Chapter Eight
Corinne did die eventually. But instead of passing within the week as she had first predicted, it took her almost five months to achieve the task. She was buried her next to her husband and son in the family graveyard. The turnout for her funeral would have pleased Corinne — all the neighbors came to pay their respects. But they also met to discuss the latest news of the fighting that was escalating, and the rumors of the movements of the Army of the Potomac and the Federal navy which posed a more localized threat.
After a short but sonorous service by the preacher that would have suited Corinne's melodramatic nature, the mourners retired to the farmhouse to get out of the bitter cold. Isobel, a tragic but stoic figure in black, led the procession. Only Lou stayed behind at the grave site as two older men filled it in with the rich Virginia soil. She thanked them after they completed the task but received only embarrassed smiles in return. They walked hastily away from her, their minds already on the warming cups of coffee they would receive from Isobel.
Lou smiled grimly as she watched them go, disdainful of their anxious departure just because she was pregnant. She was almost to term now, in fact Isobel suspected the baby would be born within the fortnight, and the men were not used to seeing a woman in her condition out in public. Lou didn't care. As much as she had disliked Corinne because of her sharp tongue, she could not help but miss the old tyrant. Corrine had not softened much in her final days and still felt free to criticize all and sundry when she saw fit, but Lou still felt her loss keenly. It seemed that all they had done lately was lose people.
Lowering herself precariously onto the cold ground next to the small line of graves, Lou looked out over the Virginia farmland. As they always did during these quiet moments, her thoughts turned to Kid. He was never far from her thoughts at any time, but when she admired the beauty of his homeland she could picture his smiling face, eyes shining proudly, as if he was right there beside her. The feeling was so strong that sometimes she would turn her head sharply, almost expecting him to be there in person. But the space beside her was always empty.
She had not received any word from him for nearly six months now. There had been no letters, no telegrams, no mention of him at all. Try as she might, Lou had been unable to find out anything that might put her mind at rest. She had contacted his commanding officers, the war department, politicians — anyone she could think of who might help her. But no one could. Many of the soldiers in Kid's cavalry unit had joined other companies after the Manassas engagement. Poor records had been kept and many fallen soldiers could not even be identified by their fellow troops.
She did know that Kid would not wait so long to write to her unless something had happened to him. Lou hoped and prayed that he may just have been wounded and was unable to write, or perhaps he had written to her but the letters were lost. Lou continued to write him faithfully every week, sometimes more, in case he was somehow receiving her letters. She prayed every day that he would, and send word back that he was well and thinking about her and their unborn child. Anything was better than believing he had been killed in the fight. She would not believe it. She could not.
Louise was on the verge of tears when the baby kicked firmly within her. Smiling to herself, she cradled her belly and sighed. The thought of becoming a mother so soon had scared her at first, especially without Kid there to support her, but now the baby was the one thing she could find happiness in. Despite her fears for Kid's safety and the destructive war that was spreading all around them, Lou could focus on the baby and avoid contemplating the worst. She lived for her baby now, secure in the knowledge that one day Kid would return to them both. He had promised he would.
January 1862
Word was spreading of the Union army's intention to invade Virginia through Chesapeake Bay. The very idea terrified Isobel and other citizens of the area. Their militia had left to join the fight and they were left relatively unprotected, close to the waters which would be the conduit for the Federals.
Without husband or fierce mother-in-law, Isobel felt utterly unsafe and began making plans to retreat south to stay with her older sister, Lily. She and her husband Jack owned a small farm near Columbia in South Carolina where Isobel had been born. She reasoned that this was far enough south to avoid the Yankees, where she and Lou and the children could wait out the rest of the war out of harm's way. Not having been born there, Isobel felt no real ties to Virginia, and preferred to keep her children safe than to stay on their land.
Lou fought her vehemently, however, refusing to even consider leaving Williamsburg. If she left and Kid tried to find her… Lou would not hear of it.
"You'd rather the Yankees attack us in our homes, then?" Isobel argued forcefully, having received word from Lily that she and Jack were expecting them. She wanted to leave then and there, and was ready to battle with Lou if that was what it would take to get away from the Federals.
"I doubt the Yankees would harm innocent civilians, especially women and children," Lou countered, refusing to believe the stories about barbarous northern soldiers that made the local women so fearful. After all, Cody was fighting for the north somewhere, and probably Jimmy too… No, Lou did not believe they would be harmed if the soldiers came.
But Isobel wouldn't give up easily.
"We're all Rebels to them, Louise, traitors to their country. I will not put my children in danger in the hopes that the Yankee soldiers are honorable men."
"So go on to Columbia, I won't try and stop you," said Lou tiredly. The last few days had been draining, her back ached constantly and she could not sleep comfortably. The last thing she wanted to was argue with Isobel.
"And what about you? I can't just leave you here!" Isobel gasped.
"Why not? I'll be all right."
"Louise, you are about to have a baby — your first baby. I won't leave you here by yourself."
"I'll stay with one of the women in town," Lou said. "But I won't leave Williamsburg. What if Kid writes, or is able to send word somehow? What will happen if I'm not here?"
