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182 pages

English

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Bestselling author Mary Ellis (A Widow's Hope) presents The Lady and the Officer, Book 2 of her new Civil War historical romance series, which tells the stories of brave women and the men who love them.Serving for a brief time as a nurse after the devastating battle of Gettysburg, Madeline Howard saves the life of Elliot Haywood, a colonel in the Confederate Home Guard. But even though Maddy makes her home in the South, her heart and political sympathies belong to General James Downing, a soldier from the North.However, Colonel Haywood has never forgotten the beautiful nurse, and when he unexpectedly meets her again in Richmond, he is determined to win her. But while rubbing elbows with army officers and cavalry generals and war department officials in her aunt and uncle's palatial home, Maddy overhears plans for a Confederate attack in northern Virginia. She knows passing along this information may save the life of her beloved James, but at what cost? Can she really betray the trust of her family and friends? Maddy's heart is pulled between wanting to be loyal to those who care for her and wanting to help the man she believes is on the right side of the conflict. Two men love her. Will her faith in God show her the way to a bright future, or will her choices bring a devastation of their own?

Sujets

Historical romance

Romance

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Publié par	Harvest House Publishers
Date de parution	01 août 2014
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9780736950558
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0480€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Books by Mary Ellis
C IVIL W AR H EROINES S ERIES
The Quaker and the Rebel
http://bit.ly/QuakerandRebel
T HE N EW B EGINNINGS S ERIES
Living in Harmony
http://bit.ly/LivinginHarmony
Love Comes to Paradise
http://bit.ly/LoveComestoParadise
A Little Bit of Charm
http://bit.ly/LittleBitofCharm
T HE W AYNE C OUNTY S ERIES
Abigail s New Hope
A Marriage for Meghan
T HE M ILLER F AMILY S ERIES
A Widow s Hope
Never Far from Home
The Way to a Man s Heart
S TANDALONES
Sarah s Christmas Miracle
An Amish Family Reunion
We have video clips showcasing our books. Check them out at the web addresses above.
HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Cover by Garborg Design Works, Savage, Minnesota
Cover photos Chris Garborg; Volodymyr Miaskovskyj / Bigstock
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
THE LADY AND THE OFFICER
Copyright 2014 by Mary Ellis
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ellis, Mary,
The lady and the officer / Mary Ellis.
pages cm - - (Civil War heroines series ; book 2)
ISBN 978-0-7369-5054-1 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-5055-8 (eBook)
1. United States-History-Civil War, 1861-1865-Fiction. I. Title.
PS3626.E36L34 2014
813 .6-dc23
2014000544
All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author s and publisher s rights is strictly prohibited.
D EDICATION

This book is dedicated to my husband, Ken, who stomped around an inordinate number of battlefields, museums, monuments, cemeteries, historical inns, and bed-and-breakfasts for years in the name of research.
The man also patiently slammed on the brakes at a countless number of roadside historical markers.
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to Mary Elizabeth Massey s book Women in the Civil War , Phoebe Yates Pember s A Southern Woman s Story-Life in Confederate Richmond , and Bell Irvin Wiley s Confederate Women for inspiration for my fictional characters. Thanks also to Harold Elk Straubing s In Hospital and Camp and Louisa May Alcott s Hospital Sketches .
Thanks to the Virginia Civil War Trails of Richmond and the U.S. Department of the Interior-National Park Service for a plethora of maps and research information, and fabulous vacations.
Thanks to the countless authors of history that I have pored over for years, including Shelby Foote, Bruce Catton, Edwin Bearss, James M. McPherson, and Brian Pohanka.
Thanks to Philip LeRoy, who loaned me his copy of Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel opened the eyes of this history lover to the wonders of historical fiction.
Thanks to Donna Taylor and Peggy Svoboda, who read the rough draft of this novel years ago and encouraged me to keep at it.
Thanks to the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cuyahoga Valley Civil War Roundtable and the Peninsula Valley Foundation of Ohio and GAR Hall, whose appreciation for Civil War history has kept my passion alive locally.
Thanks to my agent, Mary Sue Seymour; my lovely proofreader, Joycelyn Sullivan; my publicist, Jeane Wynn; my editor, Kim Moore; and the wonderful staff at Harvest House Publishers. Where would I be without your hard work?
Contents
Books by Mary Ellis
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Discussion Questions
About the Author
The Quaker and the Rebel
O NE

