Antebellum BK 1 (62 page)

“
Indeed.”

“
That was said lightheartedly, between friends.”

“
Keep reading.”

“
It’s worse?”

“
Read her quote of me.”

Stuart searched ahead. “Granny Lee? I don’t recall you ever using that disparaging term.”

“
I never use it when you’re present because I know it would offend you.”

“
Why would you use it at all? Colonel Lee is a fine man and these kinds of slurs can hurt his career.”

“
I said it to be funny. I wish I hadn’t, but there it is.”

Stuart handed him the page. “Yes. Your resignation is in order. God speed, Lieutenant.”

October 19, 1859

Arlington, Virginia

L
ieutenant Johnny Van Buskirk handed the clipping back to his brother. “You’re making too much of this, Pea. I’m quite certain that Colonel Lee will forgive you for calling him Granny.”

“
My mind is made up,” Paul said emphatically. “I’m resigning.”

“
Resigning? I thought you said you were going to request a transfer.”

“
I did. But now I’ve changed my mind. I’m resigning my commission. You should do the same. We could go back to Texas and start a ranch.”

“
I’ll make you a deal. Take a transfer, and then if you still feel the same way at Christmas, I’ll consider resigning with you.”

“
You’ll consider? That’s not much of a commitment.”

“
It’s more commitment than I want to make, but I’ll go that far because you’re my brother.”

“
Don’t tell me that you’ve begun to like it here.”

Johnny shrugged. “The girls are not as bad as you said.”

“
Oh please. They’re sticky-sweet, cold as ice and insincere.”

“
I kinda like the sticky, insincere sweetness of them. Once you have it figured out, they’re easy to thaw. These Southern gentleman always take no for an answer. If you’re not a gentleman, the ice melts and they’re just like Northern girls. In their heart of hearts, they prefer naughty to nice.”

“
If one of these Southern Belles gets her hooks in you…”

“
Stop.” Johnny raised his hand. “I’m a grownup now.”

“
I’m still requesting a transfer, Grownup.”

“
Good.”

“
But we’ll discuss it at Christmas.”

“
Fine.”

“
Don’t you dare become one of them before Christmas.”

“
One of whom?”

“
Southerners.”

“
Not likely, but no promises. If I find the girl, anything’s possible.”

December 24, 1859

Van Buskirk Point, New Jersey

J
ohnny shook his head. “I didn’t want to believe it either, Pea, but I checked after Fitz told me and it’s all true. She was selling herself on the street. Uncle Jack found out, resigned his commission and left California to escape the scandal.”

“
Mother always said that Clementine was a tramp,” Paul muttered. “I didn’t want to believe her.”

“
Nor did I.” Johnny shook his head sadly. “She was so pretty and vivacious that I wanted her to be all that Uncle Jack thought she was.”

“
God damn all women.”

Nancy popped her head into the living room, then stopped and walked through the arched doorway. “Who died?” She looked from Paul to Johnny and back.

“
Pea says he’s going to resign his commission,” Johnny replied.

Nancy walked a few steps further into the room and raised an eyebrow in Paul’s direction. “Why, Pea?”

Paul shrugged. “I’m not sure I can explain it.”

“
He asked for a transfer from Virginia because of the animosity toward northerners,” Johnny said. “Now he wants to resign.”

Nancy thought a moment. “So you haven’t resigned yet, Pea?”

He shook his head. “I discussed it with my commanding officer. He advised me to take thirty days leave and discuss it with the family.”

“
I think that’s sound advice,” Nancy said.

“
I can’t get to Texas and back in thirty days,” Pea replied.

“
No,” Nancy agreed, “but you can discuss it with Robert, Anna and Johnny while you’re here.”

Paul nodded, but the expression on his face told her clearly that what he really wanted was his father’s advice and not that of his uncle, aunt or younger brother.

“
What can your father offer that we can’t?” Nancy asked.

“
Southern perspective,” Paul replied.

Nancy nodded, waited a moment, then started toward the door but stopped again. “Johnny. I thought I should mention that Caitlin and her fiancé will be here tomorrow.”

Johnny looked surprised for a moment, then covered it with a grin. “Terrific.”

Nancy watched his face for a moment, then left the room.

“
What was that all about?” Paul asked.

Johnny shook his head.

