On to Richmond (28 page)

             
Disappointment clouded his even features for a moment, but he forced a grin.  “I got myself in this mess.  I’ll have to be patient, see what happens, and make the best of it.”

             
“
How
did you get yourself in this mess?  You’re not a soldier.  How were you captured?”

             
“The same way our dear Mr. Alfred Ely found himself a guest at this wonderful hotel.”

             
“Alfred Ely.”

             
“A congressman from New York,” Matthew explained. 

             
“There is a congressman from New York here as a prisoner?”  Carrie gasped in disbelief.

             
Matthew nodded with a wry expression on his face.  “I believe there is one other civilian besides us.  A banker from Washington.  The rest of my roommates are all officers in the Union army.”

             
“So how did it happen?” Carrie asked again.

             
Matthew shrugged.  “The paper sent me out to do a story.”  He stopped to look at her.  “I couldn’t fight, Carrie.”

             
Carrie nodded.  “I got a letter from Aunt Abby.  She told me.”

             
“You received a letter from Aunt Abby?”  Matthew asked incredulously.  “The mail is being delivered here?”

             
“Well, of a sorts,” Carrie said with a grin.  Then she held her hand up in protest.  “I asked my question first.  I’ll answer yours later.”

             
Matthew grinned.  “Fair enough.”  He leaned back in his chair.  “Like I said, I was sent out by the Enquirer to cover the big battle.  We had been assured the victory would be fast and easy.  I thought it odd that so many spectators had come from Washington to watch, but it wasn’t my place to say anything.  They parked their carriages and then spread out blankets to picnic on.  Wine flowed freely, and everyone was quite excited about the prospect of seeing the Union soundly beat the South.”

             
“They must have been quite disappointed,” Carrie said wryly.  When Matthew looked at her sharply, she knew he was wondering where she stood on everything.  She was still too confused to know her own mind.  She just knew Matthew would always be her friend. 

             
“They were more than disappointed,” Matthew replied.  “In the end they were absolutely terrified as our troops swarmed past and through them in an absolute panic.  All anyone could think about was getting away, but the roads were clogged with traffic and overturned wagons.  And still, fleeing soldiers kept racing by.”  He paused, remembering.  “I was doing my best to cover the story, trying to talk to everyone I could.  Finally, I knew I had to get out of there.  About that time, a couple of soldiers racing by grabbed my horse and took off on him.  Then I saw a group of soldiers stumbling toward me.  Two of them were badly hurt.  I couldn’t just leave them.”  He shrugged his shoulders.  “I was trying to help when the Confederate troops captured us.  Now I’m here.” 

             
Carrie looked at him in sympathy.  How like him to sacrifice himself to help others.  “I’m sorry,” she said softly. 

             
Matthew’s eyes clouded for a moment, and then his ever present grin broke through.  “I’m going to have one heck of a story when I get out of this place!”

             
Carrie laughed.  “I imagine you are.”  Then she asked, “Are they treating you well here?”

             
“It’s not so bad, I guess.  The floor gets hard at night, and I’m already tired of gristly meat and doughy bread, but at least we have a place to sleep and something to eat.  I never really imagined being a prisoner would be a pleasant experience.” 

             
“Your Lieutenant Todd doesn’t seem like a very likable fellow,” Carrie commented, then told him some of what she had told Todd in his office. 

             
Matthew roared with laughter before he sobered.  “One of the saddest things about this war is how it divides family.  I’d say our Lieutenant Todd is one for the books, though.”

             
“What do you mean?”

             
Matthew looked at her.  “Don’t you know who he is?”  Her blank expression answered his question.  “Doesn’t the name Todd ring a bell with you?  Like maybe the maiden name of President Lincoln’s wife?”

             
“Lieutenant Todd is President Lincoln’s brother-in-law?”  Carrie gasped.

             
“The same!” Matthew said with a grin.  “It’ll make a great story one of these days.”  Then he sobered.  “Have you heard from Robert?”

             
Carrie shook her head.  “Not directly.”  Then she told him the story of meeting with Hobbs.  “I’m sure Robert will want to see you if he gets back into Richmond.”

             
“Maybe,” Matthew said dubiously.  “This war seems to wreak havoc on old friendships.  They don’t seem to stand up to the strain of divided loyalty.”

             
“This one will,” Carrie declared.  “Robert would never turn his back on your friendship.”

             
“You seem awful sure of your man, Carrie.”

             
Carrie paused.  “He’s not
my man
, Matthew,” she said softly, forcing the words around the lump in her throat.

             
Matthew looked at her closely.  “He loves you, you know.”

             
Carrie nodded.  “And I love him.  But I turned down his proposal of marriage in May.”  

             
Matthew whistled but didn’t comment. 

             
Carrie continued.   “We stand too far apart on certain issues.”

             
“Such as slavery?”  Matthew guessed.

