"How is my sister?" Jula asked, entering the Tavingtons' quarters.
"The same as when I gave Braden to you to watch." Col. Tavington's wife replied. "Though I fear if William doesn't get here soon, she'll get worse, and she's already pretty bad. How is Braden?"
"Asleep on my bed." Jula replied. "What could have caused this?"
"A number of things, though I believe stress is the primary issue in this case."
"But she'll be all right, won't she?"
Lady Tavington took a deep breath and exhaled.
"I hope so. But I won't lie to you, she seems pretty bad."
Jula's eyes began to brim with tears.
Unable to just sit and look at Jula's pained expression, Lady Tavington got up from the side of the four-poster and embraced her tightly.
"This is all my fault!" Jula cried. "If I hadn't been with Wade, none of this would have happened!"
"Hush." whispered Lady Tavington softly before pulling away from Jula and asking, "In all sincerity, did you love Wade? I mean really love him?"
Jula bowed her head and replied with a quiet, "Yes. He had written a letter to me shortly after he had been here at Middleton Place. I don't know why I replied because I was suspicious of his intentions, but I guess I wanted to find out, so I wrote back, and things just kind of went from there. But we had agreed never to speak of anything that would lead us both to treachery. And I know it was only a few months, but I loved him, really loved him. This wasn't just some kind of empty affair. He really was a good person, and always treated me with nothing but the utmost respect."
Lady Tavington stared at Jula, locking her in her emerald gaze.
"Jula, I do believe you're telling the truth, I can see it in your eyes. And I believe that even William wouldn't object to your story, as he is also very skilled at discerning truth from untruth, even from the best of liars."
"But that won't help anything now."
"You're right, but I just wanted to let you know that. William and I might be frustrated with you, but we don't believe you're lying, as our courtship was similar in the sense that it was fast, and not without difficulties."
"Yes, but neither of you were shot."
"Actually, Jula, that isn't true. I was."
Jula's eyes widened slightly.
"But-"
"I lived? Yes. William is a very efficient man, and was generally very calm during the whole ordeal. Jula, Wade was killed for several reasons. First and foremost, he was the enemy-"
"But weren't you and the colonel on opposing sides as well to begin with?"
"Yes, but I am a woman, and this ties in with another reason why William chose to shoot Wade. Men are more of a threat, and Wade was armed."
"But Wade wouldn't have shot the colonel. In fact, he even lowered his weapon when he was commanded to do so."
"Indeed, but he didn't let you go, and it was obvious that he was in no position to disobey William, but he did, even with the fair warning that was given to him, and that is my final reason of why he was shot. Jula, I know it hardly seems fair, even with my explanation. Now I'm not saying that I agree wholeheartedly that Wade should have died; but there was a reason why my husband chose to act the way he did. It wasn't done in cold blood."
"It still hurts." replied Jula softly.
"I know. I would expect it to, especially if you truly cared about him."
Suddenly, the conversation between Jula and Col. Tavington's wife was interrupted as Col. Tavington swept through the door and into the room, looking tired, stressed and disheveled as an equally tired and stressed looking doctor, whom Lady Tavington recognized as Dr. O'Brien, entered the room after him.
"I believe you'd best return to your room and watch Braden." Lady Tavington said softly to Jula.
Jula nodded and turned to go, but as she reached the door, she turned back to face the colonel's wife.
"Thank you." she said softly, and with that, left the room, closing the door behind her.