Richard Polk was waiting for her. As Samuelson and Whitman tended to the patient, he wrapped her in his own greatcoat and half walked, half carried her back to the main house. There, Sarah was waiting with warm soup, bread and fruit, along with a pot of strong, sweet black tea. She ate as much as she could, then Richard carried her upstairs to her room and turned her over to Lizbet for the night.
--*--
A
similar repast had been carried to the back parlor. Rebecca woke Charlie, who was embarrassed by sleeping the afternoon away. She soothed his concern, reminding him that he was ill, and that the best cure for what ailed him was sleep. They shared the simple meal sitting before the fire, and spent the evening speaking of effortless things; poetry and literature they had both read and enjoyed, music they liked, and even foods they preferred. Once more, they found that they shared a great similarity in tastes and sensibilities.
Unusually, Rebecca was dreading bedtime tonight. She feared that with Dr. Walker’s presence, Charlie would choose to sleep on the davenport, rather than with her. The thought of trying to sleep without those strong arms around her was almost frightening. Finally, Charlie yawned.
"Miss Rebecca, you must be tired. Shall we retire?"
"Oh, Colonel, I am sorry. You are still ill and I have kept you up all hours. It was just that I was enjoying our conversation so."
"Well, come upstairs, Miss Rebecca. We can continue our chat for as long as I can keep my eyes open, at least." Charlie laughed softly.
"Are you sure, Colonel?"
He raised a brow. "I am very sure Miss Rebecca, unless you have reconsidered our arrangement.
"No!" She blurted out a bit faster than she intended. "Everything is fine..I..I……Well, it is not important." She stood offering him her hand. "Let us go to bed."
Saturday, November 19, 1864
C
harlie woke early the next morning. His fever had abated; his head was still stuffed, but his throat no longer felt like someone had poured acid down it and his lungs had lost their wet bricks.
Time to get back to work. Just too many things needed to be done after the storm for him to lie about in bed another day.
In the dim light of dawn, he slipped from under the covers and went looking for his clothing. Jocko had brought over at least one change of clothes for him.
Rustling through the wardrobe in the corner, Charlie made just enough noise to wake Rebecca.
"Colonel Redmond, what do you think you are doing?" She threw the covers back getting out of bed quickly.
"Oh, Miss Rebecca. I am sorry, I did not mean to wake you."
"Nonsense, do not worry about that, but please answer my question."
"Well, its morning. I usually get dressed and go to work in the morning, Ma'am." Charlie was amused. She reminded him of a bantam rooster - or maybe a hen - when she was in this mood.
She took his shirt from his hand. "Get back in bed, Charlie."
"But, Rebecca, I sat up in the parlor yesterday, and took it easy. And I am feeling much better today, really I am."
"Colonel Redmond, whether you like it or not, you are still not up to snuff and I want to make sure you are better."
"I assure you, ma'am, I am feeling much better. I will be fine. And if I do feel a little less than full force, I promise you, I will sit and rest a bit." Unfortunately, his image of the hale and healthy gentleman was somewhat disrupted by an explosive sneeze, followed by another coughing fit.
"Oh yes, I can see you are the picture of health, Charlie. Now do not make me resort to violence to keep you in the house." She teased. "I do believe in your current condition I could give you what for. I may be small, but I am fierce." The scolding was softened by the smile on her face.
Charlie groped for a handkerchief and sat in the rocking chair to regain his breath. "Well, perhaps I am not yet fully recovered. But I really do feel much better. And the men really do need me."
"I am very well aware of everyone who needs you, Colonel." she brushed her fingers through his unruly hair to offer him some comfort. "I will make you a deal."
Charlie looked up into her eyes, expectantly. The feel of her fingers in his hair was very pleasant indeed. Somehow, in the past two days, a barrier had been crossed.
"If you promise to behave and stay in the house today. You may retain the office here in the house for your permanent office and hold your meetings here where the staff can tend to you properly."
