On to Richmond (78 page)

             
During the long hours of the night, Carrie had also acknowledged the stirrings of excitement in her heart.  Yes, she grieved leaving the plantation, but leaving also meant it could now be her time to be in Richmond - to see what could become of her dreams of being a doctor.  She had done all she could to fulfill her responsibilities on the plantation.   Was it really coming to a close?  Or was it all a false scare?  Would it be safe to return to the plantation in a few days?  Maybe the South
had
won the battle she had heard and she could return to raise food. 

             
Finally Carrie turned to the mirror.  It, of all her belongings, would have been the one thing she would have chosen to take.  Of course, it was impossible.  It would take two strong men to even move it.  Slowly she walked over to stare into it.  Now more than ever, she needed the courage and strength it represented.  There was just enough light to send her reflection wavering back to her.  She frowned when she saw her wide eyes and pinched face. 

             
She sank down onto the chair in front of it, cupped her head in her hand, and tried once more to lose herself in its depths.  Did it have any secrets to tell her before she had to walk away, possibly never to see into it again?  She knew she should be leaving, but she couldn’t tear herself away.  Surely she would learn one more of its secrets before she must leave.

              “Miss Carrie...”  Sam added a soft knock to the calling of her name.  “It be time for us to be goin’.”

             
Carrie nodded but didn’t move.  “In a minute, Sam,” she called softly.

             
Sam stood silently by her door for several minutes and then moved away.  She could imagine the impatient look on his face.  She knew she needed to go.  Yet the mirror seemed to be holding her.  Was it her imagination, or was it calling her?  She stared into its depths until she felt as if her eyes were going to cross.  Finally, in frustration she pushed back away from it.  She had spent her whole life trying to understand its secrets.  Maybe it just wasn’t possible.  Maybe that was its greatest secret - the fact that there was no secret.  It was just a beautiful mirror. 

             
Carrie immediately regretted her thoughts.  She turned quickly and gazed once more into its depths.  “Keep your secrets.  Maybe one day I will understand,” she said softly.

             
Then quickly she turned and grabbed the bag on her bed.  Her packing job had been hasty.  Thankfully she had plenty of clothes at her father’s house.  She looked around once more, then took a deep breath and reached for the door knob. 

             
A sudden clatter of heavy boots caused her to freeze, her heart racing wildly.  Was she too late?  She flew to her window and peered around the curtains.  Her heart sank at the sight of six Union soldiers mounting the steps.  She looked around wildly, but she knew the answer already – there was no escape.  The only way out of the house was through the ground level. 

             
“Open up in there!” a voice shouted, as a steady banging began on the front door.

             
Carrie quickly calculated the distance from her window to the tree outside.  Immediately she discarded the idea.  Even if she made the jump, which was doubtful, there would be no way to get past the soldiers.

             
“Open the door or we’ll bust it down!” came another shouted command. 

             
Carrie could hear Sam’s measured footsteps across the floor.  She could imagine the fear he was feeling.  Not for himself, but for her.  She was sure he was berating himself for not getting her away sooner.  Carrie groaned as she heard the door slam open. 

             
“Can I help you soldier boys with something?” she heard Sam ask calmly. 

             
“You bet you can, old man,” a new voice said sternly.  “We’re looking for one Miss Carrie Cromwell.”

             
Carrie’s heart sank further.  How had they known she was still here?  She was sure Sam had hoped to distract them and give them what they wanted so they would leave.  But they were here for her!

             
Sam’s voice was still calm.  “Ain’t nobody on this here plantation but slaves.  Miss Carrie done left some days ago.  Same as everyone else ‘round here.”

             
“You’re lying,” a voice said coldly.  “Where is Miss Cromwell?”

             
Sam continued on calmly.  “Like I said, Miss Cromwell ain’t here.”

             
“You’re lying!” the voice shouted.  “Get out of my way, old man.  We’ll find her ourselves.”

             
Carrie imagined Sam pulling himself up erectly.  “I don’t reckon you boys got any reason to be in this house.”

             
“Look, old man.  I ain’t got nothing against you.  But I don’t know why in the world you want to protect someone who chained you in slavery.  Not that it matters.  I just want you out of my way.”

             
“I be right sorry...” Sam began again.  He never finished his words. 

             
Tears rolled down Carrie’s face as she heard Sam moan and drop to the floor below with a thud.  That’s when she began to move toward the door.  She could not allow her friends to be hurt in her defense. 

             
A shrill voice below stopped her.  “What are you doing picking on an old man for?  Didn’t he tell you Miss Cromwell isn’t here?”  Opal’s voice was loud and strident.  “You ain’t got no business in this house.”

             
Carrie groaned again as she imagined Opal receiving the same treatment as Sam.  With a determined tilt to her chin, she reached for the door.  She was going to put a stop to this. 

             
She had barely laid her hand on the doorknob when she felt herself grabbed from behind.  She opened her mouth to scream, but a hand clapped across it muffled her scream to a low moan. 

             
“Shhh, Carrie.  We have to get out of here.”

             
Carrie gasped and spun, her eyes bugging in her face.  “Moses?” she whispered.  She could think of nothing else to say.  Stunned, she wondered how he had suddenly appeared behind her.  Her eyes traveled over his shoulder to a gaping hole in the wall. 

