Shades of Gray: A Novel of the Civil War in Virginia (36 page)

He nodded toward the paddock where the foal
grazed contentedly by its mother. Folding his body into the chair next to hers,
he looked over at Andrea. “Comfortable?”

She did not speak, but the smile she flashed him
had the same effect as an enthusiastic hug of gratitude.

At the sound of banging and shouts coming from
the direction of the barn, both Hunter and Andrea looked up. Hunter stood and
walked to the edge of the porch as one of the servants ran up.

“Dat black hoss, Massa. He kickin’ down the
stall.”

“Did Zach try turning him out with the other
horses?”

“Yes, Massa. He done attacked the other hosses.”

“Excuse me a
moment,” Hunter said to Andrea, before he hopped off the porch and strode
toward the barn. “Move those two horses,” he yelled to one of the servants.
“I’ll turn him out up here where he has no one to pick on.”

As Hunter led the horse out of the barn toward
the paddock by the house, it reared and whinnied at every step. The animal
looked emaciated, yet its strength was not diminished. Covered with dust and
dirt, it appeared more brown than black, and its mane was one large knot of
hair.

After being dragged a few steps by the rearing
horse, Hunter saw for the first time amid the flurry of hooves that Andrea
leaned heavily on the porch rail, and was trying to make it down the steps.
“Miss Evans, what are you doing?”

“Justus?” Her voice sounded weak and shaky.

The horse snorted and reared high in the air,
lashing out with its front legs and pulling the rope out of Hunter’s hand.
Trotting a few steps toward Andrea, it stopped, put its head down, and snorted
again, like a bull getting ready to charge. Andrea took another step down,
still holding onto the railing, her legs visibly shaking.

“Miss Evans, don’t,” Hunter warned in a low
voice, afraid the stallion was going to charge her. He saw Zach and another
servant coming up to encircle the animal, but he feared they would only add to
its terror.

Andrea put out her hand. “Here, boy.” The horse
took another step toward her, breathing heavily, its eyes wild with terror.

Hunter held
his breath, afraid of what might happen next. The horse was only steps from her
now. It looked unsure of itself, like it may bolt or charge.

“Miss Evans, get back!” Clearly it was hard for
her to remain upright.  Even though she still leaned on the railing, her entire
body quivered from the effort.

The horse took another cautious step and Hunter
froze when Andrea let go of the railing and fell into its shoulder, burying her
head in his neck. “Justus. Oh, Justus.” The horse raised and lowered its head,
nickering all the while as if holding a private conversation with his mistress.

Hunter let out his breath, both from relief and
exasperation. Perspiration dampened his forehead, and his heart pounded as if
he’d been in hand-to-hand combat. “This beast yours?”

Andrea nodded
with her head still buried against the horse. “Thank you.”

Hunter realized she was under the impression
he’d deliberately brought the horse to her. Seeing her standing once again, he
took no pains to remove the notion.

“Ever think of teaching him some manners?”
Hunter reached for the rope.

“He doesn’t like men,” Andrea responded in his
defense.

“I can’t imagine where he inherited
that
trait,” Hunter said dryly, giving the animal a tentative pat on the shoulder.
The beast had settled down now, seemed almost docile.

“I’m going to turn him out right here.” Hunter
nodded toward the paddock. “You’ll be able to keep your eye on him.”

Andrea nodded, but could not let go of her pet’s
neck. Hunter put one arm around her waist and gently sat her on the porch step.
“Rest here a minute. I’ll be right back.”

The horse took another step forward and nuzzled
Andrea, then he obediently followed Hunter to the paddock.

“Where? How?” Andrea asked when he returned.

“We’ll talk later.” Hunter scooped her up again.
“You need to rest first.”

Andrea was asleep in his arms before he even
reached her bedchamber.

As far as Hunter was concerned, the horse was
precisely what she needed to revive her shattered spirit. Although he could
take no credit for his arrival, he was thankful for whatever circumstances had
occurred to place her beloved mount at Hawthorne. It was the closest thing to
Divine intervention he’d ever had occasion to witness.

Chapter
34

“In great contests, each party claims to act in accordance
with

the will of God. Both may be, and one must be, wrong.

