Chapter 10
Tobias leads Christina into his house with her bags. "Follow me, I'll show you to your room then to the woman that you will be caring for." He begins to ascend the stairs, when he looks back he sees a confused looking Christina standing at the bottom looking up to him.
"I thought you were showing me to my room, sir."
"I am, your room will be upstairs. Is that a problem?"
"Um… No, I've just never been given a room in the main house before. Usually I have to stay in the servants' quarters."
"Well, I don't have servants' quarters. There is a house in the back that belongs to the caretaker, but that is her home."
"Oh, okay," she says reluctantly. Christina has found that even in the north there is a lot of racism and bigotry among white people. She's never actually met a white man that talked to her like she was and equal. She follows him up the stairs and he leads her down the hall to a room.
"This will be your room. The room next door is Mary. She's Colonel Monroe's housekeeper and she's helping out around here until they are able to return home. You will meet Colonel Monroe and his wife Shauna at dinner."
They place her belongings on the bed, "I'll introduce you to the woman that you will be caring for. She received a gunshot wound to the shoulder."
"May I ask how a woman got shot in the shoulder?"
"I'm sorry, that is not information that I wish to share at this time," Tobias says coldly.
Christina realizes at this moment that even though he doesn't treat her poorly, he's still a colonel, he still carries that air of authority and power that such a high ranking soldier should carry. It is a demeanor of authority, not superiority though, which is something that she can respect. She quietly follows him to the master bedroom. He knocks on the door and stands to wait to be invited in. The voice behind the door calls out for him to enter. He opens the door and leads the way in.
"I found a nurse to help you, I brought her to meet you," Tobias announces.
"I'll be out in a moment," the female voice responds.
Beatrice finishes dressing in the bathroom. She puts on a comfortable dress and puts her arm carefully back into the sling. She looks at herself in the mirror, happy to actually feel like a woman for once. She opens the bathroom door and enters the bedroom. When she sees the woman standing in the door way her eyes widen and she immediately begins to tear.
Christina can't believe her eyes when she sees the petite woman leave the bathroom. The smile that plays on her face at the sight of her best friend is huge.
"Chris…Christina, is that really you?"
"Hi Tris, it's been a long time."
Tobias looks between the woman remembering Tris' story about the would-be fiancé and the best friend that saved her. He smiles, without knowing it, he managed to reunite these friends.
"This is the friend you told me about?" Tobias asks.
Tris snaps herself out of her shock and smiles at Tobias. "Yes, this is Christina."
"It's nice to meet you Christina, I've heard quite a bit about you."
Christina smiles, "Nice to meet you also Colonel Eaton."
"Please, call me Tobias. I'll leave you to your reunion. I'm going to check on dinner, it should be done soon."
When the two friends are left alone, Christina closes the door and approaches Tris. She smiles and pulls her old friend into a gentle hug. "So, care to tell me how you got shot?" Christina smirks. "Wait, I know you. You somehow managed to get yourself in the middle of a fight."
"You are looking at Private James Prior of the Union Cavalry."
"Are you serious? How did you manage that? People actually believe you're a man?"
Tris smirks, "Yeah, they think I'm a very young man, but a man nonetheless."
Christina looks at her friend in astonishment, "When did you leave your parents' house?"
"The same day you did. Once you and your family were safely in the Railroad, I took Abraxas and took off for my Cousin Shauna's home in Maryland."
"Abraxas? You actually got away with him? I can't believe your father didn't hunt you down and kill you himself."
"He wouldn't have realized either of us was gone until he woke in the morning. I left in the middle of the night. I even made sure it was a time that the stable workers weren't in the stables when I left. I just pray that he didn't take my leaving out on anyone."
Christina just smiles and looks at her childhood friend. She's still the same girl as she was when they were children, but she has also changed greatly also. She's more mature, she's more determined. "So, why are you doing this? There are other ways to help other than getting yourself killed."
"You know what it was like there better than anyone, Christina. My family was horrible."
"So what, do you think that you will be able to right the wrongs of generations of narrow minded people?"
Tris looks down sadly, "Christina, it's my fault you were treated so badly. It was my family that…"
"No, stop. It wasn't your fault. That's like saying that it was my fault that my parents were slaves. There are plenty of people that are at fault here, but neither of us have any part of that. You can't single handedly change people, Tris. You can only treat people the way you know they should be treated and hope that others follow your example."
"I missed you so much, Christina."
Christina moves to her friend land hugs her, "I missed you too, Beatrice. Tell me about your life."
