The Last Heiress (45 page)

“Shall I hold Jack Jr. for a while?” asked Amanda.

Abigail startled. “I was so lost in thought I didn't hear you approach. Here you are, Aunt Mandy. But I won't go far in case he becomes fussy.”

Amanda took the infant from her. “I have good news for you, sister.”

“Did Thomas snare a hapless rabbit last night? You and I are becoming adept at cooking rabbit stew. Your Mr. Cooper will be quite pleased with your new skills. Although I won't have much call for the recipe once we leave our backwater home.”

Amanda grinned over the baby's tiny head. “No, the news has nothing to do with supper tonight. Guess again.”

“Stop teasing and tell me this instant. You're still as contrary as you were when we were children.” Abigail leaned over the rail to gauge the tide's progress.

“One of Mr. Campbell's guards spotted Jackson riding along the river from the crow's nest. He should be reaching the gangplank any minute now.” Amanda gently chucked the baby under his chin. Jacky gurgled and grinned as though having great fun.

Abigail huffed with annoyance. “I'm going to pull your hair when you least expect it!” Her chastisement held little conviction.
Jackson is home, safe and sound, once more.
Hurrying to the lower deck, she tucked a few loose curls behind her ears. Her days of elaborate coiffures festooned with ribbons and feathers were gone. Now she plaited her hair into a long braid that she coiled
at the nape of her neck. At night she unwound the braid for Jackson with great showmanship.

She ran back up the stairs and arrived topside just in time to say, “Why, Mr. Henthorne, what an inconvenient time to come calling.” She feigned a tone of disapproval. “You're too late for luncheon and too early for tea. I ask you, sir, were your born in a barn?”

Jackson knocked his boot heels against a post before stepping on deck. Then he picked her up and swung her in a full circle. “I'll be sure to mention to Mother that you questioned her standards in the nursery.”

“Heavens! Put me down!” she shrieked, giggling. “What will the neighbors say if someone sees such foolishness in broad daylight?”

“I don't care about the opinions of nosy squirrels and muskrats. You keep watch for any tattletelling possums.” He kissed her firmly on the mouth the moment her feet landed on deck.

“You will tell your mother nothing about my questions. Married couples should keep their own confidences.” Strolling the length of the
Lady Adelaine
, she hugged him around the waist.

“In that case, my love, I have a confidence to share. Soon everyone will know, but today I choose to impart this information solely to you.” Jackson kissed the tip of her nose.

“Tell me at once or I'll make you walk the plank.”

“This water is too shallow to drown in, but as you wish. General Schofield has organized his men in preparation to leave the city. According to my informant, the Yankees will soon march west toward Fayettesville to join that troublesome Billy Sherman.” Jackson's grin filled his face.

“That's wonderful news! I cannot fathom why the soldiers were still in Wilmington. All the Confederate troops moved out in February to join General Johnston.”

“They needed to rebuild the railroad tracks leading to and from the city, along with several bridges.”

“Then you can start shipping again, my dear?”

He laughed with surprising good cheer. “Not hardly. Whatever wasn't burned by General Bragg became Yankee property. If steamers start arriving in port from Nassau or abroad, the food and munitions with be confiscated for the Union army, not ours. They still control the fort and the entire Eastern Seaboard, for that matter.”

“Then I'm confused why this news has lifted your spirits.” Abigail looked up at him, bewildered.

“Because it means we can go home soon. We can leave our floating refuge in the woods and return to civilization.” Jackson brushed a kiss across her forehead. “The Yankees left only a few details of men and provost marshals to maintain the peace. They will ensure civilians don't interfere with Union supplies being offloaded and ferried to the railroad depot. But no one will bother an upstanding family going about their business uptown.”

“Does this mean Nate will be coming home?” Amanda stepped from the shadows where she had been lurking, the baby sleeping soundly in her arms.

“Were you eavesdropping, sister?” Abigail chastised, reaching for her son. “Some things never change.”

“Yes, I was. Twins shouldn't keep secrets from each other. Please, Jackson, what did you hear about our troops?” Amanda's eyes were glassy with unshed tears.

“Very little good news, I'm afraid. The fighting continues west of here. Cooper's regiment was under General Bragg's command. When Bragg retreated from Wilmington, he headed toward Goldsboro to join up with General Johnston. They need more men for a final stand against the Yankees.”

“You make it sound hopeless,” whispered Amanda.

“It is hopeless and has been for some time. There's talk of General Grant offering terms of surrender to General Lee. Apparently, those terms haven't been to Bobby Lee's liking thus far.”

In a rare burst of temper, Amanda knocked a jelly jar of water lilies off the railing. The jar landed in the murky water below with a loud splash. “You Americans are so blasted stubborn! The South will keep fighting until not one man remains to plant a seed, or harvest a crop, or sire a child.” She punctuated the tantrum with a stamp of her foot.

Abigail hoisted the baby to her shoulder so she could slip an arm around her sister. “Aren't you glad we were born in a rational,
civilized
nation?” She angled a wry smile at Jackson.

“If not for our stubborn streak, ladies, we Americans would still be under Queen Victoria's thumb. Opportunities for citizens to rebuild the city or start fresh elsewhere would be sharply curtailed.” Leaning back against the rail, he crossed his legs at the ankles. “Try not to worry, sister. Cooper's desire to forge a life with you exceeds the sovereignty of states' rights. I believe he'll dodge any bullet shot in his direction.”