God cannot be for and against the same thing at the same
time.”

– Abraham Lincoln

Dark clouds, their bellies swollen with rain,
had devoured the last remnants of a beautiful sunset when Major Hunter galloped
up the drive to Hawthorne.

“Look like you outrunned the storm, Massa.” Zach
took the reins and led the prancing horse toward the barn.

By the time Hunter dashed up the steps, the
first great drops began to fall, followed closely by a deafening assault as the
full tempest hit. Rain lashed the windows, and the wind caused bushes and tree
limbs to writhe and shake. He entered the house, grateful to have missed a
soaking, and headed toward his library. Hearing the rapid footfalls of
Victoria, he pressed himself against the wall in the shadowy hallway and held
his breath.

“Mattie! Mattie! You impertinent slave,”
Victoria muttered. “Hello? Anyone? Is Alex home? Did I hear his horse coming up
the lane?”

Not stopping to light a lamp, Hunter continued
through the darkened corridors and escaped out the back. Just as he stepped out
on the porch, a brilliant flash of lightning created a silhouette of a lone
figure already there. Andrea glanced at him and nodded when he took a seat in
the darkness beside her, but seemed too lost in her own thoughts to pay much
attention to his presence.

Hunter sat back in his chair with a sigh and lit
his pipe, delighted to have found a place of refuge to escape Victoria and her
wagging tongue.  The storm convulsed in the sky with brilliant displays of
lightning, causing Hunter to assume that Victoria had retreated to the safety
of her chamber.

The one beside him, on the other hand, appeared to
take immense pleasure in the celestial display. With each dazzling bolt that
lit the darkness, her smiled broadened.

Glad for the opportunity to sit and relax after
two days almost constantly in the saddle, Hunter sank deeper into his chair.
When the wind diminished its ferocity and the thunder retreated, he finally
spoke. “Quite a hellish brew that was. Looks to be another one coming.”

Andrea’s gaze remained locked on the sky. “Yes.
Let’s hope so.”

Hunter looked over at her in surprise just as
the sky burst with a brilliant flash that lit her face in perfect relief
against the darkness. She stared straight ahead with a serene look upon her
countenance, and he found her peaceful appearance in the midst of a raging
storm perfectly beguiling.

Relighting his pipe, he stretched out his legs.
“Did you see the gray Johnny brought in?” Hunter was well aware she saw every
horse that came and went on the estate since the arrival of Justus.

Andrea nodded, continuing to stare straight
ahead. “It’s sad the horses must give so much. Suffer so.”

Hunter leaned forward with his elbows on his
knees and peered at her through the darkness. “Everyone and everything has
suffered during this war. Nothing has escaped it. Including you.”

Andrea tilted her head to the side, and even in
the dim light he knew she stared at him intently with those big green eyes.
“You are wrong, Major. Perhaps pain is inevitable.” She took a deep breath.
“But I believe now that suffering is optional.”

Hunter studied her profile, amazed at the
resolve and strength of one so young. “Your wisdom is beyond your years.”

“Again you are wrong,” Andrea replied. “Were I
wise, Major, I would not be
here
.”

A flash of lightning lit her features for an
instant, and Hunter could see that the good-natured Andrea had mysteriously
returned. She smiled at him then as if together they shared a secret joke.

Hunter smiled too while drawing contentedly on
his pipe, and made the decision to take advantage of her light mood. “I want
you to know you can stay here as long as necessary. I know it’s difficult with
our … differences. But you’re most welcome.”

“And you won’t try to convert me to the Southern
Cause?”

Hunter answered without thinking. “I’d as soon
ride a stubborn Yankee mule into battle.”

“Are you comparing my temperament to that of a
mule, Major?”

Hunter’s smile faded, and he remained silent as
he tried to think of a response that would not rouse her volatile temper. Prone
as she was to spontaneous fits of anger, he wanted to choose his words
carefully.

“I believe I was thinking of willful—not
stubborn.” He suppressed a grimace, waiting for the remorseless wrath to come.

“How very diplomatic of you,” she said just as
the moon made a brief appearance, sending shafts of light over the garden.

