Preview of Dealer's Choice, Chpt 1, entry #3

The clock downstairs struck one, leaving a backwash of silence so complete it was suffocating. Oh, how she longed to break free—but to go where? And do what? Beyond her skills with needle and thread, she had no talents, only unnamed yearnings. Once upon a time, she’d assumed marriage was her future, but the war had bled a staggering number of their young men into the battlefields at Shiloh and Vicksburg. There were precious few left of marriageable age; thus, she’d made her peace with spinsterhood.

Of course, in these shriveled days of postwar depression, she knew she should count herself lucky just to have a roof over her head. Still, she missed times past with its constant stream of people, the rich smells of roasting meats and baking bread wafting in from the kitchen.