Rebecca drew a deep breath and closed her eyes in frustration as she remembered something very important. "Oh no, Charlie, we do need to get up and you need to find Richard, Elizabeth, and Jocko. We had an ‘‘incident’ while you were gone."
Charlie stopped. The tone of Rebecca's voice told him clearly he was not going to like what he was about to hear. "Would you care to tell me the basics? Prepare me for what I will have to face?"
She pulled herself up and gestured for Charlie to hand her the robe from the foot of the bed. Once she slipped into it, she sat up and took his hand. "While you were gone, Jocko went to see Mrs. White. When he arrived, he found her beaten and……" she paused, lowering her eyes then lifting them again. "Davison and his men. They raped her."
Charlie rolled his head back and stared at the ceiling for a moment. He drew a deep breath. "Damn. How is Mrs. White?"
"When she first got here she was bitter, hurt, angry, and scared. But under Elizabeth’s tender ministrations and Jocko’s constant attentions, she will be fine. I am going to let her stay here with us. I am taking in another stray my dear, but she shouldn’t be alone any longer and she will be a delightful addition to the house."
Charlie drew another deep breath and blew it out through puffed cheeks. "She is certainly welcome, and I am sure Jocko will be pleased to have her here. Do we have enough room for her?"
"This is a big house, Charlie. For now we will put her in the room we had been using for the Major. Then once you and Elizabeth leave, I will rearrange the bedrooms. But we are fine."
"Has Richard found Davison and his men?"
"I know he has patrols out looking for them, but you will have to ask him for the details."
I did not tell you last night for the most selfish of reasons. There was nothing you could do, and I needed you. But I know you need to
Charlie ran his hands through his hair. This was not the kind of thing one enjoyed coming back to. Upset civilians would blame the army, and there would be a very sensitive issue about jurisdiction to deal with when the men were captured. "Darling, why did you not tell me this last night?"
"I am sorry. I should have let you tend to this last night when you returned, but I was so happy to see you and there was nothing you could do past what Richard was already doing." She looked down at the rumpled sheets. "And I needed you. I truly am sorry if this has caused a problem."
"Darling, I would not trade last night for anything. If necessary, I will happily respond to any suggestion I was derelict in my duty by pointing out that my duty to my wife and family comes before my duty to country."
Rebecca’s brow rose as she considered him. This was certainly a change in priorities for the officer. He had always made it quite clear that his duty to the Army was the more important thing. She smiled and caressed his cheek. "I am delighted to hear that. Let us get on with our day Charlie. You have this issue to deal with and I have a feeling that in very short order, Little Em will be tearing down the walls to find her Papa."
Charlie kissed Rebecca's forehead. "Yes, dear. Why do I suspect that one of the things you are going to have to do when you rearrange the rooms is to set up a nursery?"
"It is all ready being seen to. Duncan and some of the other men have fashioned furniture, the ladies are making blankets, and a few have been making clothes. At a later time, when you are in need of a good laugh, I will show you my attempt at booties."
"You have been crocheting? My, how domestic of you. Please do not ask me to do the same." Charlie smiled at the homey exchange, but a part of his mind was already elsewhere: considering the implications of a band of ex-Union soldiers raping and stealing their way through Northern Virginia.
"I would not, Charlie, do not worry. I am afraid I shall give it up as well. Unless Jack needs socks for the spring campaign."
"Well, dear, as much as I would love to stay with you this morning, clearly duty calls."
Charlie went through his morning routine quickly, as he needed to get to Richard as soon as possible and find out the status of the situation with Mrs. White and Davison . He pulled on his simplest uniform and headed out to the Officer's Mess. There he found Richard savoring the first cup of coffee of the day.
"Good morning, Richard. I hear we have a major problem to deal with."
"You could say that, oh fearless leader."
"So, have we caught them yet?"
"If we had, we would not have the problem. Charlie, I have had details out around the clock since Jocko brought Mrs. White back. There are indications they are still in the area, but they are well trained soldiers; they know how not to be found."
"Have you wired the other commands to tell them to be on the lookout?"
Richard tried not to look annoyed. He failed, "yes, Father."
