Dark Chaos (# 4 in the Bregdan Chronicles Historical Fiction Romance Series) (42 page)

             
The school was already full when she entered.  Now that the camp was so crowded they were teaching in shifts.  Two hundred children, ages eleven through fourteen, were crammed into the building designed to accommodate about fifty.  There was the expected amount of whispering and giggling, but for the most part they were remarkably quiet.  Two new teachers recently sent down by the Missionary Alliance were standing next to the wall and waiting.  Rose smiled at them warmly, remembering her first days in the camp.   She placed John in his little crib then walked to the front of the building. 

             
“Good morning.”

It was late afternoon when Rose finished teaching.  At least for that shift.  By eight o’clock, the room would be crammed full of adults eager to make up for the years they had spent with no education.  Rose loved teaching them, loved watching them soak up knowledge like the ground during a spring rain. 

              “Can I watch John for a little while?” a small voice asked eagerly.

             
Rose turned and smiled.  “I was hoping you would ask,” she said in relief.  Annie was one of her favorite students.  The little girl standing in front of her bore no evidence of her brutal rape the year before by marauding Union soldiers.  Her face and eyes beamed with confidence and joy.  It had taken Annie a little while, but she had conquered her fears.  Annie was determined nothing would keep her from school.  She dreamed of being a doctor.  Rose encouraged her every way she could. 

             
Rose kissed John and placed him in Annie’s willing arms.  “I have to go over to the fort for a little while.  Will you take him to my house in a couple of hours if I’m not back?  June will be there by then.”

             
“Sure thing, Miss Rose,” Annie said brightly, catching the hand John was waving about in excitement. 

             
Rose smiled.  John loved Annie.  They would be fine together.  Gathering her things, Rose stepped out into the bright sunlight.  It took her only a few minutes to walk to Fort Monroe.  The sun was still shining brightly, but a bank of clouds on the horizon predicted a late afternoon storm.  Rose welcomed it.  Rain was needed to cool things off - including the tempers flaring throughout the camp.  It had been weeks since their last rain.

             
As Rose strolled toward the fort, she thought about her plan.  She really had no idea that General Butler would see her.  He was a very busy man, but she had to try.  Surely if he knew what was going on, he would try to put a stop to it. 

             
The man working the desk looked up pleasantly as she entered the room outside General Butler’s office.  “May I help you?”

             
“I’d like to see General Butler, please,” Rose said firmly.

             
A flicker of amusement shone in his eyes.  “Do you have an appointment?”

             
“No,” Rose admitted.  “I will be happy to make one and come back later if necessary.”

             
“What makes you think he’ll want to see you?” the man continued, not unkindly. “The general has a lot of people who want to see him.”

             
“I think he will want to hear what I have to say,” Rose said evenly.  “It will only take a few moments.”

             
“Well, why don’t you tell me what you have to tell him?  I’ll make sure he gets the message.” 

             
Something told Rose to proceed very cautiously.  “I would rather talk with him myself,” she said courteously, realizing she had begun to tread on dangerous grounds. 

             
An angry spark appeared in the uniformed man’s eyes.  “You’re one of those teachers over in the camp, aren’t you?”

             
Rose saw no reason to deny it.  “Yes.”

             
“I thought so,” he grunted.  “You don’t sound as stupid as the rest of them.”

             
Rose flushed angrily but held her tongue.  Her priority was gaining an interview with General Butler.  “May I make an appointment with the general?”

             
“I reckon so,” the man said slyly.  He flipped open the book lying in front of him.  “I think he’ll have some time just before Christmas.”  He slammed the book shut and laughed.

             
Rose ground her teeth.  She had not expected to find a man like this working for General Butler.  “I see.”  She cast around in her mind for a way to accomplish her mission. 

             
Suddenly the door to General Butler’s office swung open.  He strode out, then stopped, and looked at her.  “Hello,” he said graciously.  Then he turned to the man at the desk.  “Where is Sargeant Creighton, Manning?  I was expecting him ten minutes ago.”

             
“I don’t know, sir,” Manning replied.  “I haven’t heard anything.”

             
Butler frowned.  “If he comes, tell him to come back tomorrow.  I have something I need to take care of.”

             
“Yes, sir,” Manning said instantly.

             
Butler turned to stride from the room, then spun back around, and looked at Rose.  “Have you been helped?”

             
Rose hesitated.  “I was just here to make an appointment with you, sir.”  She saw Manning frown over the general’s shoulder.

             
“And when am I going to see you?”  Butler demanded.

             
“We hadn’t set up a time yet,” Manning interrupted.

             
Butler turned and looked at him closely, then swung back to Rose.  “What is it you need, young lady?”

             
“Just a few minutes of your time,” Rose said carefully.

