Carried Forward By Hope (54 page)

Abby smiled. “I do believe you’re right, Mr. Cromwell.”

“You’ll find I’m right about many things,” Thomas replied, laughter dancing in his eyes. “Any man smart enough to win you as his wife must be quite a man.”

“Right again,” Abby murmured, standing and turning into his arms. “Now, if you don’t mind I would like to take action on all the things I’ve just been thinking and dreaming about for the last two months.”

Thomas grinned, swept her into his arms, and carried her to the bed. He laid her down gently, his eyes darkening with passion. “Beautiful,” he said as he gazed down at her. “So very beautiful…”

Nothing more was said for a long time.

“It is brutally hot today,” Carrie exclaimed, brushing back her hair as she fanned herself on the porch. “I can’t believe it’s almost September.”

“It doesn’t seem to be bothering Robert and Clint,” Rose responded as she pulled her rocking chair into the last remaining bit of shade on the porch.

“Nothing seems to bother them,” Carrie replied, her eyes shining with pleasure as she watched them working Eclipse in one of the arenas. “Sometimes I can’t believe that’s my husband out there.”

“He looks wonderful, Carrie. And he seems so happy.”

“He’s completely himself again,” Carrie stated.

“Are the nightmares still bothering him?

Carrie nodded, watching Robert as he moved up next to Eclipse and stroked his gleaming neck. The man and horse had developed a powerful bond. He would perform well for Clint, but his love belonged to Robert. “Yes. They don’t happen as often, but when they come, they are terrible. All I can do is hold him until he quits shaking.”

“Will he talk about them?”

“More and more. At first he didn’t want to say anything, because he didn’t want to put the images in my head. I finally convinced him that talking would release their power.”

“And you?”

Carrie sighed. “I still shudder at all Robert has endured. I wish we could all go back and make different decisions in the years leading up to the war, but we can’t. If our leaders could have known what the consequences of their decisions would be, I wonder if they still would have done it.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter now. We can’t relive the past. All we can do is make the most of the present and try to make better decisions in the future.”

“From Matthew’s latest letters, it doesn’t seem to me that Southern leaders learned much from the war,” Rose said, her eyes flashing with anger. “And with President Johnson still in charge of things because Congress is not in session, things just seem to be getting worse.”

Carrie nodded, knowing the peace pervading the plantation was not being echoed across the rest of the country. “I know,” she agreed heavily, “but I learned during the war that I couldn’t control anything but my own actions.”

“You don’t care what’s happening?” Rose asked with disbelief.

Carrie turned to gaze at her. “You know better than that,” she said evenly, knowing the news Matthew was sending about worsening conditions for many of the freed slaves was increasingly hard for Rose and Moses to hear.

Rose reached forward to grab Carrie’s hand. “I’m so sorry,” she cried, tears springing to her eyes. “I know you care every bit as much as I do.” She shook her head. “Not doing anything is about to drive me mad.”

“The school is almost done,” Carrie reminded her. “Robert and Clint have been going there every evening to help the rest of the men. Gabe has been a lifesaver. I don’t think there is anything that man doesn’t know about building.”

Rose took a deep breath. “You’re right. Abby and your father have been fabulous about sending supplies. The school isn’t fancy, but it’s going to hold at least one hundred students. I don’t think it will be long before I’ll have to bring in an additional teacher, but I’m going to handle it all at the beginning, with June working as my assistant.”

“Which should assure you that you’re not sitting back and doing
nothing
,” Carrie reminded her gently.

“You’re right,” Rose agreed.

“But…?” Carrie asked quietly. Rose gazed at her but didn’t answer. “It’s not enough,” Carrie answered for her.

“It has to be,” Rose replied. She held a hand to her stomach which was just showing the beginning of a bulge, and then looked down at where John played in the yard with two of the workers’ children. “It has to be enough,” she repeated almost desperately.

“It’s a season,” Carrie reminded her. “You can’t possibly know what is coming in the future. Remember your mama telling you that you had to bloom where you were planted when you made the decision not to escape?”

Rose nodded thoughtfully, a small smile playing on her lips. “She reminded me I was the only one who could determine my destiny. When the time was right, Moses and I escaped and started brand new lives.” She managed a small laugh. “I also know that if things changed and we weren’t here anymore, my heart would break to lose you again.”

Carrie stared off into the distance, her gaze drawn north. “The time is coming, Rose, but we’ll never lose each other again. Distance may separate us, but a war and armies won’t keep us apart.”

“You’re getting restless,” Rose observed. “Being here is not enough for you either.” Her eyes widened. “I’ve been so concerned with myself that I didn’t recognize your own angst.”

Carrie smiled. “I wouldn’t call it angst. My heart still longs to be a doctor, but the war also taught me to make the most of what I’m living right this minute. Yes, I want to go to medical school, but it also brings me such joy to watch Robert get strong. My heart sings when I watch Clint ride and see his confidence growing every day. And little Amber is a wonder. Robert is teaching her to ride and she’s taking to it like she was born on a horse.”

“The two of them together are pure joy to watch,” Rose agreed. “Amber told me you’re taking walks in the woods together.”

Carrie nodded. “I’m teaching her everything your mama taught me. Amber is a natural healer.” She shook her head. “I wish I could have started learning at her age. She soaks it up like dry ground soaks up the rain.”

Suddenly Rose shaded her eyes and looked off into the distance. “Expecting company?”

Carrie shook her head. “Father said he and Abby would be out to visit in September. Jeremy is busy in the factory, and the last I heard, Matthew headed down to Georgia for a story.” She stood and walked to the edge of the porch, watching as a wagon worked its way down the drive.

