| |
We continued toward Frederick in a more amicable mood, sharing stories of growing up in the mountains, comparing our childhoods, discovering just how much we had in common. In many ways, it was like talking to Annie. At one point, I asked her why she was taking such an interest in my personal details. “How else can I find you a perfect wife, silly?” she teased.
After we had traveled for about an hour, we stopped to water the horses in a small creek. Sarah and Gordon immediately fell into an embrace, at which her father and I walked off some distance and talked about the weather. As time wore on, we talked about the stream. Then the rocks in the stream, and the likelihood of any crawdads under the rocks, resulting in me turning over several rocks looking for crawdads; there were none. At this point, we decided enough was enough and interrupted the lovebirds, so we could resume the journey.
Sarah’s father wanted to ride in the carriage, and Sarah had no desire to ride in the wagon- the bench was not to her liking today- so she reluctantly accepted the change in partners; I say reluctantly only because she really wanted Gordon to accompany her, not from any further desire to discuss anything with me.
As we started off, Gordon was unusually silent. I took advantage of his brooding to go over some of the conversation with Sarah. Honestly, I didn’t know what to make of it. She seemed to intend on meddling in my personal life as long as the three of us were in contact. I wasn’t quite sure if that was a good or bad idea, or even what I wanted. Ultimately, it would depend on what happened after Richmond. Still, what did I want?
Was she right- was I scared? I didn’t think that was the case, but would I tell myself the truth- how would I know? Objectively, there were limited options for me regarding potential wives- but equally objective was the fact that I had deliberately chosen a lifestyle which precluded such options. I had to admit, I had limited experience with women- so I had no way of evaluating her comments. Was she exceptionally insightful, or was it pretty obvious? Maybe Gordon would know.
“I need to ask you something,” I started. He looked at me, his eyebrows raised in question. “It’s about women,” I added. “Well, I don’t have enough information about them to determine if certain observations Sarah has made about me are accurate, and if so, if she was able to make them because she possesses exceptional perception or if her conclusions are obvious.” He grinned, then laughed.
“She’s been working on you, I see. She said she would. I told her it was an uphill battle but she wouldn’t let up.”
I gave him a sideways look. “I’m pleased to note you two had time to discuss my romantic prospects.”
He frowned. “Don’t be angry. She’s a generous person and cares about people. Even you. She thinks you’d be much happier with a wife and that your career choice is a way of avoiding having to deal with something- I didn’t tell her about your fiancée, it wasn’t my place.”
“I told her.” He nodded. “Well, she wants to fix me up with someone, and from the sound of it made it a condition of our continuing to work together.”
“She told me that this morning, said that she didn’t want to come between us and ruin our friendship, and the only way to avoid that would be if the two of you could come to an accord- she said she intended to explain that to you later, that she wanted to know what I would say if you refused.”
“What did you tell her?” I was curious.
He smiled broadly. “I told her you wouldn’t refuse.”
That gave me nothing to work with. “You seem pretty sure of yourself.”
“Matt, I told you this morning- after last night, I knew you had changed your mind. You decided to help us get married, you decided to pull off the wedding, hell you decided not to ditch me the minute I got involved with her. So, I knew you valued our friendship as much as I do, and that you wouldn’t throw it away on something trivial like refusing to make nice with my new wife- especially considering you find her just as fascinating as I do.”
I looked at him as he said this- was he angry? “You don’t mind?”
“Mind? Of course I don’t mind. She is a fascinating woman. But you don’t look at her the way I do- you see her mind and spirit as something which challenges your need for order and control. But you don’t look at her with love; affection perhaps, the kind you’d have for a pesky sister, but not with love. No, there’s nothing for me to object to. I like you, I love her, and I’d like for you two to be close.” He paused and ran his tongue over dry lips. “I’d like to think you’d take care of her if something happened to me- or if something happened and I couldn’t get to her in time. Can I ask that of you?” He looked...desperate almost. The same look she had when she talked of something happening to him. Is that what love does to someone? Makes you crazy with worry?
“There’s no need to ask. Of course I will.” Relief washed over his face as I spoke.
