THE SOLDIER HAD been closed away in the south guestroom for four days and Amelia thought her head would explode with curiosity. Her mother watched her like a hawk and she hadn’t had the chance to sneak away.

Today would be the day. Her mother was going into town to do some shopping, and Amelia planned to feign a headache and a cough. She stood by the fire and made certain she was close enough for the heat to form sweat on her brow, just in case her mother needed further convincing. She heard the knock at her door and buried herself further under her quilt. She started to cough, quite convincingly if she did say so herself, just as the door opened.

“Amelia?”

Cough, cough.

“Dear? Are you coming to town?”

Cough, sniffle, cough. “Mama, I don’t feel well,” Amelia rasped.

Her mother hemmed quietly and made her way to the bed. Amelia felt the cool hand on her forehead. “Dear, you’re burning up.”

Cough.

Mrs. Powell sighed. “I don’t think you should come with me today. I’ll let Della know she needs to tend to you as well.”

Sniff.

“You’ll stay in this bed, Amelia.”

“Yes, Mama,” she rasped.

Mrs. Powell stared down at her for several seconds before turning and walking out the door with a swish. Amelia waited for as long as she could before throwing the covers off. She eased out of bed and tiptoed to the window. Her mother’s carriage was already halfway down the road and would be out the front gates within minutes. She was safe.

A knock at the door had her flying back under the covers just as Della came in with a tray. “You’s mama said you’s sick, Miss Amelia.”

Amelia poked her head out from under the sheet to see the raised eyebrow of a woman not at all convinced she was telling the truth. Amelia giggled and jumped out of bed. “I never can fool you, can I, Della?”

Della set the tray on the bureau. “What you up to, chil’?”

“I want to see the soldier and Mama won’t let me.”

Della crossed her arms over her thick chest. “I don’ blame her.”

“Did you find out anything else? What’s his name, Della? Where’s his unit?” Amelia pulled off her nightgown. “Oh, and did the doctor get the bullet out?”

“Your daddy said he’s a lieutenant ’cause of the bars on his jacket, but the man only remembers that his name is James Emerson.” Della picked up Amelia’s discarded nightgown. “He don’t know where he from or nothin’ else about his life. He’s healin’ jus’ fine. He don’t talk much, but he’s polite when he does.”

Amelia clapped her hands. “So, he’s a mystery.”

“Yes’m.”

“Please help me dress, Della. I want to see him.” Amelia started to pull clothing from her drawers and then paused with a sigh. “He’s so handsome.”

Della gathered hoops and skirts for Amelia and turned to face her. Amelia slipped her corset on and Della pulled the ties. “Now, Miss Amelia, don’t you go doin’ nothin’ reckless. That man’s far too old for you. He’s got a ring on, so’s he mus’ be married.”

Amelia wrinkled her nose. “Oh. Well, I don’t mind, Della. I can still look at him.”

“Miss Amelia!”

Amelia giggled. “Perhaps he’d like me to read to him.”

Della tied off her corset and helped her with the rest of her clothing, all the while mumbling warnings that Amelia had no intention of listening to.

* * *

“Wake up, beautiful girl.”

“Jamie?” Sophie’s eyes fluttered open, and she stared at the vision of her husband standing over her bed. “Where have you been?”

“I’ve been here, sweetheart. What do you mean?”

“No, you haven’t been here. I’ve been looking for you.” Sophie tried to sit up but felt frozen to the bed. “Why can’t I move?”

“Ten-Cow, I’ve been here the whole time. Have you forgotten me already?”

“What? No!”

“Then why haven’t you found me?”

Tears streamed down her temples and she shook her head. “Jamie, I couldn’t find you.”

“I don’t know why you couldn’t find me; I have been here waiting for you. I thought you’d never come.”

Sophie felt both relief and frustration as she stared up at him. “Why can’t I move? I need to touch you. I need you to hold me.”

“I can’t do that, sweetheart.”

“What? Why not?”

Sophie’s eyes flew open and she sat up, sobs racking her body. “No, no, no! Jamie, come back.” Jumping out of bed, she made her way to the window and drew the drapes back, with the silly hope that maybe Jamie was behind one of them. “Where are you?”

She stared out the window and let out a little sigh at the scene. Unfolding before her was the most incredible sunrise she had ever seen. Truth be told, it was the first sunrise she had ever seen. Sophie and Jamie were not morning people, so were more likely to see a sunset. Oranges and yellows filtered over the ground, contrasting the stark white of the snow, and it was almost as though the sun were painting the landscape in front of her.

Sophie stood for several minutes, then walked to her door and popped her head into the hallway to listen. The house was eerily quiet, indicating everyone must still be asleep.

