Chapter 5: A Bridal Gown in Blood

Autumn. Who was she?

Later, I learned the truth. The commander had a cousin named Autumn Jennings. On my wedding day, she died in a fire.

In that moment, everything made sense.

Seasons changed. The commander and I lived out our days politely. We had children, grandchildren. People called it a happy life.

But then, suddenly, I opened my eyes and I was twelve again—the year I first met the commander and fell for him.

That day, I went to the street where we’d first met. From a distance, I saw him with a girl in red. His face was so open, so alive, so happy. I’d never seen him like that before.

I knew, right then, that the girl in red must be his cousin, Autumn Jennings.

So I turned around and went home. I thought, maybe after today, the commander and I would never cross paths again.

That would be okay. If I stepped aside, Autumn wouldn’t die in the fire.

Commander, I wish you happiness. I really do.

But fate’s a stubborn thing. In the end, I still became the commander’s wife. An official order—the president’s word wasn’t something you could just ignore.

On the day the commander returned to Maple Heights, I watched him search the city for someone. His pain was written all over his face. I’ll never forget it.

Then came our wedding. The commander drank himself sick, couldn’t walk straight, looked like he hadn’t slept in days. I tried to get him to drink some coffee, but he wouldn’t have it.

So, on our wedding night, I just sat with him, watched him sleep it off, and listened to him call Autumn’s name in his dreams.

The next day, a victory report arrived from the northern plains. Everyone celebrated Young Commander Jennings, the hero who saved the Midwest. Only my husband, the Cavalry Commander, cried all night.

At the end of the report, it said: Commander Autumn Jennings, died in battle yesterday.

After that, my husband left for Silver Hollow the very next day. Our marriage was barely begun.

I asked him, “Why go to Silver Hollow?”

He said, “She’s still there. I want to bring her home.”

7

Extra Story · Rachel Shaw

My name is Rachel Shaw, daughter of the Shaw family in Maple Heights.

I was the youngest, spoiled from birth. When I went South with my mother to visit relatives, I met Samuel Jennings.

I’d never met a man like him—so elegant, so refined. He had that scholarly air you never saw in Maple Heights. The first time I saw him, I knew he’d be my husband.

Just like in the stories, we fell in love at first sight. That time in the South was the best time of my life.

We got married. The Shaws of Maple Heights and the Jennings family of the South—one a military dynasty, the other a family of scholars. Of course, that made the president suspicious.

Back then, the First Lady Shaw lost favor, the Shaws struggled in Maple Heights, my father was old, and Whitmore depended on my brother. My brother had just married the Carter girl from Ohio, and was forced to join the military to prove himself.