ghost towns where skeletal women wandered in black, unable to accept the loss.

  He handed the reins to Cass and jumped to the ground. He circled around the team and offered his hand to Cole who sat next to Cass with Jake perched on her lap. She didn’t move. “Don’t you want to go with me?”

  “You go first,” Cole said. “Tell him I’m here.”

  “Are you sure?” She had talked about nothing else but seeing Blake.

  Cass shook her head. “We’ll wait here.”

  Zach obeyed. He was learning that if a woman set her mind to something, he wasn’t going to budge her. What was Cole worried about? Did she think Blake would have a woman in his tent? Hardly. He had seen the looks women gave the captain, and he had seen Blake turn a blind eye to their obvious flirtations. Blake had set a good example for him and the other young men in the regiment, not only as a commanding officer, but as husband, and father.

  Other officers had failed morally, and it had tarnished any military success. Once a man chose the path of adultery, there was no turning back. He had betrayed his wife and family. But was he settling on Cass too soon? What if she wasn’t the woman for him? Would he be tempted by someone else? He couldn’t think of anyone. Women worried about nothing.

  Zach entered the officer’s tent pitched at the head of a long row of dog tents. Captain Blake Ellsworth was seated at a table filling out paperwork. He dipped a pen into a tin inkwell and scribbled his name at the bottom of the paper in front of him.

  “I’m drowning in ink.” Blake had dark hair that fell across his eyes as he moved the signed paper to his left and pulled another paper from the stack on his right to sign.

  Zach handed him the orders from his doctor returning him to active duty. “Here’s one more.”

  Blake looked up, his stormy gray eyes searching Zach’s face. “Sergeant Ravenswood, welcome back.” He stood and looked beyond the tent opening. “How is my wife?”

  Zach pointed over his shoulder. “She’s in the wagon. She said you might miss Romulus and Remus.”

  Zach stopped grinning and swallowed uncomfortably. The captain did not appreciate his attempt at humor. Zach stepped aside as Blake rushed outside. He followed at a more leisurely rate but quickened his pace when he saw the crowd. In the short span he had been gone, soldiers had surrounded the wagon, and he couldn’t see the ladies. He caught a glimpse of red hair.

  Cass and Cole were in the back handing out supplies that had been stored at Pierce House for the Ohio boys. Quilts, shirts, knitted socks, jellies, jams, hard candy, and personal items like razors, soap, and housewife sewing kits had been accumulating since they had begun their march through Georgia in 1864.

  “Move aside,” Blake ordered as he fought to reach the wagon. Zach joined him, pushing against men to create a path. Blake pulled Cole from the back of the wagon and took her in his arms. He ignored the crowd and kissed her, and when she kissed him back, the men cheered.

  Zach waved his hat in the air and looked for Cass. She was struggling to hold onto Jake, who stood on the edge of the wagon bed.

  “Don’t hurt my mommy!” Jake shouted.

  “Mommy?” Blake kept his arm around his wife as he looked at his son. “He talks?”

  “Fluently for a toddler.”

  “That’s your Papa,” Zach said, giving a smart salute. “He’s our commanding officer.”

  Zach had trained the little boy to salute like he had during Lincoln’s funeral procession. He stood tall in his white gown and raised his hand to his forehead.

  Blake saluted back and grabbed him. “Come here, son.” He put his arm around Cole and escorted his family to his tent.

  Harry Herbruck shook a box. “What do you have in here, Miss Cassie?”

  “Broken jars of jam if you keep shaking it, Harry.”

  Like all the Herbruck boys, Harry had a high forehead and deep-set eyes. He reddened under her reprimand. Her smile forgave him. “Make sure you share them with the other men.”

  Harry turned away from Zach. He tapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t you recognize me?”

  Harry brushed the dust from his coat. “You’re too clean and pretty to be Zach Ravenswood.”

  He ignored Harry’s insult and hugged him.