Grabbing her book, she made her way over to the window seat. Pulling one of the curtains further open for light, she managed to get through the first five chapters before movement out the window caught her eye. Several men, including Richard, worked with the horses, putting them through what appeared to be military movements.

Sophie stayed glued to the window in utter fascination for close to twenty minutes. He really was a good-looking man. She just couldn’t put her finger on what irritated her so much about him. Just as she was ready to go back to her book, Richard looked up and seemingly straight at her. Sophie doubted he saw her from so far away but pulled herself away from the window just the same. The last thing a man with a big head needed was someone staring at him. He might think she cared.

Hearing the household slowly rising, she turned as Betty knocked and came in to help her dress. Once she was finished, Sophie made her way downstairs. She joined Nona for breakfast and then she was left alone. The clock in the foyer read a little past ten, and Sophie didn’t really know how she was going to kill the next four hours. With the house empty other than the hustle and bustle of the servants, she knew she would have to provide her own entertainment.

Gathering borrowed outerwear, Sophie took off down the side path that led to the stables and the soldiers practicing their military movements. Hearing the commotion of hooves and men’s raised voices as she approached, she fought the urge to peer inside the arena. Unwilling to draw attention to herself, she snuck into the dark tranquility of the barn and smiled as a few of the horses stuck their heads out to greet her.

She recognized the gelding that had taken her on the ride of her life the previous day, and she made her way to his stall and pulled a sugar cube from her pocket.

“You are a beautiful boy, aren’t you, Samson?” She ran her hand over his muzzle. “I’m sorry I confused you yesterday. I wish I could ride you the right way so that we could really become acquainted. But that would be entirely too risqué in this day and age, I’m afraid.”

Immaculate lines, unusually tall but still, no doubt Arabian somewhere in his lineage, Samson was larger than life. Muscular and lean, with a quiet disposition, he nickered his pleasure as Sophie held her hand flat for him to take the sugar. Hearing a slight rustle to her left, Sophie turned to find Richard in the open doorway of the barn, looking as arrogant as ever.

“Mrs. Ford, I didn’t mean to startle you. Is anything amiss?”

“Of course not, Mr. Madden,” she said a little more forcefully than she intended.

His hands went up in surrender. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend. And, please, call me Richard. I saw you slink into the stables and wanted to make sure you didn’t need anything. I also wondered if you would like to watch some of the training.”

“I don’t believe slink is entirely accurate, Mr. Madden.” He raised an eyebrow at her and she took a deep breath. “Sorry. I must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Yes, I believe I’d enjoy watching the training.”

“Wonderful. Why don’t you follow me—ma’am.”

Richard led Sophie out to the large open arena filled with magnificent horses working in perfect unison. Each man worked with his own mount so that both animal and rider could form a trust-bond. She spent the next two hours watching the men and horses put through their paces. It was invigorating.

Richard made his way over to her at about noon. “Mrs. Ford, the men are going to stop for something to eat. Would you like to join me for lunch?”

“They may be expecting me back at the Wades, so I should probably get going.”

“I’d be happy to escort you to the house, and then perhaps I could join you?”

“All right, Mr. Madden.” Sophie clasped her hands in front of her instead of taking the arm he offered. Touching him just didn’t feel right, somehow.

Finding no one around when they entered the doctor’s home, Sophie led Richard to the dining room and discovered a spread of cold sandwiches and fruit, along with hot tea and a pitcher of water. “I’m not quite sure what to say. Is it okay to invite you to stay for lunch, or is it something I need to run by Nona?”

Richard smiled. “Knowing Nona, if you invited the entire Union army, she would welcome them.”

“Right.” They perused the buffet and then Richard held her chair for her once they filled their plates.

“How is it, Mr. Madden, that you are home in relative luxury, rather than on the front lines?” Sophie dropped her eyes to her plate. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that as rude as it came out.”

“It’s quite all right, Mrs. Ford. It’s a rather long story.”

“Apparently, I have almost two hours to kill before a rather overbearing man collects me for our scheduled appointment.”

Richard chuckled. “He must be terrible.”

Sophie grinned and took a bite of bread.

“Andrew, Adam, and I had a successful merchant business up until the war started. I have been training horses most of my life, so when it came time that the army needed a mounted cavalry, they approached me to train the men and the horses. Andrew, along with Christine’s late husband, Peter, enlisted at the start of the war, and Adam was left to run the business. Adam isn’t in favor of the war, perhaps because he’s British and has managed to stay out of the fight. Now that Andrew is home permanently, he has been a great support to Adam and, despite the war, they are prospering.”

“So what is your association with the hospital then?” She lifted her fork to her mouth.

“Many of the men I have trained come back through the hospital, so I am called upon from time to time to notify next of kin, or simply let them see a familiar face. Recently, President Lincoln requested I train more men, as we’ve been losing so many.”