"Yes, but I know you prefer the back parlor as your own personal space. Perhaps your husband had an office with a separate entrance? Or the farm manager? Here in the main house, but not in the middle of your daily life? If there was a room like that, I would like it very much."
"There is an manager’s office that has a separate entrance. You are most welcome to use it if you wish. Then we can retain the parlor for our personal use."
"I would like that very much, Miss Rebecca. And that way, the back parlor remains private. I know how much time you spend in that room, and how lovely the view is in the late afternoon as the sun is setting behind the mountains. I would not want to take that from you, dear lady."
"Then you will not. You will use the manager’s office and we will still have the parlor."
Charlie stepped closer to the woman standing before him, and caught her hand in his own. The care she had given him, the things the thought of and offered for his comfort and convenience all touched him in places no one had ever reached. "I cannot even begin to tell you how much I appreciate the care you have shown for me, and for my men. I promise you, I will do my best to make it as comfortable for you as I can."
"You have already given me more than you will ever know, Colonel Redmond." She paused for a moment then slowly stepped closer and embraced him, holding it for a long moment. "More than you will ever know." She whispered before stepping back.
Charlie's arms encircled her automatically. The feel of her arms around him, the soft silk of her hair against his cheek, the warmth of her slender body against his own was heaven. He felt like he had been given a brief taste of Eden, like she heard the words in the silence of his heart and had answered them. He wanted to cry out when she stepped away, the sense loss was so great. He tried to speak, and had to clear his throat. "Miss Rebecca." He could not express what he felt in that moment. Instead, he simply bowed over her hand, pressing it to his lips in a long, tender tribute.
The two came to a truce, and Charlie had permission from the lady of the house to hold his first staff meeting in the manager’s office. To have a place where his men could gather and stay reasonably warm was a blessing. It was amazing just how cold a large tent could get in the winter.
Together, Charlie and Rebecca went downstairs to sample Sarah’s breakfast cooking. They entered the morning room, traditionally used by the family for intimate meals like breakfast, to find Dr. Walker already there, and happily eating Sarah’s lovely, fluffy drop biscuits with butter and honey. Appropriate greetings were exchanged, while Rebecca poured cups of coffee for Charlie and herself. She then settled at the small table with the two old friends. Elizabeth watched the two with a twinkle of amusement in her eye. Clearly, these two had a connection. It remained to be seen just how intense it was and if Charlie would have the courage to act on it.
"Ah, Mrs. Gaines. I must thank you for the lovely hospitality you afford me. I cannot tell you how much more pleasant it is to have a room and a bed of my own when out in the field with the boys."
"Dr. Walker, please, call me Rebecca."
"And you must call me Elizabeth, as Charlie does."
"It is my pleasure, I assure you. I have been alone in this big old rambling place for so long that company is most welcome. I trust you slept well?"
"Most assuredly. Colonel Polk was kind enough to escort me back to the house last night when I finished surgery and I was so exhausted that I simply retired after a light supper. I know it was not the most polite action, but I was sure you would understand."
Charlie broke into their chat. "So how did the surgery go, Elizabeth?"
The physician’s face shifted into a focused look of concern. "He had a compressed skull fracture. I have cleaned the wound, relieved the pressure on the brain and removed a number of bone splinters. Now it is a matter of time. He may stay as he is until something like pneumonia takes him, or he may begin to recover. It really depends on how strong he is."
"Thank you for your efforts, ma’am. I will write his family again, providing them with at least some information as to his status and prospects. If you do not mind looking it over when I am done, I would deeply appreciate it."
"Of course, Charlie. I know how hard these things are for you, my friend." Elizabeth patted his arm gently.
A pang of jealousy shot through Rebecca as she watched the easy exchange between the two. The closeness of their friendship, shown both in the fact that they were on a first name basis and in the casual touch, burned into her. She wanted that kind of easy intimacy with the Colonel.
"So tell me, Elizabeth, how did you and Colonel Redmond meet?"
Elizabeth glanced at Charlie, a little concerned over inadvertently revealing more than perhaps the Colonel would like.
