Encounter at Cold Harbor by Gilbert L. Morris Read Free Book Online Page A

He rose out of his chair and said as a woman entered, “Well, good afternoon—” But then the woman lifted her head, and he ended lamely, “Oh, it’s you, Mrs. Fremont!” He braced himself for what he expected was coming. “I trust your brother-in-law is better?”
    “He’s dead, Colonel.”
    Eileen Fremont’s voice was so calm that at first Nelson Majors could not believe he had heard correctly, but then, seeing the pain in the woman’seyes, he knew that he had. “I’m very sorry to hear that, Mrs. Fremont.”
    “He developed blood poisoning, and there was nothing they could do for him.”
    Again the colonel could only say, “I offer you my sincerest sympathy.”
    Mrs. Fremont was silent for several seconds. Then, looking up at the tall officer, she said, “They told me that you visited him in the hospital, and that you spoke to the doctors to get him better care.”
    “Well, yes, ma’am, I did do that.”
    “It was kind of you.”
    “I wish I could’ve done more.” The colonel shifted on his feet, not knowing what else to say. “Will you be going back to Louisiana, Mrs. Fremont, after your brother-in-law’s funeral?”
    “The funeral was this morning. I’ve come about another matter, sir.”
    “Another matter? What could that be?”
    “About this notice.” Mrs. Fremont pulled a paper out of her reticule, the small purse carried by most ladies in the South, and held it up. “I’ve come to tell you that I’m taking the position.”
    Nelson Majors had turned down three applicants already—they had been hard-looking women, he thought—and now he was quite prepared to turn down another one. He had seen Eileen Fremont’s temper and was not at all certain that she would be the suitable woman to care for Esther.
    “Well, sit down, Mrs. Fremont, and we can talk about it.”
    The woman took her seat, folded her hands in her lap, and said calmly, “How old is your daughter, Colonel?”
    “Three years old. Her mother died when she was born.”
    “I’m very sorry, Colonel.”
    Almost desperately the colonel searched his mind, trying to figure out some way to put this woman out of his office. Finally he had what he thought was a fine idea. “I would expect that the woman who takes care of my daughter knows something about children—I mean, she should have had some experience.”
    “I had a daughter, Colonel,” Mrs. Fremont said quietly. When the colonel simply looked questioningly at her, she said, “She died when she was just about the age of your daughter. She was two and a half. She died right after my husband fell at Shiloh.”
    “Oh, I see.” It sounded trite to say, “I’m sorry,” over and over again, but Nelson Majors was conscious of a swift streak of pity for this woman. To have lost her husband and her only child so close together was a tragedy indeed. “That was very hard,” he said gently. “But won’t your family be looking for you back in Louisiana?”
    “I have very little family, Colonel. I will be all right here. As a matter of fact, I prefer not to go back.”
    “This isn’t exactly a health resort. Richmond is the target of all the Union armies. It may be invaded.”
    “Well do I know that, Colonel!” Eileen Fremont did not seem troubled. She sat watching him, studying him. “Is there something about me that you dislike, Colonel? Is there some reason why you would not want me to be around your daughter?”
    “Why, no, of course not … that is …” Nelsonstumbled painfully, then he said with a shrug, “Well, you do have a temper.”
    “Yes, I do, and from what I hear from your men, you do too!”
    Taken aback, he could only laugh. “You’re right there. I do have a temper, and you were perfectly right to be angry about the way your brother-in-law was being treated.”
    “What exactly would you want from the woman you hire?”
    “I’ll be leaving soon with the regiment. I don’t know when I’ll be back. I have two sons, Tom and Jeff, both in the