Victoria spent the next 30 minutes telling Jem about her "beloved Patrick." They had met in 1858, shortly after Victoria's 18th birthday. He was an Irish immigrant and a medical student, and she was the daughter of one of Boston's wealthiest businessmen. Until she had become active in the abolitionist movement, Victoria's social circle had been limited to Boston's elite. Patrick was unlike anyone she had ever known before – he was someone who had struggled to make a better life for himself, his widowed mother, and his two sisters. And his was committed to doing what he could to make life better for others.
"Of course, my parents were appalled when I told them that Patrick and I were in love," she told Jem. "I was certain that once they met him, once they saw how bright and ambitious and compassionate he was, they would change their minds. I was very wrong. I remember my mother saying to me, 'Victoria, be reasonable. He may be a nice young man, but he has no money and he's a Catholic.' Patrick's mother was just as upset that he was in love with a girl who wasn't a Catholic.
"My parents forbade me to see Patrick, which only made me more determined. I was willful even then," Victoria said with a laugh. "They knew our paths still crossed through our abolitionist work. They didn't know our love for each other continued to grow stronger. Patrick finally confessed that he wanted to ask me to marry him, but he didn't think it was fair for him to ask me to give up privileged lifestyle. Once he graduated from medical school, he intended to open a clinic for Boston's poor immigrant community, so he knew he would never have a lot of money. He must have known that he mattered to me more than money or material comforts because when I told him that, he took a simple silver ring out of his pocket and slipped it on my finger. At the moment, it was the most beautiful piece of jewelry I had ever seen – far more beautiful than any of my mother's diamonds.
"Patrick insisted we couldn't marry until he finished medical school. A month before his graduation, the Civil War began, and he wanted to postpone our wedding again. He intended to join the Union Army and thought we should wait until the war was over to get married. I was furious, and we had a terrible argument about it. I insisted no matter what our marital status we would miss each other and I would worry about him and was adamant that I would love him no matter happened. I wouldn't take no for an answer, and we eloped the day before he graduated from medical school. A week later, he reported to Fort Independence."
Victoria was silent for several moments, lost in her memories. Faith, who had come downstairs in the middle of Victoria's story, was sitting on the sofa next to Jem, holding his hand.
"Did you see Patrick again after that?" Jem asked. He knew that Patrick had died in the war, but did not know the details.
"Oh, yes," Victoria said softly. "He came home on leave when he finished his training, and I saw him about half a dozen times during the following two years. Despite the horrors of the war, horrors he lived and I witnessed in their aftermath caring for wounded soldiers, despite that, each of our reunions was a joyous celebration, Jem. When we were together, everything else seemed to melt away. That was true even at the end. Patrick was mortally wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, and by then I was working as a war nurse. His comrades sent for me, so I had the solace of being at his bedside for his final hours. Even then, it seemed to be just the two us in the crowded, chaotic, makeshift hospital ward. Patrick knew he wouldn't live much longer, and apologized for the fact he would be leaving me. Then, he thanked me for convincing him not to wait until the war was over to marry. He said that marrying me was the best thing he had ever done. It was so sweet. I felt the same way, and still do. While I wish that we had had more time together, I wouldn't trade our brief marriage for anything."
Suddenly Victoria's dreamy fog lifted and she was back in the present.
"But that's enough about me and my ancient past! I'm keeping you two from enjoying your reunion," she said as she rose from her chair. "I'm going upstairs to check on Luddie. You children enjoy your day together."
And with those words, Victoria exited the room, leaving Faith and Jem to silently consider the parallels between their lives and the lives of a young American couple more than 50 years earlier.