Amanda looked from one to the other, miserable. “When do we leave for the city?”

“Tomorrow at first light. I'll send Thomas to the coach this afternoon with a bucket and scrub brush to give it a thorough cleaning. That man will truly be glad to see his wife again. Amos and Salome returned from Oakdale days ago, apparently with my mother's blessing. Why don't we start packing up our things here?”

“What about the
Lady Adelaine
?” Abigail asked. “I've grown fond of the old girl. Can't we sail her upriver when the tide lifts her from the sand?” She ran a finger along a brass filigree molding.

“Not if we wish to keep her. The Yankees may not be looking to confiscate Confederate ships any longer, but if we dangle this plum under their noses, they won't be able to resist.”

“Will the boat be safe here?”

“For now, yes. I'll keep Mr. Campbell and his guards on my payroll. Let's pray this war ends and the Yankees go home before I go bankrupt. When they leave us in peace, Henthorne and Sons will start over with one ship—a decidedly smaller fleet, but far less risky.”

“When we can use the
Lady Adelaine
without fear of confiscation, I want to travel to England to see my mother. And I wish you to come with me.”

He considered her request for only a moment. Then, smiling at her, he said, “I delight in granting your every wish, my dear. Of course I will accompany you. My father can run things until we return, and then he wants no part of the business. He wishes to become a real peanut farmer, not a gentleman planter.”

She giggled at the idea. “I can't wait to see your mother in the fields come harvest time. It will be a sight worth the long drive to Oakdale.”

“Physical labor does a body good. Perhaps she will invite
you
to join her among the rows.” Jackson pulled opened the door to their stateroom. “Come draw me a bath, dear wife. I want to hear all about Jacky's exploits in my absence. What new mischief did he discover?”

And so Abigail and Jackson left Amanda alone with her fears and concerns. Until the war ended, there wasn't anything she or anyone else could do.

Despite the fact Robert E. Lee had signed terms of surrender with Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox, Virginia, on April 9, hostilities continued in North Carolina for seventeen more days. How very sad for the unfortunate souls who died
after
the War Between the States officially ended.

But such an end would not be the case for Nathaniel or Joshua. Although bone-tired, hungry, tattered, and in need of a bath, both men remained sound of body and mind when Joseph E. Johnston surrendered his army on April 26. With newly inked parole papers and two days' worth of rations, they paused at a crossroads of two dirt roads. The rutted lane ran east and west—one direction toward their home in the hills, the other to Nate's new life on the seacoast.

“I take it you'll be heading east to that sassy Miss Dunn, whom I've heard so much about,” Joshua said before taking a long swallow from his canteen.

Shading his eyes, Nate peered in that direction. “As fast as my legs can carry me. I truly wish I had money for train fare.”

“There are no trains in this section of nowhere.”

“Money to buy Amanda a nice gift, then. I hate to arrive empty handed.”

“If the woman has tolerated you this long, I suppose she'll be glad to see you without presents.”

“What about you? Will you head back to Balsam?”

Joshua faced west, as though his beloved blue-misted mountains could be seen on the horizon. “Nah, there's nothing for me there. The county would have claimed the land for back taxes by now. Besides, that land wasn't much good for farming, and I wasn't much of a farmer. That's one reason I left Uncle John's hog operation.”

Nate felt a surge of excitement, his first since the war's inglorious conclusion. “Which way will you go, then? North? Or perhaps farther west to stake a claim in Nebraska Territory?”

Joshua turned back to him. “Reckon I might visit this Wilmington you seem so fond of. After all, unless the lady has come to her senses, I smell an end of your long-standing bachelorhood.”

Nate scuffed his toe in the dust. “I don't plan to buy another store. Maybe I'll try my hand at fishing.”

“You can support a family sitting on a bank with a line thrown in the river?”

“Not exactly,” he said with a laugh. “I plan to buy a boat—a trawler. The sea is full of fish ripe for the taking. People in cities love the taste of seafood, same as we did back home.”

“I can still taste that pickerel and trout.” Joshua rubbed his belly in a circular motion. “You got money to buy a ship?”

“A boat, not a ship. And yes, long before my store burned I sold the inventory at a fair price. I've also been saving for the past five years. I can afford a small trawler, but what I need is a partner. I can't run a fishing business by myself or manage the boat alone in rough water.”

“What about Miss Dunn? Doesn't she wish to become your first mate on the high seas?”

“Not hardly. I intend to fish only along the coastline and come home each night to my bride.”

“Where would I live? I saved a little money, but I haven't received a pay envelope in quite a while.”

“I've started building on property I own along the Cape Fear River. If Miss Dunn agrees to marry me, I will build a grander cottage than two boys from the hills ever saw.”

Joshua slapped his cap against his knee. “I could never impose on newlyweds.”

“You could sleep on the boat until you find a wife of your own. Most trawlers have a right-fine cabin for a man for your discerning tastes. What do you say, Josh? Will you be my partner?”

Without hesitation, Joshua threw his arms around his brother and squeezed. “I'd love to go fishing with you for the rest of my life, Nate. Maybe I can find me a sassy British lass too.”

“A Carolina belle would be more likely. Now, let's whittle away some miles between us and the coast.”