By now, we had reached the outskirts of Frederick, and we were seeing more traffic on the road. As we crested a gentle rise, we came upon a wagon with a load of machinery being pulled by two tired plowhorses. Sarah slowed the carriage and moved closer to the wagon, and Davis hailed the driver. We were too far away to hear the conversation, but Davis seemed very animated in his response; good news, I hoped. I thought perhaps Sarah would pull over to provide details, but she kept moving- if anything, she stepped up the pace. Gordon kept up with her, and we continued along at a faster clip for another 20 minutes, until we reached the town itself. Pulling into a field near the crossroads of the Baltimore Pike, she halted the carriage. Gordon pulled up next to her, on the side near her father, and we likewise stopped.
“We asked the driver of that wagon where he was headed- he said there’s a machinery repair shop on the far side of town. We asked if there were any other places where a machine mechanic could find work, and he said that was it. If Levi’s in town, they should know where to find him,” Davis concluded.
I was glad he had specified a machine mechanic- the term ‘mechanic’ referred to any craftsman, and we could have been sent to a cabinetmaker. The fact there was but one location made us hopeful that we would soon find Levi and be on our way. We decided the best plan was for Sarah and Davis to take the carriage to the machine shop, while we waited with the wagon and our horses. They could get down there faster and determine if he was there. I suggested they take one horse with them in case he was, as three people would be too many for the small carriage, and offered my mare as a more suitable mount for a novice rider. With that sorted out, they were off to find the shop, leaving Gordon and I alone in the field. I unhitched the team and let them browse, while Gordon did the same with his mount. It was another beautiful day, with blue skies dotted with little puffs of clouds scattered about. The air was warm and still, and I leaned back against the wagon and let the sun shine down on my face. For the first time in days, I let myself relax, the tension slowly leaving my limbs under the warmth of the sun.
“So what’s next?” Gordon’s voice shattered the calm and pulled me back to reality. I sighed and stretched while I considered his question.
“Well, that depends on whether or not they find Levi. If they do, then we leave Sarah’s father with him and the three of us high-tail it to Baltimore, then on to Washington City. Alternatively, we could just ride to Washington, but that would cost us a couple of extra days- the train is better, and coming through Baltimore we have some options. If they don’t find him- well, that poses a bit of a problem. We can leave Davis here to look for him, but I don’t know if Sarah will want to stay to make sure he’s taken care of. And if she elects to stay, what do you do? You can’t exactly leave her here with no way of finding you, after all. And I doubt Levi will want to escort her to Richmond to find you...so we might have to split up, at least until he’s located.” This wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t my choice to make- I would carry on regardless, but Gordon would have to make the tough decision to stay with her or with me. He was a man of honor and duty, and now they would be in conflict. I hoped we wouldn’t have to make the choice.
Gordon paced with agitation. “Nothing’s ever simple,” he remarked, more to himself than to me. I nodded in agreement anyway.
“Just to further add to your burden-” he looked up at me and scowled- “but you still need to figure out what to do with her when we’re through here. The little matter of your new home.” He rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air dramatically. I smiled, but at the same time couldn’t help reflecting on his lack of forethought. Yes, a very difficult situation he’d created. Certainly, his heart was in the right place, but often I wondered where his head was in all this?
“Well, for now I suppose we’ll get lodging near my regimental headquarters. Wherever that ends up being.” He didn’t sound too convinced at the soundness of his ‘plan’, such as it was. I didn’t blame him- it wasn’t sound at all. If his unit was in the field already, there wouldn’t be any nearby lodging.
“Your best bet might be to squire her off to Richmond and find someplace there. At least you’d know where she is, and if we end up in a shooting war- well, Richmond will be better guarded than most anyplace else, I reckon.” I wasn’t sure about that, but as the capitol of the Confederacy, odds were good that we’d want to hold it and would put quite a bit into its defense.
He nodded approvingly. “That could work, I’d be able to get home to see her occasionally, if we were close by.” He thought on this for a moment more. “You also overlook the chief benefit to having her in Richmond.” I raised an eyebrow in question. “You’ll be there to make sure she’s safe.”
“Of course,” I said simply.
We discussed more mundane matters after this, while we brushed down the horses; although the grooms in Harpers Ferry had taken good care of them and they didn’t really need it, still it gave us something to do, and caring for your mount was a good habit to get into- you did it when you had the opportunity, as you never knew when you’d have another. This task occupied us some little time, and once we had the horses cleaned up and the brushes stowed back in the saddlebags, we sat around basking in the sun.