"I'm a soldier, what else is there. I'm constantly around stinky men who think that I'm a man. I've managed to make a Rebel captain really angry with me and now every time he sees Abraxas, he tries to kill me."
Christina snickers, "For some reason, that doesn't surprise me at all."
Tris smiles, "Well what about you?"
"Well, it took us about four weeks to make it to Pennsylvania after we left the plantation. We were set up with a family that helped us get on our feet once we were here. My dad died just after we arrived because of a blood infection. It was then that I decided that I wanted to be a nurse. If I'd known how to take care of my father's injury I could have saved his life."
"I'm so sorry, Christina. You know I always loved your dad. How about your mom and sister?"
"Mom's fine. She's working as a seamstress in the city and she's doing well. My sister gets to go to school. She loves to learn and if it weren't for you, she wouldn't be getting the opportunity to learn to read and write. The family we were living with when we arrived helped me to volunteer in Army hospital and after a while, they started teaching me how to do different tasks to help the doctors and to care for the injured soldiers. They pay me a little and I'm helping people."
"How did you come here?"
"Well, they asked the Colonel if he was okay with a black nurse and he didn't hesitate. Speaking of the Colonel, what's going on with you and him?"
Tris smiles a little, "Nothing really, when he found out that I was a woman, he asked me if he could write me. He told me he wants to court me, but we hardly know each other. Since I met him we've been in two battles or in different camps."
Just as Christina is about to press her about her feelings, Tobias calls from the bottom of the stairs. "Dinner is ready!"
"Before we go down, let me take a look at this bullet wound. I want to make sure the bandage is clean and it is healing properly."
Tris nods and sits so Christina can unzip the back of her dress and check the wound.
In the dining room, Zeke and Shauna sit together and talk. Tris walks in and Christina begins to head to the kitchen. "Where are you going?" Tris asks.
"To the kitchen to eat," Christina says like it's obvious.
Tris shakes her head, "My best friend is not sitting in the kitchen to eat."
Christina looks from Tris to the two colonels and the other woman in the room. They all smile at her warmly. Christina has never met a group of white people that actually treated her like she was a whole person. Even though she is in the north and it is far better than the south, white people still don't tend to treat her as an equal. Christina smiles and turns to sit next to Tris. Tobias pulls chairs out for both Tris and Christina so they can sit. The caretaker enters the dining room and sits with the group also.
"Everyone, this is Johanna Reyes. She's the caretaker for the house and she lives in the house in the back. Johanna this is Colonel Ezekiel Monroe, Shauna, Beatrice, and Christina."
Johanna is a motherly looking woman with black hair, light brown eyes, and light brown skin. She has a scar leading from her forehead across her right eye and down to her chin. This injury seems to have made her blind in her right eye. She smiles at the young people sitting around the table and is impressed with how the diversity of the group doesn't affect how they behave toward one another. 'The country could take some lessons from these young people,' she thinks to herself.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all,"
They all greet Johanna and she smiles. Then Mary comes in and sits at the table as well. Mary is half Native American and half white. She has long black hair that is wrapped in a bun in the back of her head. She has light reddish/tan skin with warm brown eyes. She is in her early thirties and is quite beautiful. She smiles at the group and sits down next to Johanna.
"Christina, this is Mary. She works for my cousin in Maryland, she decided to come stay with us for a while."
Christina smiles warmly, "Nice to meet you, Mary."
"Pleased to meet you, Christina," Mary responds and smiles.
Once the introductions are complete, they begin to eat their dinner as one big, diverse family.
Following dinner, Beatrice takes leave of the group and goes outside to porch. She's never seen such a big city before. She's kind of intimidated thinking that she doesn't belong in a place like this. While she stands alone on the porch, looking up at the stars she is overcome with emotion. A lot has been going on in her life, the war, being reunited with Christina, Tobias. They are all things weighing on her. She's not sure if Christina actually forgives her for what happened all those years ago. She's not sure what her feelings are for Tobias. She likes him, which she's sure of, but she's afraid to be near another man. She's afraid that Eric may have destroyed her for every other man. Tobias has a strong and commanding presence, but with her he's also gentile. He also has complete faith in her strength and ability, no one other than Zeke has ever had that kind of faith in her.
She is so deep in thought that she doesn't notice the presence that approaches her from behind. They place a hand on her uninjured shoulder and lightly squeeze. She smiles to herself because she would know this gesture anywhere; she's been living with it for years now.
"Hello Zeke," she says without even turning around.
"What are you doing out here alone?" Zeke asks.
She scoffs at him, "I'm pretty sure I can handle myself on the porch, sir." She says 'sir' in a very sarcastic manner.
