Dark Chaos (# 4 in the Bregdan Chronicles Historical Fiction Romance Series) (66 page)

Two days later, the sun was just setting when Susie and Zeke approached the outskirts of what they knew must be Fort Monroe.  They had not encountered anyone else on the entire trip.  They had slept the last night out in the open, but since there
had been no rain Susie couldn’t complain. 

             
“I told you we’d make it,” Zeke said proudly. 

             
“Who goes there?” a loud voice called.

             
Zeke stepped forward boldly.  “I be Zeke.  This here be my wife, Susie.”

             
“More contrabands?” the soldier sighed.  “We don’t have many runaways who show up in the dead of winter.”  He cast a practiced look at the sky.  “Lucky you made it.  From the looks of things, there’s gonna be a big storm hitting tonight.”

             
Susie glanced around.  Rolling toward them across the ocean was a menacing bank of gray clouds.  “We’re not runaways,” she said quickly.  “We have an important message for General Butler.”

             
“That so?” the guard said skeptically. 

             
Susie saw Zeke open his mouth to explain, but she interrupted him.  It would do no good to explain their situation to this man.  He had no authority to do anything.  She could still remember Mrs. Hamilton talking about the way things were done in the army.  “I think it might be best if you took us to your commanding officer,” she said quietly but firmly.

             
Respect flickered in the soldier’s eyes.  “That so?” he growled again.  He looked as if he were about to refuse but then nodded his head abruptly.  “Come with me.” 

             
Two hours later Susie and Zeke stood in front of General Butler himself.  He leaned back and stared at them.  “You wanted to see me?”

             
“Yes, sir,” Susie said eagerly.  “We have a letter for you.”

             
“A letter?” General Butler barked.  “Surely you could have given it to one of my aides.”

             
“No, sir,” Susie said firmly.  “Mrs. Hamilton said the letter was only to be given to you.”

             
The effect of Mrs. Hamilton’s name was immediate.  General Butler pushed away some papers on his massive oak desk and leaned toward them.  “Mrs. Hamilton, you say?” 

             
“I used to work for her,” Susie knew she had his attention now.  “A few days ago a young boy knocked at our door.  He had been wounded by a hunter.  He had this letter.”  She pulled it from her pocket.  “We brought it on.”

             
“How did you get here?” he asked, puzzled.  “The rain has made the roads all but impassable to wagons.”

             
“We walked,” Zeke said proudly.

             
“You walked?”  Butler exclaimed.  “Through all that rain?”  He shook his head in admiration and reached for the letter.

             
Susie handed it over willingly, glad to know their mission had been accomplished.  She watched as he read it and wondered at the intense concentration that crossed his face. 

             
General Butler looked up.  “Thank you for bringing this.”   He pocketed it and looked at them more closely.  “We need to find someplace for you for the night.  Maybe for the next few days if that storm hits.  Then you can go home.  I’ll have one of my men take you.”

             
“We’re stayin’,” Zeke announced.  “I plan on being a soldier.”

             
“Good,” Butler announced with satisfaction.  “We can use more of your kind.”  He turned to Susie.  “What about you?”

“I’m staying to
o.  I am looking for someone in the camps.  Maybe you can tell me where to find her.”

             
General Butler barked a hoarse laugh.  “Ma’am, there are thousands of contrabands in that camp.  You’re going to have your work cut out for you.  I’m afraid I’ll be of no help.”  He leaned forward.  “Just out of curiosity...?”

             
“Her name is Rose,” Susie responded.  “She’s a teacher.”

             
“Rose Samuels?”  Butler asked.

             
“You know her?”  Susie gasped, unable to believe their good fortune. 

             
Butler nodded.  “I’ll have one of my men show you where she lives.”  Then he stood and walked to the door, dismissing them.  “Thank you again for your service.  I can assure you it was of immense value.”

             
Zeke beamed proudly.  “What do I do about bein’ a soldier?”

             
“Report to Barrack 4 in two days.  A new regiment is being formed.  You’ll be a part of it.”

             
Susie glanced over at Zeke’s excited face as they followed Butler down the immense hall.  She tried to be excited for Zeke but found it impossible.  She would support him in what he believed he had to do, but she was not going to pretend she wasn’t terrified she would never see him again once he went to war.  Taking a deep breath, she reached out and grabbed his hand.

             
He squeezed hers hard then leaned over to whisper.  “Everythin’ gonna be just fine.”

             
Susie just nodded.  She no longer believed things like that.  Life just wasn’t so simple.  If it was, her mama wouldn’t have been blown up by an exploding shell, and her daddy wouldn’t be languishing in some prison.  Her whole family wouldn’t be split up.  She managed a small smile then looked ahead.

Rose put an arm around Susie’s waist and hugged her warmly as they watched Zeke’s boat pull away from shore.  Both of them waved until the ship was almost out of sight. 

              Susie sighed, fighting back the tears threatening to overflow.  “Good-bye,” she whispered one more time.  Rose hugged her again, and Susie managed a smile.  “Thank you for coming with me.”

