The Blue Hat and the Red Rose: A Historical Romance by Forest Lynn

Author:Forest,Lynn [Forest,Lynn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blushing Books Publications
Published: 2016-09-21T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter Four

When they got back on the wagon, there was no longer a revolver on the seat between them. Emily sat pressed against him as she told him about her family and their farm, and he told her about his past and future life as a cattle farmer. Neither of them seemed to be in a hurry, and as they neared Covington and the area was much more densely inhabited, they felt a mutual combination of exhilaration and dread.

As they made their way north and talked, time seemed to pass by all too quickly, meeting travelers whose horses were laboring to make their way up the valley, their own horses leisurely plodding along with the long descent to the river. Finally, in the distance, they could see that the terrain had opened up and they knew that the river was not far away.

After a little while longer, as the sun was beginning to fall, they could see the mottled blue and brown expanse of the big river, and the town of Covington before them, and across the river the bustling riverfront of Cincinnati. Now they were safe, surrounded by people numbering in the many hundreds on the Kentucky side of the Ohio, and thousands more on the other side.

They rode on down to where the Army garrison was operating the crossing barges, steam powered open boats capable of carrying not only passengers and troops but all kinds of shipping goods. They dismounted the wagon and Charles checked in with the Colonel in charge of the garrison to confirm that he and Emily could cross the following morning. That being arranged, the Colonel offered to allow them to stay in one of the primitive but cramped barracks at the site.

Charles thanked the commander for the offer, but he decided to surprise Emily by treating her to spending the night in the very modest, but at least present, inn along the riverbank nearby. As his own commanding General had wired the river garrison to make them aware of Charles' mission, his pay was awaiting him there.

He found Emily standing along the river and looking across, and he could not help but conclude that her expression seemed more wistful than happy. But when he told her that he planned to arrange for her to stay in comfort that night, her attitude seemed to perk up. She eagerly climbed back onto the wagon, and they made their way several hundred yards to where the modest establishment overlooked the water.

The sky was threatening, and upon entering the inn and verifying that two rooms would be available, Charles also received permission for the wagon and the horses to be sheltered in the nearby stable. As Emily stood on the columned porch and waited, Charles put the horses and wagon away for the evening, and just as he was finishing his walk back to the inn, the skies opened with a heavy downpour.

The innkeeper and his wife showed them to their rooms on the second floor of what had been, at one time, a large and grand private home.

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