“
Come on,” Paul insisted. “What don’t I know?”

Johnny sighed. “Kate Chase threw me over for some damn lawyer. So yesterday, without mentioning it to anyone, I rode over to Liberty Hall to call on Caitlin. She introduced me to her fiancé. I confessed it all to Aunt Nancy when I got back here.”

Paul rolled his eyes. “Did you expect Caitlin to just rush into your arms?”

“
Well,” Johnny ducked his head sheepishly. “If the truth be told, yes I did. She was so heartbroken when I told her I was seeing Kate...” He laughed. “I guess her heartbreak was either an act or her heart mended very quickly.”

“
Women are manipulative at their core,” Paul said vehemently. “They’re actors always playing to an audience. Every word, every move, every swish of their skirts and flutter of their eyelashes is calculated to advance some hidden agenda. Never trust a woman. They lie when the truth would serve them better.”

Anna had come into the room and had heard Paul’s bitter soliloquy. “Goodness, Pea. Some woman has wounded you to the core.”

Paul shook his head. “Not me.”

“
Then who are you talking about?” Anna asked.

“
At the moment we’re talking about Uncle Jack,” Paul said peevishly. “The most promising of us all.”

Anna knitted her brow. “What about Jack?”

“
He’s ruined by a conniving floozy of no worth,” Paul replied. “A dirty little whore with nothing of value but shapely legs and overly exposed cleavage who couldn’t keep her knees together.”

“
That’s an awful thing to say,” Anna said angrily.

“
So are you saying that you didn’t know about Clementine?” Paul asked.

Anna hesitated. “Jack and Clementine’s business is a family secret that I’m not willing to discuss with you, Paul.”

Paul looked at her for several seconds before answering. “You’re usually very good at discussing family secrets. Even in newspapers.”

“
Is that what this is about?” Anna asked. “Granny Lee?”

“
No,” Paul said. “It’s about why you don’t know about Clementine and Uncle Jack. Maybe you’re simply too selfish to even wonder why your brother, a full colonel in a reduced-force-army and the Military Governor of California, would suddenly resign to hide out on a New Mexico bean farm with his mother.”

“
With his mother?” Anna shook her head. “He’s living in Juarez.”

“
He’s living with Grandmother in Mesilla,” Paul said. “They told you he was in Juarez because they don’t trust you to keep the secret. No one dares tell you anything. Not your brother, your mother or your son. You can’t be trusted.”

Anna’s lip quivered for a moment, then she turned and hurried from the room.

“
That was cruel,” Johnny said.

Paul waved dismissively. “It was what she deserves.”

“
I agree with you that she shouldn’t have used what you said to her in a private conversation in her news article, but to use Pug, Grandmother and Uncle Jack against her was cruel.”

“
What I said was true. Mother told me. No one trusts her. Not Pug, not Uncle Jack, not Grandmother and certainly not me.”

“
That’s sad, if it’s true.” Johnny said.

“
We’re a sad lot, little brother,” Paul replied. “The great Van Buskirk family is no more.”

“
So you’re just going to drop out? You’re going to run away like a coward.”

Paul was surprised by the fervor in Johnny’s voice. “I’m not dropping out of the family. I’m resigning from the army.”

“
You’re abandoning our family’s values and our country when it needs you more than ever.”

“
Which country,” Paul shouted. “Our father’s made it clear that he’ll raise a regiment and join the confederacy if Texas secedes.”

“
Dad thinks only of his business,” Johnny shouted back. “He doesn’t want any government telling him what to do. Nothing else matters to him but his profits. He’s already so rich he could buy his own God damned country”

“
Here, here,” Robert hurried into the room. “What’s all this shouting and cursing about?”

“
It’s complicated,” Paul replied.

Robert looked at the clock. “Is it so complicated that you can’t explain it to me in the two hours we have left before the tree trimming?”

Neither boy answered.

“
Pea?” Robert asked.

“
I hate the South,” Paul said. “I’m resigning from the army.”

“
You mean you’re ashamed that you love the South,” Robert corrected. He held up his hand to keep Paul from replying. “You grew up in Texas which has strong ties to the South and strong feelings about States’ Rights. But slavery isn’t prevalent or even noticeable in Central Texas, so Virginia and the Deep South have been a shock.”