Chapter Nine
March 1862
Isobel's decision to move further south because of mounting hostilities in Virginia had to be postponed because of the birth of the baby. But no sooner had Lou recovered from the birth than McClennan's army began its invasion of the Confederate States of America. When word spread of the coming battle that would rage along the coastline of Chesapeake Bay, Isobel put her foot down and insisted they leave for South Carolina immediately.
Though Louise hated to leave Williamsburg — the last place she and Kid had been together — she could not fault the wisdom in Isobel's thinking. They had the children to think of now and she had her own daughter's safety to consider. So Lou protested little when Isobel began packing up their worldly goods into the wagon, leaving behind nothing for the Yankees to steal if they reached so far inland.
The day before they planned to leave the farm, Lou left the sleeping baby under Amelia's watchful eye and slipped away from the house before Isobel could give her something else to do. Lou hated to leave Virginia, or Ginnie as she had been dubbed by her cousins, but she had to do something before she could leave. She had not been on Rob and Isobel's farm too long, and yet she felt as if she was leaving home.
Lou realized she was afraid to leave because it was here that she had been closest to Kid before the war separated them. It was here she had missed him desperately, prayed for him constantly, remembered their happier times together, and where she had borne their child. Lou felt that somehow by leaving that these things might change, that by moving away from the last place they had been together she would somehow lose the last ties she had to Kid.
It might have been different if she knew for sure he was safe. The terrible nagging doubt she suffered was crippling at times, and it was all she could do to get out of bed in the morning. Just one letter or news of his safety would have allayed her fears and she could have taken Ginnie away to South Carolina without any regrets. But Lou had received no word. She would have to leave knowing that Kid might never return to her or ever meet his daughter.
Louise did not want to even consider the possibility, but on the eve of their departure she felt compelled to visit the camping spot on Kid's old farm where they had spent the night together. It was the last night they had had alone with each other, just the two of them, when the rest of the world seemed miles away. Lou often remembered that night as one of the happiest she had ever spent, so she went there now to try and revisit the past.
Sitting on a stump by the gurgling creek, she smiled as she remembered their lives before war had erupted. They were happy times for the most part, those spent with the Pony Express in Sweetwater and Rock Creek. They had friends and a family, but more importantly they had found each other. Lou had fallen in love with Kid as soon as she met him, and though the year that followed had not been completely smooth, in the end their love had prevailed. Despite their differences and Kid's insistent worrying for her safety which had once been so aggravating, Lou had always known they would one day be together.
She remembered his ever-present concern and would have given anything in the world to have it back. To have him frown and mutter when she rode off fearlessly, or to hear one his carefully worded attempts to stop her from doing something he considered too dangerous would have been music to her ears.
Lou thought about the night they had camped on this spot and replayed their conversations in her head, picturing Kid's face and the firelight that danced upon it. They had talked all night about anything and everything, laughed together, cried together, and whispered words of devotion and love. Lou sat in that very spot for hours, unmoving, trying to savor the precious moments they had shared. It was her only way of saying goodbye.
They were a strange sight as they began their travels south: two women, three children and a baby all in a wagon followed by two cows and an extra horse. Isobel had even made a makeshift cage for their five chickens and transported them in the back of the wagon too. The journey was slow and hard, but Lou could not help but enjoy being out in the open again, travelling through the beautiful countryside. There was little sign of the war as they snaked their way along paths and river banks and entered the Deep South.
Isobel's sister, Lily, lived on a farm half a day's ride from Columbia. She had been married to Jack Johnston for over twenty years and together they had raised two fine sons and a prospering farm. Lily was overjoyed when Isobel sent a letter accepting her offer to stay with them. She had practically raised her younger sister after their parents died and they had not seen each other for many years. Lily felt much better knowing that Isobel would be safe with them in South Carolina than further north in Virginia where the war was a gruesome reality. It was enough that Isobel had lost her husband, she had to think of her children's safety now.
Lily had taken Rob's death badly, despite the fact that she had not known him very well. Her own two sons had enlisted to fight as soon as Fort Sumter was taken, and she feared for their safety. After Rob was killed, the war wasn't just words anymore — men were dying and her boys were amongst them. Lily was glad she would have Isobel there to comfort her if the worst did happen. There was nothing like family in such situations.
Jack and Lily were more than happy to take Rob's cousin in too, once Isobel wrote and told them of Lou's predicament. Isobel had said that although there had been no official word, it was more than likely that Kid had been killed in the same fight as Rob, leaving Lou a widow with a new baby. Lily did not hesitate in extending the offer of sanctuary to the young women and her child, just two more victims of the war. Lou was part of the family now.
When they finally arrived at the farm, Lily had wept for joy when she saw Isobel and the children. Isobel was similarly overcome, due also to the fact that their long journey was finally over. She was home for the first time in fifteen years, back with her own family. Isobel realized just how much she had missed South Carolina, and wondered how she ever left in the first place.
During the happy reunion, Lou could not but feel a little left out. She was a stranger again in a place she did not know. She hugged Ginnie to her as Isobel and Lily talked over the top of each other in excitement, and was overcome with loneliness. She thought of Rachel back in Rock Creek, and the invitation to come live with her that she'd received just after Virginia was born. Lou had refused her, explaining that she couldn't go back west without Kid. But standing there now, she wondered if she had made a mistake. At least she would be in a familiar place with people she knew. Lou just felt lost here.
But the decision had been hers. She had come to South Carolina knowing that if Kid send word or came looking for her in Williamsburg, then he would eventually find her here with Isobel. Lou decided to make the best of the situation until such time as she could return north, closer to him. She would go with Ginnie as soon as it was safe perhaps in just a month or two, but in the meantime she would accept Lily and Jack's hospitality graciously. They seemed like a friendly couple, and Lou was grateful they had kindly taken her into their home.
She would not let herself get too attached, however. The minute the fighting stopped in Virginia she would be going back to find Kid, no matter what it took.