             
“I know how hard it is,” Rose said softly.  “I saw Moses off again just a few weeks ago.”

             
“Does it get any easier?”

             
“No,” Rose said after a pause.  “I suppose I should tell you it does, but I’d be lying.  Every time Moses leaves a part of my heart goes with him.”  Rose sighed then straightened.  “I had two weeks with him, though.  Two glorious weeks.  John had a chance to get to know his daddy, and I soaked up enough love to last me until he gets back.”

             
“What if he doesn’t come back?”  Susie whispered fearfully.

             
“There’s no use starting with that kind of talk,” Rose said firmly.   “You’ve got to believe the best and then deal with whatever comes your way when it comes.” 

             
Susie stared into her dark eyes and found the courage she needed.  Seeming thrilled to have them, Rose and June had welcomed her and Zeke warmly. 

             
Rose took her hand and squeezed it.  “Everything will work out,” she said comfortingly.  “I, for one, am very glad to see you.  I always need help with the school.”

             
“You sure I won’t be in the way in the house?”

             
“I’m sure,” Rose said, smiling.  “We always need more help with the boys.  You’re welcome to stay there as long as you want to.  With you being Opal’s cousin I feel like you’re my own family.”

             
Susie’s mind turned to other things as they walked up the wharf.  “George said he thought the letter I delivered had something to do with the prisoners in Richmond,” she said hopefully.  “Maybe my daddy will be getting out.”

             
Rose frowned.  “I’ve heard a lot of talk about the prisons in Richmond,” she said.  “They’re awful places!”

             
“You know anyone in the prisons?”  Susie asked.

             
“No,” Rose replied.  “I had a friend who was in Libby Prison for a while, but he was released because he was a journalist.  His name is Matthew.  I remember the haunted look in his eyes when he got home.”  She shuddered.  “I’m so glad he’s not there anymore.  I don’t think he could stand it.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

              Matthew was shaken awake by Captain Anderson.  “Tell your men not to go to the tunnel tonight,” he whispered hoarsely, then moved quickly away, looking furtively over his shoulder to see whether a guard had noticed him.

             
Matthew stared after him, alarmed.  What had gone wrong?  Had someone discovered their tunnel?  Stuffing down his questions, he rose soundlessly and moved from man to man, whispering Anderson’s instruction, merely shaking his head and moving on when they tried to question him.  All of them would have to get their questions answered later. 

             
Matthew discovered the reason for Anderson’s instruction the next morning. 

             
“Line up!” a guard shouted, slamming open the door before most of the men were even up. 

             
Grumbling, the men staggered up, their frozen muscles stiff, and formed an irregular line.  Matthew glanced over at Anderson, wondering what had put the hard look on his face. 

             
“Count down!” the guard barked.

             
Matthew held his breath as the men counted.  His stomach was already grumbling with hunger even though he had done no work last night.  If the count was off, they would be forced to count again.  A room with over one hundred men took a while.  Five roll calls later the guard still hadn’t come up with a consistent number.  He cursed and slammed out of the room for more help.

             
Matthew hid a smile.  The men had learned a long time ago how to confound the guards.  When they were counting one group, men would shift from a group already counted and move into another group.  Some ingenious fellows had rigged up hats stuck to poles.  In the hurry of a count, they usually passed as prisoners.  At other times, one prisoner would answer for another, careful to keep his head down to escape detection. 

             
Matthew’s smile disappeared when Anderson sidled up next to him.  “Five men escaped yesterday afternoon,” he mouthed.

             
“What?”  Matthew was stunned.  “How?”

             
Anderson looked around carefully before he answered.  “I heard the guards talking.  All of them managed to get Rebel uniforms.  They walked right out the door.”

             
“Brilliant!”  Matthew whistled, thinking of the long hours of work they had put in on the tunnel.

             
Anderson grunted.  “Only one of them is still out.  The other four got hauled in this morning.  The guards are trying to figure out how many actually escaped.”

             
Matthew whitened.  “The poor men.”   He was thinking of them down in
Rat Dungeon
.

             
“The poor
fools
!”  Anderson snapped.  “They were idiots to think they could walk out of here in broad daylight and not expect to get caught.  They were asking for trouble.”

             
“I guess you get so desperate you’ll try anything,” Matthew said thoughtfully.

             
“Yeah, well they’ve wrecked things for us for a while.  Those guards will watch us like hawks.” 

             
“They’ll find our tunnel,” Matthew said suddenly.  “The guards might miss it, but men stuck down in
Rat Dungeon
will find it for sure.”

             
“They’re not going down there,” Anderson replied.   “They are being transferred to another prison.”  He grinned when Matthew looked at him quizzically.  “I do a lot of listening.  I’ve learned it pays off.  Anyway,” he continued, “those men are being sent away.  Richmond is catching a lot of flak from Lincoln about the prison camps.  Seems enough stories have leaked out.  Richmond is trying to cover its backside, but the truth is getting out.”