Her Captain's Heart (20 page)

Verity patted Alec's shoulder. “It will only be for a little while.”

“What do you mean?” Alec asked, hope in his voice.

“After I'm replaced at the Freedman's school, I'm going to invite any child who wishes to learn to come to my house every morning at eight. I can hold school around the kitchen table.”

Shaking his head, Matt gently pulled Verity closer. “And when, dearest, were you going to tell me about this plan?” he asked, trying to suppress a grin.

Verity chuckled. “About now.”

Matt let out a joyous, boisterous laugh. Life would be good with Verity and his new family by his side. He was finally home.

V
erity sat in the kitchen in Fiddlers Grove, holding a letter. She'd written her family about her coming marriage to Matthew, and her sister Felicity had written right back.

Dear Reader,

I hope you have enjoyed reading about Verity Hardy and her crusade after the Civil War. In 1861, the disagreement between the free and slave states about the westward spread of slavery finally broke into open war. After bloodshed, it took nearly a century before the North and South began to draw back together. In our own lives, we must guard against causing such deep breaches with our loved ones. We must never say harsh words that might not be forgotten or do anything that would take years to forgive. And we must ask God to help us forgive and forget when we are wronged.

Verity was right. The Freedman's Bureau should have followed her example of reconciliation that comes from true forgiveness. Forgiving someone doesn't say that no wrong has been done. Forgiveness merely releases the unforgiving heart from bondage. “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.”

1. If someone you love was planning to go into a dangerous situation because she thought God was leading her there, what would you say to her?
   
2. Do you think it was right for Verity to take her young daughter along with her into such a dangerous situation? Why or why not?
   
3. How could a good man fight for slavery? Why did Dacian Ransford and Robert E. Lee choose Virginia over the Union?
   
4. Could the North have done something differently after the Civil War in order to prevent what happened to former slaves after the Radical Republicans no longer controlled Congress?
   
5. How did Verity begin to change the negative attitude in Fiddlers Grove?
   
6. Why was Verity's work of charity so important to her?
   
7. Compare and contrast Samuel, Matt and Dace. What made them friends when they were children?
   
8. Do you agree with Samuel's reasons for running away? Why or why not?
   
9. Have you seen or read
   Gone with the Wind
   by Margaret Mitchell? If so, do you think Hannah and Elijah would accept the portrayal of the slaves after emancipation in that watershed novel? Why or why not?
   
10. What did you learn about this historical period that you hadn't known before?
    
11. Look up
    verity
    in the dictionary. Do you think this is an appropriate name for the heroine of this book? Why or why not?
    
12. Do you think there was any way to avoid the Civil War?
    
13. If you'd lived during the Civil War, how would you have argued with anyone who justified slavery by pointing to references in the Bible?
    
14. Why do you think the South could not accept the end of slavery and the equality of black people?