Beloved Enemy Read online

“A woman, sir,” sniggered Lieutenant Johnson before his cousin could reply. Montgomery frowned at his high-spirited relative.

  “Cherchez la femme.” The colonel nodded with a grin of remembrance of his own past times in petticoat company.

  “A lady, sir,” Montgomery corrected the lieutenant.

  “And a very pretty one, as I recollect,” Johnson added, ignoring Montgomery’s scowl.

  Better and better, thought Lawrence. It was high time that the major pulled himself out of the doldrums and started living again. “Indeed?” Lawrence prompted.

  Montgomery glanced around the office. Every junior officer, and most of the civilian clerks, had stopped their work to listen. He flushed under his tight collar. “It was nothing, I assure the colonel. While I do admit that Miss Julia Chandler possesses a pleasing countenance, my interest in her company was purely—” He cleared his throat. “Purely official business,” he muttered. “In short, I was feasting with the enemy.”

  Lawrence suppressed a grin. “Indeed?” he echoed. “I did not think that a dance or two would be of interest to the War Department, nor that a pretty girl could be considered an enemy. Please explain yourself, Major.”

  The colonel enjoyed Montgomery’s sudden discomfiture. It proved that the boy was a human being, instead of a well-educated waxwork.

  Montgomery swallowed before replying. “Miss Chandler is a Southern sympathizer. I considered it my duty to…um…keep an eye on her in case she…that is…” He coughed to cover his obvious embarrassment. “Our meeting was a chance encounter,” he concluded in a rush. “Nothing more.”

  “Chandler,” Lawrence repeated the name to himself, while several of the clerks chuckled aloud. The colonel had heard that name before, but he couldn’t remember where. He turned back to his office. “Very well, Major. I apologize for my interruption of your work. Proceed.” He shut the door behind him.

  Lawrence lowered himself onto his cracked black leather chair. Chandler, Chandler, where had he heard that name? He would have to look it up. The colonel wrinkled his nose as if he had just smelled a foul gutter stench. Spying was a nasty business. Yet the first two years of warfare had demonstrated the necessity for this deplorable form of combat. It was an ironic twist of fate that Lawrence, who hated all forms of lying and cheating, found himself assigned to the War Department’s new secret service, Office of Military Intelligence—the brainchild of the Honorable Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War.

  His mind roved over the past few months, plucking out the few instances when the subject of feminine spying had arisen. Major Montgomery’s new alliance with Julia Chandler could be beneficial. The colonel took out a sheet of his official stationery from his letter holder. He dipped his pen into the ink bottle, then composed a brief note to Pinkerton. Lawrence needed a lot more information about the Chandlers of Alexandria before taking any action.

  Pulling his woolen muffler tighter around his neck, Rob berated himself for his poor choice of a meeting place. Alexandria’s Market Square was an ideal spot for an assignation with a gently-bred lady, but not in the depths of winter. The snow flurry of the previous evening had dusted the gabled rooftops like confectioner’s sugar, but the cobbled thoroughfares looked more like dirty molasses. The thermometer had plunged since yesterday. Stamping his feet to keep warm, he scanned the crowds of citizens and soldiers who strolled along King Street. Inside his greatcoat pocket, he carried a small box of sweets from one of the Federal City’s finest bonbon shops.

  “Excuse me, sir,” said a voice directly behind him.

  Rob whirled around and stared into the ebony face of a dignified-looking matron, clothed in a gray woolen dress with double skirts, a thick knitted shawl of a vivid orange hue and a white kerchief tied around her head. She carried a willow-work shopping basket that held several small parcels.

  He touched the brim of his hat to her with his good hand. “May I be of assistance?” he asked.

  The woman gave him an appraising look before she replied, “That depends on whether you are Major Montgomery or not.”

  Surprised that this stranger knew his name, Rob nodded. “I am, and you are?”

  She pursed her lips. “I’ve come from Miss Julia Chandler, though why I let her talk me into this fool trip, I don’t know.” She shook her head.

  Rob swallowed down his growing misgiving. “Is she ill?” he asked. Perhaps she had taken a chill after spending such a long time with him in the wintry garden.

