Desperate (Harris Trilogy Book One) (12 page)

She forced a smile, fished into her pocket for the note, and handed it to Mrs. Harris
. She had not read it and wondered what it said.

While the lady of the house scanned over the letter, Kate held her breath
. What would she do if she were asked to leave because of her inappropriate behavior? She didn’t have many options left. In fact the only other option she could think of was staying with her grandfather and that left a sour taste in her mouth. A woman of Myra’s social standing would feel no decent young lady would do something so shocking. Seconds ticked by as she tried to read the woman’s expression.

“Oh, you poor child!
You have been through a horrible ordeal for such a young girl.” Myra dropped her arm around her shoulders. “Don’t you worry about anything, honey. You are welcome here at Harris Plantation for as long as you want to stay.” The warm welcome was not what Kate had expected. The urge to fall into Mrs. Harris’ arms and be comforted like her mother had held her when she was a child and told her everything would be okay was strong. The only reason she did not was because Emerson was watching. She didn’t want him to know just how harrowing the past few days had been.

The moment the cook returned with a tray of pie and milk, Mrs. Harris, replied,
“Annie, you won’t believe what this courageous young girl has been through. She dressed as a man and joined the infantry. She has been in David’s company until he found out she was female. She has no family to help her.”

All the attention
overwhelmed her and she couldn’t get a word in edgewise.               

Annie placed the tray on the coffee table. “Well, don’t that beat all!”
Strong arms engulfed her, and she found herself pressed against Annie’s ample bosom. “You po little ting! Tank goodness David saw fit to send you to us. Come on chil’. Let’s go get you a bath, and some clean clothes.” She grabbed a saucer of pie and a glass of milk. “You can eat this in your room.”

She
obediently followed Annie upstairs. Glancing back when she got to the top of the stairs, Kate saw Emerson watching her with intense brown eyes. She wondered what he would tell Mrs. Harris. 

Annie opened the door to the be
droom Kate would be occupying, and placed the pie and glass of milk on the bureau. It was lovely with a huge four-poster bed in the center of the room. Just the thought of sleeping in a comfortable bed for a change made her feel better. If she wasn’t so filthy, she would fall into bed, clothes and all, then sleep for a week.

A bright red c
haise lounge was in one corner. The rock fireplace had a mahogany mantle with windows on both sides. A door led out to the terrace overlooking the grounds in the back of the house. Scared to touch anything, she stuffed her dirty hands into her pockets. She couldn’t believe strangers could be so warm and genuine. Maybe she should pinch herself to see if she were dreaming.

Not knowing what to say, Kate watch
ed Annie move about the room. She handed her a towel and washcloth. “I’ll fix everyting in the bathroom. You get out of dat filthy uniform. I’ll see if I can find you a pretty dress to wear to supper tonit’.” 

Supper, just the word made her stomach growl. A beautiful
room, friendly people, and food; a person couldn’t ask for much more.

Before Kate could thank
Annie, she was out of the room like a whirlwind.

****

The moment Kate disappeared upstairs, Myra asked, “What happened to your face?”

The
last thing Mike wanted was her to discover David was responsible for his bruises. “I had a little disagreement with someone.” He felt his cheeks flush with color.

“I
hope they look worse than you.” She plopped onto the sofa and patted the place beside her. “Mike, you will stay for supper tonight? I know Annie will cook up a special meal just for you. I want to hear all about the war.” 

I
nches of dust covered his uniform, so he remained standing. “How can I say no to such a gracious invitation? Of course I’ll stay. I’m just going to get the men settled in the barn, and I’ll be back to get cleaned up before we eat.”

She
stood and placed her hand on his arm. “Please Mike, let them join us.”

“Sorry, but they still think Kate is Jake.
The only two who know she is a female are David and me. I would rather they not find out. David could get into some serious trouble over the situation.”

“I’ll have Annie send someone to take them a plate.”

“Make sure a man takes them their meal. We had a dilemma at a small farmhouse on our journey here. One of my men, Jacobs, tried to rape a young farm girl. Kate heard her screams and interrupted his plans before the girl was hurt. I threatened him to be on his best behavior at Harris Plantation, or his punishment will be even more severe when we get back to camp.” He circled the room, still upset that a young girl was almost ruined on his watch. “I dread telling David.”

Her expression incredulous, she replied,
“Kate sounds very brave. I’m glad she was there to intervene.”

Mike laughed, “Yes, she has been n
othing but a load of surprises. David and I were shocked to find out she was a female.” Not wanting to divulge just how they discovered she was a female, he changed the subject. “David misses you and Edward.”

Her throat closed with emotion.
“I miss him also. I hope he is well. The house just isn’t the same without my children. But then the war has destroyed many happy homes.”

Mike saw the worry on her face. Like other mothers, she feared her sons would not survive the brutal war.
“He is fine. His men respect him and trust his ability. He is a great leader.”

“I can’t believe we will be planning his wedding to Abigail wh
en this horrible war is over.” Mike thought of Kate when Myra mentioned Abigail’s name. He wondered what she would do if she found out David had slept with Kate.  

****

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Kate smiled. Her short brown hair curled perfectly around her face. Annie’s daughter, Lizzy altered one of Myra’s pink silk dresses to fit her shorter frame. Never had she worn anything so beautiful in all her life. She tugged at the neckline which she felt a little brazen, showing too much décolletage. All her homemade dresses back home buttoned up to the neck. She had never worn anything with a bodice this low before. Still she felt the dress magnificent. 

Lizzy tried to get Kate to wear a corset but she coul
dn’t stand the tightness. It reminded her too much of the binding she wore to flatten her breasts. Her days of being uncomfortable were over.  

