The Sapphire Brooch by Katherine Logan (best novels to read to improve english .txt) 📕

Creek had destroyed most of her romantic illusions about the Civil War. Castle Thunder destroyed the rest.

Jack had encouraged her to rest, to prepare for the long night ahead, but she couldn’t. She had learned as an intern, resident, and then as a practicing physician, to work through long, sleepless shifts. She could function well, despite being exhausted.

The parlor door was closed, but she could still hear Jack’s crisp, cultivated voice. He must be talking to Elizabeth.

She rapped her knuckles against the paneled wood before sliding the heavy doors open. Candles guttered in the sconces on the wall and flickered from candles placed around the room. Charlotte shied away from shadowy corners and sat closer to the brick hearth, where a warm fire popped and crackled. Knitting her thoughts into coherent sentences had taken some time, but she was now ready to answer their questions about what happened at the prison.

Jack’s mouth twitched a little when she entered. His expression assured her he was glad to see her composed, and he wasn’t going to make a fuss over her decision to come down instead of resting.

“Whisky?” he asked.

She settled into the wingback chair. “Make it a double.”

He handed Charlotte a whisky and Elizabeth a sherry. Charlotte passed the crystal under her nose briefly, taking an appreciative whiff of the amber liquid, and then sipped. Hot and delicious warmth started in her throat and spread down into her chest.

“Hmm. That’s good.”

Jack’s long fingers curved lightly around the base of his glass. His expression turned contemplative. He would wait and not push her, although Charlotte knew both Jack and Elizabeth were anxious for her report.

The odd moment of expectant silence ended when Charlotte cleared her throat roughly. “The deprivation was worse than I could have imagined. I counted fifty-two men in sick bay suffering from dysentery, malnutrition, pneumonia, and a host of other diseases. Several had infected wounds, but most were dying from secondary contagious diseases. I’d say a half to two-thirds won’t survive the night. Leaving a message for Braham with one of those moribund patients was impossible. They were barely coherent. When I realized I had no other option, I insisted on going to the cells used for solitary confinement.”

The only outward sign of Jack’s displeasure was an infinitesimal twitch in his upper body. If she hadn’t been so familiar with the nuances of his temperament, she would have missed it. Elizabeth, however, grabbed a white-knuckled hold of the arms of her chair, leaned forward, and seemed to stop breathing.

“I talked to Hancock, White, and Lohmann. They’re weak and undernourished, but not actively bleeding or physically incapacitated.”

Elizabeth breathed with relief. “Thank God.”

“All three wore leg irons, though. I gave them the be ready signal, so they’ll be prepared to make a break tonight when we provide the opportunity.”

Elizabeth rolled her bottom lip in between her teeth, a thinking pose. “What of Braham?”

“His torture has been more recent and more severe. The lash has shredded his clothes and skin. Open wounds are festering on his forehead and back. He probably has others. I doubt he’s eaten in days. He’s weak and could barely stand.”

“Which will make it harder for him to get away. Did he recognize you?” Jack asked.

“Yes, but I’m not sure he would have if he hadn’t heard my whistle first. He even made a move to protect me. I wasn’t in danger,” she was quick to add. “The guard was being a jerk.”

A wry smile teased the corners of Jack’s lips. “You probably scared the crap out of him.”

“The guard or Braham?”

“You can be formidable, sis, when you puff up like an angry cat. You probably scared them both.” He waggled his eyebrows like he often did when he teased her. The levity put a dent in the tension.

Elizabeth refilled her sherry and walked to the window to stare out. The din of cannons still rumbled in the distance. “Richmond will descend into anarchy when the Confederate troops abandon the city. What will the night bring before the Union troops arrive?”

Charlotte suspected the question was rhetorical, and not because Elizabeth believed she and Jack knew the future. Although, considering the information they had shared with her, it might appear they had their fingers on the pulse of history.

Elizabeth dropped the curtain, letting it fall gently back into place. “As the army disengages from its trenches and strikes out to join Lee, we will need to create a diversion to give our associates time to escape.”

Charlotte and Jack subtly exchanged glances. He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. “The situation will create its own diversion. The city council wants all the liquor destroyed, fearing a repetition of what happened in Columbia six weeks ago when the Union troops arrived. Tonight, whisky barrels will be rolled out into the streets and smashed. The contents will cascade into the gutters and the free-flowing alcohol will cause the collapse of any remaining law and order.”

“You paint a dismal picture of the future, Jack,” Elizabeth said.

“The rabble will rain hell down upon Richmond tonight,” he said.

Elizabeth fiddled with the stem of her sherry glass. “Hell’s been here for four years.”

Jack nodded. “After tonight the city will be forever changed. There’ll be widespread disorder, punctuated by explosions, fires, and pillaging mobs. Your people will have to locate your men, follow close by as they’re marched through the city, and wait for the opportunity to break free.”

“There are four solitary cells with a prisoner in each one: Hancock, White, Lohmann, and Braham. Those men will probably be grouped together during the evacuation. It will make them easier to find—”

“But harder to rescue,” Elizabeth added.

Jack poured another drink. “We need someone trustworthy positioned close to the prison who can notify us as soon as the evacuation begins.”

“I can arrange for someone,” Elizabeth said.

Charlotte tugged on her ear, fingering the Darwin’s point she’d had since birth. “General Ewell will pull his five thousand soldiers out of Richmond after dark. The streets are already crowded. When the people