Moments later Robert was standing next to her. “Where is Janie?” he asked quietly.

Carrie frowned. “You think it’s Clifford?” There had been no word from Janie’s husband. It had become easy to pretend nothing was going to happen.

“I don’t know. Do you know where she is?”

“She went down to help some of the women can vegetables. She’s determined to learn how to do it herself,” Carrie said with a smile. “I don’t expect her back until around dinner.”

Robert nodded but remained beside her as the wagon drew close enough from them to realize there was a man driving, with three other men in the back. “Let’s see what they want,” he said, stepping down to meet them.

“Hello,” Robert said cordially. “Welcome to Cromwell Plantation.”

The driver nodded with relief. “I’m glad we found the right place. Are you Thomas Cromwell?”

Robert shook his head. “No,” was all he said.

Carrie knew he was being cautious because of reports of violence coming in from all over the country, but a quick glance into the back of the wagon told her the story of why they were here. She stepped forward. “Thomas Cromwell is my father. My name is Carrie Borden. How can we help you?”

The driver wiped the sweat off his face. “We’re here looking for you, Mrs. Borden.” He looked into the back of the wagon. “We hear you know how to doctor.”

Carrie stepped off the porch and approached the wagon, grimacing when she saw the flushed, feverish eyes of the three men staring back at her. “Take that wagon into the shade,” she ordered briskly. She looked up at Rose. “Please ask Annie to bring out several pitchers of cool water.”

Robert took her hand as the driver pulled the wagon around under the shade of the oak tree. “Can you help them?”

Carrie sighed. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I’ll just do the best I can.” Her mind raced as she considered how she could help them with virtually no medical supplies.

“You’ll help them with what you have,” Robert said firmly. “I believe in you.”

Carrie took a deep breath. “Thank you,” she breathed.

Amber ran up and skidded to a stop. “What can I do to help, Carrie?”

Carrie stooped down to look her in the eyes. “Please run up to my room and get my medical bag. And then stay close because I’m going to need you to get some things out of the cellar.”

She turned to Robert. “Please come with me. It will help them to know you’ve gotten well after being so sick.” She took his hand as she walked over to the wagon and leaned over the edge.

“Hello,” Carrie said gently, not allowing her face to show alarm at the condition of the three men who were obviously veterans. “Y’all don’t look like you feel very good.”

“Don’t reckon we do,” one whispered. He was bone thin — his face flushed with fever and his eyes bright with desperation. He was also missing a leg below the knee.

Carrie decided to start with him. “What’s your name, soldier?”

The man’s scrawny shoulders straightened just a little as she acknowledged his service to the Confederacy. “Joe Whistler, ma’am.”

“What’s wrong, Joe?”

Joe took a deep breath and set his teeth as he pulled back his pant leg and revealed an ugly red infection spreading from his stump. “It hurts pretty bad, Mrs. Borden.”

“I’m sure it does,” Carrie said gently. “How long has it been this way?”

“A couple weeks. I lost it during the fighting at Petersburg. It seemed to be doing okay but then it started hurting even worse. My wife says it’s infected.”

“She’s right.” Carrie’s mind raced as she tried to remember what herbs and remedies she still had in the basement.

“Can you help?” Joe asked, his voice hoarse with pain.

Carrie reached down to take his hand. “I’ll do everything I can,” she promised. Then she turned to the next man. “What’s your name, soldier?”

“Abner Whiteside, ma’am. I didn’t want to come here today.”

“Why not?” Carrie asked, gazing at the slender blond who certainly had to still be in his teens. He had all his limbs, but she recognized the look in his eyes.

“Don’t see no reason for living,” he said weakly, apathy dulling his voice as much as his eyes.

The wagon driver spoke up. “His mama put him in my wagon this morning when she heard I was coming to look for you. She lost her other three boys. She begged me to bring Abner.”

Robert stepped forward. “Hello, Abner. My name is Captain Robert Borden. Where did you last serve?”

Abner stared up at him, his eyes showing the first spark of interest. “I served up until the end, Captain. Right before General Lee surrendered, I got real sick with pneumonia, but I was there at the end.”

“Me too,” Robert replied.

“You were there at the end?”

“Yes, but I also got pneumonia. It almost killed me.”

Abner eyed him. “It don’t look like you’ve been sick.”

“Not now,” Robert agreed. “I was sick for a while, but even when I started to get better I didn’t want to live. I lay in bed for two months more than I needed to because I just couldn’t find a reason to get out of it.”

Abner looked at Carrie. “Ain’t she your wife, Captain?”

“Yes.”

“Seems like a good reason to me,” he said with a faint smile.

Robert laughed. “You’re right about that!” Then he sobered. “I thought the war had taken everything from me. My health was gone. My home was gone. My livelihood had been taken away from me.”

Abner nodded. “I sure understand that,” he said weakly. “My family had a nice little farm before the war. We didn’t have a lot, but we had enough. We all worked the farm — me and my brothers. Now my daddy and my brothers are all gone, and I’m the only one left. The farm was destroyed by them Yankees. Me and my mama live in a little shack we found that didn’t have anybody living in it. No one’s thrown us out yet.”

“Your mama loves you,” Carrie reminded him. “That’s why she sent you.”

“I know. It just ain’t enough to make me care,” he admitted.

“You let Carrie help you,” Robert said gently. “Then you and I will talk.”

Carrie turned to the next man when Abner nodded. “What’s your name, soldier.”