  Someone nudged him from behind. He turned. It was Ethan Donovan with ginger curls dangling in a tangled mess beneath his kepi. His blue eyes sparkled. “I didn’t think we’d ever see you again.”

  He hugged Ethan before noticing the stripes on his sleeves. “How did you make sergeant?”

  “Someone had to take command while you were convalescing.”

  Harry coughed, pointing toward the three stripes on his sleeve.

  “Both of you?” He shook his head. “The quality of officers has sunk to an ultimate low.”

  Ethan waved his hand. “Neither of us fell off a bridge.”

  “I was trying to save a life.”

  “How’s the leg?” Harry asked.

  Zach marched around in an exaggerated high and low step. “Good as new.”

  “If you’re going to walk on a hillside,” Ethan ribbed.

  Zach turned to Cass. “I had an excellent nurse.”

  “No doubt, but a woman shouldn’t have to suffer indefinitely. Thank goodness we arrived in time to save you, Miss Cassie,” Harry said. “We were afraid Zach would weary you with tales of his exaggerated heroics.”

  Ethan offered his arm to help Cass out of the back. “Hey, Cousin, let these privates unload the supplies.”

  Ethan was her first cousin and had the right to escort her. The obligation. Zach claimed his belongings and followed with Harry, who had claimed a box marked candy.

  They strolled through a row of canvas dog tents and stopped at a larger straight wall tent with a fire pit in front. A pot of coffee hung from a hook stuck in the ground. A bed of hot coals kept the container warm.

  Zach looked inside where two bed rolls were laid out. A third was tied and placed off to the side. “When did you boys rate these quarters?”

  “Since the army began distributing its unused supplies,” Harry said. “If you don’t want to bunk with us, you can pitch a dog tent with the rest of the men.”

  Zach dropped his haversack inside the tent and placed his rifle near the entrance. The Enfield was ornamental. Neither powder nor bullet had been shoved in its barrel, and Zach didn’t plan on loading the gun now that the war was over.

  Harry grabbed four folding chairs stacked inside the tent and placed them near the fire pit.

  Ethan added a folded blanket to the one for Cass. “We have to hide the chairs,” he said. “Some of the men think they make great kindling.”

  “They’re good chairs,” Cass said. “Why burn them?”


  “Some men don’t want any memories of the war,” Harry said, taking a seat beside her.

  Zach claimed the chair on the other side, and Ethan sat opposite them.

  “I’ve had time to balance the good with the bad, but I wouldn’t want to do it again.” Ethan poured a cup of coffee and filled two more for the others. He looked at Cass. “Have you acquired a taste for the bitter brew?”

  “Afraid not, but don’t let it stop you from drinking.”

  “I have cold water in my canteen.” Zach offered it. “I haven’t touched it.”

  She sipped and corked the container.

  “You missed some grand adventures, Zach,” Ethan said.

  Harry blew on the steaming coffee in his cup. “Would you like to hear about our travels, Miss Cassie?”

  “Blake wrote about Richmond. What happened after that?”

  “We marched through the old battlefields,” Ethan said. “We had fought at Chancellorsville, but it was strange to see Cedar Mountain where Art and Pax were wounded.”

  “Pax.” Zach sipped the strong brew. Paxton Ravenswood and Art Herburck had been wounded at Cedar Mountain. Art’s arm had been crippled, and he returned home to Darrow Falls, but Pax had died of a gut wound at Mermaid’s Mirth. Harry had replaced Art, and Zach had replaced his brother. The celebration of the end of the war was tempered by the memories of those who had died. “To Pax.” Zach lifted his cup.

  “To Ed,” Harry said, clanging his cup against Zach’s.

  “Don’t forget our cousin, Jake,” Ethan added.

  Cass nodded. “Never.”

  Zach needed to change the somber mood. “What else did you see?”

  “We stopped at Bull Run,” Ethan said. “The Twenty-ninth didn’t fight there, but other Ohio boys did. I wonder what will happen to all the places where men fought and died during the war.”

