Shades of Gray: A Novel of the Civil War in Virginia (16 page)

“Were you aware there is a war going on?”

“Yes, but I …” Andrea looked up into the intense
blue eyes gazing down at her and could not finish. “Perhaps I should leave.”
Without waiting for acknowledgment or consent, she whirled around and headed in
the opposite direction, toward what she hoped were the stables.

“Wait!” Daniel shouted, striding after her.
“Where are you going?”

“To see if the horses are still hitched.”

Daniel grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop.
“And if they are not?”

“Then I will hitch them, and I will drive them
back to Richmond, and I will forget I ever came here!” Andrea struggled from
his grasp, picked up her skirts, and ran toward the barn.

“Wait! Please, Andrea!” The desperation in
Daniel’s voice made her stop, though she did not turn around. “Please … wait.”

Andrea heard him exhale behind her.

“I’m sorry. Can we begin again?” Daniel put his
hand on her shoulder, his voice low and gentle, the way she remembered it.
“Andrea, it is indeed a pleasure to see you again.”

Andrea allowed him to turn her around, but her
gaze remained averted. Daniel put his finger under her chin and lifted her
head. For a moment he did not speak, just stared solemnly and earnestly into
her eyes. “I’m sorry, Andrea,” he finally said. “Please forgive me.”

“It’s my fault, Colonel Delaney. I should not
have come.”

“My friends call me Daniel.” He stared at her,
unblinking.

“I apologize.” Andrea could not meet his gaze.
“I was not sure I had the honor to be considered among them.”

Daniel remained silent for a moment and then
pulled her gently into his arms. “Andrea, there’s going to be a battle here. A
big battle. And I never expected … I never dreamed that you—”

She waited for him to finish, but he did not. He
just increased the tightness of his embrace so that she could feel his heart
pounding against her cheek.

“Oh, pray forgive me!” he finally whispered.
“You must realize … I never saw you like this.”

Andrea pulled back. “I know you have duties. If
you wish, I can wait here for you.”

“Nonsense,” he said, bowing gallantly. “I am
devotedly at your service. You must be frozen. Come in and warm yourself by the
fire.”

“No.” Andrea glanced toward the crowded house.
“I’d rather speak to you … privately.”

Daniel took a deep breath and offered her his
arm. “Very well. If you’re sure you’re warm enough, let’s walk.”

Andrea linked her arm in his, and he led her
silently toward the river.

“Colonel Delaney!” An aide came trotting toward
them. “Colonel Delaney, I’m sorry, sir.” He paused, and looked  at Andrea
appraisingly. “The general wishes to see you.”

Daniel groaned. “About what?”

“Dunno. He was asking about Richmond though.”

Daniel looked at Andrea. “If he wants a report
on Richmond, I suppose you should be the one to give it to him.” He grabbed her
hand and led her toward the house.

“Daniel, no!”

He stopped and looked at her with a puzzled
expression. “What are you afraid of, Andrea?

“There are things I need to tell you first.”

“They’ll have to wait. The general does not like
delay.”

Andrea did not speak as he led her through a
back entrance and down a hall. But she knew he could feel her trembling when
they stopped in front of a closed door. “Daniel, wait—”

“Relax, he won’t bite,” he whispered, knocking
once and opening the door at the sound of a rough voice telling him to enter.

An officer who was seated behind a desk reading
when the two stepped inside, quickly rose to his feet when he saw Andrea.

“General,
it’s my pleasure to introduce you to … ah … Maryann Marlow.”

Andrea strode across the room with her hand
extended, a shy smile masking her true emotions. “It’s such a wonderful
privilege and honor to meet you, General.”

“Miss Marlow.” The officer bowed and took her
hand, looking curiously at Daniel for an explanation.

“I
understand you are interested in news of Richmond,” Daniel said, “and since she
has just come from there, I took the liberty of inviting her.

 “From Richmond?” the general croaked. “Today?”

“Indeed.” Andrea walked over to a large map on a
table, pretending that getting in and out of Richmond was no serious matter.
“I’d be honored to tell you what I’ve discovered, sir. I’ll not take too much
of your time.”