             
A clatter of boots on the stairs broke into her shocked senses.  Moses grabbed her hand and pulled her quickly toward the hole in her wall.  Then they were inside.  Moses released her, then reached out and pulled a handle.  Instantly they were shrouded in darkness.  Moses reached out and took her hand but didn’t move.  Carrie remained frozen beside him.  They listened as footsteps pounded along the corridor of the second story.  Doors were flung open one by one.

             
“This is the last room, Captain.  I reckon we’re going to find our little lady cowering in here.  Too bad we had to be a little rough on that other woman to get here.”

             
Carrie gasped as she wondered if Opal was all right.  Moses squeezed her hand in warning.  Suddenly she heard the door to her room fling open.  The stout wood crashed against the wall, and then heavy footsteps approached within feet of where they were standing, barely breathing.    If the situation had not been so serious, Carrie might have smiled at the imagined looks of frustration on their faces.  

             
There was a brief silence and then, “Captain!  She isn’t in here!”

             
Carrie could hear another set of footsteps approaching.  “Are you sure?  Look everywhere.  That old man was protecting someone.  She has to be here.”

             
Carrie continued to hold her breath as her closet was flung open. She could hear clothes being ripped from hangers and hooks.  Then she heard someone drop to the floor, evidently looking under the bed.  There was a long silence, and then a heavy stream of curses filled the air. 

             
“How in the world could she have known we were coming?” one man asked.

             
Another long silence was his only answer.

             
Finally a commanding voice broke the silence.  “I want this house completely searched.   The lady herself is not so important.  What I want to know is how she found out we were coming. 
That
I would like very much to know.”  He paused..  “Once we have found her we will spread out and look for food.  Empty the root cellar, the smoke houses, everything!  When those are clean, we’ll take what we can of the crops.  There won’t be a lot, but there may be some early crops that are producing. We can bring back help with wagons to get more.”

             
Carrie stiffened in protest, but Moses pressed her shoulder warningly.  She knew any noise would be fatal.  There was a heavy clomp as the soldiers moved out of the room.  When they were all gone, Carrie turned to Moses. Now that they were alone, questions screamed through her mind.  But again he pressed her shoulder. 

             
“That girl didn’t disappear into thin air,” a heavy voice growled.

             
Carrie froze as she realized not all of the soldiers were gone. 

             
“I aim to find her,” the voice continued.  “Adams sure got my appetite up for some real loving.  I don’t care what the captain said.  There ain’t no reason we can’t have a little fun in the middle of all this.”

             
“I don’t think the captain will be any too happy if you try anything,” another voice warned.

             
“To blazes with the captain!  I almost got killed a couple of days ago when we had to fight them Rebels.  If I’m gonna die any day, I might as well die with some loving.  Adams seemed pretty sure this little lady would make us a good lover.  I aim to find out!” 

             
Carrie cringed against Moses as she felt his muscles tighten in fury.

             
The other voice continued thoughtfully.  “How do you figure that lady found out we were coming?  It just doesn’t seem possible.”

             
There was a brief silence, and then the voice Carrie had quickly learned to fear broke it.  “I been doing me some thinking.  Ain’t Moses a spy for us because he knows this area so well?”

             
“I reckon.”

             
“Did you notice how he took us to all the other plantations and farms but steered us away from this one?  This looks to be a right big place.  Surely he knew about this place.”

             
The other voice was a little more thoughtful.  “What are you driving at, Clyde?”

             
The answer was quick and hard.  “I think our spy might just have come from this plantation.  Maybe he has a little more loyalty to his Rebel owners than he’s been letting on.  We ain’t seen him since last night.  Maybe he took off to come warn her.”

             
“But he ain’t in this house,” the other voice protested.  “And that old man downstairs wouldn’t have made us rough him up if he wasn’t protecting somebody.”

             
“Yeah.  I thought about that, too.  But still, there is something more to this than we can see.  I aim to figure out what it is!  I aim to ask that old man some questions.”  With that final statement, there was a sound of clomping boots and then silence.

             
Only then did Moses lean over to whisper in her ear.  “Don’t say a word.  Just follow me.” 

             
Carrie heard a scrape and then a match flared, its brightness almost blinding her in the pitch black darkness.  She watched, amazed, as Moses quickly lit a candle and held it high.  She stared around her.  They were in a tunnel!  Now that her fear was beginning to abate, she was consumed with curiosity.  The hole in the wall had appeared behind her mirror.  She had a thousand questions but they would have to wait.  Moses was making his way slowly down the tunnel.  She had no choice but to follow him. 

             
The candle cast flickering shadows against the solid brick walls of the tunnel.  They went about thirty feet straight ahead until they reached a solidly built wooden staircase. They descended, and Carrie knew they must be on the first floor of the house.  She could hear men yelling and talking as they searched the house.  As Moses and Carrie moved along quietly, they came even with what must be her father’s library. 

             
Moses stopped abruptly when he heard the captain’s voice, but he didn’t blow out the candle.  Carrie knew he was afraid their footsteps would be detected though she was sure the solid brick flooring was absorbing any sound.  Her fascination with the surprise tunnel was so complete she almost missed what the captain said.

             
“The girl doesn’t seem to be here.  But I have a feeling she hasn’t gone far.  I want you to put three of the men on watch for her.  The rest I want to gather food.  We’ve wasted enough time here!”