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Guidance
October 1863
The fireplace blazed away as Cordia sat in the straight-backed chair in her bedroom, her mother brushing out her long plaits of hair, just as she had done when she was a small child. The dressing mannequin across the room was an ominous presence, dressed as it was in the now nearly finished wedding dress. It had been almost two months since she had sent word to Will asking him for his consent to let her disclose their relationship so that she could terminate her engagement to Carey, and yet she had heard nothing. Every day, she stopped by the post office, hopeful that Mr. Wheeler would have some news for her, but each time, he shrugged, reluctantly. Cordia was curious to know whether or not Julia had heard from her brother, but she had been so ill recently, Cordia had scarcely been allowed to visit. The one time she had stopped by a few weeks ago, she hesitated to mention him because Julia was already struggling to breathe, and she didn’t want to u
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Cordia's Will: A Civil War Story of Love and Loss Slip
A few moments after Cordia knocked on the front door, Margaret opened it, a broad smile on her face. “Cordia!” she exclaimed. “It’s so nice to see you!” She embraced Cordia warmly, gesturing for her to come. “How are you, dear? I bet you’ve been so busy planning the wedding. It seems like it’s been ages since we’ve had a visit from you.Cordia stepped in, offering the bread to Margaret before taking off her coat and hanging it near the door. “I know, I have been busy. I’ve also been hoping to give Julia some time to recuperate. How is she doing?”Margaret took the pumpkin bread. “Oh, thank you! You didn’t have to do that. You’re so thoughtful.” She paused for a moment, considering Cordia’s question. “She has her good days and her bad days. She has not fully recovered from her last spell, but the doctor does say he thinks she is on the mend. He says any alleviatio
Cordia's Will: A Civil War Story of Love and Loss Shock
As Cordia entered the kitchen on Margaret’s heels, she peered around anxiously, hoping to find a way to engage Margaret in a conversation so that he could ask the question she’d been longing to have answered. As if reading her mind, Margaret began to slice the pumpkin bread and poured two cups of coffee. “Have a seat, darling. I don’t get too many opportunities these days to visit with you. I’d love to hear how the wedding planning is a’comin’ along.”Cordia went around the side of the table and sat down in the chair she had always sat in when she was visiting. It seemed like so long ago, in those carefree days when she would come in from running around in the backyard, hair a mess, covered with dirt, and sit down for a glass of milk. Those days were long gone now, as was the friend she had played with so hard.Margaret set coffee and a slice of bread in front of Cordia and sat down across from her. As Cordia studied her
Cordia's Will: A Civil War Story of Love and Loss Quarrel
Cordia’s eyes widened as she glanced down at the ring on her finger. “What?” she asked Will, realizing at last what the misconception must be. “You know I don’t have feelings for Carey. I wrote you. I told you, I never even said yes.”Will had spent ample time imagining how this conversation might go on his long and arduous trip home. His emotions had gotten the best of him several times, and he had run the gamut from extreme anger at her deception to despair. Now, face to face with the woman he had spent so much time thinking of and longing for throughout the course of his service, he couldn’t help but think of what might have been, if only she had been honest with him. There was one thought that kept returning to him time and again, and now, faced with the opportunity to voice it to her, he hesitated. Yet, he couldn’t help but say, “I guess I should have known better than to ever get involved with someone as fickle as yo
Cordia's Will: A Civil War Story of Love and Loss Confrontation
Fortunately, Cordia did not have to search further for find her alleged fiancé. “Cordia!” Carey exclaimed smiling that wicked smile of his as he pulled open the door. “Whatever brings you here this time of day?”She didn’t bother to come inside. Even as he spoke, she was pulling the ring off of her finger. “How dare you?” she exclaimed, throwing the small circle of gold at him and hitting him squarely in the chest. “You are the most despicable person I have ever met, and please listen carefully when I tell you I never want to lay eyes on you again. Ever!”He looked puzzled, watching the ring bounce off and roll across the porch. “Now, Cordia, whatever has gotten into your little mind now?” he asked, belittling her.Cordia could not keep the tears from trailing down her cheeks. The anger and devastation were welling up in her now, and she didn’t know if she could even find the words to
Cordia's Will: A Civil War Story of Love and Loss Truth
It was clear to Will as soon as he entered the house that his Aunt Margaret had at least some inclination that he and Cordia had been involved romantically. He was not sure precisely what she knew or how she had come to gain this information, but he could tell by her expression and her shortness that she had come to realize that she had been deceived and that she was pondering both the nature and the duration of their relationship.At dinner, a heavy silence hung over the entire table. The boys could plainly see that their mother was upset about something and almost thirty years of marriage had allowed Arthur the ability to read his wife very well. In this situation, he found, it was better not to speak than to risk becoming the object of her frustration.Will joined in the silence, knowing eventually he would have to talk to Margaret about Cordia but thinking now was not the best time. He had been contemplating his conversation with Cordia the majority of the day, and
Cordia's Will: A Civil War Story of Love and Loss Forgiveness
“It wasn’t an affair,” Will explained to his aunt and uncle defensively. The way his uncle put it made it sound like they had been involved in some seedy carnal relationship. “It wasn’t like that. Nothing physical happened, not really. We just. . . fell in love.” He looked from one face to the other, the looks of anger morphing into perplexed stares. “She told me that she never really loved him,” he explained as gently as he could. “She said she didn’t want to send him off to war that way, knowing that she never intended to be his wife. We were going to wait until the war was over and then....”“And then what?” Margaret asked in an angry whisper. “Shatter his heart into a million pieces? After years of deception and lies?” She leaned back in her chair, folding her arms. “I never, ever thought I’d find a reason to say this, but I am almost glad he isn’t here to hear this
Cordia's Will: A Civil War Story of Love and Loss Intruder
Cordia’s mother had awoken her around seven o’clock, just before she and her father left to visit some friends of theirs for dinner. She had invited Cordia to come along, but she explained that she wasn’t feeling well, and Jane could see that certainly did not look up to coming. She had volunteered to stay home with her, considering that Frieda was out with her friends at the quilting bee, but Cordia insisted that she would be all right, so her parents had left her alone for the evening.An hour or so after they left, Cordia descended the stairs in search of something to eat, realizing she had not eaten anything all day. She lit a lantern, but the house was mostly dark except for the fire in the hearth in the parlor. The kitchen was toward the back of the house, and as she made her way into the room, she began to hear the floorboards creaking behind her. At first, she thought she was imagining things, but the further she walked, the mores she realized someon
Cordia's Will: A Civil War Story of Love and Loss Flee
Carey had not noticed the ring Cordia was wearing before, but he saw it now. Despite the realization that a trained killer had a gun pointed to his head, he could not help but moan in disgust. Feeling the cold steel pressed against his temple, he snapped back to attention. He began to recognize that his best option at this point was to escape and find a way to gain his vengeance later. “All right,” he said, reluctantly, “I see. Just give me my pistol, and I’ll get out of here.”Cordia cocked the gun, an indicator that she had no intention of returning the firearm to its previous owner. Though she had mostly fired rifles, she knew exactly how to use the handgun, and even with the trepidations she had about the possibility of actually using a weapon to assault anyone, she was not afraid to use it to intimidate him.Will pulled the gun back away from him slightly, giving him enough room to start his retreat. He was aware of the sword and kept
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