Rules of Decorum by Leigh Lee

Author:Leigh Lee
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: 1863, battle of gettysburg, war and love, romance steamy, romance 1860s, civil war saga
Publisher: Leigh Lee

Chapter 13

Over the next couple of weeks, Eugenia remained in the safety of the black void, as dreams mingled with brief shards of reality. In one dream, she found herself in front of a firing squad commanded by Captain Jeffery Bradford. She stood against a wall of stone with her hands and feet bound, begging the captain to spare her life. With a cold and heartless expression, the captain gave the command to fire. White, hot pain ripped through her chest. Each breath was a struggle. The inky darkness claimed her once again, and the nightmare faded away.

This same horrid dream came back to haunt Eugenia many times through the days that followed. It always ended the same way, with her standing before a firing squad and the face of her captain ordering her demise. Never able to distinguish between dreams and reality, visions and wisps of consciousness came and went.

In one such instance, Eugenia cried out. She did not know if she was dreaming or not, but an angel appeared at her side. Though she could not distinguish a face, the voice soothed and a damp cloth cooled her forehead. Terrified, she reached out to the angel, longing for his heavenly embrace. Strong arms wrapped around her, drawing her into an unearthly comfort. She was rocked, and her damp hair stroked, as soft words she could not quite comprehend were whispered into her ear.

In a different dream, she was a small girl again, cradled in her father’s arms. She reached up to caress his face and told him how much she loved him. Her father smiled and then lowered her back to the bed, telling her he must leave and she could not go with him. As he walked from the room, the panic that she might never see him again made her follow him outside and into a rainstorm. It was getting dark, and she kept losing sight of him in the blinding sheets of rain. As she stumbled, the thunder boomed, drowning out her screams begging him to stop. Her foot tangled in a root jutting from the drenched earth, and she tumbled forward, rolling down a steep hill until an object lying on the ground halted her descent. Eugenia swept her rain-soaked hair from her eyes, just as a bolt of lightning ripped across the sky, illuminating the dark night. She screamed as she discovered the lifeless body of her father lying covered in blood on the ground.

Jumping to her feet, she struggled against the force of the wind and ran. Unable to see past the storm, Eugenia called out. “Help me.”

“I am here, girl.” A male voice answered from behind. Eugenia whirled and collided with someone. She gasped in horror when she stared into the cruel eyes of Sheriff Dunlap. He raised a pistol and shouted over the roar of the storm. “Murderer! Now it is your turn to die. Come, join me in Hell!” He fired the gun and pain shot through her chest.

It was hard to breathe, and Eugenia moaned, laboring with each attempt.

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