Isobel thought carefully before she answered. They had heard nothing from him for so long that she could not believe him alive. Yet she was not able to tell Louise because she would never forgive her. Lou had faith that Kid was still living and she clung to that hope for all that she was worth. Isobel supposed she would do the same in her position, but six months without contact was hard to ignore. There was no use arguing with Louise about the matter, Isobel soon learned that. Instead she took her hand and changed tack.
"If we were to go down to South Carolina just until our boys force the Yankees back to Washington, we could arrange for any letters to be sent to my sister's. Then as soon as it is safe we'll come home."
Lou seemed unconvinced, so Isobel pushed on. "You have to think about your baby now, Louise, not Kid. You know he would want the two of you to be safe. Nothing matters more than that."
"How can I not think about Kid?" Lou cried angrily. "He's my husband, out God knows where because of this damn war! I have to be here in case he comes home like he promised!"
"I know you need to believe that promise will keep Kid safe, but you must realize it's impossible. It just doesn't work like that," Isobel said gently. "You have to face reality and—"
"You think he's dead, don't you?" said Lou, her voice betrayed. She glared at Isobel with pure hatred.
"Louise, I'm just trying to think of you and the baby—"
"Like hell you are! Get out of my way." Lou pushed past her roughly and stalked towards her bedroom. She could barely see through angry tears.
Isobel sighed as the bedroom door slammed shut. She should have known Louise would have reacted with ire. The alternative was admit the truth that Kid was never coming back to her. Isobel heard a low moan from behind the door but decided to leave her alone until she calmed down. Later she would try and convince her to move south to safety, but for now there was no use.
Isobel had carefully stored the letter from her sister away and begun preparing dinner when she heard another moan from Lou's room. This time she also heard her name called with a gasp. She ran across the room and pulled open the door. Lou was standing there stricken and panicked, the floor wet between her feet.
"Isobel?" she whimpered in utter confusion.
Isobel was immediately by her side, her arm around her shoulder. "It's all right, it's just the baby." She made Lou sit down on the bed and tried to calm her down. "Looks like our little yelling match woke him up and he wants to see what all the fuss is about for himself. It's all right now, let's get you into a nightdress."
Lou was shaking nervously and she obeyed all of Isobel's commands with wide-eyed silence.
Lou was awake but she couldn't open her eyes just yet. Her eyelids felt so heavy that she felt she'd never be able to open them again. She was too tired to move or speak so she just lay there in a sort of calm oblivion. Lou didn't know how long she stayed like this, but eventually the difficulty subsided and she tentatively fluttered her eyes open.
The room was dim in the lamplight. Still too weak to move, she tried moving her head some but she had no energy. She was about to call for Isobel when she noticed the bundle in the bed beside her. Lou held her breath as she stared at the small red baby tucked in the crook of her arm. She could hear the baby's faint breathing as it slept peacefully. None of it seemed real. Louise could barely remember what had happened, she was so groggy. She had vague recollections of terrible pain and Isobel yelling at her but it all seemed so distant. Lou wondered if she was dreaming.
"Hey," came a whisper at her ear. "How are you feeling?"
Louise smiled wanly as Isobel moved around to the opposite side of the bed where she knelt beside them.
"The baby," Lou said. It was a half-statement, half-question. Lou wasn't sure of anything at that moment.
"She's a real beauty, Louise. And she has a good set of lungs on her too." Isobel grinned. "That's two things you have in common."
Lou looked at the baby again. A girl. She had a daughter.
"You need to try and get some more sleep. Do you want me to take her?"
"No," replied Lou quickly. "I'm all right."
Isobel raised a disbelieving eyebrow but she didn't protest. Louise had been in labor for over twenty-four hours and Isobel was almost as tired as she was. There had been no complications, much to Isobel's relief. She had just found out from a neighbor that the town doctor had left for the war only two days before. But the baby had arrived safely and now Isobel could finally rest.
"I'll just be in the kitchen if you need me," she told Lou, and quietly slipped out of the room.
Lou had not taken her eyes off her daughter, and barely heard Isobel. She tentatively touched her soft downy head and stared in disbelief. Lou felt warm tears on her face as she stroked the baby's cheek and felt her move under her touch.
"You look just like your father," she whispered. "He would be so proud of you."
Lou imagined Kid's face if he was with them now, and knew just what his reaction would be. Their first child. Lou swallowed the sadness rising in her throat. She wished he could share in this moment with her. Lou felt she needed to explain why he wasn't.
"Your Daddy couldn't be here just now, but I know he wishes he could be. He'll be so happy when he finds out about you, and holds you in his arms for the first time. He'll be home as soon as he can, so don't you worry."
Lou knew in her heart that this baby would mean more to Kid than any land could, or any memories. Virginia may have been the reason he returned to fight, but this baby would be the reason he would come home.
"Maybe that's what I should call you then, hmm?" Lou said thoughtfully to the sleeping babe. "What do you think of Virginia?"
The baby stirred slightly in her sleep, prompting Lou to smile and kiss her brow.
"I'll take that as a yes, Virginia."
