Forsaken Dreams Read Online Free PDF

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    The colonel landed with a thump on the deck as a torrent of shots peppered the sky and the ship, and seemed to rain down on them from everywhere.
    “In the name of the Army of the United States and by command of Lieutenant Colonel Milton Banks, I order you to stop and drop your anchor at once!”
    Eliza glanced at the dock. At least twenty Union soldiers stood in line, some firing pistols and rifles at the New Hope , others furiously reloading their weapons.
    So stunned by the sight, she could only stand and watch as sailors ducked and slumped to the deck all around her. Strong arms grabbed her shoulders and pulled her down just as a bullet struck the mast behind her. The acrid smell of gunpowder bit her nose. Still, the firestorm continued. But it was Colonel Wallace’s body atop hers that caused her to tremble. Not any fear of death.
    “Stay low, Mrs. Crawford.” His hot breath wafted over her cheek as he cocooned her with his body—his muscles hard and hot from exertion.
    Eliza couldn’t breathe. Her skin buzzed. He smelled of man and sweat. Oh how she’d forgotten what it felt like to be held by a man. The shame of it! She must stop this at once. Here she was in the middle of a battle, her very life on the line, and all she could think of was how wonderful it felt to be in the colonel’s arms. Sails flapped and thundered above her until, suddenly, they bloated with wind. The ship jerked, and the rush of water grew louder. Shots popped and cracked in the air, but they no longer struck the ship.
    Colonel Wallace gazed down at her for a moment, uncertainty in his gray eyes, and something else.… He jumped off her as if she had a disease. A breeze swept his body heat away, leaving a chill behind. And the all-too-familiar feeling of being alone in the world.
    He offered her his hand and helped her to her feet. “Forgive me, Mrs. Crawford.”
    But before she could thank him, he turned and hobbled to the railing where sailors lined up to watch the Union soldiers shake their fists in the air and growl at them from the quay. With a sweep of his hand, he gave a mock bow. “It’s been a pleasure, gentlemen!” he yelled, eliciting chuckles from the crew.
    Eliza could only stare at him like a silly schoolgirl. Such courage, this man. The way he had jumped across the wide gulf without hesitation beneath a barrage of bullets. Then the gallant way he protected her with his own body. Dare she admit that her skin still tingled from the encounter? And now, his lively sarcasm toward his enemy made her smile.
    “Back to your stations!” Captain Barclay shouted from the quarterdeck. “We’ve still got to get past Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie.”
    The sailors scattered like rats before light, some leaping into shrouds, others handling lines on deck.
    “Praise God! Praise God!” A tall, gangly man with tiny eyes and thick sideburns emerged from the crowd, Bible clutched to his chest. “He has saved us!” He slapped Colonel Wallace on the back. “Excellent jump, my dear man. Excellent jump!”
    Other passengers popped up from below to congratulate the colonel. He received all their accolades with a wave of his hand as if embarrassed at the attention. But there was one man not rejoicing. One man, dressed all in black, who leaned against the starboard railing, eyeing the proceedings as a scientist would a specimen beneath a microscope. His angular face nearly matched the odd-shaped stone he rubbed between two fingers. When his dark eyes latched on hers, he snorted and ambled away.
    Eliza rubbed her arms against a sudden chill. Or maybe it was just the hearty breeze that now blew across the deck, filling sails and fluttering the hem of her gown. Making her way to the railing, she spotted the soldiers slogging down the wharf in defeat, far out of range now as the ship picked up speed. A kaleidoscope of tall ships anchored at wharfs and quays passed before her eyes. Warehouses and taverns cluttered the docks. Mills