Songs of the Shenandoah Read Online Free PDF Page B

together in silence as the sound of the fire crackled in the background.
    Clare struggled to hold back her disappointment in what had become of this night, the one she had waited for so long. She was grateful for Andrew’s touch as he put his arm around her shoulders.
    As she glanced around at her brothers and sister, aware of the times they were facing in this country they had adopted as their own, a question pressed upon her.
    Was there anything she could do to keep them all safe? All together?
    She shuddered and wrapped her arms tightly to fend off the chill in the room.

Chapter 4
    Whittington Farms
    Taylorsville, Virginia
    January 1861

    â€œOh, Seamus, it’s even more beautiful than I ever remembered!” Ashlyn’s face glowed as she stared at the unraveling splendor of the Shenandoah Valley farmland and their carriage rattled down the country road with the Massanutten Mountains rising in the background.
    For Seamus, there was little beauty in the weather they had endured during their travels to this western range of Virginia. Not only did they face delays caused by snow and icy conditions, but they suffered contempt as well in the stares and treatment they received on their way down South.
    On more than a few occasions, their intentions and allegiances were questioned and their carriage even was pelted by rocks. There was a palpable sense of encroaching war and a rising hatred among the people.
    It was a strange sensation for Seamus to actually feel relieved to be arriving in Ashlyn’s hometown, and he shared in her joy in beginning this new stage of their lives. Yet when he first crossed the borders of Maryland and passed through large fields of laboring black slaves, he felt an uncomfortable finality about his decision to bring his family here.
    But there was an undeniable pleasure as well in seeing his wife’s spirits rise with each approaching mile. She had endured so much the past few years in faithful support of his meanderings, so he now felt as if a great debt was being lifted from his shoulders.
    Ashlyn rose from the leather seat of the coach, pulled down the window, and leaned her face out in the cool air. “Here, Grace. Come here.”
    The teenager pleaded with her eyes to Seamus. “Ma. Are you going to show me some more trees?”
    Her mother was unaffected by Grace’s insolence. “That little building there is where I used to go to school. Oh, how wondrous! Seamus we are so close.” She leaned back in and kissed him on the cheek. “I had no idea how much I missed this place. How it was in my blood.”
    Grace dragged herself up and peered outside. “Look at all those horses. They are so lovely. Will we have one?”
    â€œOf course, we’ll get you a horse,” Seamus said.
    Ashlyn came and sat next to Seamus, her long auburn curls draping his shoulder. “It’s cruel to get her hopes up like that.”
    Seamus combed his fingers through her hair. “She had to leave all of her friends. I think it would be proper for a Southern lady to have a horse.”
    â€œYes, Ma. A horse for all of my friends. Sounds like a decent trade.” Grace flashed a grin. “Besides, Da can always steal it.”
    Ashlyn slapped Seamus on the arm. “See what happens when you tell your daughter such fanciful stories?” She rested her head against him. “Really, we have so little to live on. We’ll need seed. We must be prudent.”
    â€œIt will be all right,” Seamus said. “We’ll just ask Grace’s Uncle Davin for another nugget or two.”
    â€œWasn’t it my grandfather’s gold mine anyway?” Grace left the window and plopped into the seat facing them.
    Seamus eyed the girl who he had raised as his own since she was two years old. With her long curls and smooth skin she looked so much like her mother, only younger, with emerald eyes and light brown hair. Did Grace ever ponder about how little