Historical Fiction 一 ❝Nothing in this world worth having comes easy❞
一Diana Gaertner, a southern belle from South Carolina, was destined lead a life of adventure. Following the aftermath of the Civil War, she relocates to San Francisco in an attempt...
As quickly as it appeared the bright smile faded at the mention of her brother's dearest friend and her not-so-secret admirer, Eugene Walker. The man was nothing but a concedening know-it-all who thought himself better than everyone around him. Besides he was positively dull, not just in personality, but in appearance as well.
She declared, "Perhaps not."
"Now, Diana, you really must consider your precarious position. If you don't marry soon, your odds of finding a decent man will decrease substantially." Johann reminded her.
"Consider it considered."
The moment of silence following the conversation was tense both parties were too stubborn to back down from their positions. However, neither took it, personally they both knew Johann had his daughter's best interests at heart despite her strong-willed determination. Sighing, he offered up his canteen as a peace offering, which Diana didn't hesitate to pluck from his hand.
As she quenched her thirst, Diana glanced down the road and gasped when she saw the tops of grey hats on the horizon as the militia approached the manor. A song proceeded them, carried to awaiting ears by the breeze. A song about Dixie's Land, their home.
Laughing, she clapped along to the tune as they drew nearer and sang along with the next few verses while she watched the men march past. All while searching through the dozens of faces for her brothers.
An eternity seemed to pass before she finally saw Rupert and Edwin. Thankfully, they were stationed in the same unit which made it easier for Diana and Johann to find them. Dressed in their Confederate greys, the brothers never looked so grown up. Edwin, especially, who often preferred a comfortable, laid-back style.
"Rue! Ed!" Diana called out, waving furiously in their direction.
Her shout drew the attention of several other men in their company. Many of whom waved and whistled back much to Diana's discomfort. Blushing a scarlet red, she ducked her head down to avoid further unwanted eye contact. Although, she saw her brothers wave back in return before their attention ahead.
Trepidation filled the air in their wake as if some horrible force loomed off in the distance and they were going out to meet it head on. Clutching her chest, a tear slipped from her lashes as she watched her brothers march off down the road and away from the Manor. She stayed there long after they were gone, until their ranks were nothing but a speck on the horizon. She would've stayed longer still, but life had to keep going even if the world had seemed to stop.
...
Later on that evening, Diana sat in her father's study going over ledgers of the farm's financial statements. Numbers had always been something she understood quite comprehensively from the time she was young and in her brothers' absence she'd taken on more responsibility where ever she could. From milking to accounting, she made sure to keep the farm running as smoothly as possible. Not only was in a way to help but it also kept her mind off the war and it's tragedies.
In the dimly lit room, she flipped through the page after page of receipts, bank statements, and lists written down in her father's barely legible handwriting. But try as she might to make sense of it all, her mind couldn't process the information even though it should've come easily. Instead all she saw was numbers and letters marching along the page like soldiers marching off to war. Shaking her head, she shoved the record book across the desk in front of her as huffing in frustration before cradling her head in her hands.
Sobs wrecked through her body after a few moments of dismay. Her mind couldn't push away the uneasy feeling of dread that swirled in the pit of stomach. She couldn't turn her thoughts away from the what ifs. There were far too many to comprehend, all were vying for her attention. It made it difficult to process and overwhelmed her.
A warm hand rested upon her shoulder forcing the young woman to look up at the weather face of her father. He offered her a gentle smile and inquired, "What's wrong, Dee?"
"I-I'm just worried for the boys, papaw. What if something happens to them?" She choked through her tears.
"Fret not," Johann assured her as he reached into the breast pocket of his shirt, pulling out a handkerchief and offering it to his daughter, "The boys are strong, young lads. I doubt anything could happen to them."
Taking the cloth from her father's hand, Diana sniffled as she wiped off her face, "I hope so, Papaw. I really do."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