“You are so purty, Miss.
When mama tole me how filthy you was, and you was wearing a Confederate uniform, I just couldn’t believe it. Well, you don look noting like a man now.”

Not accustomed to compliments, she felt her cheeks heat.
Everyone had been so kind. “Thank you, Lizzy. You are quite the seamstress. The dress is gorgeous.” She twirled in front of the mirror. “It looks as if it was made for me. I feel like a princess.”

****

Mike sat in the kitchen talking to Annie when Edward, David’s father, came in from the fields. “Mike, what in the world are you doing here? Is David with you?” 

He shook hands with Edward.
Since Mike had grown up at a plantation nearby, he and David had been very close friends for many years. “No, David stayed at camp. He sent me to bring you a surprise. I’m sure Myra can’t wait to tell you so I’ll leave the honors to her.”

Even though he was curious, Edward
refrained from asking questions. “How have you been, Mike?”

He
sighed in exasperation. “I can’t complain too much. I’m weary of battles. I long for the day when this terrible war is over. It has lasted much longer than I thought it would.”

“I hope David is handling the stress okay.
I know from his letters he has the same sentiment. He is impatient to marry Abigail, and return to overseeing the running of the plantation.”

Again,
Mike wondered where Kate fit in with David’s plans. He had come to admire the daring Miss Monroe. The thought of her getting her heart broke caused him worry. “Maybe it won’t be long and we can all get back to the lives we put on hold.”

Myra flew into the kitc
hen and lifted a pot lid, then stirred the contents with a huge spoon. The smell caused Mike’s stomach to growl. It had been months since he had the pleasure of eating a home cooked meal. “Edward, hurry and get cleaned up. We have a surprise guest tonight for supper. I’ll be up in a moment to explain.”

“Yes dear, I’ll be waitin
g for you upstairs in the tub.” Edward looked at his wife sensually. “You can scrub my back.”

“There’s no time for that. Now go.” She pushed him
, shooing him out the door.

Mike laughed heartily impressed w
ith the love they still shared. It did him good to see they were still happy after so many years of marriage. Maybe there was still hope for him.

****

Too nervous to go any farther, Kate stood in the doorway. Mike, Edward and Myra were already seated at the table. The hum of voices had her fretting once again. What would she say? Could she carry on a conversation when her pulse beat like a woodpecker hammering on a tree?

Suddenly everyone stopped talking and all eyes turned toward her. Butterflies tickled her stomac
h as Mike’s eyes fixed on her, his mouth open in shock. 

A man that resembled David pushed his chair back making a scraping noise on the wood floor. His gentle smile helped ease her fear.
“Hello Kate, I’m David’s father, Edward. We are honored to have you at Harris Plantation. You are welcome to stay as long as you feel the need.” 

“It is nice to meet you. Thank you for your hospitality.”
He took her arm, tucked it into his, and led her to the empty chair beside Mike. When she slipped into the chair, she placed her hands in her lap. 

Myra placed
a piece of roast beef on her plate as she exclaimed, “Kate, you look lovely. That dress never seemed to look that well on me.” 

She
kept her voice low, tried to sound calm. “Thank you, Mrs. Harris. You are so kind to lend it to me.”

“
Please, call me Myra. Consider it a gift. You will need more clothes. We will take care of that problem tomorrow.”

Shoulders stiffened with pride, she offered a blinding smile.
“Only if you will let me work to pay my debt. I’m not accustomed to charity.” 

“W
e will work something out.”

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Mike watching her. By his expression
, he was shocked at her transformation. He finally found his tongue. “Yes Kate, I don’t think you can wear your uniform at Harris Plantation.”

She glared at him
. For some reason he said all the wrong things to her. Nevertheless, she couldn’t give him a piece of her mind in front of David’s parents.

Myra snapped, “Mike, Kate felt she did not have a
n alternative course of action. She did what she felt she had to do to survive.”

Mike blushed at the scolding
. “I’m sorry, Myra. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’ll try to be more considerate.”

“Don’t apologize to me. Kate deserves your apology.” Myra scowled at him waiting for an apology Kate doubted
she’d get. He had a very low opinion of her because of her deceit. Never would she be able to make him understand how desperate she was to escape Bob Lewis.

Mike offered her a warm smile. “I’m sorry, Kate.
I’ll try to be more sensitive to your situation.”

“Apology accepted.”
She tried to smile but found it difficult with him in such close proximity. Did he not realize he was being rude staring at her so openly? She looked away and tried to focus on the table. Everything was beautiful. The gleaming white dishes looked expensive. It was her first time dining at a fancy table, and hoped she could remember all the etiquette rules her mother had taught her. 

The perfectly set table caused her to think of
her yellowed and chipped dishes back home. None of the pieces matched. Funny, it never bothered her that she didn’t grow up in a fancy home. Her parents had taught her to appreciate what God had provided.

Kate had never had a meal as tasty as the roast beef, whole white pot
atoes, spring squash, and corn. She wanted to feast, to gorge, but she forced herself to savor every bite. Infantry food lacked taste and nutrition. When she was growing up, food was abundant. After the tragedy of her mother and father dying, it was difficult to plant and maintain a garden. If not for the food the neighbors gave in payment for medical treatment her grandmother provided, they would have starved.

Silent, Kate listened as the rest of the meal was spent in conversation about the war.  Mike spoke of the strategic brilliance of Lee a
nd Jackson at Chancellorsville. He told of the tragic wounding of Jackson. 

With a look of horror on her face, Myra
asked, “Kate, I pray to God you did not fight on the battlefield?”