Zeke smiles, "Oh, I don't know. Trouble seems to find you wherever you go, soldier." He pauses for a moment, noticing the smile creeping onto her face. "How's the shoulder?"
"It feels like I was shot," she says sarcastically.
"Would you take a walk with me?" Zeke asks. Tris smiles and nods at her cousin, friend, and protector.
They walk together in silence enjoying the mid June night. Fireflies can be seen all around, lighting up the night with their constant twinkling. They look like tiny stars floating through the atmosphere. There is just enough of the moon showing this night to light up their surroundings a bit. Crickets chirp all around, singing their melody through the darkness.
The sights and sounds of the night relax Beatrice and she smiles at herself when she thinks about nights as a child catching fireflies with Christina, Will, and Caleb. Thinking about Caleb used to hurt, but now she enjoys keeping his memory alive by thinking about all of the wonderful things they did as children on the plantation.
After a few minutes of walking in silence, Zeke stops and takes Beatrice's hand. "What are your feelings for Tobias?"
She looks at him, a little surprised by his bluntness. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I like him, he's a good man. But part of me is worried that I'm a ruined woman. What man would ever really want a woman who has been through what I've been through? He knows about it, but I can't help but wonder when he's going to decide that he no longer wants a damaged woman. He deserves better than me."
"Is that really what you think about yourself? Do you really think that you are damaged?"
"Sometimes I do. Sometimes I think that I don't deserve a real relationship. I couldn't defend myself…"
"Stop it," Zeke demands. "That man, Eric, was almost a foot taller than you and outweighed you by about one hundred pounds. There is no way that you could have stood up against him and done anything to stop him."
She looks down sadly and thinks about Zeke's words. She knows he right, but she also can't help the way she feels.
"Tell me something," Zeke continues, "could you love Tobias?"
"I think I could some day, but I don't know if I'll ever really be able to give myself to him like he deserves."
Zeke nods, "I can tell him to leave you alone if you want. I wouldn't mind chasing him away for you." He gives her a warm smile and winks at her.
She giggles a little, "Okay big brother Zeke, but there's no need to try to scare away the man that wants to court me."
"Wait, he said that?"
"Well what do you think 'writing me' means, Zeke?"
He thinks for a minute, "Writing is one thing, actually courting you means he intends to marry you."
"Is that so strange?"
"No, no it's not. You're beautiful and selfless and brave. You are an ardent humanitarian who believes that everyone should be treated equally. These are all qualities that a man like Tobias would look for actually."
"Why do you say that?"
"Did I ever tell you how I met Tobias?"
"No, I just assumed you met in the army."
"We did, we met during training after we enlisted. But it wasn't in the training that we met. He saved my life. We acquired this enormous steed after a battle with a native tribe in Virginia. He was almost a big and intimidating as Abraxas. He was brought to the barracks to be broken because he was quite wild. I decided that, growing up on a plantation, that I could ride this horse with no problem. I mean, how many horses have I ridden in my life?" he pauses for a moment then continues. "Anyway, I went into the corral and mounted this huge horse. He snorted as soon as he felt my weight on his back and immediately began to buck and run around the corral. He threw himself at the fence, smashing my legs between his body and the wood. He bucked so hard that he threw me, but my foot was stuck in the stirrup, so I got drug around the corral with him still bucking and throwing himself around. Tobias jumped in and threw himself onto the horse's back. Tobias got him to stop after a few more moments and I was able to release my foot and limp away to safety."
"Wow, you're lucky you didn't get killed. What ended up happening to that horse?"
"That horse is Bronte. Tobias is the only person that's ever been able to ride him, kind of like Abraxas. He threw himself into a situation that could have killed him without even thinking twice. And that is only one of the many valiant and noble things he's done during his time as a Union soldier. Many other soldiers owe him their lives."
She smiles to herself when she imagines Tobias being brave and selfless. It's not a difficult thing to imagine. She's seen him with his soldiers. Many colonels stay to the back and just give orders, but Tobias believes that he's no better than his soldiers and if they are in the front fighting, he's going to be there right along with them.
"Basically what I'm saying is he's a good man, Tris. If ever you are going to give any man a chance to enter your world, he would be a good choice. But just don't tell him that I said that."
She snickers, "Maybe. I'll think about it, okay?"
Zeke pulls her into his embrace and kisses the top of her head. "Let's go back, Shauna's probably wondering where we've gone off to."
I have to take a moment to thank NYCgirl166 for constantly letting me bounce ideas off of her! And thank you all for reading and reviewing!