Shades of Gray: A Novel of the Civil War in Virginia by Jessica James

under her breath, Daniel heard it nonetheless.
    “You can’t just come and go as you please,” he
said forcefully. “Soldiers have to have a little discipline.”
    “In case you haven’t noticed,” Andrea replied,
limping to the other side of her horse to untangle the cinch, “I’m not a
soldier. At least I’m not treated as a soldier.”
    “Perhaps if you acted with a little more
restraint and obeyed orders you would be. Subordination, no less than valor, is
the duty of a warrior.” Daniel winced when Andrea let out a string of curses
from the far side of the horse, her hands pulling and slapping at the leather
as she worked to untangle it. Justus continued sidestepping and snorting,
trying to avoid her wrath.
    “These hills are still full of Rebels,” he said,
changing tactics.
    “Good.”
Andrea came back from around the horse but did not stop her work. “Perhaps one
of them would be kind enough to shoot me. That torment could not be nearly as
agonizing as that through which I just passed.”
    Cursing
again as she strove to cinch up the saddle with fingers that bungled the job,
Andrea added a few more sentences—all richly punctuated with profanity—when her
toe was almost stamped upon by her jumpy horse.
    “You’re tired,” Daniel said, touching her arm.
“Stay here the night.”
    Andrea stopped, took a deep breath, and leaned
her head into her horse’s neck for a moment as if to gather strength. “You and
Colonel Jordan have it all figured out, don’t you?”
    “I don’t know what you mean.”
    “Sending me to Richmond. To protect me from
Hunter.”
    Daniel cleared his throat. “That’s what Colonel
Jordan told you?” He laid his hand on Justus’ rump to calm him.
    “No.” Andrea wheeled around to face him. “That’s
what he did not tell me!”
    Daniel met her gaze but did not speak.
    “It was all your idea, wasn’t it?” Andrea
glared at him accusingly. “Jordan wasn’t going to let me go until you talked
him into it.”
    “I thought
you wanted to go to Richmond.”
    “I did. I do!” Andrea turned back to her horse.
“I don’t want to be exiled there so you and Jordan can be rid of me.”
    “It’s not like that.” Daniel put his hand on her
arm and led her deeper into the shadows. “Look, I was with the prisoners when
they were being interrogated. Hunter means business.”
    “Oh, hang him!” Andrea said, freeing herself
from his grasp and walking away. “I don’t fear Hunter.”
    “Then you do need protection,” Daniel
said grabbing her arm and pulling her to a stop. “Because you should!”
    “You know him so well as to believe I should
fear him?” Andrea’s eyes probed his.
    “I know he’s a soldier fighting for what he
believes in. That’s reason enough to fear him.”
    “We’re all fighting for what we believe in,” she
countered.
    Daniel let out an exasperated breath. “You don’t
understand. He’s as devoted to his men as they are to him. There’ll be blood to
pay for the one he lost—and the three he’s missing.”
    Andrea stood
staring into Daniel’s eyes as if contemplating what she saw there. “I’ll stay
the night,” she finally said, turning back to Justus and removing his saddle.
“And I’ll take the offer of Richmond under consideration.”
    Daniel shook his head in bewilderment. Now he
knew why Colonel Jordan said he had his hands full. This was a woman with no
little spirit—even now when he knew she was fighting exhaustion. “Is it so hard
to believe we’re doing this because we’re concerned about you?”
    Andrea stopped what she was doing but did not
turn around. “Your concern is misplaced. I’d rather have your trust.”
    Daniel put his hand on her shoulder from
directly behind her. “Perhaps you should try trusting us first.” He watched her
take a deep, quivering breath, and was astounded when she turned and looked up
at him with woeful eyes as if he had said something that hurt her.
    Instinctively he wrapped his