The Uniform

By L. W. Lawrence

Phoebe Walden is a young Southern belle ripped of her wealth by war but not ready to lower her standards to the demands of Union troops who occupy her hometown of Savannah and now plan to occupy her home. The large stately mansion named Avalon has been in her family for generations and now with her parents dead she is preparing to take up the battle where General Lee left off. The War Between the States may officially be over but her hatred for the troops who destroyed her home and her family is far from over.
George Davis is a rising star in the U. S. Military. A graduate of West Point, he has quickly ascended to the top ranks of the Union Army much to the expense of lives lost fighting the Confederates who refused to negotiate with President Lincoln and who are to blame for the bloody war. He eagerly accepts an assignment in Savannah, Georgia. With the signing of the surrender papers by General Robert E. Lee, it is time to begin the healing process starting with an inventory of property and assets held by Southern plantation owners. His first target is the Avalon Estate.

• Language: English
• Publisher: L. W. Lawrence
• Release date: Dec 12, 2013
• ISBN: 9781310689116

Book preview

Miss Phoebe Walden was a young Southern belle ripped of her wealth by war but not ready to lower her standards to the demands of Union troops who occupied her hometown of Savannah and planned to occupy her home. The large plantation named Avalon had been in her family for generations, and with her parents dead, she was prepared to take up the battle where General Lee left off. The War Between the States was officially over, but her hatred for the troops who destroyed her home and her family was far from over.

Major George Davis was a rising star in the U. S. Military. A graduate of West Point, he quickly ascended the ranks of the Union Army fighting the Confederates who refused to negotiate with President Lincoln and who were to blame for the bloody war. When the war ended, he eagerly accepted a new assignment in Savannah, Georgia to help bring peace and order to the otherwise renegade city. With the signing of the surrender papers by General Robert E. Lee, it was time to begin the healing process starting with an inventory of property and assets held by Southern aristocracy. His first target was Avalon.

Chapter One

Exhausted from her day of cleaning and scrubbing, Phoebe slipped down to the creek for a little cool relief from the hot southern sun. Quickly undressing to her undergarments, something she had always wanted to do but was always forbidden, she stepped into the cool stream to wash off dirt and cobwebs from a day of chores she never had to do before the war. She leaned back in the cool water and imagined the shocked face of Miss Scarlett from the Southern Ladies Social Academy.

Oh what she would be thinking about me now, frolicking in the water in my under garments.

The cool water washed over Phoebe’s skin and she felt its cleansing flow. This creek had washed many a Southerner but never Phoebe unless she slipped away from her mother and her nanny Pecolia. Her nanny was a wonderful woman and was always watching over her. Phoebe loved her like a mother.

Memories were all Phoebe had left of her parents, her nanny, and her beloved extended family. The war had taken them all. Her parents were buried on a hill close to the plantation. The only things left were Phoebe, the main house and barn, a few small cottages, and this stream. All crops, supplies, and valuables were taken by Southern troops and what was left was destroyed by Union forces. Now she was anticipating the arrival of a Union officer to inventory her plantation so she could pay reparations to the United States Government. It did not seem like it would ever get better so for now she was enjoying a moment of relaxation in the rippling stream.

Phoebe’s thoughts wondered to Lettie the housekeeper who picked up after her all of her life. Never did she realize how hard she had worked. No wonder she left as soon the war was over.

I guess I can't blame her, thought Phoebe.

Trying to focus on good things, Phoebe closed her eyes and thought of how wonderfully the cool water felt on her bare skin and how great it was to have finally cleaned the kitchen area of the big plantation house.

After all, a hard day of work never killed anyone... at least not like I want to kill any Yankee who steps foot on my property. The thought made Phoebe smile with a little smirk of revenge.

I can manage this place. I know I can. Well, maybe until the taxes come due and the crops need planting and harvesting and the...oh enjoy the cool water and stop borrowing trouble from tomorrow. Phoebe drifted peacefully into a daydream of pretty dresses, parties, and young suitors eagerly clamoring for a dance.

****

The coordinates can't be correct, Major George Davis muttered to himself. This plantation is supposed to be enormous but from the looks of the surrounding fields, the house is the only thing worth inventorying.

The fields were grown up with weeds, no crops were planted, and paint was chipping from every building. It's hard to believe that anyone could let such a place go down like this. What kind of people are these Southerners anyway?

The main house was tall and stately but seemed strangely empty. George expected ladies sipping tea on the porch, children playing under huge oak trees, and fair maidens leaning over balcony railings curious about his arrival. George closed his eyes and drifted back to memories of his childhood in Pennsylvania and his family's beautiful estate in the Pocono Mountains. This place, if properly maintained, would be very similar.

