Christine understands that well. The war changed everyone in different ways, but seeing the blood and hearing the artillery fire was much different than sitting in the parlor in New Orleans, sipping at tea.

"I was a nurse in the war," she admits. She can't elaborate without admitting that she was tending to the Confederates, but if Mrs. Winchester asks, she won't deny it. "It reshapes you into a wholly new being. I hardly can believe who I used to be. But despite all the hardships, I feel I needed to do it. I like the person I am now far better than the one I was." The one who valued her name and her reputation. The one who delighted in gossip and frivolous parties. Life may not be a whirlwind of excitement now, but it doesn't feel near so empty either.