“Do not apologize for rescuing me. In fact, I hope that you will consider interrupting any time you see the doctor having a conversation with me.”
Sean laughed. The deep, carefree sound echoed down into Ashlinn’s soul, tingling in the most amazing way. Heat warmed her cheeks and she used the excuse to look back at the soldier following them to hide her blush.
“Very well then. I shall consider it my duty to rescue you any time I see you in his presence.”
“Thank you,” she managed in a soft voice peppered with pain.
He looked down at her. “You should not let that blaggard get to you.”
She swallowed hard, mustering up the courage to speak. “’Tis more than his surly attitude. When my brothers were wounded, it was he who treated them. They died on his table.” Why she was being so open and forward with this man, she had no idea. All she knew was that his presence soothed her, put her at ease in a way little did now days.
“I am sorry. I did not think ’twas possible to dislike the man more, but now I do. But he was right about one thing, you know.”
Her gaze whipped back up to him. “That, I find hard to believe. What could he possibly be right about?”
His wonderful copper eyes met hers, the sunbursts of darker brown around the pupil drawing her in. “It would be best if you had an escort to the ball, and I would be most honored if you would allow me to be that escort.”
Ashlinn’s eyes widened before she remembered her manners, swept her long lashes over them, and nodded. “I would be most honored to attend with you.”
“It is I who will have the honor. What is your favorite color? I shall send along a request to General McClellan about the dress.”
Her blush returned with a vengeance, scalding her cheeks and making her wish the evening were cooler. “No need to go to all that trouble for me. I shall be happy with whatever he sends along.”
The devilish grin he gave her made an entirely different kind of heat spread through far more scandalous parts of her body. “Perhaps you would allow me to choose a color.”
She inclined her head, mostly to hide her red cheeks. “Certainly. I am curious to see what it will be.”
The river soon came into view, undulating along the edge of the plantation property like a lazy snake on a sultry summer day. Cliste bounded right for the water, sending droplets flying everywhere as she plunged in with an abandon that Ashlinn envied. Though clouds still lingered in the sky, it hadn’t rained all day, making the combination of heat and humidity stifling. The subdued light cast by the setting sun softened the edges of everything, giving the scene a gentle look that clashed with the chaos behind them. Frogs croaked and bugs buzzed, a reminder that life in nature went on despite their war.
Though he didn’t so much as let out a groan, Ashlinn could tell by how he stiffened after a while that Sean’s side began to hurt. This was his first real exercise since they had returned. She had insisted he rest for a few days with little activity. Pretending to fuss with her skirts, she slowed her pace.
“Why do you think the president is coming to visit?” she asked as they turned to walk along the grassy riverbank.
Sean let out a long breath and shook his head as he looked down at his boots. “General McClellan wrote him a letter.”
“A letter?”
“Aye. He beseeched the president to focus the efforts of the war on preservin’ the Union instead of endin’ slavery.”
The tension lacing his words told her he wasn’t exactly happy about that.
“And this bothers you.”
His jaw tightened as he cast his gaze out over the slow moving river. “Aye. We cannot be unified when a third of our people are slaves.”
They stopped at an old wooden bench beneath a small arbor covered in grape vines. Ashlinn sat down on the bench and motioned for Sean to do the same. Clearly he needed to rest for more reasons than one. After a quick glance around, he sat, but at a respectable distance so their legs didn’t touch. Feeling bold, and needing to pull him from his dark thoughts, Ashlinn took hold of his hand. Sean glanced over his shoulder at their chaperone but didn’t pull his hand back. The man stood a respectable distance away, staring off into the distance.
“I keep track of every man I have tended, writing down his name, address, and the names of his family members in a book so that if he dies, I can send a letter to his family. There are hundreds of names in that book and I know thousands more have died.” She had to take a deep breath to steady her voice. “Focusing on preserving the Union would likely make the Rebels concede at this point. Part of me understands McClellan’s desire to end things. It’s one thing to tend to a wounded man, another entirely to send him to his death.”
Cocking his head, Sean looked at her through narrowed eyes. “You agree with the general?”
“No, not at all. I merely understand where he is coming from. I believe slavery must be ended, and even if it costs an entire generation their lives, it will save the souls of countless more to come.”
The wrinkles in Sean’s brow smoothed out and his eyes widened. “You are a very interestin’ woman, Ashlinn O’Brian.”
Laughter spilled from Ashlinn, not the polite giggle expected from ladies but an unrestrained guffaw that she regretted immediately. “I have been called many things, but never that.”
For several moments, Sean laughed along with her, putting her completely at ease. His fingers tightened around hers as he gave her a smile of pure joy. “’Tis true. I admire that you think so deeply and speak your mind about it.”
She raised one eyebrow at him. “Then that makes you a very interesting man, Mr. MacBranain. Most men prefer their women to be seen and not heard.”
“I have noticed that unfortunate fact about men in America. ’Tis not so in our native Ireland, for the most part.”
They sat looking out upon the river for a while, enjoying the birdsong and the crickets tuning up for the coming night. In the shade of the grapevine leaves, the heat of the day almost reduced to pleasant. The sweet scent the remaining ripe grapes gave off was a bit cloying in its strength, but well worth it.
Soon Sean leaned close enough that their shoulders touched. Though cloth separated them, the motion felt wonderfully intimate.
“Thank you for this,” Sean said.
“For what?”
As their eyes met, he reached up to touch a strand of her hair. “For savin’ my life. And for remindin’ me there is more to it than killin’ and dyin’.”
Though she swallowed hard multiple times, she could not get the lump in her throat to go down so she could respond. The warmth and gratitude in his eyes drew her in until she swam in their coppery depths. One of his arms slid around her waist, drawing her closer. Desire filled those lovely eyes, but a tightness remained around them as if he were holding back. Of course he was. He was a true gentleman after all.
“To hell with propriety,” she murmured as she leaned closer to him, her lips reaching for his.
Freezing droplets of water struck her all over, followed by the swishing sound of dog’s hair moving as it shook.
“Ahhh, Cliste!” Ashlinn exclaimed as she brought her arms up to shield herself.
Sean’s carefree laugh filled the evening, more refreshing than a cool summer breeze. Such a laugh was a rare and precious thing in these times, something she hadn’t heard much at all in the past two years.
Tongue lolling out the side of her mouth, bent over ears perked as high as they could go, Cliste regarded them both with what could only be humor in her eyes.
“Cliste,