  “Oh, she’s in fine fettle—too fine, if you ask me. She’s managed to displease both her parents.”

  Rob knotted his brows. Had their meeting last night been discovered? “I trust that she has not suffered for it.”

  The woman raised one eyebrow. “That she has, sir. Her father has confined her to the house, and says he won’t let her out until she is good and married.”

  Anger rose in Rob’s breast. Though he barely knew the lady, in his estimation, Julia was a sweet, gentle girl. “What was her crime?”

  The woman cocked her head. “Oh, I expect that you know all about that, Major Montgomery, since I think you were at that Winstead party last night. Miss Julia had no business going to that ball, but I am not surprised that poor child did. Like my mama always said, the best watermelons holler at you from over the neighbor’s fence.” She gave him a meaningful look.

  Rob tried to sort out exactly what the servant meant. Had their tryst in the garden been discovered? Or was it only Julia’s attendance at the ball that had caused her incarceration? “And her sister?” he asked. “Is she locked in, too?”

  The woman’s face took on a shrewd expression. “Miss Carolyn? Now what do you know about that child?”

  Rob realized that he had just stumbled into a patch of quicksand. He chose his answer with care. “I know that Miss Julia has a sister named Carolyn. I only wondered if she, too, shared the same fate.”

  A hint of a smile touched the woman’s lips. “I can see that you have the gift of a silver tongue, Major, but it won’t do you a speck of good now. Miss Carolyn is like a cat. She has nine lives and always lands on her feet. On the other hand, Miss Julia is shut up tighter than a drum, and she’ll stay that way until Mr. Payton comes to get her.”

  Rob narrowed his eyes. “And who is this Payton fellow?” He had a sinking feeling that he already knew.

  The maidservant didn’t seem surprised by his question. In fact, she looked as if she had expected it. “Why, he’s her cousin from down Richmond way. He’s the one her family is fixing to marry Miss Julia.”

  Rob suppressed an oath. Payton must be the toad.

  “I had no idea that Julia was engaged to be married. She neglected to mention that fact to me—at the ball,” he probed.

  “That’s because she doesn’t know that her mama wrote to Mr. Payton this morning and told him to come get her. He’s a bad mixture—been that way since he was in short pants. Miss Julia would rather hug a skunk than hug him. All my young lady wanted to do was to kick up her heels a bit before she’s too old.”

  “Why doesn’t she just say no, if she doesn’t like the man?” he asked, remembering the sudden swiftness of his own broken betrothal to the feckless Lucy.

  The woman snorted. “I don’t know what folks do up north, Mr. Major, but down here in Virginia, proper young ladies marry the men their fathers pick out for them. But not Miss Julia, she did the picking first time round. But Mr. Franklin Shaffer got himself shot dead. All the good boys have become mighty scarce these days ever since you Yankees started killing them. Mr. Payton may be the scraping at the bottom of the barrel, but at least he’s still breathing.”

  “I see.” No wonder Julia had seemed so desperate last night!

  “In any case, Miss Julia asked me to give you her regrets that she couldn’t meet with you this afternoon—though she should be ashamed of herself to go off after a man—especially a Yankee soldier!—without her parents’ knowledge. That’s what trashy girls do, and my Miss Julia is not one of those, you unde
rstand what I’m saying?”

  Rob nodded. “Rest assured that I never considered her anything but a fine, respectable young lady.”

  He started to give the woman a verbal message in return, but thought better of it. Julia was in enough trouble as it was. For all he knew, this servant might go straight to Julia’s father with her tale. Rob delved into his inner breast pocket and pulled out his small memorandum book and pencil. He rarely used it, since writing with his left hand was a chore, especially in public, but he felt compelled to send Julia a safe message in return. He prayed that the servant couldn’t read. Under her interested gaze, he extracted the silver lead pencil from the book’s side pocket with his teeth. Flicking his wrist, he opened to a blank page. Ignoring the woman’s stare, he placed one foot on a carriage block, balanced the little book on his knee and printed out his short message.

  “Does her room overlook the street?” he asked as casually as he could manage. He wanted to be absolutely sure where she was located before he visited the garden again.

