Love, Lies, Traitors & Spies

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

The mantel clock ticked mercilessly as the long hours of the night slid past. With effort Juliet resisted the urge to check the time again. It must be well past midnight, but every time she glanced at the clock face only a matter of minutes had passed. It was maddening. She wanted morning to come. She wanted her mother to arrive home. In short... she wanted answers! In the past few hours her entire world had turned on its head and where Cole's homecoming should have been joyous, it left her empty and frightened instead.

Unable to sleep, she huddled in a chair beside the fireplace facing Cole. For hours she watched him... listened to him breathe. The flickering orange glow from the fire cast a surreal aura over his sleeping form, adding to the dreamlike quality of the entire situation. Even with his tangible form reclined on her sofa she could scarcely believe he'd returned home. He shifted slightly in his sleep and one of the blankets slipped from his body to the floor. Instantly Juliet rose to retrieve it. Crouched beside the sofa she took a moment and gently rested a palm on his bare chest. His skin was warm and dry, and the rush of his breathing was much less labored now. The heavy bandages she'd applied to his shoulder were holding well, and no fresh blood had soaked through. Earlier she'd washed some of the grime and dried blood from his face and torso, but he still appeared haggard and drawn. A mere shadow of the strapping, assured man she remembered. With a heavy sigh she lifted the heavy quilt and spread it back over his sleeping form.

Reminiscent of happier times, she lingered at his side, allowing her mind to wander to all the dreams of weddings and children she'd once harbored. Wistfully she reached out and softly threaded her fingers through the thick dark locks of his hair. So much had changed in recent months and years, and of late her memories seemed like distant dreams. Her once bright hopes for the future seemed like little more than girlish folly.

Blinking past a veil of tears, she swallowed down the rush of sadness threatening to overwhelm her. Her gaze fell away from Cole's handsome face, and the battered satchel resting on the floor caught her eye. Interest piqued, she chanced another quick glance at his sleeping form and reached for the leather bag. In his ramblings when he'd first arrived at the house he'd mentioned having information. Was he carrying that information in his satchel? Did the contents of the bag answer whether or not he'd betrayed the confederacy? Betrayed... her?

Nervous, Juliet threw back the flap on the satchel and glanced inside. She couldn't discern much of anything in the soft lighting. She tilted the bag toward the firelight. The round face of a compass reflected the orange glow, and a few other miscellaneous items met her gaze. She thrust her hand inside searching until she located a sheaf of papers. Hands trembling, she withdrew the pages and scooted closer to the firelight. Dread rushed through her veins and her heart dropped as she quickly leafed through the pages. The papers contained intricately drawn maps with markings, arrows and hand scribbled notes. These appeared to be battle plans.

Juliet lifted a heavy gaze to Cole's resting form. Had Cole stolen these with the intention of smuggling them to the Union Army? Shifting her attention back to the papers she silently prayed that he had an explanation.

~*~

Cole groaned. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest as awareness slowly came over him. Where am I? Jumbled visions of Juliet, dark woods, and the blast of gunfire swirled through his hazy mind. My satchel. Where is my satchel? Panicked and disoriented, he tried to sit, but pain shot down his right side. He had to get the information about General Thompson's offensive plan to Colonel Raymond with all haste. If this intelligence got into the correct hands the war would be over in a matter of months, maybe even weeks.