The general
looked confused, but Andrea ignored him.
“I have learned that there’s an
immense line of embankments and heavy artillery in a circle of about two miles
from the city … from Battery No. 1 on the north side of the James to No. 17 on
the south side.” She cocked her head and looked up. “I’m sorry to report, I’m
only aware of the specifics of No. 15. It has only one company of light
artillery—eighty-five men, commanded by a Captain Hanns. The battery is here,”
she said, pointing on the map.

“Tell me, Miss Marlow, just how did you get
through Confederate defenses to go traipsing wherever you pleased in enemy
territory,” the general asked, regarding her doubtfully.

“Sir, she is our replacement for Winslow in
Richmond.” Daniel stepped forward. “I vouch for her character and the
reliability of her information.”

 “I never authorized a woman to go to Richmond!”

“No,” Daniel answered, “but you asked me to find
the most capable person I could.”

Andrea stared at the map, pretending to have no
interest in the conversation about her.

“That still does not explain how you know about
these fortifications.” The general gazed at Andrea suspiciously.

“To answer your question … I mentioned to an
officer that I wished to see the sunrise from the highest point of Richmond.”

“And he complied,” the general finished for her.

“Yes, he did. I have found the enemy’s
proclivity for gallantry makes them most accommodating in that fashion.”

“Splendid.” He walked over and took Andrea’s
hand while she looked over his shoulder at Daniel. Unlike the general, whose
face beamed with approval, Daniel’s expression was one of melancholy and
concern.

“I must commend you on a job well done, Miss
Marlow. I would never have permitted it had I been aware, but I’m glad Colonel
Delaney had the sense to see the benefits of using a woman’s grace and charm to
our benefit.” He turned to Daniel. “Well done, Colonel.”

He pulled
out a pocket watch and then clicked it closed. “My dear, it’s late. You must be
exhausted. Colonel Delaney will show you where you can get some sleep, and then
we can talk in more detail tomorrow.”

Daniel impatiently took Andrea’s hand and
started pulling her toward the door.

“I will, of course, need all this written up
into a formal report,” the general said.

Daniel turned around like he’d been hit. “But
she’s only here a short while.”

“There should be plenty of time to write a
report. That will be all.”

Chapter
15

“Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying;

And this same flower that smiles today, tomorrow will be dying.”

– Robert Herrick

Colonel Delaney did not speak another word until
they reached the bank of the river. “You seem to have made quite an impression
on the General.”

Andrea shrugged and looked up at the night sky,
pulling the hood of her cloak tight. “I simply told him what he wanted to
hear.” She laughed. “It is usually the easiest way to deal with men.”

“
All
men? It seemed to come rather
naturally to you.”

Andrea looked over at him, surprised at the
allegation and shaken at the accusing tone of his voice. “No. What do you
mean?”

“You told me earlier you traveled all this way
because you wished to see me. Was that because you thought it was what I wished
to hear?”

Andrea blinked at the insinuation and felt hot
blood coarse through her veins. “Of course not, Colonel. How could you think
such a thing?”

Daniel took a deep breath of exasperation. “I
told you before, my friends call me Daniel.”

“I’m sorry, Daniel.” Andrea put her hands to her
temples. “To answer your question, I came because I missed you. And the more I
thought about coming, the happier I felt. And, oh, never mind. I don’t know
why.” She turned around and sighed with frustration.

“Then stay.”

Andrea looked over her shoulder at him and
frowned wistfully. “You know I can’t stay. They’re expecting me—”

“I mean stay. Don’t go back.” He turned her
around. “It’s too dangerous.”

Andrea pushed him away. “We’ve been through
this, have we not? No one is promised tomorrow. Not me. Not you. No one.”

“But you don’t have to tempt fate by constantly
pushing it to the limit!”

“I face no more danger than you do, or any of
our troops in the field.”

“But you should not be risking your life like
a—”

“Like a man?” She finished for him.

 “Dash it all, you are but a child.” His voice
sounded distressed.

“Is that what you think of me?” Andrea’s voice
revealed her dismay. “I came to prove to you that I am capable of doing my
duty. What must I do to win your esteem?”

“Dear Andrea, you must know you already have my
esteem.” He pulled her closer. “You cannot blame me for worrying about you.”