I don’t know how long I lay there, absorbing the warmth of the sun’s rays and listening to the sounds of horses and wagons passing along the pike, but eventually the sounds of wheels and squeaking springs grew closer and closer to our resting place. Reluctantly, I rose to my feet and looked around. The horses were steadily grazing off to the right, where Gordon was slowly getting up. Looking left, I saw Davis and Sarah returning with the carriage, my horse still tied to the rear. My heart sank- no luck, I thought. As they drew nearer, though, I could see they were both smiling. As they turned off the lane into the field, Gordon ran to help Sarah down from the wagon- she brushed him off. “No, I’m not getting down. We found out where Levi’s staying and we’re going to head out there now- it’s about half an hour out of town, toward Hagerstown.” She gave him a quick kiss, then motioned him to get in the wagon- I received the same admonishment, minus the kiss.
We quickly hitched the team and tethered our mounts behind the wagon, and swung into the seats. With a flick of the reins, Gordon brought the team around and back onto the pike, right behind the carriage. Both vehicles made the left turn onto the Hagerstown pike, and picked up the pace. Frederick was built up more to the east and north of our location, so we soon left the town behind us and headed toward the Catoctin Mountains, the wagon rocking as we traversed the undulating road. We followed it for a good distance, through gently rolling hills dotted with farms. The area had a number of pastures, set apart from each other by fences of stacked field stone, with what looked like dairy herds moving about freely. Davis turned the carriage onto a narrow lane flanking one of these pastures, toward a house with a large barn and a smaller shed. Gordon followed, the wagon bouncing and lurching as it hit the shallow ruts in the lane.
A few minutes’ drive brought us to the farmhouse, a large two-story structure with a covered porch running all the way around the house. It was painted a pale yellow, and looked inviting. A man came out on the porch, and behind him I could see a woman and several young children. The man came down the stairs as we came to a halt a discreet distance from the porch, leaving enough space for the family to see that our intentions were peaceful. Gordon climbed down and went to help Sarah, who was waiting for him in the carriage; by now, this was a smooth routine for the pair. He lifted her and gently set her on her feet, then moved to her side as she faced the house. “Good afternoon,” she addressed the man in clear tones, “we’re looking for my brother, Levi Davis- we were told we could find him here.”
The man, a tall, lean figure in his early thirties with short-cropped, grizzled hair and a few days’ growth of stubble on his chin, looked at us speculatively for a moment, then yelled over his shoulder. “Levi!”
We all looked toward the house expectantly. The woman and the children stepped back, and a young man with flaxen hair walked out onto the porch. He was in his mid-twenties, slim, and unmistakably Sarah’s brother. His wariness changed to surprise, then to delight and he rushed down the stairs and grabbed Sarah, lifting her and swinging her around as he did so. “My God! Sarah! Pa! How did you find me? It’s so good to see you- what are you doing here? What’s happened?” The words burst forth in a torrent. Noticing us, he set Sarah down and the wary look returned. “Who are these two men? Did they bring you here?”
This could get interesting, I thought. We were unarmed, and so was the farmer- for now. He probably had at least a shotgun in the house. Maybe behind the door. If he made a move to grab for a weapon, we’d have to either run for it or charge him and hope to wrestle it from him. I tensed up, waiting to see how this would play out.
Sarah stepped toward Gordon and took his hand. “Levi, this is Joshua Gordon- my husband.”
As usual, Sarah’s timing left much to be desired. Her brother’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened. “Your...husband?” he said, incredulously. He looked to his father, who had climbed down from the carriage. “Pa?”
Davis sighed. “Yes, son, her husband. I know it’s a shock, but a lot’s happened and we had to move fast- these men are good men and they took care of us, your sister and I. Saved us from Casey.” At the mention of Casey’s name, Levi stiffened. “Your sister-” he laughed- “Well, you know your sister. She and this feller took a fancy to each other and I married them last night.”
Levi looked at Sarah, his father, and Gordon; Gordon, for his part, looked uncomfortable, but stood with Sarah, her small hand clasped in his. Levi squared himself up and walked up to Gordon, raising his hand as he approached. “My congratulations, Sir. If my sister wanted to marry you, you’re a special man indeed.” I breathed out the tension, and Gordon visibly relaxed. Sarah beamed, oblivious to anything other than the happiness of reuniting with her brother and introducing her husband. A small pang of jealousy ran through me again, as the unaccustomed longing for someone to look at me that way reasserted itself.
