Beneath the Honeysuckle Vine (32 page)

“
What
’
s that?
”
he asked as he strode toward them.

“
Right here!
On Floydie Maggee
’
s tombstone!
”
Willy exclaimed.
“
What does it look like to you, Johnny?
”

As Johnny neared the boys, his heart began to hammer.
Somehow, he feared he knew what the boys had found.
Somehow he feared what they stood over Floydie Maggee
’
s tombstone studying was more gruesome than most things they happened upon.

He frowned
and
looked down at the top and backside of Floydie Maggee
’
s tombstone—at the dark red stain drizzled there.

“
Looks like blood to me,
”
Johnny mumbled.

“
Blood!
”
Nate exclaimed, lowering his voice.
“
That
’
s what we think too!
Don
’
t it look just like dry blood?
”

“
Where do ya think it came from, Johnny?
”
Willy asked in a whisper.

Johnny shook his head and said,
“
I don
’
t know.
”
Still, a vision entered his mind
:
a vision of Zachary Powell lying cold and dead in the woods just beyond the cemetery
,
lying cold and dead with the back of his head bashed in.

CHAPTER NINE

Johnny was sullen at supper.
Vivianna worried
,
for it was obvious somethin
g was gnawing at his thoughts.
She wondered if it w
ere
the kiss they
’
d shared beneath the honeysuckle.
Still, it seemed to be a different sort of distraction that held him captive
,
and it unsettled her.

She was likewise unsettled by her own thoughts.
From the moment she and Johnny had parted earlier in the day
,
Vivianna
’
s mind had been awhirl with confusion, fear, self-loathing—and delight.
Her confusion was born
e
of her desire toward Johnny.
How could she be so thoroughly attracted to a man she hardly knew?
How could her mind, heart
,
and body be so disloyal to Justin?
Her fear was born
e
of the strength of her want to be in Johnny
’
s arms—to know his kiss again.
Such feelings and desires were dangerous—dangerous to her peace of mind
,
dangerous to the happiness she
’
d always planned to know with Justin.
It was as if Johnny Tabor had somehow stolen her heart from Justin
’
s clasp
,
the way Justin had begun to steal it from Caleb
’
s the day they left for the war.
Thus, her fear led her to an overwhelming sense of self-loathing.
How could she even think on Johnny after a
ll she and Justin had shared
,
a
fter all the beautiful promises they
’
d made to one another in their letters?
She thought of Tilly Winder—of her fickle nature and easy manner with men.
She would not be such a woman
,
swayed by any man who offered her affection.
She knew she was not such a woman as Tilly and never would be.

Vivianna
’
s self-loathing was deep
,
yet her good sense reminded her that Justin had not proposed to her.
Even he had not confessed the true, passionate, everlasting love he
’
d spoken of in his letters to her.
In fact, Vivianna could not convince herself that he yet loved her as he once had.
It seemed to her she should feel it more deeply if he did.
It seemed to her he would kiss her as Johnny Tabor had kissed her if he still loved her as he once had.
She thought Justin
’
s behavior toward her since his return was not so unlike what Caleb
’
s had been the day they left—the day Caleb owned her heart yet did not seem unduly concerned when his brother kissed her.
Thus, Vivianna
’
s doubt of Justin
’
s love for her
deepened.

Yet it was her delight in thinking of Johnny—of his kiss—that most disturbed her.
Throughout the day, Vivianna had consciously admitted to herself
,
silently accepted
,
that from the moment Justin and Johnny had arrived
,
Johnny Tabor had captured her attention.
Oh, she
’
d been overwhelmed with joy—sheer
bliss—
at seeing Justin
,
at seeing her lover alive and returned
.
Yet even as she
’
d basked in his presence—her heart soaring with elation and love—even then
,
Vivianna had been aware of Johnny.
It was as if he
’
d been a spirit presence
,
lingering at her shoulder
or whispering in her ear.
She
’
d thought of the fact she had kissed him that first night as she
’
d put him to bed—kissed a man she
’
d never met before—kissed him soundly on the lips.
Again, she thought of Tilly Winder.
No one in all of
Florence
would be surprised at knowing Tilly Winder had kissed a strange man.
Yet Vivianna Bartholomew?
It was not in Vivianna
’
s nature to offer kisses so easily.

In pondering Johnny throughout the day, Vivianna realized she
’
d been keeping from him—intentionally staying a distance.
Previously she
’
d told herself this was because she did not trust him—that she suspected he knew more about the dead Confederate found in the woods than he was telling.
Still, it seemed as if something in Vivianna had begun to thrive in those moments spent with Johnny beneath the honeysuckle—something that had been absent in her for months
,
perhaps years.
The moment Johnny had kissed her, Vivianna had begun to feel her soul being freed
,
as if it had been trapped within a dark prison cell
and Johnny Tabor was twisting the key in the lock keeping it there.
Emotions she hadn
’
t known for long, long months began to arise in her.
Equally there arose in her a flaming sense of desire—of want the like she had never known before.

