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A Freedom Such as Heaven Intended

By Amanda Lauer

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Chapter I
Wednesday, May 25, 1864
Dallas, Georgia
She kept a steady hand on the reins as she made her
way through the streets of Dallas, the gig pulled by a
single horse. Doing her best to keep a casual
demeanor, Alice’s eyes swept from one side of the
residential neighborhood street to the other, searching
for her mark.
After a wet spring, the lawns in front of the stately
homes were lush and green, making it even more
difficult to find the unique sage-colored plant. While
the vegetation she sought was called a green rose, in
actuality, it was a mutated rose with sepals instead of
petals, so it didn’t have the appearance of the typical
flower of that genus.
Green roses were said to signify rejuvenation of
spirit and fertility. Rejuvenation I can take; fertility,
no thank you. Alice rolled her eyes. That’s the last
thing that I need to enhance in my life.
She resumed her search. Turning the corner onto
another quiet street, Alice perused the front yards of
the houses. Still nothing. The sound of an approaching
horse caused her to snap her head back to see who was
coming her way.
Sitting ramrod straight on the seat of the
conveyance, she self-consciously tugged her crocheted
gloves up to the bottom of the sleeves of her day dress,
leaving as little skin visible as possible.
As the horse and rider neared, Alice saw a young
man, perhaps a few years her senior, bedecked in the
uniform of a Confederate soldier. No stars on his
collar, so he wasn’t high brass. The bars sewn on his
epaulets indicated that he was an officer, though.
Having had scant interaction with military personnel,
Alice wasn’t sure what rank three bars signified.
When the horse and rider came close, Alice politely
nodded her head toward the man in greeting and
proceeded forward, hoping that he’d continue on his
way as well. After driving several more yards, she
assumed that she was in the clear.
A moment later, she heard a strong male voice
behind her. “Haw,” the man said firmly.
Alice’s heart sank to her stomach. He’d commanded
the animal to turn left, no doubt to follow after her gig.
Haughtily, she tilted her head up and willed an
unperturbed expression to settle on her face. A few
seconds later, the soldier pulled up next to her.
“Miss, would you be kind enough to stop your
vehicle?”
The baritone voice was southern, no doubt about it.
But it differed from the accent she was accustomed to
hearing in their area.
After a quick sideways glance, which gave her
enough chance to see the man’s profile, Alice replied.
“Of course.”
He was quite striking. Rather than putting her at
ease, though, his good looks caused her tension to
heighten. Over the course of her seventeen years, she’d
come to find that a handsome, manly visage most often
hid a troublesome core.
“May I help you, sir?” she inquired in the most
refined voice that she could muster.
“Pardon me, miss. I’ve been assigned to patrol these
streets. Doing what we can to keep the fine citizens of
Dallas safe.”
With him staring directly at her, Alice couldn’t help
but notice his hazel eyes. The color was hauntingly
familiar. They were just a shade lighter than Josiah’s.
The man’s neatly trimmed chestnut-colored hair and
his long black eyelashes drew her attention as well. If
she hadn’t known better, she’d have sworn that he was
related to the boy. It took considerable willpower to
tear her gaze away from him.
“It’s a bit concerning that you’re out on these streets
unescorted, young lady.”
His pronouncement nearly brought an eye roll from
Alice. Young lady? Coming from a man who was — at
most — five years older than her, that was rather
comical. And his concern about her welfare driving
through a sleepy neighborhood seemed a bit contrived.
If the soldier actually had known anything about her,
he’d be more anxious for any person seeking to cause
her trouble than the other way around. She knew how
to defend herself. Thanks to her brother, she also knew
how to take a man down with one well-placed kick or a
hand chop to the throat.
“Thank you for looking out after my welfare, sir….”
“First Lieutenant Kent. Marshall Kent.”
He gave her a smile. There appeared to be no malice
brewing below the surface. Regardless, she had just
cause to be suspicious.
“Thank you, First Lieutenant Marshall Kent,” she
enunciated. “But I’m just fine. I know my way around
this city.”
“More than I do, I’d wager, miss...”
His voice trailed off. She should have been prepared
for the inquiry but was caught off guard. Alice had
been preoccupied staring into his eyes, which exuded
nothing but friendliness and sincerity. Something
she’d seldom found in men like him.
“…Rose.” Considering her mission, it was the first
word that came to mind. “Miss Rose,” she noted with
more assurance.
“Well, Miss Rose, you may know this city, but I must
warn you that a skirmish is being waged not far from
here at New Hope Church. As has been known to
happen under such circumstances, riffraff could be
scuttling out of the line of fire and heading this way as
we speak.”
Was this true? Try as Alice did to keep abreast of war
news, the only tidbits that she’d been privy to were the
whispers amongst the residents of Pecan Hall. The
Williams family had been somewhat reticent lately
when speaking of the hostilities. Could this mean that
the momentum of the war is turning in a positive
direction?
As much as she’d like to grill the first lieutenant on
the topic, she needed to disengage from the
conversation — and him — as quickly as she could.
“A battle, so close to Dallas? Oh my,” she exclaimed
with a hint of feigned distress in her voice. “I had no
idea. Of course, I leave politics and war up to the
menfolk.” She batted her lashes — shaded as they were
under the rim of her bonnet — at the first lieutenant. It
was a ploy that she’d learned from her half-sister.
He looked at her reassuringly. “Don’t you worry your
pretty little self, none, Miss Rose. The Confederate
Army of Tennessee — under the command of General
Joseph Johnston — stopped Major General William
Sherman and General Joseph Hooker’s XX Corps dead
in their tracks.”
The color drained from Alice’s face.
Continuing his narrative, First Lieutenant Kent
added, “Pardon my French, but the Union Army is said
to have called the place a Hell Hole when all was said
and done.”
French? Alice had to refrain from scoffing. This man
probably wouldn’t know French if it bit him in the
derriere.
“This could be just what we need to turn the tide of
this war and send the Union Army packing. They can
tuck their tails between their legs and skedaddle back
to where they came from. Then us Southern states can
govern ourselves as we see fit.”
This tête-à-tête was nothing short of disheartening.
Hoping to wrap things up, Alice addressed the soldier.
“I really must be on my way. I would imagine you have
more pressing matters to attend to as well….”
“Watching out for the welfare of folks in this district
is my primary concern,” he replied with a jaunty grin.
“May I accompany you to your destination?”
As much as she wanted to continue searching for that
elusive green rose, she had to do something to set this
obstinate man on another path.
“Actually, now that I’ve gotten some fresh air, I’m
heading over to the dry goods shop. I’ll be on my way.”
She picked up the reins and slapped the rump of the
horse.
“I’m just headed that way myself,” said the first
lieutenant.
Can’t this man take a hint? Alice wondered, gritting
her teeth in frustration.
“Aren’t you just the kind one,” she replied, pasting a
smile on her face.
“Just trying to be the gentleman my mama taught me
to be,” he retorted, a twinkle in his eye.
They rode a block in silence before the man piped up
again. “Here’s a shortcut. Let’s cut through this alley.”
He dipped his head to the left.
Alice pulled on one rein to get her horse to follow his.
As they trotted along the dirt path, something caught
her eye.
The rose! She clapped her hand over her mouth
before the word “hallelujah” could tumble out. Maybe
this man isn’t so insufferable after all.

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