The sound of a light breeze singing through the trees and the occasional ringing of wind chimes were all George heard as he rode his large white horse toward the house. He could not help but imagine what it must have been like to live here during the plantation's pre-war years. Surely someone is still around to answer my questions, thought George.

Hey anyone home? shouted George for the third time. There was no answer so George dismounted to have a look around. There has to be a groundskeeper or someone looking after this big old place.

George slowly ascended the steps leading to the massive front door. In the back of his mind was a reminder that some reluctant Southerners were still at war with the Union. George had heard that some Confederate soldiers were hiding in old plantation homes hoping to even the score in what was a bloody battle from beginning to end.

George used the knocker to deliver a bold sound that would get someone's attention if anyone was at home. After three hard knocks and no response, George pushed the big mahogany door open and shouted, This is Major George Davis with the United States Army. I'm here to inventory your plantation.

Probably too much detail thought George, but this was his first assignment and he wanted to get it right. A few months in the field would look good on his application for promotion.

With his hand resting on his pistol that was strapped securely to his hip, he made his way through the massive foyer, down the breezeway to the kitchen, and into what appeared to be a servant's quarters. It was the cleanest part of the house that he had seen so far. No sign of food but it appeared that someone had been there recently. There was a bed that was freshly made, a broom that seemed strangely abused, and a duster that needed shaking. George fixed his eyes on his most important find, a bathtub.

Maybe I'll look around a bit more and if there's no evidence of an occupant, I can wash some of the four-day dust from my tired and aching body.

The thought of getting clean took over his senses. No longer did he smell or look like the military officer he spent four years becoming at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He was at best a dusty and tired traveler. He figured that even if it was a servant's quarters, he wouldn't mind an officer in the U.S. military taking a quick bath considering he would have to spend the next week with him inventorying the plantation.

Now let's see, there's a bucket for water and a back door leading straight to a well.

The summer sun was so hot that there was no need to heat the water. Soaking in a tub of bubbly water would make a saddle-sore derrière feel much better. George was getting so excited about his bath that he couldn’t help but whistle a tune like a man headed to pick up his girl on a Saturday night.

****

Phoebe was startled by her daydream. One minute she was waltzing with the divine Mr. Sam Thompson, heir to one of the largest tobacco plantations in Georgia, and the next minute she was digging holes in the backyard to bury family treasures as advised by war-ready plantation owners collaborating on what to do in the unlikely event, and they did mean unlikely event, that the Confederate Army would surrender to Union forces. Mainly the smallest but most valuable pieces of jewelry, gold, and silver were neatly sealed in bags and carefully buried under the family tree where three generations of Walden’s carved their initials.

No way will I pay taxes to the Yankees. They didn't do one thing to earn a nickel of my money. Well actually, I didn't do much myself but if the war had not started, I would have returned from Miss Scarlett's finishing school and married my darling Sam. Why did he have to join the Confederate troops and ride with General Lee? Who knows when I'll see him again?

Phoebe’s thoughts were returning to reality. She reminded herself that she was wasting time trying to change history. It was what it was and there was no one at home cooking dinner. Phoebe decided to get back and make the only dish she learned to cook, dumplings and wish I had a chicken.

Phoebe walked up to the back of the plantation home in her wet underwear and carrying her dress and shoes. She stopped to take off and hang her wet underclothes on the clothesline to dry and ran the rest of the way carrying her dress in front of her. She knew that no one was going to see her because she was alone.

As she ran up the steps to the back porch, she remembered sounds from her past, ladies chatting and children playing. Sometimes there were as many as fifty folks running around the plantation home. Her mother, Mary Elizabeth Walden, had insisted that all children learn to read and write so she arranged for a teacher three days a week. At night, Phoebe would hear children reading to their parents and teaching them to read. The memory made Phoebe proud of her mother’s vision to educate everyone who wanted to learn.

There I go again, daydreaming of days gone forever. Is this what's going to become of me? I'll sit here all alone daydreaming of days before the war. Well, no way. Tomorrow I'm going to check into hiring help to get the cotton planted. For now, all I need are dry clothes.

Phoebe continued to cradle the dress against her body. As she ran toward the door, she had an uneasy feeling that she was not alone. Maybe it was because she had never run nude through the back yard.

As soon as I’m in the house, I'll feel safer, she reassured herself.

Phoebe crashed through the back door, threw down her dress, and saw a head and two feet sticking out of the bathtub. The head and feet jumped from the tub attached to a very male body. Actually, it was the first totally undressed male body she had ever seen. She screamed, George screamed, and for a second neither knew who was the most startled. Grabbing her dress, Phoebe couldn’t help but stare at the tall, muscular, and handsome male figure.

