Free Secret of Richmond Manor by Gilbert L. Morris Page B

to blink in surprise. “Most young ladies would not have admitted such a thing.”
    He studied Leah as they moved about the floor, and he must have noticed that she kept looking around for Jeff.
    The evening wore on, and Leah grew more comfortable. The young people drew away into a large parlor and played games for a while. They talked of the war, and Jeff spoke somewhat boastfully of what the Stonewall Brigade was going to do in the future.
    Suddenly Lucy turned and fixed her eyes on Leah. “You’re not from around here, are you, Leah?”
    â€œNo, I’m from Kentucky.”
    Lucy’s eyebrows went up. “Kentucky? That’s one of the border states, isn’t it?”
    â€œYes, it is.”
    â€œWhich side are your people for, the North or the Confederacy?”
    A silence fell over the room, and Leah felt her cheeks redden. She understood clearly that the question was not accidental. Lucy Driscoll was, she had found out, an ardent supporter of the South. Cecil had told her that much. Now she knew that she was being put on some sort of trial.
    It would have been simple to have lied, but she said quietly, “I have a brother in the Federal army, and my father serves as a sutler for that same army.”
    Lucy blinked at Leah’s bluntness. She glanced at Jeff, who seemed embarrassed, then shook her head. “I wouldn’t think you would be very comfortable here in the Confederacy with attachments like that,” she said smoothly.
    Cecil spoke up instantly. “Oh, come on, Lucy. Let’s don’t talk politics. This is a
party.”
    Leah gave him a grateful glance. But the evening was spoiled for her, and she was glad when finally nine o’clock came and she was able to say, “Jeff, I think I’d better get home.”
    Jeff was talking, as usual, with Lucy, and he turned to her reluctantly. “Why, it’s early yet!”
    Lucy said, “We can have one of the servants take Leah home if you’d like to stay longer, Jeff.”
    For one moment Leah thought that Jeff meant to take advantage of Lucy Driscoll’s offer. It must have shown in her face, for he said hurriedly, “Oh, no, I couldn’t do that, Miss Lucy. We sure have had a fine time, haven’t we, Leah?”
    â€œIt’s been very nice,” Leah said.
    â€œOh, we must do this again.” Lucy gave her hand to Jeff, who shook it. Then she turned and examined Leah carefully. “I hope you haven’t been embarrassed being around so many who are dedicated to the Confederate cause.”
    Leah did not know how to answer and merely said, “Thank you. It was kind of your parents to ask us.”
    They left in the wagon, and Jeff talked excitedly for the first mile. Then he must have noticed that Leah was saying almost nothing. “What’s the matter?”
    â€œNothing,” she said quickly.
    He turned to look at her in the moonlight. “You didn’t get your feelings hurt, did you? Lucy didn’t mean anything by what she said.”
    â€œI’m all right.”
    But later, when Jeff told Tom about the evening, explaining how Lucy had mentioned that Leah was not a Confederate, his brother stared at him. “No wonder she was depressed. Who wouldn’t be?” he said in exasperation.
    â€œWhat do you mean?” Jeff asked, bewildered. Tom gave his younger brother a look and shook his head. “If you don’t know, I can’t tell you.”

8
Jeff Gets a Shock
    F or two days Jeff mooned around camp until finally his father demanded, “What’s the matter with you, son? You act like you’re sick. Don’t you feel well?”
    â€œOh, I feel all right. I just—well, I don’t think I was too nice to Leah when I took her to the party.”
    Captain Majors stared at him. He had sharp hazel eyes and a black mustache and the same jet black hair he’d passed on to his sons. “You want to tell me about