Cashtown, Pennsylvania
L ATE J UNE 1863
G entlemen, please take heed to what your horses are doing to my flowers! Madeline Howard spoke with the indignation that simmered after two long years of war.
Four blue-clad officers paused in their conversation to gaze down on her wilted ageratums and hollyhocks. The flowers were trampled almost beyond recognition beneath their horses hooves. The soldiers offered faint smiles of regret and then resumed their postulating and pointing, affording her as much attention as they would to a gnat.
Except for one officer, who straightened in his saddle. Tugging gently on his reins, the man guided his mount out of the flower bed toward the road. Good afternoon, miss. General James Downing, at your service. I apologize for the damage. He tipped his hat and then turned his attention back to the others.
Madeline Howard, General. Mrs. Howard. She marched down the porch steps. If you would kindly move your meeting to someone else s yard, I shall be forever in your debt.
A thin, gangly officer mounted on a sorrel mare was quick to retort before the general could reply. See here, madam. In case you re unaware, the war has come to the fine Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with the arrival of Robert E. Lee s infantry. Unfortunately, your posies are of no importance to the Union Army-
I m well aware of the war, sir. My husband died on the banks of Bull Run Creek, leaving me alone to run this farm. Madeline settled her hands on her hips with growing indignation. Those Rebs you re chasing marched through last week, stripping every ear of corn from my fields and every apple from my orchard. They stole my chickens, killed my hogs, and led my milk cow away on a tether. They took every bit of food from my kitchen and larder. So if I request that you not trample my flowers for no apparent reason, I would think you could oblige me! Madeline completed her diatribe with a flushed face and sweating palms. After months of privation, she had finally lost her temper.
Silence reigned for several moments as the officers stared at her in disbelief. Then General Downing addressed the wiry, haughty officer. Major Henry, you will order the troops to remain within the confines of the road so as to not needlessly damage civilian property. Along the highway, enlisted soldiers trudged in formation toward town, raising a cloud of dust that would linger for days.
Saluting, the major and the other officers spurred their horses and rode off, leaving Madeline s garden empty but ruined.
Please accept my apologies, madam. And I thank you for your husband s sacrifice to our country. General Downing pulled off his leather glove and extended his hand to her.
Thank you. Temporarily flummoxed, Madeline reached up and gave his callused fingers a quick shake.
I will do my best to protect your town from further harm. He held her fingers and gaze far longer than necessary or proper.
Tugging her hand free, she retreated backward so quickly she trampled the few remaining blooms missed by the horses. She felt a flush climb her neck as she picked up her skirt and ascended the steps. Pausing in the shelter of her porch, she looked back at the man who still sat watching. He bowed a second time, replaced his glove, and galloped away, adding another cloud of dust to the heavy air.
Madeline retreated inside and slammed the door, not pleased with her behavior. She wasn t a woman who normally became flustered in the company of men. Remembering the trampled flowers under her feet, she shook her head. At twenty-six years old and widowed for the last two, she had no time for silly flirtations or coquetry. When her wits returned, Madeline went out to her stable to check the animals. The din of artillery shelling all morning had made her mares skittish. If it hadn t been for quick thinking last week, her beloved horse stock-Tobias s pride and joy-would now be in the hands of the enemy. She stroked their sweaty flanks and scratched their noses, trying to calm them with soft words and a gentle touch.
Her own fears were another matter. Widowhood had inspired a determination to keep her husband s livelihood flourishing. War had created a constant demand for the horses she had bred and raised from brood mares. Although she would never become wealthy, the bills were paid. Tobias would have been proud of her.
Tobias. It seemed so long ago when he marched off proudly with the Sixth Pennsylvania Volunteers. He died at a battle the papers were calling First Manassas-first because a second unsuccessful battle was fought at the same loathsome place. He died before she d grown used to the idea that he was a soldier. Madeline had missed him fiercely during the first year. Now, with the responsibilities of a farm, endless chores filled her hours, allowing no time for grief. She couldn t remember a day she hadn t fallen into bed exhausted. Usually, though, a sense of satisfaction accompanied her fatigue, so she persevered.
The marauding Confederates had taken everything she had, all but her beloved horses. The moment she spotted ragged butternut uniforms on the road, she had hidden her horses in a nearby cave-a place known only to her and the neighborhood children. Today, while her mares munched hay from their bins, Madeline stood in the barn doorway and watched wave