Books like The Quicksilver Pool by Phyllis A. Whitney

Wade Tyler, recovering from war wounds, brings Lora home as his second wife on Staten Island during the 1862-63 winter and summer. Wade’s past and his old submission to his demanding mother clash with Lora’s determination to win his love and protect her child, Jemmy. Amid the political unrest of the Draft Riots and the influence of the Copperhead movement and the Knights of the Golden Circle, Wade’s allegiances are tested. Lora uncovers family secrets, including the death of a woman named Virginia and the machinations of Morgan, the dead woman’s sister who coveted Wade. As the riots erupt, Wade realizes he is loyal to the Union, not the treasonous Vallandigham circle. With Morgan’s house burning and her confession, Wade finally abandons his past love and commits to Lora, resolving the family’s complicated ties against the backdrop of Civil War era New York.

First publish date: 1955