Charlie slipped around her so that she was supporting Rebecca's body with her own, lifting the two of them up to give her a little more leverage. "Tell me what you feel, love. What feels sensitive and good. What is more exciting and what is so sensitive that too much pressure would be painful."
Rebecca’s eyes were tightly closed, her breathing raspy and rapid. "Feels good." She managed to say even as their hands stroked swollen flesh. She felt her body begin to shake, from building pressure deep within her.
"Do you feel this little nub?"
Her hips jerked involuntarily and she gasped. "Yes."
"That is one of the most sensitive parts of a woman’s body. Stroke it with the right amount of pressure and you will find pleasure, love." As she spoke, she also guided Rebecca’s hand to that tight bundle of sensitive nerves.
"Charlie!" Rebecca murmured through clenched teeth, not a sound of pain but one of intense pleasure. She let Charlie’s hand guide her and she explored. She felt her excitement building. "Charlie……"
Charlie guided Rebecca's fingers over her now engorged clitoris, sliding lower to gather more moisture and spread it over the little button. She had Rebecca roll it between her index and middle fingers, then clamped her fingers on either side of the nexus and tugged firmly.
Rebecca body arched and went rigid, shaking intensely with release. This was something Rebecca Gaines had never experienced before. When it was over, she sank deep into Charlie’s arms and cried.
Charlie held her and softly stroked her head and back. "Sssshhhh, love, shush. It is all right, love. It is all right. Breathe, sweetheart."
She took two deep gulping breaths then looked up at Charlie. "Wonderful."
"Yes, love. It is. And with the one you love, it is more than wonderful. It is a time, when for a few moments, you are no longer alone inside your skin."
Rebecca nodded and curled as close to Charlie as she could get. "I am glad I found out about this." She chuckled. "Thank you for showing me."
Charlie lay there, gently holding Rebecca's still form. The ache at her own center was driving her mad. The sight of Rebecca exploring herself, the feel of Rebecca’s heat and passion so close to her own flesh and yet not truly touching her was torture.
Rebecca giggled and shifted, now that her brain was coming back to her, she thought speech possible. "You should try that." She teased.
"I have, love. How do you think I have managed to keep my hands mostly to myself so far?" Charlie's voice was a little shaky.
"But what about now?"
With Rebecca in her arms, with an ache that was as much of her soul as her body, the idea of self-satisfaction was pallid indeed. "Right now, my own touch is insufficient, dear."
"Then teach me." She whispered, kissing Charlie’s throat and neck.
A tremor ran through Charlie's body. She was so intensely excited and had been holding herself under such rigid control that the feel of Rebecca's lips on her throat, and Rebecca’s soft whisper were driving her higher than she expected. Through clenched teeth, Charlie admitted, "It will not take much. All you need do is stroke that little nub and I think I will explode."
Rebecca’s hand slowly found it is way to Charlie’s legs, fingers trailed lightly over soft skin, then she went between Charlie’s legs. She giggled a bit. "Yours are stiffer than mine."
"Stiffer?" The nonsequitor was enough to draw Charlie out of her haze of desire at least a little bit. The return of some semblance of control was actually welcome.
"Hmm," Rebecca purred, grazing her fingers through Charlie’s hair. "Coarser, thicker. Let us see what else is different." She slowly slipped her fingers between Charlie’s legs.
Charlie's body arched up into her hand and a long, deep groan worked its way up from somewhere deep in her body. The hand wrapped around Rebecca's shoulder clenched convulsively.
"Is this good, my love?" Rebecca’s fingers continued stroking the heated flesh.
"Oh, God, yes." Charlie whimpered.
Rebecca remembered what Charlie had taught her and she found the nerve center and began an earnest exploration. Her touch was firm and dedicated. She was not sure why, but she thought Charlie would want and need a firmer touch than she had.
