Antebellum BK 1 (68 page)

A tear rolled down the woman’s face. “God bless you, Meneer Lincoln.”

Like a man in a dream, Samuel left the office, walked down the stairs and out into the street where a pretty young blonde woman was waiting anxiously. “I’m Dutch, Tabitha,” he said, taking her in his arms. “Can you believe it? I’m a Dutchman. I have a country.”

April 17, 1861

Washington, D.C.

R
obert E. Lee crossed the Square from the White House and turned up the walkway of Blair House.

Francis Blair Sr. was waiting for Lee in the library and crossed the room to shake his hand. “Thank you for coming. Please have a seat.”

Lee sat down.

“
I’m told that you have refused a commission as Major General,” Blair said, taking the chair across from Lee.

Lee nodded. “In view of Virginia’s secession, I have just come from the White House where I tendered my resignation from the Army of the United States to General Scott and the President.”

“
I cannot understand how a patriot such as you could side with a secessionist movement.”

“
Mr. Blair, I look upon secession as anarchy. If I owned the four millions of slaves in the South, I would sacrifice them all to the Union; but how can I draw my sword upon Virginia, my native State?”

“
What if General Scott was to retire? What if you were offered his position as General-in-Chief?”

“
Forgive me for failing to make myself clear, Mr. Blair. I will not
ever
take up arms against Virginia.
Never
.” He shook his head emphatically.

“
You will live to regret that decision, Colonel.”

“
Perhaps,” Lee agreed. “But the decision is made and I shall not change my mind.”

~

Arlington, Virginia

C
olonel Robert E. Lee faced his troops. “In view of Virginia’s decision to become the eighth state to secede from the Union, I have this day resigned my commission in the Army of the United States. Some of you may wish to remain with this United States Army unit; others may choose to follow me to Richmond. Please consider your decision carefully. I have been honored to be your commanding officer.” He took off his hat and bowed.

“
Well,” Jeb Stuart said as the regiment began to break into groups. “The fat’s in the fire. Guess it’s time to sign our resignation papers.”

“
I’m staying with the First Cavalry, Beauty,” Paul said. “It’s to be absorbed into a second corps. Rumor has it that John Buford will take command.”

Stuart gaped. “You can’t mean it.”

Paul shrugged. “I’m a lieutenant in the United States Army and I intend to stay one.”

Stuart turned to Johnny. “You too?”

Johnny shook his head. “Guess I’ll go with
you
, Beauty.”

“
Well damn,” Stuart said. “That’s not at all what I expected.”

May 28, 1861

Van Buskirk Point, New Jersey

A
braham Van Buskirk was standing in the kitchen door while his sister read the letter. “Well?”

“
Just a minute,” Ginger said.

“
Is Samuel all right? Just tell me that.”

“
He’s fine, he’s wealthy, he’s Dutch, he’s changed his name to Lincoln and he’s married to a white woman named Tabitha.”

“
He what?”

“
Just hold on. I’m almost finished.”

June 1, 1861

Orchard Hill, Virginia

E
ighteen-year-old Urilla Murray, with her long, golden tresses, peaches and cream complexion and waspwaisted figure, fit every trite stereotype of a Southern Belle. Smiling and greeting her guests, she glided gracefully across the vast marble floor of her father’s plantation manor toward the circle of girls who were surrounding Lieutenant Johnny Van Buskirk.

He saw her, excused himself and took her offered right hand in his left. “Thank you for inviting me, Urilla.”

“
I have to talk to you in private, you son-of-a-bitch.” Her long fingernails dug into his palm, but the sweet expression on her face never wavered.

“
Of course,” Johnny said, resisting the urge to jerk his hand free of the painful trap. “Shall we take a stroll outside?”

She eased her grip and looked up into his face as they crossed onto the rear terrace. “I’m pregnant.” The gay, carefree expression on her face clashed with her angry tone.

“
Are you sure?”

“
Yes.”

“
It could be nerves. I’m told…”

“
My breasts are spilling out of my gowns and they leak milk,” she said.

“
Hmm. I’ve never heard of nerves causing that.”

“
What shall we do?”

He took a moment to answer. “When were we together?”

“
March.”

“
Does the timing seem right?”

Her composure cracked for a moment, but she recovered quickly. “You’re the only possibility. I know that must seem unlikely to you in view of how easily I gave in, but it happens to be true.”

“
I don’t doubt that, Urilla. It’s just that I don’t know that much about – you know – babies.”

“
I’m pregnant, Johnny. That’s a fact. Will you help me get rid of it?”

He thought a moment. “No. But I’ll bribe a preacher near Washington to forge marriage documents dated in March. We’ll say that we eloped and hadn’t planned to tell anyone, but were forced to reveal it, in view of this blessed event.”

“
I don’t want to get married.”

“
Nor do I, but I refuse to help you – or permit you – to kill our unborn child.”

“
It isn’t a child. It’s – it’s – something else.”

“
I’m not giving you a choice in this matter, Urilla,” he said firmly. “You can marry me, or I shall have no choice but to speak to your father.”

“
My father will shoot you full of holes.”

“
Perhaps. But he won’t let you kill his grandchild.”

“
I never expected this from you.”

“
How would you know what to expect from me? We’ve known each other for a grand total of two or three hours and less than one of those was spent in conversation.”

“
I don’t know what you did to me.” She giggled in spite of herself. “I mean I know what you did to me, but I don’t know why I let you. I’ve thought about it a thousand times. It was as if I was possessed.”

“
I think they call it animal attraction. I wanted you the moment I saw you. I still do. Right now, behind the bushes, or in that grove of trees.”

She looked back toward the house. “All right.”

He looked around. “We’re bound to get caught.”

“
I don’t care.”

He checked the grounds again. “I have a better idea.”

“
What?”

“
Let’s elope. Really elope. Right now. We can still get the marriage documents backdated for a small bribe.”

“
I told you that I don’t want to get married.”

“
Picture a big bed with clean sheets and the two of us naked in the middle of it.”

“
I’d need to pack,” she said after a moment’s reflection.

“
Nonsense. We can buy whatever we need in Richmond. I have thirty days leave coming. I’ll wire Pea to fix it.”

“
Richmond?”

“
Or Washington. Baltimore. Anywhere you want to go.”

“
I can’t ride all the way to any of those places on the back of your horse.”

“
We’ll borrow one of the buggies parked out front in the circle.”

“
You mean steal a buggy from one of my father’s guests.”

“
No, borrow it and buy one of our own in Richmond.” He took out his watch. “We can have it back here before the owner even knows it’s gone.”

“
Do you have enough money to buy a buggy in Richmond?”

“
I have enough money to buy Richmond.”

She laughed out loud. “All right. Let’s go before I lose my courage.”

June 14, 1861

Cairo, Illinois

C
aptain Ulysses S. Grant shook hands with Colonel Robert Van Buskirk. “It looks like neither of us got the brigade we’d hoped for, but you did better than I did.” He gestured toward the eagles on Robert’s collar.

“
I’m not so sure. At least you got a field command. I’m assistant adjutant to the Army’s Department of the West. As far as I can tell, no one reports to me.”

Grant motioned toward the headquarters building. “You going in or coming out?”

“
Coming out. But if you’re not going to be long, I’ll wait for you out here.”

“
I don’t know why I’ve been summoned, but it shouldn’t take long.” Grant bounded up the steps and hurried through the front door.

Robert reached into his pocket, took out a cigar, clipped it and lit it, then sauntered over to a bench and sat down.

Grant came out of the headquarters building ten minutes later and without saying a word handed Robert an official envelope.