Hunter stared at her spellbound, unable to
suppress the sense of accomplishment he felt—like he had finally ridden a horse
that heretofore had tried to buck him off.

Nothing remained of the storm now except a few
clouds sailing across the moon, but thunder growled in the distance, indicating
another tempest approached. Hunter wished to take full advantage of the short
respite. “Too bad your loyalties are misplaced,” he said, taking a short toke
on his pipe. “But I respect them.”

From the corner of his eye he saw Andrea’s head
turn toward him and could feel the green eyes flashing like the lightning that
still flickered in the darkness. Perhaps he had gone too far now.

“Had you witnessed the brutal atrocities I have,
you’d not say my loyalties are misplaced.”

“Had you been reared in Virginia, you’d agree
that they are.”

Andrea amazed him again by expressing neither
anger nor resentment at his reply, but sat back as if to analyze it. Finally,
she leaned forward. “Virginia means much to you.”

Hunter eyed her intently and saw she was prepared
to weigh and compare what he told her, and then draw her own conclusions. “It
is the land of my birth. Every obligation binds me to my state and my home.”

 “Then you are fighting for what you may never
keep.”

“No,” he responded in a determined voice. “We
are defending what we will never part with.”

Andrea remained quiet as dark clouds swallowed
the moon again. Hunter’s gaze drifted toward the west, where the wild skirmish
line of another storm approached. Large drops of rain, already falling,
foretold another downpour was imminent.

“I hope Zach took Lightning and that filly into
the barn,” he said. “It’s too bad that mare is so afraid of storms.”

“He did. I made Izzie help him.”

“Izzie helped him?”

“Yes, it takes two. I’ve never seen a more
headstrong, stubborn, obstinate foal in my life.” Andrea closed her eyes and
rested her head back against the chair.

“Perhaps you’ve spent too much time with her.”

Hunter’s heart twitched at the sound that
followed, for it was the richest, most mirthful laugh he had ever heard. Unlike
the flirtatious, restrained giggles that emanated from the throats of most
women, this was a deep, gurgling, infectious laugh one hears only between
friends.

“Yes, I’m afraid you’ve uncovered my plot.” She
gazed over at him, her eyes sparking with amusement. “I’ve been planning to
turn your stock, one by one, into headstrong Yankee mules.”

“I do not doubt your success with such an
enterprise.” Hunter kicked his legs out in front of him again. “But I’m afraid
you won’t have any luck with your scheme on Dixie. She has the soul of a true
Virginian.”

“Oh, I see.”
Andrea nodded. “So she is
already
headstrong and obstinate.”

Hunter raised his eyebrows. “That is what you
think of Virginians?”

“I’ve known only one. I suppose it would be
unfair to judge an entire breed of humanity on but a single man.” She looked
over at him and smiled shyly.

Hunter shook his head and leaned toward her.
“But you did know another.”

“Yes.” A
shadow crossed her face and she sighed deeply at the thought of Daniel. “I did
know another. But it seems like forever ago and barely at all.”

The sound of rustling skirts brought a hasty end
to their discussion.

“Alex, there
you are. Whatever are you doing out in this beastly weather?”

“Alex,” Victoria said again. “I’ve been searching
all over for you! Why don’t you come—”

The sudden change in the atmosphere when she saw
Andrea was unmistakable. The temperature dropped so swiftly Hunter
half-expected to see his breath. Yet at the same time, the air crackled around
the three as if heat lightning sent spasms of jolting energy through the
surroundings.

Andrea stood. “Good night, Major.” She nodded in
his direction but deigned to meet his eyes. “I hope you enjoy the next storm.”

Hunter wondered if she meant the one in the sky
or the one that sat down with a great heave in the chair beside him. In any
event, he knew that Victoria would make amends for the peaceful minutes of
silence and good conversation he had just shared.

 “Oh, I’m so glad you’re home,” Victoria began
before Andrea had even made her way through the door. “Why I hardly know how to
occupy myself. Did you know I just received a letter today from Peg, and she
said that Dottie Lane and Ben Collins are—”

At once, the contrast forcibly struck Hunter.
They
are so different
, he thought, lookin
g
wearily at the flashing sky.
As different as the lightning bug from
lightning.