  She chuckled. “Like my mama always said, a wise fox knows where the yard dog sleeps. The girls’ room is in the back of the house.”

  “I’ll come again by moonlight tonight. Ten o’clock. You know the place,” he wrote. He hoped that Julia could decipher his scrawl. He tore the page from the book, folded it between his fingers, then handed it to the woman.

  “Please give this to Miss Julia for me.” He returned the booklet to his pocket. Then he took out his little box of candy. “And give her these from me as well, if you would be so kind.”

  She took the box, sniffed the lid and then shot Rob another one of her shrewd looks. “You sure know how to win a woman’s heart, Major Montgomery. Judging by the look of you, I expect you’ve had a lot of practice. Now, you listen to me real good. If you double deal with Miss Julia’s heart, you will have to answer to me, Hettie Perkins, you hear?”

  She reminded Rob of a ruffled mother hen. He gave her a winning smile. “My ears are good, Hettie Perkins. I will keep your words in mind.”

  “See that you do.”

  He fished in his trouser pocket and felt a quarter. “Take this for your pains, ma’am. And commend me to Miss Julia.”

  Hettie eyed the silver coin. “You expect to buy my approval of these shenanigans, Mr. Major?”

  He admired both her loyalty to her mistress as well as her sagacity. “No, I expect you to buy some gewgaw here at the market that might attract your eye. The day is cold, and I appreciate your time.”

  Hettie plucked the quarter from his fingers. “I expect I can find something of interest.” She dropped the coin in the pocket of her apron. “See that you remember what I told you.” With that final warning, Hettie shifted her shopping basket to her other arm, then turned into the square.

  Rob watched as she disappeared among the vendors’ ramshackle stalls. Only then did he consider what he had just done. Julia was not only a Confederate, but also an engaged woman, though not of her own free will. By all rights, Rob should have nothing more to do with her. The box of caramels made a fitting thank-you gift for a pleasant evening. But Rob didn’t want it to end there. He had to see Julia again, even under the difficult circumstances engendered by her parents. She made his heart sing. He not only looked forward to spending another freezing night in the Chandlers’ garden; he relished the challenge.

  Not even rereading the sadly beautiful lines from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet could keep Julia’s attention from straying time and again to the small mantel clock that ticked away the afternoon hours. Bless Hettie for agreeing to meet with Major Montgomery even though he was a Yankee. Now Julia waited with nervous dread for her return. Hettie had promised to be back by 3:30 p.m. It was nearly four o’clock now.

  Maybe the major had not kept his appointment; perhaps he had only toyed with Julia’s emotions last night. Maybe he had been unavoidably detained, and Hettie had missed him. Maybe Hettie had not recognized him, despite the detailed description Julia had given her, even mentioning the major’s disinclination to use his right hand. Perhaps Hettie had not gone to the market; maybe her kitchen duties had prevented her from leaving the house.

  The more Julia stewed over these possibilities, and a dozen others like them, the less interested she was in Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers.

  She was acting like a ninny. She shouldn’t care a fig for the man. He was a Yankee—and she despised Yankees.

  Julia let her book slide to the floor when Hettie opened the bedroom door. She balanced a silver tray that held a pot of tea together with a tea cup and saucer.

  Relief flooded Julia. It wasn’t because she was dying for a cup of tea. “Did you see Major Montgomery?” she asked in a breathless undertone.

  Hettie drew in a deep sigh, as she set down the tray on a small round table before the fire. “Like my mama always said, good looks don’t split rails. Lordy, child, you have no earthly idea how to pick a man. First Frank and now this one.”

  Used to Hettie’s maxims, Julia clapped her hands with joy. “So you did see him! Did you give him my message? What did he say? Was he angry that I wasn’t there? Did you think him handsome? Well, what did he say, Hettie? Please, I am all in a tizzy for your news.”

  The housekeeper sat down on a rocker and stretched her feet toward the blaze in the hearth. “Have mercy, Miss Julia! Your questions take my breath away. It was cold out there in the marketplace.”

  Kneeling by the rocker, Julia took the woman’s hands in hers. The teapot had warmed them. “Don’t tease me, Hettie. What did he say?”

