Carried Forward By Hope (53 page)

“You’ve outdone yourself, daughter.”

Carrie whirled around and stared at her father, resplendent in a dark gray suit. His face was tanned and relaxed, his eyes dancing with pleasure. “Father! You look magnificent.”

“I’m glad you approve,” Thomas replied. “Thank you for making this day so special. Everything looks wonderful.”

Carrie smiled. “Nothing but the best for my father and his wonderful new bride whom I adore as much as I do you.”

“I know,” Thomas said softly. A sudden shadow flitted through his eyes.

Carrie tucked her hand in his arm. “Mother would approve,” she said quietly. “She loved you so much. I know she would want you to be happy. And,” she added before Thomas could respond, “I believe she knows you will always love her. She knows you’re moving into a new season of life, but you will always treasure the one that came before.”

Thomas took a deep breath. “How could I ever deserve such a wise and loving daughter?”

Carrie laughed and kissed his cheek. “You forgot brilliant and talented,” she teased. She took his hand and led him to the front of the room, nodding at the minister who was waiting in the doorway. When everyone was situated, she nodded at Janie again to switch the music — the sign for Matthew to lead Abby down the stairway. Then she took her seat beside Robert.

“Everything is perfect,” Robert whispered.

Carrie’s heart felt like it would explode with joy when she looked into Robert’s vibrant eyes. He wasn’t back to full strength yet, but he was spending hours in the barn every day and had begun to ride again. He had put on weight and the lines on his face were growing dimmer every day. The white pallor of his illness had been replaced with a healthy tan. She knew that by fall he would look like the man she had married.

A murmur in the room made her swing her eyes to the stairway, but she looked away to watch her father, her heart singing when she saw his eyes blaze with love and wonder. His eyes were locked on Abby as she floated down the stairs. Carrie knew everyone else had ceased to exist for him.

Abby held his eyes as she walked into the parlor on Matthew’s arm and took her place beside him.

******

When the day had dawned clear and with little humidity — a rare treat on a Virginia July day — Carrie moved the feast and dancing to the backyard to take advantage of the breeze and cooler temperatures. Little tables with white tablecloths were scattered around the yard. While the parlor wouldn’t hold everyone on the plantation for the wedding, everyone was invited to the reception.

The yard rang with laughter and the squeals of children. All the men’s families had arrived from the contraband camps in the last couple weeks. They had insisted on providing the music for the event. A joyous mix of black spirituals and modern music spilled from their fiddles, banjos, and harmonicas.

The food was a sight to behold. Annie and Polly had been cooking for days, aided by many of the new women on the plantation. Long buffet tables placed under the trees groaned under the load of the piles of food that grew with every trip to the kitchen.

Lush gardens had provided huge platters of fresh vegetables. There were plates of fried chicken and Virginia ham surrounded by serving dishes full of deviled eggs, and steaming biscuits wrapped carefully in towels to keep them moist. Churns full of butter rested beside mountains of cornbread, and pies and cakes of every imaginable kind tempted anyone who came near.

The afternoon and evening passed in a haze of dancing, laughter, talking, and never-ending games of chase. Jeremy had ordered in several sets of croquet, a new craze up north since 1860.

Carrie grinned at Matthew as she hit his ball out of bounds and then promptly put hers through the wicket. “I do believe I like this game,” she said innocently.

“Show off,” Matthew muttered, his eyes bright with laughter.

“Perhaps you should play with one of the children,” Carrie suggested. “You might have a better chance of winning.”

Matthew laughed loudly. “We’ll see. The day is still young. Have you never heard that pride goeth before a fall?”

Carrie grinned impishly as she struck her ball smartly through another wicket. “I don’t seem to be the one falling.”

Jeremy left the dancing and walked over to join them. “Is she beating you too?”

“So I’m not the only male here to have my pride knocked around?” Matthew asked.

“Afraid not,” Jeremy assured him. “No one has beaten her yet.”

“That’s only because she hasn’t played me,” Robert said as he joined them. “Carrie has a fierce competitive streak, but it’s time for her to go down.”

Carrie merely smiled and handed him a mallet. “Give it your best shot, Captain Borden. I will be happy to add you to my list of those I have vanquished.”

“We’ll see, Mrs. Borden…We’ll see.”

“Good luck, old man,” Matthew said with a chuckle. “She obviously never learned the lesson that proper women are supposed to let men win.”

“And on that note, it’s time for me to assure all of you that I have not the faintest desire to be a
proper woman
,” Carrie tossed over her shoulder as she hit her ball out of the double wickets to start a new game. “Win on your own merits, or prepare to be vanquished.”

“Proper women are so boring,” Robert said blithely, “but I warn you I play to win.”

“That’s what they all said,” Carrie said loftily, her eyes dancing with fun.

******

All the families had drifted back down to their cabins. The tables were empty of food and all the musical instruments had been put away. The sun had set, kissing the sky with a haze of gold and purple that seemed a fitting end to such a magical day.

Carrie and Rose sank down into the rockers on the porch and closed their eyes.

Janie walked out onto the porch. “Are your eyes closed from contentment or exhaustion?”

Carrie cracked one open and managed a smile. “A little of both.”

“Speak for yourself,” Rose said. “It’s a lot of both.”

Carrie cocked her head and nodded. “She’s right.” She waved a hand at another rocking chair. “Join us. It’s perfectly okay if you want to groan at some point.”

Janie smiled and joined them. “It was an absolutely perfect day. Your father and Abby looked so happy and so much in love.”

Carrie forgot her fatigue for a moment as she smiled. “Yes, they did. Every aching muscle was completely worth it.”

