The Forgotten Debutante (Cotillion Ball) Read online

  Pictures raced through his mind during the remainder of the day about Saffron and how he’d prefer their relationship to progress. Once again she was there, front and center in his mind, when he needed to take his mind off the horrific work they were undertaking.

  He needed to make a trip home and tell his father the Chancellorsville bodies wouldn’t be retrieved until the next spring. He supposed he could write a letter, but he needed to see his father. If he could be assured the man was fit enough to run the farm, then he’d return to DC and wait until all the Chancellorsville bodies were retrieved before he left the program and assumed the mantle of the farm for the remainder of his life. That way, he could spend a few more months with Saffron. This winter would be his last big adventure before he settled down.

  Yes, his plan was sound. He’d make a quick trip home for Christmas and tell his father of the delay. It would be good to spend his favorite holiday in the midst of his family instead of in a cold boarding house room alone. But the logical side of his mind forced him to accept the fact spending more time with Saffron could only complicate his life. In the short term, it would be an exciting adventure, as she was quick to point out. But in the end, he’d walk away with a huge hole in his heart. It would only make him compare every other female he came into contact with to her, and they’d all come up short.

  So, by prolonging his time with Saffron, he’d ruin any chance for his future happiness with someone else. He shook his head as he stowed the shovel, their work in the field done for the day. Her laughter came to him from within the tent, and his fate was sealed.

  He’d take the gamble.

  • • •

  Saffron sat in the portion of the tent where tables were set up with chairs. She dug into her dinner of beef stew, corn bread, and pumpkin pie in front of her, her mouth salivating as she chewed some of the meat. It relieved her mind from the other thing on this field making her mouth water: Zeke.

  She had hoped to wait for him to appear before she began eating, but she was too hungry. She set aside the two slices of pie she had grabbed from the buffet table, one for her and one for him, and dug in to her meal. If she hadn’t grabbed up the pie when she had, Zeke would have none, since dessert was the most popular item in the tent.

  As Saffron waited, she listened with half an ear to the conversations buzzing around her. When she overheard a mention of Zeke, she turned to the women who had uttered his name and listened carefully. It was the horrible Suzanne Miller with her best friend, Betsy Klinger.

  “Did you see Zeke Boone in the field a bit ago with his shirt off? My, what a specimen!”

  Betsy rolled her eyes at her friend. “Yes, even in this cool weather, he’s managed to work up a sweat, poor thing. We should maybe offer to towel him off. Where’s he from anyway?”

  Their titters as they discussed what kind of highly inappropriate behavior they wanted to engage in with Zeke made Saffron grind her teeth. She sat rigid, her hands curling around the edge of the table. What she really wanted to do was rise up and scratch the eyes out of both Suzanne and Betsy.

  Suzanne replied, “I found out he’s from New York and is living in the boarding house a block from the office. Poor man, not having any family in town. No one to take care of him.”

  Betsy’s muffled reply, spoken with her hand to her mouth, was loud enough for Saffron to hear, even if her ears hadn’t been focused on their conversation. “Saffron Fitzpatrick already acts as if he belongs to her, since they’re working on the same battle and share an office.”

  Suzanne slid a glance toward Saffron before she replied in a hushed tone, “We’ll see about that. I’ll invite him to my parents’ home for Thanksgiving dinner. The poor man can’t be alone for the holiday.”

  Saffron dug her fingernails into her palms to keep from performing the bodily harm she wanted to do. She skewered the woman with her eyes instead. Suzanne had thrown down a challenge, which Saffron greedily accepted. The prize would be having Zeke at the table for Thanksgiving.

  Today was to be the final day on location at Manassas. Tomorrow, they’d fold up the tents and head back to DC for the winter. Saffron and Halwyn’s family planned to stay in DC for Thanksgiving and then take the train home to New York for Christmas. The upcoming gaiety of the Christmas Ball with her fellow workers filled her head. She couldn’t wait to dance with Zeke. So she could wrap her arms around him, as she had so many years ago. So he could make her knees go weak again. Plus, she’d make Suzanne jealous. Her smile widened as she plotted what she would do.