Charlie's hips rocked into her hand in a rhythm as old as time. She had dreamed of Rebecca's fingers touching her so lovingly, so intimately. It only took a few strokes and then Charlie's whole body arched up, rigid, braced only on her shoulders and heels. A deep, husky cry tore from her. "Rebecca."
Then Charlie crashed back to the bed, trembling from head to toe, her hips jerking into Rebecca's hand. A flood of steaming fluid drenched Rebecca's fingers. Then Charlie stilled, the only movement and sound was of the air sobbing into her lungs.
"Yes, love." Rebecca whispered. She did not remove her hand. She felt almost instinctively that she should stay there until Charlie asked her to move. She pulled the woman into her arms so that her head rested on her shoulder. "I love you, Charlie."
Charlie's heart was still pounding under Rebecca's touch. Being cradled so intimately by this beautiful woman was more than the usually stoic Charlie could manage. Silent tears slid down her cheek and dampened Rebecca's gown. Tears that were born of the intensity, the relief, and most of all, of the total surrender that this most intimate and tender embrace required. Charlie was home.
--*--
Friday,
D
ecember 15, 1864
R
ebecca sat at the breakfast table finishing what everyone considered a huge breakfast. Charlie had sat through the first part of the meal with a silly grin on his face. Elizabeth watched them, but decided to wait until Charlie had left for the day before she said anything.
As she leaned back in her chair and watched out the window as Charlie walked down the walk with something of a bounce in his step, she chuckled, and then turned back to Rebecca.
"Well?"
Rebecca looked up from the coffee she had just poured. "Well what?"
"So what has you two grinning like a pair of baboons?"
Rebecca blushed. "Why, Doctor, I have no idea what you’re talking about."
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. "Something happened that I do not know about, or I too would be stretching my grinning muscles like you two are."
Rebecca tried to hide her grin, which only widened. "I assure you, the Colonel has been a perfect gentleman.
"And have you been a perfect lady?"
"I like to think so, yes." She was nearly laughing now, but trying very hard to keep from it.
"Shall I take it that the two of you are discovering a new aspect of your relationship?"
"I believe that would be a safe assumption on your part, Doctor."
Elizabeth laughed softly and shook her head, then went back to brooding over the information she had gleaned from Constance in the early hours of the morning.
"What’s wrong, Doctor?"
"I had a long talk with Constance this morning. A very long talk. Seems that our Major Montgomery was awake and feeling hostile last night."
"Yes, Constance did not seem right last night, but I did not want to push her for information. She was tired when I saw her."
"It seems that Montgomery is currently just as abusive toward both Southerners and women as Charlie said he had been before the accident. Also that he is hostile and suicidal."
"I was afraid as much. He is not a kind man. What did he say to her?"
"Evidently quite a bit, including but not limited to suggesting that she deserved being raped by his men because she was a southerner."
"His men? My Lord, do you mean to tell me that the men who did this are part of Charlie’s troops?"
"Evidently. And although he did not say specifically, I would say that our Major might know who did it. Charlie does not know, and to be honest, I am almost afraid to tell him. Not because of what it would do to Charlie or to the men, but because of what it would do to Constance."
"Those men need to be punished. If they are not, any woman they choose is next. It could be you or me and what would happen to Charlie, Richard and Constance then?"
"You are right, I suppose. I just hate dragging Constance through this. Perhaps Montgomery, in his anger and arrogance, will provide us with more information."
"We will give him a few days, but if he does not tell us anything else, I will have to go to Charlie. I am going to be his wife. He trusts me and if he found out I knew this and did not tell him, he would never forgive me."
"Rebecca? Constance knows that the men who raped her were from the 13th, but it was before Charlie took command."
"You know Charlie as well as I do. I am sure even better. You know that he would want to know this regardless. It would not matter to him when it happened. He would want to take those men to task."
"It would be hard on him. The penalty for rape is hanging. And he would do it because he could do no other."
