Ada continued to roll her lip between her teeth to the point that it hurt as she considered his offer. He claimed he loved her. It was an irksome admission yet it tugged at her heart in a way she hadn’t expected. Actually, she first thought that was because Richard had hurt her so and her heart still bled at the vast hurt he had caused. But this wasn’t that. She had found herself thinking of Francois during their time apart in winter camp, even though she did her best to lie to herself it wasn’t anything more than caring for a patient. Granted, she’d never slept with a patient either and that was a mark against her, she decided.
Now, he offered to protect her from the beasts he believed would wound her. He was right on the mark for most of it. Returning home was hard because not only Will lived there but so did Richard…and, apparently, his wife. Of course, Waxler was still there, too. Inside, her stomach curdled and her heart ripped another tear. To go back to the Union forces would make her subject to their investigation over the field if it came to light. Everything was making her head pound painfully.
More cannon fire and rifle shots sounded in the distance. The war wasn’t too far away, and from what she’d gathered in camp, this new commander, Grant, had only one goal and that was to defeat Lee’s army, regardless of the costs. It was those costs, in the terms of wounded, that ate at her soul.
“My duty is to help those soldiers,” she moaned, torn.
“Yes, but as I recall, that call to help didn’t specify only men in blue.”
She glared at him. “So, now you’d throw me in with the traitors?”
He threw his hands into the air and tried to step away, finding a jab of pain reminding him to be careful. “Ada, I don’t know what you want! Talk to me, because the battle is moving this direction.”
Edward sat, leaning against a tree. The black man looked asleep. That irked her to no end. He’d stayed with the Confederate side, killed a man fighting to set his kind free and now, took a nap as she battled with Francois over what to do.
“All right!” she yelled, frustrated at the whole affair. “You’re in no shape to take me anywhere north. He,” she pointed towards Edward, who now gave her a hooded glance. “Proceeds to nap, after he’s killed a man fighting to set him free. And me?” Her vision blurred, burning her anger higher. How dare that man bring her down to this! “Yes, you are correct. I am here to serve. My skills are to help the wounded and dying. The color of the uniform doesn’t make a difference.”
Francois’s lips curled slightly and if he did smile broadly, she’d get on his horse and leave him! Perhaps he heard her thoughts, and stopped the smile. His brilliant blue gaze sparkled but the rest of him was deadly straight.
“Good.”
“Sir,” Edward called, standing upright, yanking the milkweed out of his mouth. “Considerin’ what is happenin’, I see a lot of fire, hell is rolling through the land. Both sides won’t be counting on us, if we ain’t there.” His brows shot up. He was suggesting they not return.
Francois stood, thinking. “I think you are right.” He took a few steps till he got the twinge in his ankle and stopped. “Many out in that field are dead and burned.”
“Most not able to tell friend or foe,” the slave added.
“True. It’d take days to try to figure it out, that is, if this battle ever wanes.” He glanced at Ada. She sat on a tree stump, toying with her skirt, an absent look on her face. It was a look he’d seen often on the faces of men unsure of their next step in this mess. He hadn’t viewed it on hers, her mission so clear cut that was until she’d met him, he decided.
“Did they know you went looking for casualties?”
She nodded. “Took a hospital steward with me but lost him in the journey.” She snorted, which turned into a twisted laugh. “So, my body might be part of that burned wreckage, too, because I doubt Richard would relate it was me there with him and you during that gunfire. Will, Dr. Leonard, has never liked him and would probably bring charges against him for losing me to you.”
Francois couldn’t help but smile. He strongly doubted Leonard wanted her with Richard. Himself, perhaps, but…
“A perfect point for revenge, my love, but now isn’t the time for such contrivances. Let’s mount and head toward the southwest.”
Edward brought Rose to them and the mare waited for them to mount with the slave taking the lead. Francois felt her body melt against his back and he relished in the moment. He’d take her South, perhaps home and they’d figure from there. All he knew was his heart swelled with joy to have his love with him.
The question was – would she ever love him?
Chapter 39
“I see no prospects of peace for a long time. The Yankees can’t whip us and we can never whip them.”
—Confederate soldier’s comment, after Stone’s River Battle, December 30, 1862
A week later…
What she wouldn’t give for a bath!
The last six days had been a walk and duck game as they’d plodded southward. They managed through the countryside, sleeping in ruins of once