George grabbed the only thing he had handy, his sword. He couldn’t cover much with it but at least he could protect himself. Protect himself from what, a skinny girl?

Who are you and why are you in my home? screamed Phoebe.

I'm Major George Davis of the United States Army, screamed George.

Well why are you in my home? Phoebe scanned his body with blushing cheeks. And why are you in my tub? Phoebe thought to herself how silly the words sounded. This was not about a man in her bathtub, it was about a stranger in her home.

I'm here on official business, said George trying to lower his voice to sound more in control and less hysterical.

So, you're the no-good low-down Yankee who thinks you're going to waltz into my home and inventory my belongings to tell me how much money I'm going to pay those no-good Yankees for my very own property that I've worked all my life to earn.

As Phoebe heard her own words and read the expression on George's face, she realized how ridiculous they sounded and noticed the corresponding quizzical look on George's face.

How old are you Miss..Mrs..?

Phoebe met his chilling blue eyes with an equally cold emerald green stare. I'm Miss Phoebe Walden and I'll have you know I'm twenty-one.

Well, I'm impressed that you have acquired such a large plantation in your short lifetime...Miss Walden. George continued to lower his voice to reach some level of dignity considering he was still standing nude in a tub of bubbles with nothing on but a sword.

Well, it is actually my family's home. I'm watching over things until everyone returns.

Considering the condition of the place, George figured they must have been away for a while. When do you expect them to return?

Phoebe glanced down at her bare feet and realized that her eyes would give away the sadness of knowing that none of her family would ever be back here with her. Suddenly, she looked around and realized the full-length mirror that she struggled to move from her room upstairs was behind her and providing a nice view for her Yankee intruder.

How dare you take advantage of a Southern lady, screamed Phoebe. It’s bad enough that you are here but now you have seen more than any Southern gentleman has ever seen. I should get my gun and shoot you.

Realizing her dilemma, George let out a deep hysterical laugh. Oh my, I see what you’re talking about. Well madam that makes us even because I am quite sure that no lady has seen this much of me and my… should I say sword.

A long pause continued as Phoebe sized up the situation and George continued to enjoy the view. Well, Phoebe started, I’ll tell you what. I’ll slowly back up and get dressed on the porch while you retrieve your garments. Please know that when I come back through that door, I’ll be armed.

Okay madam, as you wish. George responded in a soft and sultry voice. Why he was smitten with this little vixen he did not know, but she had ignited a fire in his body that he had long denied himself during his devotion to the Union Army. She had flaming red hair dropping down her back in long curls that almost reached her nicely round derriere. George continued to burn the vision of his lovely southern wildcat into his memory as he slipped his uniform over a still damp body.

Meanwhile, Phoebe was struggling on the back porch with her dress that did not slip on very easily without silk undergarments. Her body like George’s was still damp and her nerves were rattled by the sight of a male body that was not just any male body but a gorgeous muscular one that was wet from a bath and still glistening with bubbles. What an image she had to think about. A quick smirk came to her lips as she realized she had new material for her seemingly continuous daydreaming.

Oh, what will I do with this Yankee? thought Phoebe. If I let him intimidate me, then he'll have the upper hand and possibly confiscate what little wealth I have left to rebuild my plantation.

Restoring the plantation to its original condition seemed far-fetched, but it was what her father and mother wanted to do after the war ended. She had to honor their wishes and the generations of Walden’s before them. She had to convince this George character, this Yankee with a gorgeously handsome muscular body, that she was just a poor farmer who was trying to make a go of it after the war. Her thoughts and plans were twirling in her mind as she continued to dress.

I need a plan, thought Phoebe. Major Davis is in the next room and hopefully getting dressed. We’ll meet in the kitchen after we are both properly clothed. I’ll offer to cook dinner and then…

Several minutes passed while Phoebe was once again caught in her fantasy world and thinking about the way water glistened on Major Davis' body. Phoebe had seen only one other male body unclothed and that was of her cousin Reginald who used to strip down to his underwear to jump in the creek on a summer afternoon. Banish that memory she thought. It wasn't even close to what she had seen a few minutes ago. This was a mature male body, and it wasn't her cousin. Indeed, this Major Davis was muscular and chiseled like Greek sculptures she had seen on display in Savannah museums. Mercy, she had no idea that men were actually built that way.

Okay, back to planning.

Phoebe decided to offer Major Davis a nice meal, a place to sleep, and then an expedited trip