  Zeke Boone was headed her way right now. Despite telling herself not to react to him, her heart rate sped up when she caught sight of his windblown hair and his ruddy cheeks, caused by the cold and wind. He dropped himself opposite her, his body obviously weary, and ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to straighten it out. She was immensely pleased he didn’t even glance toward Suzanne and Betsy but came directly over to where she sat. She tossed a glance in their direction before turning her attention solely on Zeke.

  “So, it’s tough going out there in the field, is it?” Saffron smiled as he began to eat. His strength returned as he shoveled in the food. She placed the slice of pumpkin pie in front of him, and he inhaled it in a few bites. Feeding her man was a good feeling. She shook herself. He was not her man. Not yet, anyway. But Saffron would be damned if she’d let any other woman, and especially Suzanne Miller, steal Zeke from her. There were too few able-bodied men their age around as it was, and Saffron would not let the woman get in her way. Even though the Christmas dance was weeks away, she needed to extract a promise from Zeke that he would go with her. And spend the night dancing with only her. She batted her eyes at him as he slowed his eating long enough to talk.

  “Yes, it’s hard work. And I wish I could get it done faster and get on to the next battlefield.”

  “It’s frustrating, isn’t it, to have someone else tell you what to do. I’ve had to put up with it all my life, since I’m the youngest in my family.”

  He raised an eyebrow at her. “You seem to be able to do whatever you want, anyway. Otherwise, we would never have met. And you wouldn’t be away from home now, working in such rough conditions.”

  She shrugged at his words, which didn’t slow him down at all. “Even though the grid system is best, so we don’t leave anyone behind, and it’s best to do a thorough job the first time, I’m not happy with the delay. The idea of being stuck in DC until spring, to leave my father to run things all winter and probably do the spring planting on his own doesn’t sit well with me.”

  Saffron fiddled with the sleeve of her white blouse, smoothing out the non-existent wrinkles, and straightened the shawl over her shoulders. “Maybe you can take a few weeks off around the holiday and go home for a visit if it would make you feel better. Check on things before you return to DC. Haven’t you been able to come up with any reason to stay in town over the winter?”

  His emerald eyes glittered as he searched her face. “Well, there is one.”

  She lowered her eyes from his intense stare, not eager to let him see how his words affected her. She bit her lip and waited for her heart rate to level out before she brought up the subject she needed to talk to him about. She had to get it right if she were ever to get the correct result. She toyed with the fringe on her shawl and brought her eyes back up to him. To gauge his reaction to her bold request.

  “Thanksgiving’s next week, and then the Christmas Ball is happening only a few weeks later.”

  “Yes, I’m aware of the upcoming holidays. I had hoped to be done and gone from DC for good by then, though.”

  “But it won’t work out that way, will it, since they’re not even going to start on Chancellorsville until next spring? Now it’s time for a new plan for yourself. Since you have to stay longer, the least you can do is join me for Thanksgiving dinner at Halwyn and Grace’s and then escort me to the ball. Or will back-to-back events with me be too much for you to handle?”

  He glanced a
t her again and his hand grazed his stomach. The same stomach that had once been at the end of her pitchfork. She followed the movement of his hand, her mouth watering again. Her gaze went back to his face, and she squirmed in her seat. She tried not to begin babbling, to wait for him to say something. She could not let Suzanne win.

  “Are you certain I’d be welcome at your brother’s table? He doesn’t seem too keen on me.”

  “He did mention he’s got some questions about your age and your prior service. If you did fight at Manassas and Chancellorsville as you claim, you’d be in your mid-twenties now. Instead, he thinks you act and look like a teenager. Which you really are. It bothers him, but I’ll work things out with Grace, and she can talk Halwyn into anything. We’ll have a lot of food, so it won’t be as if we’re cooking extra for you. And what about the ball?”