Even now
as she sat at the table enjoying supper with the Turner family
,
even in those moments her flesh tingled each time she glanced to Johnny—her mouth warming at the memory of his kiss.
All this was strange, confusing, frightening
,
and delightful to Vivianna.
Yet Justin sat next to Johnny
,
and Caleb next to him.
Vivianna glanced to Nate and Willy—to
Savannah
—and she was reminded of the great debt she owed to their family.

Caleb and Justin had been her friends.
She
’
d played with them as a child
,
grew
up with them
,
loved both of them.
She
’
d once fancied herself
in
love with Caleb—thought of the letters in the small box in her wardrobe and reminded herself she was yet in love with Justin.
She adored Nate and Willy and their mischievous ways—looked on and loved
Savannah
as any daughter loved a mother.
They had become her family
,
and she could not hurt them.
She could not allow herself to emulate the likes of Tilly Winder and give herself so easily to a strange man
simply because he
’
d caused goose pimples to ripple over her body when he
’
d kissed her.
No.
She owed a great debt to the entire Turner family—to each and every member of it.
And she would not let passionate emotions and thirsting desire allow her to cause them pain.
She loved Justin.
She did.

Vivianna looked to Justin then.
She did love him.
She was certain of it.
She thought of the letter in her pocket—of all the letters he
’
d written to her while the war had kept them from one another.
He loved her
,
and he would find himself and love her the way he
’
d promised.
One day he would.

Still, as she glanced to Johnny—saw him sitting so grave in demeanor—her heart fluttered
,
her mouth watering at the memory of his kiss.
She knew she must distract her thoughts from lingering on him.
Thus, she looked to Nate and asked,
“
Did you boys find any good bones today?
”

“
Not today
,
I
’
m afraid, Viv,
”
Nate sighed with great disappointment.
“
There didn
’
t seem to be even a part of somethin
’
we coulda boiled up for bones today.
”
He sighed again, and Vivianna smiled.

“
We did find somethin
’
else in the cemetery today though,
”
Willy began.
Vivianna frowned when she saw
Johnny glare at Willy, however, and
heard Willy continue,
“
But it weren
’
t really nothin
’
much to tell.
”

Johnny
’
s gaze met Vivianna
’
s.
He shook his head so slightly, she wasn
’
t certain he
’
d even moved at first.
Yet as his eyes lingered on hers, she understood.
Johnny didn
’
t want Willy to tell what he
’
d found in the cemetery.
She should
’
ve been unsettled—frightened or suspicious—but she wasn
’
t.

“
Well, what else did ya do today, darlin
’
?
”
Savannah
asked Willy.

“
Oh, nothin
’
much, Mama,
”
Willy sighed.
“
We skipped rocks out at the pond
,
worked on our fort a bit…counted up Johnny
’
s scars.
”
The boy paused
and
wrinkled his brow pensively.
“
Mama,
”
he began,
“
how much hair do ya think I
’
ll have to have on my chest when I
’
m Caleb and Justin
’
s age?
”

Vivianna covered her mouth
,
barely able to keep the bite of cornbread she
’
d just taken from spewing out all over her plate.
She muffled her giggles
,
only allowing one small one to escape when she saw Johnny
’
s face redden up like a ripe summer cherry
.

“
Oh, I don
’
t know, darlin
’
,
”
Savannah
answered.
“
Why?
”

Vivianna still smiled
,
delighted by
Savannah
’
s easy manner with her boys.
Savannah Turner simply continued to eat her meal
,
as if Willy
’
s question had been the most natural curiosity in the world.

Willy shrugged.
“
Well
,
I
’
m just hopin
’
I don
’
t have too much.
I want folks to be able to count my scars easy if I
’
m lucky enough to get a fair amount on me.
”

Caleb and Justin chuckled.
Vivianna still stifled the giggles induced in her bosom by the further reddening of Johnny
’
s handsome face.

“
Well, I hope you don
’
t plan on gettin
’
too many scars, honey,
”
Savannah
said.
“
It
’
s usually painful…anything that happens to a body that leaves a scar.
”

“
Oh, I know, Mama,
”
Willy said.
“
But a man has to have a few.
Ain
’
t that right, Johnny?
”

“
I suppose,
”
Johnny said
,
his face as bright as a radish.

“
Sure enough,
”
Justin added.
“
Look at this one here, Willy.
”
Vivianna watched as Justin unbuttoned his shirt and pulled his collar down over his left shoulder.
“
This one here
,
it
’
s from the bullet that grazed me in
Georgia
…before me and Johnny was captured.
”