“At your service,” Gordon said with a short bow. “My sincere apologies for breaking the news to you in this fashion, I assure you it was not my intent to dishonor your family in any means by my hasty actions.” As Gordon stood a full head taller, and half as broad again, as Levi, I doubted the young man would be anything but happy with Gordon’s decisions- but Josh was very correct in his notions of the proper way to do things, and he realized that this had broken all bounds of normal conduct.
The man retreated into the house, inviting us to use the porch. After we had been seated, Sarah and Davis explained the situation with us, and Casey’s betrayal, and the men on horseback, concluding with the wedding. Levi nodded grimly at the discussion about Casey. “I knew he was trouble early on. He’s been stealing from the railroad for years, but they could never prove it- so they moved him down to Harpers Ferry in a do-nothing job. That’s how he got the provost job, he took some of the money he stole and bought the title, so he could build his own personal army- he was hoping to take over Harpers Ferry by running out the business owners and buying up their property, or by forcing them to pay for ‘protection’ from the secessionists.”
I frowned. “What do you mean, protection from the secessionists- wasn’t he pro-Confederacy?”
“He was pro-Casey,” Levi declared. “He didn’t care one bit who was in charge, but when they started talking about secession last fall, he figured there was nothing to lose by getting on board. So, he bought a spot in the militia, and he bribed the county officials, and when the state started organizing the secession committee, he made sure he was high on the list. Meanwhile, he’s still reporting everything he knows to the Pinkertons in Hagerstown.”
The news was devastating. That meant we had no guarantee that Casey hadn’t tipped off our pursuers after all. I needed to talk to Levi in greater detail, but was interrupted by Davis. “Well my boy, we no longer have a home in Virginia. I had hoped to find something up here?”
Levi sagged. “There’s no place for you to stay up here, I’m afraid. I’m staying in the shed over yonder.” He indicated the small building next to the barn.
“What about your job at the shop?” Sarah asked, with concern.
“They only give me work when something needs fixed on a farm- like here. I stay and eat with the family and then move on to the next job. Otherwise, I only get paid a small wage, not enough to live on. It’s difficult up here,” he concluded. “I could look for work in Gaithersburg, there’s a B&O repair yard there, but it’s a good long walk unless I can rent a horse or a mule, and I don’t have that kind of spare income.”
I interrupted. “Gaithersburg’s about 26 miles, so a day’s drive from here. If we leave tomorrow, we can be there by late afternoon. Gordon and I can catch the train from there and then transfer to Baltimore or ride the rest of the way.”
Sarah interrupted my interruption, “We can catch the train from Gaithersburg.” I smiled- it was going to be a long trip.
Levi made his goodbyes- not without some annoyance on the part of the farmer- and gathered his meager belongings, and we departed for the trip back to Frederick. This time, Levi and Davis were in the carriage and Sarah was seated between Gordon and I on the bench in the wagon. None of us were comfortable- her, because the seat wasn’t to her liking, and Gordon and I due to her incessant complaining about it. To be fair, I think the lady was doing it just to needle the two of us, not out of any genuine displeasure. Once in town, we found an inn just off the pike and registered for the night. Gordon and Sarah, of course, occupied one room, and Davis and his son took another. I wasn’t as fortunate- the inn didn’t have any other rooms, so I was offered a makeshift bed in the pantry for free. I sighed with resignation, despite the comedy of offers to change rooms which ensued.
“Take my room, I insist!” This from Gordon, obviously not thinking things through.
“You’ll do no such thing!” Sarah, furious. “Sorry Matthew, but I am NOT sharing a room with you.”
“It’s fine, I’ll take the storeroom.”
“No, you can sleep in our room, we’ll make up a bed.” Gordon, still not using his head.
“Out of the question.” Sarah, putting her foot down figuratively; another such suggestion by Gordon and the foot would be down for real.
“Sarah, honey, be reasonable. He can’t sleep on the floor.” Oh, Josh- asking her to be reasonable? Bad idea...
“Are you saying I’m being unreasonable? Because you’re the one suggesting we invite people to share our bed!” She was working up a head of steam now.
“Not sharing our bed, don’t be absurd.”
“I’m absurd!?” Eyes were flaming now. Gordon needed to put down the shovel and stop digging the hole he was in.
“That’s not what I meant, you’re not listening...”
“Oh, I’m listening just fine. YOU’RE the one who’s not listening- not listening to the nonsense coming out of your mouth!”
I left them to figure things out, and went to the pantry. After availing myself of some preserves, I turned in for the night. Despite my primitive lodgings, I slept very well. As I drifted off, I wondered how well Gordon had fared.