“President Lincoln, himself? Not your commanding officer?”

“Technically, I’m not part of the army. My brother, Clayton, is quite close to the President, both personally and professionally, so I report directly to Mr. Lincoln. Unconventional, yes, but convenient for our leader.”

Sophie sat dumbstruck. She was speaking with someone who knew her hero—personally. She was one degree of separation from one of the greatest men who ever lived. Shaking away her thoughts, she asked, “Has that been hard? Training so many men who don’t make it?”

“I try not to dwell too heavily on the losses. Luckily, we’ve had many more successes, so I try to focus on that.”

“Where does your southern accent come from? Do you have any family, Mr. Madden?”

“Richard, please. If you won’t call me Richard, I’ll continue to call you, ma’am,” he threatened.

Sophie pointed her fork at him. “I knew you were doing it to irritate me. Yes, fine, I’ll call you Richard. I think you should still call me Mrs. Ford, though.” He raised an eyebrow at her and she folded. “Okay, fine. Call me Sophie.”

“Sophie,” he acknowledged. “In answer to your question, I am originally from Virginia. I don’t have much family left. My parents and sister died from typhoid several years ago. Clayton is my only family now and currently stationed in Washington. His plan is to settle here when the war is over, as neither one of us feel Virginia is our home any longer. Although, I have a feeling his interests may be better served in D.C.”

“Do you see him when you’re called to Washington?”

“Yes. I usually stay with him.”

Richard lifted a glass to his lips and Sophie noticed his hand shaking. She felt a warm flush start its way up her neck. She had no idea why, but she suddenly felt awkward.

Richard lowered his glass. “Would you like to go for our ride now?”

“I think that would be fun. I’ll run and change.” Sophie made her way upstairs and tracked Betty down to help her dress. She found the riding habit, clean and hung up in the freestanding wardrobe.

It took her thirty minutes to get out of her skirts and into the riding habit, and once again she wished for a split skirt. She wasn’t really looking forward to the sidesaddle again but knew she didn’t really have a choice if she wanted to ride.

Just as Sophie stepped into the foyer, Richard walked back through the front door. “I took the liberty of having Samson saddled for you. He’s with my horse, right outside.”

“Thank you.”

Taking her hand, he placed it on his sleeve and gallantly led her outside. She noticed his hands no longer shook. She didn’t linger on her thoughts as he helped her mount and held the horse while she tried to maneuver her skirts. Once she was settled, he mounted and they took off at a slower pace than he was probably used to, but she was grateful, still not completely comfortable in the saddle.

“Why did you decide on living here, Richard?” Sophie asked after a few minutes of riding.

“I met the Simmonds family years ago, shortly after my acquaintance with Michael. I purchased the property partly because it was next to the Wades, and partly because the horse facilities were so new. I think that might have been why Lincoln asked me to train the cavalry. I already had the perfect land, which meant the Union didn’t need to look for or purchase anything.”

She nodded and they lapsed into silence again. The countryside overwhelmed her senses and she took several deep breaths, almost in an effort to remember the clean smell of fresh snow. She had never seen so much and the vastness of the trees held her in awe. She couldn’t imagine this beautiful place destroyed, and although she didn’t remember a whole lot about Harrisburg, she hoped and prayed it stayed intact.

A man-made lake straddled both properties, and they rode the perimeter in easy conversation. Sophie was surprised when Richard brought their visit to a close. “We should really get back. I have to go to Washington tomorrow to meet with the President, and I’ll need to get an early start.”

Sophie nodded. “How long will you be gone?”

“I’ll be gone for a few weeks, I’d imagine. Meetings with President Lincoln are never short.”

Returning to the Wades without any casualties or runaway horses, Richard helped her dismount and, as he lowered her to the ground, she noticed the smell of alcohol.

Probably why his shaking has stopped.

She wondered how much he’d had to drink, and how he’d imbibed without her notice, as he walked her to the door.

“Thank you, Sophie, for a wonderful afternoon. I enjoyed your company immensely.”

“I really should be thanking you, Richard. I’m sure you had a lot to do today and yet you took the time to show me around. That was very nice of you and I appreciate it.”

She was a little embarrassed at her earlier treatment of him, but he was gracious enough not to mention it as they walked inside. They nearly bumped into Nona, who looked as though she was on her way out. “Oh, Richard and Sophie, what a nice surprise.”

“Good afternoon, Nona,” Richard said.

“Richard, Michael mentioned you were off to Washington tomorrow. We would love it if you would have dinner with us tonight. Six o’clock?”

“Yes, Nona, dinner will be appreciated. I’ll see you both at six o’clock.”