  “You can’t plow the ground,” Harry said. “Too many bodies buried on site.”

  “Harry!” Zach reprimanded. “Remember there’s a lady present.”

  “Jess wouldn’t have complained,” Ethan excused.

  Cass frowned. “I’m not Jess, but I won’t faint. I’ve seen my share of wounded at the hospitals in Washington City. I’ve visited the cemeteries. I’ve read the letters from families searching for news of lost ones. Clara Barton is gathering information to locate missing soldiers so they can be buried at home or in proper graveyards. Your task may be done, but ours isn’t until all the wounded men leave the hospitals and each grave has a marker.”

  “The first thing I’m going to do when I return home is pay my respects to Ed’s gravesite,” Harry said. “And Jakes,” he added.

  “It’s strange to finally be returning home,” Ethan said. “Do you think they’ll recognize us?”

  “Not with those mustaches and long hair,” Cass said.

  Ethan stroked the corners of his hairy mouth. “I worked too hard to grow mine to shave it.”

  Cass poked at the fire with a long stick. “What will you do when you return home?”

  “If Grandpa hasn’t retired, I’ll probably help on the canal boat.” Ethan looked at Harry. “You want to join my brother, Paddy, and me?”

  “I’ll probably work with my pa doctoring animals,” Harry said.

  “You don’t sound enthusiastic about it.”

  “You don’t make money working for family. Pa figures a room and meals are payment.”

  “My grandfather might want more help,” Zach said. “It takes work to train the horses before they’re ready to be sold.”

  “How many horses do you have?” Harry asked.

  “My grandfather has anywhere from forty to sixty at a time. The number varies depending on the number of foals born each spring. Ravenswood is home to about a dozen broodmares. It takes a couple of years to train the colts and fillies for saddle and harness. The older horses are sold annually to pay for expenses,” Zach said. “It’s a grand affair with traders from all over the country visiting to bid on them.”

  “Zach invited me to the sale,” Cass said.

  “Did he?” Harry stared at Zach. “When is it?”

  “My grandfather is waiting for me to return home.”

  “We could help,” Ethan volunteered. “For a percentage.”

  “Horses are selling for a hundred and fifty dollars,” Harry said. “Maybe more with the shortage from the war.”

  “I’ll ask my grandfather about giving you jobs,” Zach said. “But you shouldn’t be hurting with the bonuses and pay we’ll receive when we muster out.”

  “I have plans for my money,” Harry said. “I might buy some of your grandfather’s stock and start my own farm.”

  “You’ll be broke,” Zach warned. “Horses are expensive to raise. Besides shelter and feed, you have to worry about defects and diseases. Grandfather somehow manages to pay the bills, but he’s far from rich.”

  “We’ve lived without money for two years,” Ethan said. “I don’t mind being poor, but I’m going to enjoy being rich for a little while.”

  “If anything, the war has taught me what is important.” Zach lifted his cup of coffee. “To friends.”

  Harry raised his cup. “To a good pair of shoes and a full haversack.”

  “May the wind be ever to our backs, and our paths cross often,” Ethan added.

  “I feel like an outsider,” Cass said. “The war has made you devoted comrades.”

  “We were friends before joining,” Zach said. “And we welcome you to our pack. We could use some beauty among the beasts.”

  “We called ourselves the three musketeers,” Ethan said. “Have you read the book?”

  “By Alexandre Dumas,” Cass said. “One of my favorites. I liked d’Artagnan the best.”

  “Then you can be part of our band,” Zach said. “One for all and all for one, united we stand divided we fall.”

  “A girl can’t be a musketeer,” Harry said.

  “Why not?” Zach demanded. “We couldn’t have won this war without women providing supplies, taking care of the wounded, and encouraging our spirits.”

  Harry scratched his head. “I can’t fault you there.”