  “Won’t showing up with an escort interfere with your plans to entice all those military men you constantly rattle on about?”

  She blushed at his words. “As I’ve told you before, the dream of dancing with many men is one from my childhood, when I thought I’d be attending a debutante ball. Now, I realize I only need to dance with one man. One good man. Does that mean you will?”

  “Of course, I’d be happy to escort you to the ball, Saffron. But even though you may think you only need to dance with one man, there are more men than women involved with the program, so I may be forced to share you.”

  Saffron threw back her shoulders in triumph. “It’s only being courteous. I’ve been practicing my dancing every moment I can. I made Halwyn lead me around the living room, teaching me the waltz. I’m sure I won’t be so awful on the dance floor.” She snuck a glance at him. “At least no more awful than a country boy. I’m sure the only prancing around you’ve been doing has been in a barn, with maybe a shovel for a partner.”

  “All right, it’s a date. Dinner with your family at Thanksgiving, then the dance a few weeks later. My first real date. Will it be yours, too?”

  At her nod, he reached across the rough table and held her hand. “Another thing neither of us will forget, ever. Thank you, once again, for taking my mind off the work here.”

  They sat together for a moment, hands clasped, sparks shooting from their bodies. Finally, Saffron removed her hand from his and ran it over her hair, willing her stomach to settle. She glanced around the room to make certain Suzanne had witnessed the tender moment, but hoped no one else had seen the exchange of energy between her and Zeke. Her brother was across the room talking to someone, and he stared at her with a scowl on his face before he turned away.

  Just her luck.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Zeke left the tent, and Saffron, to wrap up the evening’s work with a much lighter step than he’d come into it. Digging in the fields all day, reliving the battles fought on this land, had been hard, but the invitation from Saffron to Thanksgiving and the Christmas dance had improved his mood considerably.

  He bowed his head and knelt on the ground before the hasty grave of a soldier. A strong hand grasped his shoulder, and he glanced up. Halwyn helped him to his feet.

  “It’s tough out here, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, sir, it is.”

  Halwyn glanced around. “It’s where my brother-in-law was killed. First volley of the first battle, and he was gone. Before many Americans even were made aware there was a war. He had been my college roommate, and he became my twin sister’s husband.”

  Zeke shook his head. “I’m sorry for your loss. So many lives were affected that day.”

  “And all the other days until the war finally came to an end.”

  Zeke straightened his back and stared at Saffron’s protector. Halwyn may not have spent any time on the battlefields but it didn’t mean he wasn’t aware of what combat involved.] Maybe they could find some common ground. Other than Saffron. It was at least worth a try.

  “My brothers all died at Chancellorsville. Four of them. In one week’s time, they were gone.”

  Halwyn placed his hand on Zeke’s shoulder again. “Saffy told me of your tremendous loss. Your family sacrificed greatly.”

  “And now we must do what we can to put the country back together.”

  Halwyn glanced around at the battlefield. “Our first order of business is to bring the boys home.”

  Zeke picked up his shovel. “So I need to get back to work. Is that what you’re saying?”

  Halwyn smiled. “You’re doing a great job, Zeke. Just keep your hands off my sister.”

  “Is there some reason why you object to Saffron and me spending time together? We work in the same office, we’re focused on the same battles, and we enjoy each other’s company.”

  “Well, call me a protective older brother if you want. I know I’m the one who put the two of you into the same room, and I’ve been thinking I need to change that around. If you are as old as you say you are, it’s highly improper for the two of you to share an office. And if you’re lying about your age, it makes me wonder what else you’re lying about. It would be best for everyone concerned if you’d just back off and stay away from her.”

  Zeke bit his lower lip to keep his smile at bay. Halwyn and Saffron were about to go toe to toe, and he was the target. He stared Halwyn down. “She just invited me to Thanksgiving dinner at your house and to the Christmas Ball, and I’ve accepted both invitations. So you’ll have to discuss your disapproval with her. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve got a nice meal to look forward to and a holiday dance.”

