perfect picture of little-girl fashion. Her dress was pale violet, trimmed with purple ribbons. The delicate lace of her petticoats peeked from beneath the skirt's hem. Violet and purple ribbons trailed from the straw hat she wore. Her hair was curled in shiny gold ringlets, framing a face that always reminded Susannah of a china doll with its big, blue eyes, thick lashes, pointy chin, and perfectly shaped mouth. She knew she suffered by comparison, her rose pink dress hanging loosely on her scrawny frame, her hair a mass of unruly curls, and her arms and legs all bony and thin. As always, when confronted by Diane's undeniable perfection, Susannah lifted her chin a little higher.
"Susannah, I didn't know you were here today." The joy in Diane's expression gave Susannah a feeling of importance and worth. "Have you been here long?"
"Not long," Susannah assured her, then discovered Lije was now standing beside her.
Diane gave him a sidelong look through her lashes, a small smile of pleasure touching the comers of her mouth. "Aren't you going to speak to me, Lije?"
"How are you?" he said, his expression guarded, his eyes intent in their study of her.
"Very well, thank you." She rewarded him with a big smile. "If I had known you were going to be here, I would have come to the store with Mama. Did you go by our quarters to see if I was there? Papa and I went for a walk." She swung her smile to the captain as he joined them.
"Susannah, Lije, it's good to see you." Captain Parmelee acknowledged their presence with a nod.
Susannah unconsciously stood straighter, mimicking his erect posture.
"How do you do, Captain Parmelee?" Her words were formal, but her smile was easy.
She had known Captain Parmelee all her life. He had known her since the Gordons lived in Georgia. Over the years she had heard endless stories about him. Her favorite was the time in Washington, D. C, when he first met her half sister Temple and taught her the waltz. It had painted a vivid picture in her mind, one that had taken on a romantic overtone after Susannah overheard her mother, Eliza, remark that she suspected Captain Parmelee was still half in love with Temple, even though he was married to someone else.
"What are you children doing?" Captain Parmelee asked.
"Playing marbles," Susannah said to draw attention away from the sudden tightening of Lije's jaw. She knew he didn't like being called a child. He thought twelve was too old to be called that.
"Who's winning?'' Diane glanced down at the game in progress. Â
"Lije is. He always wins."
"He's older," Captain Parmelee offered in consolation, then turned his gaze on Lije. "Is your mother here?"
Lije nodded. "She and Eliza are in the store."
"I see." He half-turned, his attention drawn to the store's entrance.
"Do you play marbles?" Susannah asked Diane.
"Not very well," she admitted with regret.
"I could show you," Lije volunteered.
"Would you like to play with us?"
Diane turned eagerly to her father. "Please, may I, Papa?"
"How can I refuse when you look at me with those big, beautiful eyes?" he teased, and Diane giggled. "You stay here and play with Lije and Susannah while I go inside and see if your mother has finished her shopping."
"I hope she hasn't. But if she has, maybe you can find something else for her to look at," Diane suggested impishly.
The captain laughed and shook his head in mock dismay, smiling ruefully. "I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you, Papa. Thank you ever so much," she declared, all aglow with her success.
"Be careful not to get that pretty dress dirty, or your mother will have my hide."
"I'll be careful, Papa," Diane promised.
"You children have fun." He moved off toward the sutler's store, his stride lengthening.
Susannah took his previous admonition seriously. "If you tuck the back of your skirt behind your knees when you crouch down, your dress won't touch the dirt," she said and proceeded to show Diane the proper way.
Diane copied her actions and
"Susannah, I didn't know you were here today." The joy in Diane's expression gave Susannah a feeling of importance and worth. "Have you been here long?"
"Not long," Susannah assured her, then discovered Lije was now standing beside her.
Diane gave him a sidelong look through her lashes, a small smile of pleasure touching the comers of her mouth. "Aren't you going to speak to me, Lije?"
"How are you?" he said, his expression guarded, his eyes intent in their study of her.
"Very well, thank you." She rewarded him with a big smile. "If I had known you were going to be here, I would have come to the store with Mama. Did you go by our quarters to see if I was there? Papa and I went for a walk." She swung her smile to the captain as he joined them.
"Susannah, Lije, it's good to see you." Captain Parmelee acknowledged their presence with a nod.
Susannah unconsciously stood straighter, mimicking his erect posture.
"How do you do, Captain Parmelee?" Her words were formal, but her smile was easy.
She had known Captain Parmelee all her life. He had known her since the Gordons lived in Georgia. Over the years she had heard endless stories about him. Her favorite was the time in Washington, D. C, when he first met her half sister Temple and taught her the waltz. It had painted a vivid picture in her mind, one that had taken on a romantic overtone after Susannah overheard her mother, Eliza, remark that she suspected Captain Parmelee was still half in love with Temple, even though he was married to someone else.
"What are you children doing?" Captain Parmelee asked.
"Playing marbles," Susannah said to draw attention away from the sudden tightening of Lije's jaw. She knew he didn't like being called a child. He thought twelve was too old to be called that.
"Who's winning?'' Diane glanced down at the game in progress. Â
"Lije is. He always wins."
"He's older," Captain Parmelee offered in consolation, then turned his gaze on Lije. "Is your mother here?"
Lije nodded. "She and Eliza are in the store."
"I see." He half-turned, his attention drawn to the store's entrance.
"Do you play marbles?" Susannah asked Diane.
"Not very well," she admitted with regret.
"I could show you," Lije volunteered.
"Would you like to play with us?"
Diane turned eagerly to her father. "Please, may I, Papa?"
"How can I refuse when you look at me with those big, beautiful eyes?" he teased, and Diane giggled. "You stay here and play with Lije and Susannah while I go inside and see if your mother has finished her shopping."
"I hope she hasn't. But if she has, maybe you can find something else for her to look at," Diane suggested impishly.
The captain laughed and shook his head in mock dismay, smiling ruefully. "I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you, Papa. Thank you ever so much," she declared, all aglow with her success.
"Be careful not to get that pretty dress dirty, or your mother will have my hide."
"I'll be careful, Papa," Diane promised.
"You children have fun." He moved off toward the sutler's store, his stride lengthening.
Susannah took his previous admonition seriously. "If you tuck the back of your skirt behind your knees when you crouch down, your dress won't touch the dirt," she said and proceeded to show Diane the proper way.
Diane copied her actions and
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