  Zach stretched out his hand. Ethan and Harry placed their hands on top of Zach’s. “Come on,” he urged Cass.

  She placed her hand on top. “One for all and all for one.” They broke apart and laughed. It was a childish gesture, an imitation of characters in a book, but the pledge was real.

  “Attention!” Ethan shouted as Blake and Cole approached. The men stood. Jake was asleep and cradled in his father’s arm. Sergeant Donovan, you can escort your cousins to Long Bridge and return. Sergeant Ravenswood, you can report to my tent and help with my paperwork.”

  “I could help,” Harry volunteered.

  “I can’t read your chicken scratches, Sergeant Herbruck. You can remind your fellow soldiers to be ready for tomorrow’s review.”

  Cass grabbed Cole’s arm. “Isn’t Blake coming with us to Mermaid’s Mirth?”

  “I don’t have a pass,” Blake said. “My orders are to make the men in my regiment pretty with their shoes blackened and brass polished to a shine for tomorrow’s Grand Review. No one is going to be ashamed when the Twenty-ninth Ohio marches through the streets.”

  Blake helped Cass board the wagon and handed her Jake, who stirred and fell back into slumber. He pulled his wife close and kissed her.

  Cole had chastised Zach for kissing Cass, but his novice attempt at lovemaking was nothing compared to Blake’s silent communication of desire. Jake wasn’t going to be an only child for long.

  Chapter Seven

  May 24 dawned with the sound of bugles and drums in the distance calling the men to formation. The women dressed in their finest gowns and prettiest bonnets to welcome the soldiers through the streets of Washington City.

  Sid had placed a canvas awning near the street with benches and chairs and a table for refreshments. Three Beecher sisters stood in front of Mermaid’s Mirth to
witness the troops marching in from Long Bridge. The soldiers would circle the Capitol and head along Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House for their final review.

  Cass and the others planned to take Seventh Street to Pennsylvania Avenue after the Ohio boys passed and see them a second time in front of Pierce House.

  Jake sat in a wheelbarrow filled with straw and covered with a quilt. Cole knelt by the toddler and straightened his gown and tied his bonnet to shade his face. “Daddy is coming soon.”

  “Dada parade?”

  “Yes, Daddy is going to march right in front of us with all his men.” Cole wrung her hands. “Blake couldn’t believe how much Jake has grown. We had so little time together yesterday.”

  “I was surprised he let you go,” Cass said. “There was no order preventing you from spending the night in his tent.”

  Cole gave her a sly smile. “Don’t think I didn’t suggest it.”

  The door to Mermaid’s Mirth opened. “Good, Tootie is bringing cold drinks. You might want to cool your ardor so you don’t throw yourself at your husband when he marches past.”

  Sid took the tray even though Tootie balked at his help. Tootie was showing her pregnancy, and Sid was helpful to an annoying level. It would be a close race to see who delivered first, Tootie or Jem.

  The Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry had mustered out last year, but Sid wore his kepi with the number seven with a bugle on the cap. “You ladies look excited.”

  Cole brushed away a tear. “I waited a long time for this day.”

  Morgan placed a baby buggy next to Jake. He peered inside. “Where’s my baby?”

  Morgan turned to Jess who was carrying Jackson. “No matter how many times I tell him Jackson is my baby, he claims him as his own.”

  Jess placed Jackson in the buggy. “Don’t argue with a two-year-old. They latch onto an idea and never let go.”

  Morgan offered a finger to his son, who clasped his plump fist around it. “He’s doubled in size. You’re a good mother, Mrs. Mackinnon.”

  Jess put her arm around Morgan’s waist. “I wish I could keep weight on you.”

  “You can’t see my ribs anymore.”

  Cass had witnessed the tender care Jess gave her husband, especially when memories of the war haunted him. Zach had his own demons as did everyone who had gone mad on the battlefield and chosen to kill or be killed. It left a mark that only time would fade. But today was a day for celebrating. The war was over.