             
Carrie nodded, struggling to hold back the tears that sprang into her eyes at Matthew’s obvious sympathy.

             
Matthew waited a long moment before he said anything.  “Robert has only ever known one way of life.  It’s going to be hard for him to see things differently.  But I trust his heart.  I don’t know what it will take, but I have a feeling you will be together one day.”

             
Carrie longed to take hope from his words, but she also didn’t want to hang on to a fantasy.  “We’ll see,” she said finally. 

             
Just then the door cracked open.  “You got five more minutes,” the guard said.

             
Carrie pulled herself back to the present situation.  “I’m going to try to get someone to bring you some things - fresh food, clean clothes.”  She quickly explained Opal’s presence in Richmond.  “I’m going to find her today and ask her to visit you.  General Winder was kind enough to add her name to the letter.  I have to get back to the plantation,” she explained.  “I wish I could stay longer, but timing is rather critical.”  Briefly she told him about her plan to supply Richmond with food.

             
Matthew eyed her for a moment.  “Are you as torn by this conflict as I am?” he asked.

             
Carrie nodded eagerly.  “Yes, I am.  I find my heart torn on almost a daily basis.  The South is fighting a war I don’t believe in - largely over an institution I don’t believe in.  Yet my father has thrown his whole heart into it, and people I care about deeply are fighting - risking their lives for what they call
the cause
.  It is so confusing.”

             
Matthew nodded.  “Thank you for being honest.  I imagine your position is not extremely popular around here right now.”

             
Carrie grimaced.  “I find I hold a lot of opinions that are not very popular.”

             
Matthew laughed.  “That’s why you and Aunt Abby hit it off.  You’re too honest to let public opinion determine your own beliefs.”

             
Carrie brightened at the idea of being like Aunt Abby.  It helped to remember she wasn’t alone.  “I remember something Aunt Abby told me once.  She said the world was too full of people willing to put out their thinking the way they do their washing - to be done by others.”

             
Matthew nodded.  “Aunt Abby is one in a million.  I agree with her.  I think all individuals should feel they alone are responsible for their own thoughts and actions.”

             
“Time’s up!” the guard’s voice intoned.

             
Micah was waiting for Carrie when she left the prison.  He waved as soon as she caught sight of him. 

             
Carrie hurried over to him.  “We have one more stop before I go back to my father’s, Micah.”

             
“Yes, ma’am.  Where you want to go?”

             
She gave him the address.

             
“You sure that’s where you be wantin’ to go, Miss Carrie?”  He was looking at her with a strange expression on his face.

             
“That’s the place, Micah,” she said firmly. 

             
He shook his head but picked up the reins and urged the horses forward.

             
Carrie settled back against her seat.  She understood the strange look.  She was quite sure he didn’t take too many white people to this part of Richmond.  They didn’t have far to go.  Opal lived only a few blocks from the prison.

             
She gazed around her as they entered the neighborhood where Opal lived with her cousins.  It was certainly barren and drab looking, but she had to admit the two story frame houses were an improvement over the quarters at home.  When they turned onto Opal’s street, she could hear the sounds of children playing in the street, and men and women calling to each other.  As they rolled down the street, though, quiet seemed to spread in a wave before them.  Children who looked up and saw her immediately quit playing and ran to their porches where they perched and watched her silently, their small faces set like stone.  Voices quit calling out to one another as men and women turned away and acted as if they were busy with some chore. 

             
Finally the carriage pulled up in front of the number on the address.  She could see little faces peering out at her, but no one came out to meet her.  She was not expecting them to.  Carrie gathered her dress, stepped down onto the dusty road, walked quickly to the door, and knocked.  It was several minutes before a face appeared at the open door. 

             
“Yes, ma’am?”

             
Carrie smiled at the girl in front of her, trying to dispel the fear she saw in the teen’s eyes.  Maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to come looking for Opal.  She didn’t want to cause trouble for the people here.  But she was already here, so.....  “I am looking for Opal.  I understand she lives here.”  She kept her voice gentle.

             
The girl became even more guarded though she kept her voice even.  “Yes, ma’am, she lives here.  But she ain’t here right now.”

             
Carrie looked at the girl in admiration.  She guessed her to be about sixteen though her manner made her seem much older.  Her voice was musical, her diction  clear.   It was the intelligence in her eyes that drew Carrie the most, however.  She reminded her of Rose. 

             
“Do you know when I might find her here?  It is really quite important that I see her.”  She watched as the shutters closed further over her eyes.  Then she realized what she was doing wrong.  This girl had no idea who she was.  “I’m sorry,” she said suddenly.  “I haven’t even introduced myself.  My name is Carrie Cromwell.” 

             
“You be Miss Cromwell?” the girl exclaimed.  “Why didn’t you say so?  Come on in this house.” 

             
Carrie smiled with relief at the rapid change.  “Thank you,” she said as she stepped in the door.   Suddenly she was surrounded by three more children.