  “I thought you asked me if I thought him a handsome man? How can I answer two questions at once?” Smiling, she patted Julia’s shoulder. “Rest easy, child. Of course I found him. A man that tall, wearing a Yankee uniform with one hand stuck in his pocket all the time is hard to miss. As to his looks, you are a better judge of that than me. All I can say is that I found him to be a man of character.” She chuckled. “Oh, yes, indeedy, quite a character!”

  Julia frowned. “Did he say something cheeky to you?”

  Hettie only chuckled again. “Not at all, though I expect that he could be very naughty, if he wanted. Yes, indeed! He’s got that devilish look about him! Like my mama said, a hungry rooster don’t cackle when he finds the worm.”

  Julia bit back her impatience. “Please tell me, what did he say?”

  Hettie shrugged. “Oh, he’s a man of few words. Didn’t say much at all, except to ask after you, and—” Pausing, she fumbled in her apron pocket. “He gave me this note. I expect he thought I couldn’t read—which I can’t, of course,” she added with a sly grin. Julia knew that Hettie was as well-schooled as herself.

  She eagerly unfolded the scrap of paper and pored over the words. Though he had printed, his letters were difficult to decipher.

  “I expect that he’s not used to writing with his other hand,” Hettie observed, as she poured the hot brew into Julia’s cup. “His scribble is enough to make your eyes water.”

  Julia’s heart skipped faster as she reread his brief message. He really did want to see her! She shivered with anticipation.

  Hettie added two spoonfuls of sugar. “I suppose you are going to be fool enough to keep that appointment?” she asked in an offhand manner.

  Julia glanced up at her beloved confidante. “Now how do you know I am going to meet anyone?”

  Hettie stirred the cup. “I expect a little bird told me so.” She lifted a white damask napkin from the tray, revealing a small blue velvet box with gold letters stamped on the cover. “And that same lowdown, no-account Yankee brought this for you, though why, I don’t know.”

  With a cry of glee, Julia pounced on the box. She had never before received sweets from a gentleman. “Velati’s Bonbons! Oh, Hettie, this is the finest confectioner in Washington.” She lifted the lid and nearly swooned at the sight of the contents. “Caramels! Mmm! Good enough to make the angels weep!”

  Hettie rocked in the chair. “You’d be wi
se to hide that pretty box or your mama will make you weep for sure if she sees it. In the meantime, drink up your tea and think of what you’re going to say when you see this major of yours.”

  “I’ll thank him for the caramels, of course.” Julia gave a sugary grin.

  “I expect so,” said Hettie, closing her eyes. “Just don’t take too long expressing your gratitude.”

  Chapter Nine

  The church bells of Alexandria struck ten as Rob let himself through the Chandlers’ back gate. For safety’s sake, he had left his horse at the public stables just off Washington Street, so that no inquisitive neighbor would spy it hitched outside Julia’s house and wonder about the Chandlers’ late evening guest. Throughout his evening meal at Lyle’s Tavern, Rob pondered why he felt compelled to see Julia again. At the very least, he risked the taint of scandal should his visit be discovered. At the worst, Dr. Chandler could fill his body with buckshot and finish the job another Confederate had begun seven months ago at Gettysburg. Yet a sense of urgency drove him to keep this reckless tryst. Just this last time, he promised himself.

  Rob crept along the wall to the cover of the friendly magnolia tree. With a small sigh of relief, he ducked under its boughs. Then he scanned the second-floor windows for a light.

  “Good evening, Major,” said Julia in the shadows.

  Rob froze; his mind sharpened. Narrowing his eyes, he peered through the gloom in the direction of her voice. “Miss Julia?”

  Her laugh answered his question. “I could be, if you so desire.”

  Rob stepped closer to the shrouded form next to the tree trunk. “I do indeed crave the company of Miss Julia Chandler,” he replied, in a voice grown husky. He tried to spy her face in the depths of the large hood that covered her glorious hair.

  “Then I will answer for her, and you may take my words as hers.” So saying, she opened the shutter of her dark lantern. The candle within shed a little of its feeble light between them. She pulled back her hood, then allowed it to drop to her shoulders.