An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole

Author:Alyssa Cole [Cole, Alyssa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2017-01-24T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

Anything to preserve the Union, Malcolm reminded himself as Susie preened in front of him the following night at another impromptu gathering at the Caffrey mansion. Senator Caffrey had suddenly excused himself nearly an hour before, leaving Malcolm to Susie’s tender mercies. He fought hard against the fatigue-induced irritation with the woman. There wasn’t a thing he liked about her, and he was sure there was only one thing she liked about him, but that didn’t mean she should bear the brunt of his frustrations.

“I am so sad that you’ll be leaving us shortly,” she said. “While it’s every Southern man’s duty to fight, it does leave a girl lonely.”

“I’m sure you’ll get along fine,” he said, then raised his glass to her. “When I’m freezing out in the trenches, it will warm me just a bit to know that there’s a woman thinking kindly of me.”

Susie giggled, and Malcolm thought he’d much prefer Elle’s unvarnished conversation to this flowery small talk. The note he’d written to her, in case they did not get to speak, was a weight in his pocket that would only be lessened when he knew she had it in hand. He told himself it was simply because he’d helped undercut the Confederacy in a small way, but he knew the information contained therein would please her, and that had become of paramount importance at some point over the last week. His brief glimpse of her hours earlier hadn’t done anything to sustain him. Seeing her on her knees scrubbing the floor had angered him but also unlocked an odd memory: his mother cleaning the house and his father coming up behind her, pulling her to her feet and sweeping her into a dance as he sang a Scottish ballad. That was when things were good between his parents, when the drink and the anger hadn’t muddled his father’s mind.

Malcolm wondered what it would be like to partake in such domestic drudgery with Elle. To wake up beside her in their own warm home, to help with the wash and play with their children as she cooked them a meal. The fantasy was more than agreeable to him, even as Susie’s words reminded him of how unrealistic it was.

An enslaved woman passed in front of them, her expression dour as she cleared glasses from a nearby table.

“My word, you’d think we’d sentenced these darkies to death the way they’ve been sulking about,” she said, fanning herself in the closed air of the room. She wore some cloying scent that made Malcolm’s throat itch and his eyes burn, and each flick of her fan wafted more of the smell in his direction. “I know things are scarce in town with the blockade and all, but you don’t see us complaining,” she said as a slave gave her a cool glass of water to sip. She didn’t even look at the man.

Malcolm mused that perhaps he’d been premature in shielding her from his annoyance.

“Hopefully, the blockade will be broken soon,” Malcolm said, giving a nod of thanks as he took a glass of brandy.

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