Andy continued talking to himself, “I’m in possession of some very valuable information now. But—but—if I could come up with something really vital and if I could escape, I could make the North believe I have been a prisoner. They would pardon me and receive me with open arms. Then I could put those vultures out of the way. And—and—Molly will be better off without me in Richmond.”
More determined to escape, Andy turned and walked back to the mansion, up the stairway toward the room that had been assigned to Molly and him. The door was closed as he approached, but he could hear voices within. He came to a complete halt, with hand extended toward the doorknob. He could hear Molly sobbing and the angry tone of her brother’s voice reechoing throughout the room. “I disown you—you damn slut. You’re not my sister—you’re a disgrace to the family, marrying that damn renegade Yankee soldier! Scum of the earth, I tell you—scum of the earth. Who knows what or who he is? If you had married an Ethiopian black abolitionist nigger, I wouldn’t have been any more disappointed.”
Suppressing her sobs, Molly screamed, “He’s renegade, Levi! He’s not—he’s not—I tell you, he is every inch a man!”
“Like hell he is! He’s neither! A man and a gentleman wouldn’t take unfair advantage of you. You know nothing about him or his family,” retorted Levi.
“He’s told me. He’s told me, everything—about his family, about—”
“Lies! All lies!” interrupted Levi. “You have swallowed hook, line, and sinker the oldest patented line of sympathy used by all soldiers. I know. I love you—I this, I that—the honey flows from their lips until they get what they want. Then they are through. In time—soon, he’ll cast you aside and desert you at the first opportunity—it will be hotter than hell for him in Richmond. Oh, why didn’t I make you go to Richmond at the onset of this damn war?”
“Levi, you don’t understand! If it hadn’t been for Andy, I would have been raped and probably killed. He saved my life. You should be grateful. Instead, you hate him. He offered you his hand in friendship—you shunned him, and the two people on earth I love are enemies. Oh! How I wish I could die! God helping me, I could kill myself—I could—”
“Shut up, you damn fool!” Levi hissed through closed teeth. “Shut up. They will hear you downstairs.”
Andy heard a slap. He knew her brother had hit her. He grasped the doorknob, flung open the door, and found Levi bending over Molly, grasping her left shoulder with his right hand as she lay prostrate on the bed. Instantly, he was upon Levi, grabbing his jacket, spinning him around and, with the other hand, smashed him in the face with the open palm, pulled him up close, and angrily shouted, “You damn yellow coward, afraid to hit a man but you strike an innocent girl. Now, listen to me! If you ever lay a hand on or speak an angry word to my wife, I’ll kill you, you damn hothead. You have disowned her as a sister. Together we now disown you as a brother. Now, get the hell out and stay out!”
He immediately flung Levi toward the door; missing, he slammed backward against the wall. Recovering, the lieutenant unsnapped his holster, whipped out his revolver, and he would have shot Andy, but Molly sprang between them. Her own weapon leveled at her brother, sobbing ceased, solemnly and coolly she said, “Levi, leave this room now. I’ll kill you as sure as my name is Molly Campbell Yates if you try to take any unfair advantage of my husband. Now, get out, and don’t you ever mention what happened in this room tonight.”
Levi slowly backed out of the room, closing the door. He paused in the hallway, holstered his gun, gained composure, and walked downstairs.
Inside the room Molly and Andy sat down on the bed, and in detail they discussed their situation. Andy related his thoughts as he strolled through the garden. He gained courage to tell Molly what was uppermost in his mind. “Yes, Molly, escape is all I can think about. Escape to the Northern lines. It will not work for us in Richmond. I-I can’t go there. Even my love for you will not let me compromise my principles and beliefs.”
Andy hesitated, anticipating Molly opposing him violently. Instead, she pleaded, “No—no, Andy. You must not try to escape. It’s too dangerous. You are too far into Confederate territory. You’ll never make it. Let’s go to Richmond and we’ll pray that this war will end—some way—soon. Please, Andy, don’t think of escaping.”
He could see in her face that she was weakening, both physically and in spirit. The strain of events must have completely reduced her stamina and willpower. He could feel that she was not so sure of herself, but he had to express his thoughts.
“You are exhausted, and I am so tired, so come let us go to bed, sleep, and rest. Forget what has happened. Forget it till morning. But I can’t promise that I will not try to escape.”
“Yes, I am tired,” she sobbed. “Let’s get some rest.”
He kissed her again, again and again, and held her close to him, whispering in her ear, “Whatever happens, Molly, I shall always love you. Yes—yes—I will love you until death. Never doubt me, Molly.”
She interrupted, “As long as I live, Andy, I shall never, never, never—doubt you. Let us be resigned to our fate tonight, tomorrow, and whatever.”
“Yes, my little sweetheart, to our fate, whatever it may be,” he whispered back.
CHAPTER XVI
After retiring, Andy lay on his back, gazing up into the blackness that enveloped the room. Light from the window evidenced only a slight difference between the darkness on the outside. He lay there thinking, What can I do? What should I do? Escape, escape kept echoing in his mind, but how? Escape—escape was going to be difficult, if not impossible. Molly, deep in sleep and unconscious to her surroundings, did not know when Andy slipped out of bed, dressed, and began pacing back and forth.
He picked up his boots. Silently he opened the door, slipped out and carefully pulled the door closed, and sat down on the top step of the inside stairway. Placing his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, he leaned forward. The thoughts of escape were still playing in his mind. Now his thoughts turned toward the perils of escape. His first thought was How will it affect Molly? I could be shot escaping, or be caught and shot later. I don’t know exactly where I’m at. Travel north was his first inclination, but it’s closer to Northern lines if I go west—no, no, Rosecrans—McKinley knows. They will have me shot as a traitor. I can’t go west. I can’t, I can’t—it would kill my father if I was shot as a traitor.
Andy’s thoughts now centered on his father, a tough, hard, but fair man who always had an answer for any situation and every problem. He couldn’t accept my indecision after college, but his snap decision sent me to Europe for a year. After my return, he couldn’t understand why I didn’t desire a position in his bank or to manage his mercantile agency. The argument ensued and ended in a lecture. Then placing his arm around Andy’s shoulder, he began to speak softly, “Son, there are some things that cannot be forced or reasoned out, but if left alone, they’ll work themselves out. There comes a time in the affairs of every man’s life when he cannot see which way to go. Force only serves to confuse and plunge him into darkness. If he will sit down and forget, in time, the answer will come of its own accord.”