  Zeke’s smile widened when he caught Halwyn’s jaw clenching. The next few weeks might even be fun.

  • • •

  Once the group returned to DC, things quickly fell back into their normal routine. Everyone had helped to empty the carriages of their file boxes and place them back in the appropriate rooms. Zeke had helped take the recovered bodies over to the army base near Arlington National Cemetery where they’d be placed into caskets draped with flags and buried with honors.

  Those in charge needed to make the proper notations and send letters to the families before they could close the files on those fortunate few they had retrieved. Only a handful of men had been recovered. Many more to go.

  The next day, Saffron and Zeke returned to the small room they shared in the program’s headquarters.

  “I hope you don’t have the notion I was too forward yesterday, asking you to Thanksgiving dinner and then to escort me to the ball.” Saffron brought up the topic that had been hanging in the air since their last dinner in the tent.

  Zeke smiled. “Perhaps a little. But it’s you, so I’ve come to expect it.”

  “I talked to Grace last night, and she says you’re welcome at the table, even though Halwyn had already gotten to her and voiced his disapproval. As Grace says, ‘we can’t have the unfortunate man be all alone for the holiday.’ Halwyn didn’t stand a chance. If it were up to Grace, she’d take in every person in the city who had no one to share the holiday with.”

  Zeke folded the paper he’d been staring at and shifted his gaze to her. “I’m grateful to her, then, for the invitation. But your brother has warned me to keep my hands off you. Something got him stirred up in Manassas.”

  “Oh, dear. I was so hoping he hadn’t seen us in the tent holding hands.”

  “I guess he did. It wasn’t a half-hour after dinner he tracked me down and warned me. He thinks I can’t possibly be in my mid-twenties, which is what I’d need to be to have served in the war and seen the battles I’ve participated in. And I can’t explain the discrepancy without opening up a whole new can of worms. I’ll just have to figure out a way around it. And if it means agreeing to separate quarters for us here at the office, I’ll do so.”

  “I think it may be way past time for Halwyn and me to discuss the situation.” Saffron picked up a few files and left the room, hoping to find Halwyn alone for a few minutes. She knocked on his door, and he raised his glance.

  “Just the person I was thinking about. Come in, Saffy.
We need to talk.”

  Saffron stood in front of him, shifting her feet. They did need to talk, but she wanted to be the one leading the discussion. Halwyn seemed to have decided on the course of their conversation before she set foot in the room. She took a seat and waited.

  “I need to move Zeke to another office. I’m thinking of putting him in with Jake and moving Suzanne Miller in with you.”

  “Why would you want to do that, Halwyn? We’re being so productive working alongside each other.”

  “It’s not seemly to have you two working behind closed doors together. And there’s just something about the boy I don’t care for.”

  “He’s not a boy, Halwyn. He’s a man. He asked me to the Christmas dance. Finally, my first actual dance as an adult is about to happen. Admittedly, it’s not my debutante ball, as I would have preferred, but nonetheless, it’s a dance, and I have an escort.” She positioned her arms as if she were engaged in a waltz and began to sway in her seat.

  Halwyn reached across the desk and grabbed her arm, pulling her up short. “You’re absolutely right, Saffy. He’s not a boy. And there’s something about him that doesn’t ring true. I’m not sure what it is, but I’ll figure it out.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He’s too knowledgeable about how the battles played out.”

  Saffron struggled to move out of his grasp, to no avail. She turned a spiteful gaze on him instead. “Well, he did serve in the army, in combat, and I’m certain he was involved in some of the battles. If you’d seen his reaction when he first stepped on the fields at Manassas, you’d appreciate the fact he’d been there before. That would explain his knowledge of the battles, wouldn’t it?”

  Halwyn released her arm, and she rubbed it where he had latched on. “Maybe, but I’m still not sure of his whole story. Until I figure it out, I need your involvement with him kept to a minimum. I’ll work on getting him into a new office. Now, unless you have something more to say, you need to get back to work.”