Forsaken Dreams Read Online Free PDF Page B

and shops stretched into Charleston, where citizens began to emerge from their homes. A loud horn startled her, drawing her gaze to the other side of the brig, where a steamship made its way into port, white smoke pouring from its stack. If only they had steam power, they’d make it to Brazil much quicker. The sooner the better, to her way of thinking.
    She glanced back toward Charleston. A string of quaint homes stretched across East Bay Street, reminding Eliza of her family home in Marietta, a faint memory these past years.
    Colonel Wallace slipped beside her, following her gaze to the city. Her heart skipped a beat as the wind showered her with his scent. “Take a good look, Mrs. Crawford. We shall not see Charleston in a long while, if ever again.”
    “Does it sadden you, Colonel?” She gave him a sly grin.
    He blinked and raised his brows. “You know who I am?”
    “I know of you, sir.”
    “No wonder those soldiers suspected me.” He chuckled, his eyes sparkling. “It would appear my charade fooled no one.”
    “It is hard to hide the look of a warrior.”
    “Hmm. I wasn’t aware there was a look.”
    Eliza dragged her eyes away from him to view Shutes’ Folly Island off their port side.
    Blake swung about, placing his elbows on the railing. The breeze toyed with the black hair at his collar. “Ah, Castle Pinckney.” He pointed to a small masonry fortification on the island. “We used it as a prisoner-of-war camp during the war.”
    Eliza studied the crumbling structure and thought of all the Confederate soldiers still being held in prisons in the North. An ache weighed on her heart. Enough was enough. Why couldn’t the Union forgive and forget? Build instead of destroy? What good would it do this great nation to foster even more hatred and bitterness? She sighed, squinting against the sun. Yet prejudices ran deep, fueled by the agony of loss. She, of all people, knew that firsthand. It would be years, maybe even decades, before the wounds of this horrid war healed. Which was why she must leave her beloved country, her beloved South forever. She swung back around as they passed the South Battery at the tip of Charleston. Charred, cold cannons lined the park like sleeping soldiers. Dormant until the next war woke them into action.
    Colonel Wallace gripped the railing, lost in his own thoughts. Finally, he said, “No, I am not sad to leave what has become of the South. It will never be what it once was. The North has seen to that.” Spite bit his tone, but he wiped it away with a smile. “And you, Mrs. Crawford? Are you sad to say good-bye to your homeland?”
    “I have not belonged here for quite some time, Colonel.” She cast a glance toward Fort Sumter up ahead, a sudden nervousness rising. “They won’t fire upon us, will they?”
    Following her gaze, he shook his head, but not before she saw a flicker of trepidation cross his eyes. “We are no longer at war. And, to them, the New Hope is but another merchant ship leaving Charleston. The soldiers would have no way to get word to them in time, for I see no telegraph wires connecting the mainland.” He hesitated a moment, as if hoping to gain reassurance from his own words. Finally, he breathed a sigh then leaned one arm on the railing and assessed her with an intensity that caused a flush to rise up her neck. “You did not go below with the other women during the shooting.”
    “I don’t fare well in cramped spaces.”
    His laughter bubbled over her, pulling a grin to her lips. “Then I fear you have chosen a rather uncomfortable voyage, Mrs. Crawford. There is no place on a brig that is not cramped.”
    “Except on deck,” she said.
    “Indeed. Then I shall be privileged to see you often.”
    She lowered her gaze.
    “Forgive my boldness.” His tone was contrite.
    “No Colonel. It’s simply been awhile since I’ve received a compliment.”
    Her comment brought a perplexed look to his face, but he smiled nonetheless. “Still, it was