Janet planned the menus and sometimes did the shopping. She played the part of hostess when Ian had other members of the government over. Diamond listened, learning about funding problems and the difficulty of supplying troops to the Confederacy when Union sympathizers had kicked them out of their state. They still sent recruiters to Missouri to find volunteers but had no real power. The temptation to suggest they accept the inevitable hung over her head. She thought they should either go home and live under Union rule or move south and stop pretending Missouri would ever be a legitimate part of the Confederacy. Guessing her father-in-law wouldn’t appreciate her input, she stayed silent.
Jesse had only asked two things of her—to placate his difficult father and to write regularly. She was learning to hold her tongue and had started a letter, detailing the events of her day. However, she found the days long and dull. She was used to chasing stories, writing news copy and often appearing on camera, expertly made up and something of a celebrity. Ari had provided her with some cosmetics and she and Victoria had taught her how to use them sparingly to enhance her appearance without being obvious since “decent” women didn’t wear makeup. But in a town filled with women, children and old men, she rarely used them. She kept her opinions to herself and tried to blend in. She felt invisible.
Just that morning, she and Janet had gone shopping. Visiting the butcher shop, bakery, greengrocer, and dry goods store made her miss the large supermarkets of the future. After lunch, they were going to their first meeting of the support group for Rebel soldiers. Much as she dreaded the experience, perhaps it would give her something to write about.
They called for the carriage since they had bags of yarn, bolts of material and sewing and knitting supplies to bring with them.
Amy’s parents, Senator and Mrs. Verdine had rented a larger home than Ian. It was in a wealthier part of town, but farther away from the government offices. The elegant brick structure set back from the street and a cobbled walkway led to the door. Their driver helped them carry their bags.
A butler answered their knock and led them to a large parlor already filled with women. The buzz of chatter died, and all eyes turned towards Diamond as she entered the room with Janet.
Janet greeted her hostess and introduced Diamond. “She married my brother, Jesse, in St. Louis a few weeks ago.” She then went around the circle, rattling off names which Diamond promptly forgot.
“I’m pleased to have you join us,” her hostess said in a tone that implied the opposite. “We meet once a week to do our part to help our boys in gray.”
Diamond felt the weight of Amy’s animosity and the cool perusal of Mrs. Verdine, but she nodded to the two women as if she were oblivious to their hostility. Slowly chatter resumed as the women bent their heads to their work.
“We mainly knit socks and sew shirts,” Janet said. “What would you like to do?”
“Socks. I’m not much of a seamstress,” Diamond replied, glad she had signed up for lessons when knitting became trendy. She’d been doing a story on the revival of traditional yarn arts and had thought it would make an interesting sidebar. To her surprise, she’d found it relaxing and had taken more lessons after finishing her basic class. She could manage a halfway decent pair of socks.
Janet handed her a bag of yarn. “Pick your yarn and find a pair of needles. We can share my copy of the pattern.”
Diamond chose a gray yarn and a set of double-pointed needles. She had to concentrate while casting on, but once she fell into the groove, she began to pay attention to the surrounding conversations. Everyone had a husband, sweetheart, brother, or son serving in the Confederate Army. Some, like the Webers, also had men fighting for the Union.
“Everything made in this group goes to our soldiers,” Mrs. Verdine reminded them. “If you must sew for the enemy, do it on your own time.” Amy’s family was staunchly Southern and made no secret about it.
The younger women’s talk centered on their beaus or husbands, letters they had received, and tales of their children. The older women reported on the status of sons or husbands, but then turned to more practical measures, such as rising prices and worries about the property they had left behind in Missouri. They peppered Janet with questions since she had stayed through the fall of New Madrid.
“Union soldiers looted the town, but didn’t destroy it. Since they commandeered our house, I hope it will escape relatively unscathed.”
“Were you scared?” one of the young women asked. “I don’t understand why you didn’t come to Arkansas with your father.”
“We didn’t expect New Madrid to fall so early and with both my brothers away fighting, someone had to run the farm. It scared me when the army withdrew and left us to our fate, but I must admit that though the Yankees seized my home, they didn’t offer me any violence.”
“They stole your slaves.”
“Those who hadn’t already run off,” Janet agreed. “I don’t know how we will get a crop in this year even if we’re able to go home.”
“Are you from St. Louis, Diamond? I know we have pockets of supporters for the cause there.”
“No, but I have friends there.”
A maid entered the room and handed out glasses of lemonade. Conversation trailed off until she left and closed the door behind her.
“Rumor has it you arrived with no servants of your own, not even a