"It is all right, Elizabeth. She knows." There was a calm self-assurance in the statement that was a testament to Charlie’s faith in this woman’s discretion.
One eyebrow rose with that knowledge.
What is there between these two? Charlie only came to me because of absolute necessity and then I thought I would have to drag it out of him. Yet he has only known Rebecca for a few days and yet he speaks of her knowing with so much confidence. Has our good, austere and isolated Colonel fallen?
"To be honest, we met as doctor and patient. Charlie was injured and needed help. He sought me out, hoping I would understand and keep his trust. From there, we became friends."
As the three of them sat and chatted politely over breakfast, Beulah escorted Colonel Polk into the room.
"Good morning, Miss Rebecca, Doctor Walker, Colonel." Polk’s manners were still impeccable. He stood there, fidgeting with the brim of his hat.
"Please join us, Colonel." Rebecca motioned to Beulah to get the Colonel a cup of coffee.
"Thank you, Miss Rebecca." He turned to the physician. "Did you sleep well, Doctor? I was concerned about you last night. You seemed so exhausted. You know," he admonished, "if you wear yourself out, I would not –– you will not be able to help any of the men," he finished rather lamely.
"Thank you for your concern, Colonel. I truly appreciated your waiting for me last night and escorting me back to the house." She smiled very gently at the slightly flustered officer. "Your concern and care for me, Colonel, is always appreciated."
Rebecca watched these two, then glanced at Charlie. The look on his face almost made her giggle. He had leaned back in his chair and was watching the two of them like a satisfied, well fed cat. The look of benign amusement in his eyes, coupled with the small smirk that twisted his lips immediately conveyed the message.
Elizabeth and Polk? Well that had possibilities.
The stab of jealousy receded, and instead Rebecca thought that perhaps, just perhaps, Elizabeth would be someone she could talk with.
Elizabeth and Polk came to something of an impasse, with neither of them willing to move forward in their conversation nor willing to break their eye contact. Charlie raised an eyebrow and decided to break the tension.
"Polk, I am glad you are here. I have a couple of issues I would like to discuss with both you and Dr. Walker." The two broke their gaze and looked at Charlie inquiringly. Rebecca hid her smile behind her coffee cup.
"We have a couple of morale problems to deal with. First, Dr. Walker, I have orders to try to build bridges to the civilian community. President Lincoln is aware that this war cannot continue for too much longer. The end is inevitable." Both Polk and Elizabeth nodded their agreement, as did Rebecca. "He wants us to do whatever we can to lay a groundwork of relationship with the civilian populations that will make the reconstruction of the Union as painless as possible, given the antipathy of the situation."
"I would like to offer the people of Culpeper County access to our medical services, plus what ever else we can provide them. Can you organize such an outreach effort, Doctor?"
"Well, I can certainly organize the resources. But I have no relationship with the people here. I have not lived in the area for years, and when I did it was down in Charlottesville." She turned to Rebecca. "Perhaps, Mrs. Gaines, you could assist in this process? Surely providing medical care for your neighbors is not an issue related to which side of this conflict you support, but instead can be framed in terms of being a good neighbor."
She nodded, placing her cup on the table. "I would be delighted to help Elizabeth. There are many good people here who just need a helping hand to get back their good standing. But I must warn you. There are some very sharp beaks in Culpeper."
"Excuse me?"
The Colonel laughed. "Miss Rebecca is referring to what she like to call the biddie brigade."
The doctor and Polk, both burst out laughing. Charlie looked to Rebecca, but did not even pretend to try and hide the grin on his face.
"Oh you!" She scolded, giving him a playful slap to the hand. "The doctor will think awful things of me if you tell such stories."
"Then dear lady, do not say such things." He teased, causing further laughter from the guests.
Elizabeth glanced down to the table, noticing that Rebecca had not moved her hand from Charlie’s and that he had wrapped his fingers around hers.
They do not even know they are holding hands. What they have is so natural they do not even notice. Oh Charlie, you have found yourself quite a lady here. Be strong and hang on to her.