"I know that, I do not want to hurt him, but look at Constance, look at Em. You know the men who did this see her here at the house. Maybe they do not remember her, or maybe they do. If they do, can you imagine what kind of things are being said about that lovely woman, who has had to endure far more than any of us have?"
"As a doctor, I am pledged to save lives, to do no harm. But this is hard. In this case, what I know is supposed to stay with me, part of doctor –– patient privilege. And what I know, if not used, could eventually cause another, even more painful riff than Duncan's little fight."
"Doctor, I will not hide this from Charlie, but I will help you try to get more information out of the Major."
"And we will have to gently get information from Constance. I fear that more than I fear grilling the arrogant Montgomery."
"I know, we will not do it right away. But it has to be done."
Both women looked grim. "You know, I think I will discuss this with Richard. He may be able to handle it more effectively than I, and I would be much more comfortable not breaking my physicians’ oath directly. Constance’s history and Montgomery’s delirious ramblings are protected by that oath."
"Yes, I think he would be a great assistance to Charlie with it."
"Perhaps I can convince Richard to take this issue on himself, and handle the military side of it. In this way, though Charlie will have to sit in judgment as regimental commander, he can stay clear of it. Otherwise, he may find that this simply polarizes the troops further."
"That sounds like a very logical thing to do. And maybe he could deal with it in a quiet manner, only letting those who need to know, be privy to the information."
"Let us hope. See what you can do about getting Constance to talk with you, please. I really hate being in this position. It feels like I am being pulled in two different directions."
"I will. I will talk with her today. We are supposed to take Em to the pond for a picnic. I will talk to her there."
"Thank you, Rebecca. It is an impossible situation for me to be in. I am not supposed to share the confidences of my patients, yet what these two, separately and together, have told me has the potential for harming so many others if some action is not taken."
"I know and I would never ask you to betray that confidence, but if I can get the information from one or both sources I am bound by no honor other than that as Charlie’s wife."
Elizabeth stopped short. "Charlie's wife? So you will marry him? How soon?"
"Yes, we are getting married. When, I am not sure. We have not set a date yet. I do not know if it will be before he goes or when he gets back."
"If I know Charlie, he will want to do it before he goes. He'll want to make sure that if something does happen, you will be taken care of."
"That does not matter to me. I just want him to come home."
Elizabeth smiled. "You know, he is called Lucky Charlie. I think it is because he always considers the worst case and prepares for it. That way, having prepared for it, he somehow manages to keep it from happening. At least that is what he says."
"He had better be very careful. I expect him to come home and help me get the farm running again. Do you think he’ll be happy here, Elizabeth? He will not get bored, will he?"
Elizabeth looked out the window over the rolling land, perfect for raising healthy horses. She looked back at the shy, eager woman beside her. "No, Rebecca, I do not think that Charlie will ever be bored living with you. Challenged, perhaps, but never bored."
"I hope it is good challenged and not bad challenged."
Elizabeth laughed, the first genuine and uninhibited laugh that Rebecca had ever heard. "It is very good challenged, my dear. Very good indeed."
"I am glad you approve. I know you are one of Charlie’s closest and dearest friends and your opinion is important to him."
"Rebecca. We are both seeing a Charlie that I have never seen. He is open, he is laughing, he is happy with you. Even with all the burdens on him right now, he is laughing. And I think he feels very loved."
"After last night," she paused and smiled, "he should."
Elizabeth looked at Rebecca for a moment, startled. Then a slow blush traveled over her features. Rebecca had sounded so sultry and so satisfied that just her tone of voice was embarrassing.
D
amn. Sometimes this being a virgin is just a plain annoyance
.
Chapter 18
Saturday,
D
ecember 17, 1864
S
aturday was the first day that had been clear in over a week. Charlie needed to get outside, to smell the clear air without the constant odor of ashes, burning wood, and damp wool.
His need to get out of the house was urgent; he also needed time alone with Rebecca to resolve an issue that had been gnawing at his conscience for weeks. What better way than to take his love on a ride through this crisp early winter morning.