The Sun Rises (Southern Legacy Book 4) (25 page)

“You would not hesitate to go back South?” Jo asked for a direct answer.

“If I was able, I would go with ya, Miss Jo.” Miss Hazel met her eyes. “Have faith, child, it is as it should be. It is, you know, what Master Wade wanted…young Mister Percival at Magnolia Bluff.”

After all this time, the mention of Wade still upset Jo, but she knew Miss Hazel was right.

Walking along the path beside the Ashley River, memories flooded back to Josephine. With the passing of time, the place had changed, but in a strange way had stayed the same.

The house looked no different, strong and proud to have weathered the storm. From Jo’s understanding, it had been the only plantation that had not been burnt to the ground in the surrounding area.

The slave cabins still stood and housed those freedmen who hadn’t wanted to leave. They were paid now for their services rendered. Amos had taken over Miss Hazel’s place at her request. He had raised his family there.

Rosa had not left and was now employed as the housekeeper. Grace Ann had told her that there were rumors about Rosa and Andrew, but Jo gave it no mind. Observing the two of them together when she first arrived, Jo would not doubt the rumors to be true. There was something in their eyes when they looked at each other.

Although she had never returned to Charleston since the war, she had seen most of the family when they visited Philadelphia. Andrew had been the first to travel north after the war. He sought her out immediately when he arrived at Rosemount.

“I have not had a moment’s peace since you left. I promise you I thought it was for the best. I just had to apologize. I beg your forgiveness.”

“There is no need to ask forgiveness, Andrew,” Josephine said. “You did what you felt you must for the family. I hold nothing against you…not now. I found Cullen again. I could not have asked for more.”

Somehow making it right freed Jo of a heavy burden that weighed on her soul. Soon, the bridge was healed with Mother Montgomery, Jenna, Anna and eventually, Grace Ann.

Grace Ann had reached out to her not long after Mr. Whitney passed away. She confessed she had known something had happened between Mr. Whitney and Josephine, but respected her husband’s wishes by not communicating with Jo. Grace Ann said she never knew the details, but whatever it was seemed to have haunted him until he took his last breath.

Sadness descended upon Josephine at the thought. Death was a finality that could not be crossed.

Josephine stood on the riverbank and stared reflectively at a great blue heron who had settled in the tall grass with a fish in its beak. Engrossed in her thoughts, she hadn’t noticed her husband walk toward her.

“I thought I would find you out here instead of resting.” Cullen walked up behind Jo and wrapped his arms about her. He held her for a moment as they soaked up the scene before them. Finally, he spoke. “Its beauty still amazes.”

Her heart swelled with emotion, not only for the memories this place evoked within her, but for Cullen. This had been where he had been born and raised alongside his cousin Wade as if they were brothers.

“I’m here,” he whispered. “Always and forever yours…if that helps.”

“More than you know.” She clutched his hand tightly. She loved this man! He knew her better than she knew herself, reminding her of what they shared. Nothing…absolutely nothing could diminish their life together.

Turning her to him, he leaned down and kissed her. A moment later, their haven was invaded by the screech of children.

With reluctance, Cullen released his wife and whirled her around to face the onslaught of happy faces. Jo smiled, watching their children bound down the path with their Southern cousins.

There had been a time when Josephine thought Percival and Madeline would have been her only children. Over six years passed after she married Cullen before she had Jonathan, named after Cullen’s father, followed two years later by Theodore and then the next year, Alice. Quentin’s appearance five years ago had been a surprise, but a most welcome one considering the doctor told her there would have been no more babies after Alice.

Percival walked alongside Quentin, who ran excitedly up to his mother’s side.

“Percy showed me his horses, Momma. He says he will teach me to ride like he does.”

She looked up at her eldest. Tall and lean, her handsome son had never outgrown his father’s look, more so than any of her other children. His thick, dark hair was cut short; his brown eyes large and inquisitive. Unlike Cullen, he wore no mustache, but was clean-shaven. Most found him quite charming with the most disarming smile, which he had learned at a young age to use to his advantage.

“I look forward to seeing his horses,” Jo responded. “Uncle Andrew said that Percival has an impressive stable.”

“Uncle Andrew said it is in my blood,” Percival said. “Dad was a renowned horseman.”

“Wade was,” Jo acknowledged. “He would be proud.”

His arm extended to his mother, Percival asked, “Would you like to see them now?”

Jo looked at Cullen, who nodded. “Go. I want to show the children around where I grew up.”

Percival walked in silence until his father and children disappeared from sight. “I am glad you are here, Momma.”

“I wouldn’t have missed your wedding, my darling child.”

“Despite your protest, I know it was hard on you to come.”

She couldn’t deny his words. “You are my child. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

“I have heard. Uncle Andrew has told me. He admires you greatly for what you did during the war.” He paused and nodded toward the garden. “Do you mind if we take a few minutes away from everyone? Father knows I wanted a moment to talk to you in private.”

“I would like nothing more.”

“Come, then. Grandmother has added to the gardens since last you were here.”

The garden was beautiful in the autumn. The roses lent to the fragrance of the stroll. Jo had forgotten how many flowers were still in bloom this late in the year. The hydrangeas were covered in blue blooms and soon the budding camellias would lend its beauty to the landscape.