“I worry about you too,” Andrea said. “Yet I do
not ask you to stop doing what you do.”

“You do think of me then?” Daniel held her at
arm’s length, probing her eyes for the truth.

“I told you I worry about you. You are in a far
more dangerous position than I, yet you are too noble to worry about yourself …
instead, always thinking of what could happen to me.”

“Andrea, it’s not nobility that makes me worry
about you.” Daniel brought her close to him again. “From the first moment I met
you I felt … a connection … an attraction.” He laughed nervously. “And now I—
And now seeing you like this I—”

Daniel stopped in mid-sentence and sighed. “You
must think I’m foolish, rambling like a schoolboy.”

Andrea wrapped her arms around his stalwart
soldierly form, glad that her sweet Daniel had returned. “No, not a schoolboy,”
she said, laying her cheek on his chest. “I shall always think of you as my
knight in shining armor, the gallant soldier who rescued me from Hunter on that
hillside.”

Daniel remained silent, but Andrea felt his body
stiffen at the name. “Well, that’s behind us,” he finally said. “And,
thankfully, you won’t need rescuing from Hunter in Richmond. For that, at
least, I can be grateful.”

Now it was Andrea who stiffened and held her
breath, hoping he would say no more … hoping she would not be forced to lie—or
worse, tell the truth.

But Daniel seemed to sense trouble in her sudden
silence and pulled away to look at her. “You have not seen Hunter in Richmond.”

Andrea looked down and bit her cheek,
contemplating her options.

“You have not seen Hunter in Richmond,” he
repeated louder.

“He did not recognize me,” Andrea mumbled to the
ground.

He did not recognize you?” Daniel shook her.
“You
talked
to him?”

“Not intentionally,” Andrea defended herself. “I
mean, it would have seemed strange not to converse during a waltz.”

“During a
waltz
? This is folly!” He
stepped away from her and began pacing. “I cannot allow you to return! Colonel
Jordan would never forgive me, and I could never forgive myself. No duty of war
could be so trying as knowing I sent you into danger—to death!”

“He did not recognize me.” Andrea grabbed his
coat sleeve to stop him and force him to listen to her. “The worst is over.”

“How do you know that?” He stood so close she
felt him trembling. “How would you know if he recognized you and is only
waiting for you to fall into his trap? Hunter would never do anything rashly.
He would wait until the time is right. Why must you trifle with him?”

“He did not recognize me. I am sure of it. And I
am going back.” Andrea crossed her arms and turned away from him.

She heard Daniel take a deep breath of
exasperation from behind her. “What are you running from?”

“I’m not running from anything.”

“You must be. Why else would you not be able to
see reason?
Be
reasonable?”

Andrea stared at a thousand tiny reflections in
the river but did not answer.

“Is it your past?” Daniel continued prodding
her. “That of which you never speak? What is it that consumes your soul?
Perhaps I can help you.”

Andrea shrugged and sighed. “My past? It’s
another world.”

“Then let it go.” Daniel turned her to face him.
“Whatever it is, whatever it was, let it go.”

“It’s—not—that—easy.” Although she tried to
erase the images of the slaves she had seen punished at the hands of her
father, Andrea’s words came out in short, choking sobs. “I allowed things . . .
things to happen when I was young. And now—I must sacrifice—to make it right.”

“Sacrifice your life?” He shook her as he spoke.
“For something that happened when you were but a child?”

Andrea’s eyes
filled with tears of grief and pain, but they did not overflow. She gazed over
his shoulder a moment, then took a deep, shaky breath and forced a faint smile.
“Oh, Daniel, why must we talk of such things? My time here is too short.”

“Yes, let’s walk,” Daniel said, taking her by
the hand. “It will do us both good.”

After only a short distance, Andrea paused and
stared out over the vast expanse of river, admiring the sparkling ripples
reflecting the soft glow of campfires. “It’s beautiful. I’m so glad I came.”
She looked over at Daniel. “Even if you are not.”

“Oh, Andrea, I’m glad you came.” Daniel turned
her toward him and brushed a tendril of hair from her face. “You must forgive
me for being overly protective. It’s a natural reaction, the way I feel . . .”