Southern Beauty - By Julie Lucia Page 0,18

his side.

The men had been keeping their eye on Johanna from afar. There were times when David planned his approach, but the opportunity to be alone with her seemed wouldn’t present itself. When scoping the town, David’s luck changed when a young lady invited him to a ball. While the men had kept an eye on Johanna, David spent his time playing up to his new interest to make sure Johanna was included in the invitation. The night of the ball, the men decided to warn David of her new relationship with a southern soldier blossoming, which included meals together and reading books by the fireplace. The soldier seemed to never leave her side. David was already angry with her. Had that moment in the rain not meant anything? Had the entire time they were together mean nothing to her?

David was alarmed to find that this same man had escorted her to the ball. He wondered if it was that easy for her to move on to another suitor. Maybe if she knew that after he came out of unconsciousness, he and his men followed in a frantic pace to retrieve her. He kept thinking. And then he caught himself once again. “What am I saying? I am not a suitor. I am only after the map. She is a vixen, a siren in disguise. She tricked me. How could I feel anything for her?”

He whispered in her ear, he broke the silence, “My precious Southern Beauty, I waited an eternity to be with you, may we never part again.” David wanted to say but couldn’t. Instead he made himself cold and agitated, “You will no longer be in the way. You either produce that map, or your uncle dies tonight.”

He handed her the Blackwood’s Magazine although he still had in his possession the cigar box.

Johanna had never heard him so angry before. She felt frightened. “Oh David,” she gasped and turned to face him, “I waited so long. Is it really you?” She would not dare say what she was thinking. So she stepped away quietly, and looked him over. “What are you doing here?” She was surprised by his attire. He was not wearing his Union uniform, but a new Confederate one. “You didn’t convert did you?” She questioned with raised eyebrows.

He couldn’t help but laugh at her observation and her question. It broke the tension between them and the seriousness of the moment.

“Never, do you think they would let me in here wearing mine? I would have been shot on sight. Besides, I just got friendly with a young lady in town and she invited me. She is a little persistent.” He flashed a confident smile, with an almost arrogant stance.

“A young lady?” she questioned a little taken back.

“You might know her?” He asked, still trying to gauge her.

Johanna swallowed hard as her heart plunged. “No, I probably do not. Everyone I know has too much self-respect to even want to come within ten feet of you.” She looked at him accusingly.

“Ahh,” thought David, he hit a sore spot with her, she does care about me. So he continued, “Well, it didn’t take much to charm her. She seems to like men in uniform.”

Johanna didn’t answer. She was seething with jealousy.

“Anyway, she is very pretty. I think she wants to introduce me to her father? Isn’t that crazy?” David kept trying to push her into some kind of emotion.

This was unbelievable she thought to herself. Johanna couldn’t trust what she was hearing. Who could this girl be? Had he not felt anything? Who was this mysterious woman? She couldn’t think of this anymore, it hurt too much. She felt like she had been punched in the stomach. She looked at him in disgust.

Her temperature rising along with her voice, “Why did you come here?” She decided it was best to ignore his ramblings. It only hurt her more and ruined the only remembrance she had of romance that wasn’t written in a book.

David knew he must have gone too far, so he tried to backtrack and get back the look in her eyes when she first saw him, but it was too late. She stood in a cold stance and continued her glare.

“I’m sorr,” he was trying to apologize but she interrupted him.

“Well, it seems you have found some other poor girl to use to get what you wanted. What did it take, a day to move on or a couple of hours?” Did she just say