“I’m sure you found all exactly as I said.”
He inclined his head. “I did. However.” He folded his arms across the double row of brass buttons on his long blue coat. “The plantation itself is not being used. I sincerely doubt General Granger will order an evacuation.”
Natalie scowled. “Surely the owner of the plantation should have some say in whom to allow on her private property.” She indicated the fields, now full of men, animals, and tents. “I certainly did not expect this when you said your men needed a place to camp. There must be two hundred men living here.”
“Your plantation is centrally located between San Antonio, the eastern communities, and the frontier. There are still thousands of slaves across Texas who have not learned of their freedom and slave owners who have not heard they are breaking the law by keeping people in bondage. The army needs a central command post from which to send companies to deliver the proclamation.” He unfolded his arms. “Once every slave in Texas is free and all Texans are complying with the law, then the Union Army will depart.”
Natalie met his steady gaze for a long, tense moment, but defeat forced her to be the first to look away. “It appears I have no choice in the matter.”
“It appears you don’t.”
The softer tone of his voice tempered the harsh truth. When she turned back to him, Natalie thought she saw a hint of compassion in his dark eyes. “Must I seek your permission to remove a few keepsakes, Colonel?”
For the first time since meeting the man, he smiled. “I’m not an ogre. I have seen for myself that this is a home full of family mementos. You may take anything you wish. Corporal Banks will assist you.”
“Thank you,” Natalie said, the flutter in her stomach once again making itself known. The Yankee was devastatingly handsome when he wasn’t being difficult. She looked away. “There is no need to bother the corporal. Moses and Carolina will help me.” She started to move away, but his hand on her arm stopped her progress.
“Nevertheless, Banks will accompany you into the house.” When she met his gaze again, she noted the smile was gone and the hard edge had returned. “I want a record of every item you remove. Banks will compile a list, and you will sign it before you leave the property.”
Annoyed by his authoritative tone, she stared at his hand until he lifted it from her arm. “Is that really necessary? What will compiling a list accomplish? I already own the items.”
He leaned ever so slightly toward her. “The list is not for you, Mrs. Ellis. It is for me. We wouldn’t want any items to suddenly go missing, leading to, shall we say, false accusations.”
His meaning was infuriatingly clear.
The intruder occupying her land without her permission didn’t trust her.
CHAPTER FIVE
Levi attempted to work at the small desk in the sitting room that adjoined the guest bedroom he’d commandeered, but voices from deep inside the big house carried through his open door, distracting him. The low rumble of Moses. The high-pitched squeak of the female servant—Carolina, wasn’t it? But it was the soft voice with a slight Southern drawl that had him adding the same column of numbers on the supply manifest for the fourth time.
He blew out a breath and tossed the list onto the desk.
Natalie Langford Ellis.
What was it about the woman that so captivated him? Since leaving Rose Hill yesterday afternoon, the look of abandonment in her blue eyes had haunted him. It shouldn’t matter that a slave owner felt the sting of loss when the majority of her slaves walked off the plantation. It shouldn’t matter that she had no money and no one to help her rebuild. But for reasons he didn’t understand, Levi couldn’t bring himself to feel pleased over her suffering the way he’d felt every other time he’d ridden away from a Texas plantation or farm, knowing he’d played a part in freeing human beings from slavery.
Soft laughter floated down the stairs. He closed his eyes and strained to hear the words that followed. What was she saying? Something about when she was a little girl—
“Sir?”
Levi looked up to find Banks in the doorway. “Are you finished?”
A sheepish expression filled the young man’s face. “I need another sheet of paper, sir.”
“Another sheet? You mean to say she is taking so many items with her you have filled an entire sheet already?”
“No, sir. Mrs. Ellis wants to compile a list of her own.”
“A list of her own? And what would that list be comprised of?”
“The items she isn’t taking, sir.”
Levi stared at the corporal. She intended to make a list of everything left in the house? Of all the ridiculous …
He stood. “I will speak to her.”
Corporal Banks followed him down the hallway to the narrow set of stairs tucked at the back of the house. They’d most likely been used by servants, leaving the grand staircase in the foyer for the white residents and their guests.
“They’re in the master’s bedroom.”
Levi recalled where the room was located and headed in that direction. When they reached the open door, the three occupants fell silent. Natalie had removed her bonnet, revealing stylishly coiffed hair. For one unguarded moment, Levi envisioned himself taking the pins out to free the blond locks, knowing the thick tresses would feel like silk in his fingers.
Natalie lifted one delicate eyebrow. “May I help you, Colonel?”
He ignored her question and took stock of the room, mentally chastising himself for such a foolish thought. Furniture covered with sheets filled the space, but a mahogany bureau had been uncovered and its drawers left open. Several objects lay on the bare mattress, including a small framed painting and some jewelry. Moses held two rifles,