             
“I have a few minutes,” Butler said abruptly.  “Come with me.”

             
Rose flushed with triumph then sobered when she saw the glowering look on Manning’s face.  She tried not to make enemies.  Especially with soldiers.   “Thank you, sir,” she responded, falling in beside him. 

             
Butler was silent until they had exited the fort and were walking across the grounds.  “Who are you?” 

             
“My name is Rose Samuels.  I’m one of the teachers in the contraband camp.”

             
“Trouble over there?”

             
“No, sir.  At least not beyond what is normal.  I’m afraid the trouble is here in your fort.”

             
Butler ground to a halt and turned to stare at her.  “What would you know about my fort?”

             
“I’ve heard things,” Rose said carefully.  She had no desire to implicate June.

             
Butler continued to stare at her then nodded.  “What is it?”

             
Rose told him what June had told her that morning.  “I was sure you would want to know,” she finished.

             
Butler turned to stare out at the bay.  “You say these men were just shipped north a day or two ago?”

             
“Yes, sir.”

             
“I’ll make sure someone is waiting for the boat when they land,” he promised.  “If they want to come home, they can.  If they want to stay and fight, they can stay.  But they won’t be auctioned off,” he growled.  He shook his head heavily.  “You realize there are many different feelings in the North about you people?” he demanded.

             
“Yes, sir.  It’s fairly obvious.”  Rose silently exulted that the captured men would be freed.  

             
“I’ll do what I can to make sure this is stopped,” Butler promised.  He started to walk away then stopped.  “You’re a very courageous lady,” he said.

             
“I’m just doing what should be done,” Rose said quietly.  Just then a group of soldiers passed them.  They stared at her closely but made no comment.  Butler seemed not to take notice. Rose pushed away a vague feeling of uneasiness.

             
“You have a husband?” he asked suddenly.

             
“He’s serving in the army,” Rose replied.  “He started out as a spy.  Now he is serving under Captain Jones.”

             
“We’ll win this war yet, Mrs. Samuels,” Butler said firmly.  “You keep getting your people ready.” 

             
Rose opened her mouth to respond, but the general was finished. Nodding, he spun on his heel and walked rapidly away.  Satisfied she had done everything she could, Rose watched him go.  Hugging her triumph close, she turned to retrace her steps back to the camp. 

             
The clouds she’d seen perched on the horizon earlier were now boiling overhead.  A streak of lightening flashed across the sky, followed by a deep rumble of thunder.  Rose quickened her steps.  If she hurried, she could make it home before the storm hit.  She had almost reached the outskirts of the camp when a figure stepped out in front of her. 

             
“Where you going so fast, miss?”             

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

             
Rose stopped dead in her tracks, her heart beginning to pound.  “Excuse me?”

             
“You hard of hearing?” the tall, lanky soldier snarled.  “I asked where you were going so fast.”

             
“Home,” Rose said evenly, fighting to control the panic rising in her. 

             
The soldier leaned against the tree.  “I don’t think so,” he said casually, his hard eyes belying his tone of voice.

             
“Why not?”  Rose snapped, suddenly angry.

             
The casual expression evaporated from the man’s face.  “Don’t get uppity with me, nigger.  It won’t take much to show you your place.”  He turned toward the building behind him.  “This the one you wanted?”

             
“That’s the one,” a deep voice answered. 

             
Rose stared as Manning, the soldier from General Butler’s office, stepped from behind the building.  “What do you want?” she demanded.

             
“Not much,” Manning shrugged, his eyes cold and uncompromising.  “I’d just like to know what you talked to the general about.”

             
“That was between me and the general,” Rose said coldly.

             
Manning scowled and stepped closer, grasping her arm so tightly she gasped with pain.  “I intend for it to become between you and me.”

             
Rose was confused.  “Why?  What difference could it make to you?”

             
Manning smiled coldly.  “I suppose that’s a fair question.  I didn’t like the things General Butler was saying when he stomped back into the office a few minutes ago.  Me and the boys look after each other, you know.  I need to know if someone is getting in trouble.” 

             
Rose stared at him with a sinking heart.  She glanced around to see whether there was any avenue of escape, but she knew without looking she was trapped.  She squared her shoulders.  “Do you have some reason to be worried, Mr. Manning?”

             
“Don’t get uppity with me, nigger,” Manning growled. He gripped her arm more tightly until she gasped with pain.  “Tell me what you told the general.”

             
Rose fought the desire to slap him in the face.  She knew it would be the end of her.  Desperately she tried to figure some way to get out of her predicament.  “I went there on behalf of some recent refuge slaves,” she finally admitted. 

             
“The boys having a rough time,” Manning sneered.  “Having to work harder here than they wanted to?”