“You have not told me what you think of Annalee. She has been so anxious since she visited that you might think less of her. I told her that you would not. I hope you don’t. I want you to like her, Momma.”

Josephine looked over at Percival. “She seems a lovely girl and quite in love with you.”

“As I am with her,” he acknowledged. “She had reservations. Afraid her father would cut her off for marrying me. But when she came back from visiting you, her fears about us had been put to rest after seeing you with Father. I, also, allayed Mr. Williams’s objection. He didn’t want his little girl moving up North. I told him I was going nowhere. This is my home.”

“So you have made up your mind.”

“The place calls to me in a way I can’t explain. I have known for a while it’s where I belong. I knew even before Howie Albright visited Magnolia Bluff.”

The name sounded familiar but for the life of her she couldn’t place who he was. “Who?”

“The drummer boy who Dad gave his life to save at Shiloh. Howie came here with his son, looking for me. Said he dreamed often of coming here and felt the need to do so. Although a brief encounter, it was etched into his memory forever. He recounted Dad telling him about his home and his love he had for his family. Howie wanted me to know Dad’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain. That he had lived his life holding to the courage and honor that Dad showed before he died.”

For a moment, Percival paused. “I didn’t need Howie Albright to tell me this was my home. I felt it the moment I returned to Magnolia Bluff, but his visit help reinforced my decision to live here. I know all you and Father have done for me but…this is where I was born…it’s where I belong…at Magnolia Bluff. I need you to say I have your blessing. I need you to say you understand.”

She looked up at her son, realizing he had heard the call of the land. She understood his desire to live and raise his children along the banks of the Ashley River. He had become the man Wade envisioned. “My darling son, I have no right to deny you your heritage. You have my blessing.”

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I love you, Momma…one more thing.” He reached in his waistcoat pocket and pulled out a letter. “This is the last letter from Dad. Howie found it in his pocket after he died. He kept it all these years. It’s yours.”

He left her alone. A long silence ensued. She stood motionless and stared at it. Finally, she sat on the bench. With trembling hands, she opened it. As she read, she could almost hear Wade’s voice…feel his presence.

It is quiet here tonight, my love. Only the crickets and bullfrogs disturb the silence. I revel in the stillness, knowing it will not last. The men know that in the morning we face a monumental task. We have been told the odds are against us, but as it has been from the start of this blasted war, we will do what we must and fight.

Once more I face my own mortality and my worries mount. Not for myself, but you and my children, Percival and the one that as of yet has made his appearance. I have learned that life is not about making an impact on the world as we know it, but on the lives of those you love. I wonder what impact I have made on yours, but I have a need for you to know what you have done for me.

If I die in battle, know I have found my true happiness in you. My feelings for you have been unconditional and for you to have returned my love has been the greatest gift I have ever received. My love is eternal and is not bound by time, for there is no end.

My thoughts are always with you. I miss you more than you can ever know. I miss the way you smile when I walk into the room, the way you laugh. I even miss the way you cry over the simplest of things.

When I first met you, you fascinated me with your unique view on life. I thought you charming, if not a little strange in the way you treated both Gillie and Miss Hazel. You looked beyond the color of their skin and saw them as people. I have had time to think on all the things in my life and have come to a realization that the world would be a better place to live if we all judged others by their deeds and not by their appearance. I have determined that it must have been the way your father raised you. It is my desire for you to raise our children in the same manner. I want them to see the good in all people, for I have seen the worst.

I sometimes catch myself daydreaming about home. I see Magnolia Bluff so clearly. The old oaks with their Spanish moss swaying in the wind, the horses running wild in the pasture and you standing in the garden surrounded by the blooming magnolias. It gives me peace.

If I have no more tomorrows, I want Percival to be proud of the man I was. I don’t want him to ever question my loyalty, honor, or my duty to my country, God, or family. In the end, it is all I have to give him. Tell him to hold to Magnolia Bluff. It will be his, his home, his legacy...

Looking up at the moon, I wonder if you, too, are staring up into the same night’s sky. When you look among the stars, remember me…

Clutching the letter to her chest, she remembered the world that was. That world was gone, but Wade’s legacy would live on forever. She saw it in her son’s eyes for his family and his home, grasping the knowledge that Wade had left behind the greatest legacy of all—love.

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Books under Jerri Hines
:

The Southern Legacy Series

Belle of Charleston, Book One

Shadows of Magnolia, Book Two

Born to Be Brothers, Book Three

The Sun Will Rise, Book Four

Winds of Betrayal Series
:

The Cry For Freedom

Embrace of the Enemy

Kiss of Deceit

The Heavens Shall Fall

Set Fire To The Rain ~ Coming Soon!

Tides of Charleston Series:

The Judas Kiss

The Promise

Another Night Falls

Books Under Penname Colleen Connally

Secret Lives Series:

Seductive Secrets

Broken Legacy

Seductive Lies

Boston's Crimes of Passion

Fragmented

Framed~ Coming Soon!

Books Under Penname Carrie James Haynes

Dreamscape

Whispers of a Legend Series—Shadows of the Past

The Path Now Turned

Vision of Destiny

Time of the Nuxvenom