“Oh please,” Rose replied, opening one eye to peer at her. “Your muscles are aching because you spent the whole afternoon dancing and defending your title as the queen of croquet.”

“That’s true,” Carrie said, satisfaction ringing in her voice. “I love to dance and I love to win. It was definitely a perfect day.”

“You didn’t even let your husband win!” Janie said with mock dismay.

“I’ll take her on my own when I’m stronger. She won’t hold her title for long.”

The women gasped and began to giggle as Robert’s voice drifted down from the window over the porch. They looked up to see him staring down at them, a wide grin on his face.

“Do women always gloat over their victories?” he asked, curiosity shining in his eyes.

“These women do,” Moses answered as he strolled out onto the porch. “They have joined together to spurn every proper way to protect a man’s pride. I’m not sure what happened because I’m sure Sarah taught Rose the right way to treat her husband.”

“Hmm…” Robert said thoughtfully. “I’m quite sure Carrie’s mother taught her. In fact, I’m rather certain it was her goal in life.”

“That she failed at quite miserably,” Carrie said playfully.

“And my mama never told me to be less than I am,” Rose added. “If I happen to be better than a man at something, they’re going to have to get used to it.”

“Amen!” Janie agreed.

Moses looked up at Robert and shrugged his shoulders. “Do you see what I mean? We don’t stand a chance.”

Robert grinned. “Good thing we both like strong-willed, obstinate women.”

Carrie suddenly felt like crying. She couldn’t believe Robert and Moses were bantering like two old friends. She had seen them together many times since they had talked about their father’s deaths, but she hadn’t realized their relationship had evolved into such an easy friendship. When Rose reached over and squeezed her hand, Carrie knew she was thinking the same thing.

Moses settled down on the stairs, his back against the railing. Matthew and Jeremy wandered out to join them. Robert was close behind.

Silence fell on the group as all of them allowed the night air to wash over them.

“Has it really only been three months since the war ended?” Carrie asked, breaking the silence. “It seemed like it would last forever, but now that it’s over, it seems like it was so long ago.”

“That’s because we’re protected out here on the plantation,” Matthew answered, heaviness tingeing his words. “There are plenty of places here in the country where people are surrounded by daily reminders of the war.”

“And our people are fighting for their freedom every day,” Rose said softly. “I love being here on the plantation, but I wonder when the trouble will reach us.”

“I’ll be able to keep you better informed soon,” Matthew replied quietly.

Carrie turned to gaze at him. “You’re leaving.”

Matthew nodded. “Yes. The last weeks have been wonderful. It’s been six weeks since the
Sultana
went down. I felt like my entire soul died that night, but being out here has allowed me to see things differently.”

“Are you going back to the paper?” Jeremy asked.

“No,” Matthew said firmly. “My days of roaming around the country as a reporter are over.”

“You talked at one time of starting your own paper,” Robert said. “Is it time?”

“Not yet. That may come, but I don’t believe the time is now.” Matthew took a deep breath. “I’ve been approached by a publisher in New York to write a book about what life is like in the South right now. I’ve decided to accept.”

“That’s wonderful!” Carrie exclaimed. “You’re the perfect person to do it.”

“Why?” Matthew held her gaze. “Why am I the perfect person to do it?”

Carrie knew that even though Matthew had made his decision, he still needed affirmation he had made the right one. “Because you care about everyone equally,” she responded instantly. “You love both the North and the South. You see the wrongs with both, but you also see what’s right. You are the perfect person to tell the story about what is happening with the freed slaves because you are committed to the truth. You’ll tell the stories of the veterans, and you’ll make people realize the South is full of people just like them who are trying to rebuild their lives.”

Matthew nodded slowly. “I hope so. That’s what I want to do. It’s the reason I said yes.”

Rose gripped his hand tightly. “I will never forget the day you saved me from Ike Adams. I looked into your eyes and I knew I could trust you, even though I didn’t even know who you were. Your words on paper will make an entire country trust you to tell them the truth, even if they don’t like what they’re hearing.”

Matthew flushed as he looked around the porch. “I wish the whole world could have friends like all of you are to me.”

“When do you leave?” Janie asked.

Matthew glanced at Jeremy.

“Matthew and I are leaving in two days,” Jeremy responded. “Now that the wedding is over and my big brother is hitched, I’m moving into Richmond to manage the factory. Matthew and I are going to share the east wing of the house.”

“I’ll use Richmond as my base,” Matthew explained. “I’ll travel as much as I need to, but it will be my choice each time.”

“We’ll miss you,” Carrie murmured, “but at least you’ll be close. I know we’ll see each other often.”

“A new season,” Janie said softly. “Now that the war is over, each of us is having to rebuild our lives, just like we’re having to rebuild our country.”

A thick silence fell on the porch as dreams and hopes swirled through the darkness.

******

Thomas moved toward Abby and pulled the pins from her hair gently, catching her soft hair as it cascaded down her back. “You’re so beautiful,” he said, his eyes glowing with love. “I can still hardly believe you’re my wife.”

“And I can still hardly believe I am now Mrs. Abigail Cromwell.” Abby reached up to stroke his cheek. “I am so blessed to have such a handsome, loving, and intelligent man to share the rest of my life with. I predict we are going to have many amazing adventures.”

“Let the adventures begin,” Thomas said with a grin.

“They won’t all be fun,” Abby said soberly.

Thomas nodded. “I know. We’re heading into a hothouse of controversy and anger by moving to Richmond, but we both know it’s the right thing to do.” He ran a brush through her hair, admiring how it gleamed in the lantern light flickering through the room, the breeze making shadows dance across the bed. “As long as we’re together we’ll be able to handle anything,” he said firmly.