Charlie looked at Richard. "Doing it again, am I? I am sorry, my friend. Have you gone so far as to initiate a door-to-door sweep? And, no, I am not asking because I doubt you, I just want to know what has and has not been done. You, my friend, are not the one who has to go talk to Mayor Frazier."
"It is all right Charlie. This whole mess has us all on edge. The men are bound and determined to find these devils. Our troops have actually come to respect these citizens and they are hopping mad over this. I have had men out in all the communities providing sentry duty. They started house to house yesterday. And I have all ready had to deal with not only Mayor Frazier, but also the Reverend and Mrs. Williams. Charlie, are you sure you want to come back here after the war? Would it not be easier to move Rebecca and the children to say, Paris?"
"Oh, shall I assume the ever gracious and gentle Mrs. Williams presented a certain challenge for even your charm?"
"Charlie, I’d rather face Lee and his entire army while under the command of George Custer, than spend even one more day with that woman."
"Do I want to know, or are you going to let me walk into the lion's den unprepared?"
"It is Mrs. Williams, Charlie, at her most righteous. I am sure you can just imagine what you are in for."
Charlie rolled his eyes. "Wonderful. I have an already touchy situation, three rapists or worse, and Mrs. Williams. I will offer you a deal. You take Mrs. Williams and I will handle all the rest of the problems."
Richard actually threw his head back in hearty laughter before he slapped his friend on the back. "Oh no my friend. This is your community now. You should be the one to deal with it. I will be more than happy to wrap the nooses for when we find them; hell, I will even build the gallows, but I will not deal with that wicked woman again."
Charlie sighed a heartfelt, long suffering sigh. He placed one hand over his heart. "If I must, I must. The things a man will do for duty."
Richard grinned at this friend.
"So, Richard. What say you come up to the house and have breakfast with me? You can fill me in on the more mundane happenings this week. That is, if you can manage to drag your eyes away from Elizabeth."
Richard stood and tossed away the dregs of the coffee in his cup. "Like you will be listening to me. You do not notice anything when Rebecca is in the room."
Charlie laughed. "Well, I suppose we are equal, then." He smiled slyly. "Of course, there is another female who can distract both of us from our ladies. And she will probably be at breakfast."
"Oh yes, in your absence I became ‘‘Unc Wichawd’. Jocko was just as good about cleaning my coats as yours."
"Oh, so you have found creamed wheat to be as beneficial to your woolens as I have? I am particularly impressed with how it makes the brass shine."
"I am not sure if it is the wheat or the copious amounts of Emily drool."
The two men were strolling toward the house as they chatted. A small figure burst from the winter kitchen door, her leading strings trailing behind her and Beulah's younger sister running behind the little imp. "PAPA!"
A small human rocket launched itself at Charlie, fully relying on the man's ability to catch her and keep her safe.
"You have been practicing." Richard chuckled as he watched Charlie hoist the girl into his arms. "I dropped her three times last week."
"Hello, little one. Were you good while I was gone?"
"Yes Papa. Em good." She smiled, showing him the teeth becoming more prominent every day and then hugged him tight around his neck. "Em missed Papa."
"And Papa missed Em, too. Were you good for Uncle Richard?" Charlie gave his friend an evil grin over the black mop tucked into his shoulder.
"Yes. Mama Becca spank Em."
"Oh. Were you naughty? I think that Mama Becca only spanks when little girls have been very naughty indeed."
"I am afraid Emily gave Rebecca quite a scare. She decided it would be fun to play a game of hide and seek with Rebecca and would not come when we were all looking for her. Almost an hour after we started looking, we found her hidden behind the curtains in the parlor. Rebecca was beside herself with worry."
"Em, did you hide from Mama Becca?"
"Yes Papa." Her eyes dropped and her lip poked right out; it was obvious she was seeking his forgiveness.
"Little one, hiding from me or Mama Becca or your mother or Dr. Walker or Tess is particularly bad. We are the people who take care of you, and if you hide from us, we get very, very worried. So, do you want to tell me why you hid?"
She lay against his shoulder, "playing."
"Well, little one, there are lots of ways to play. That was not a good one. So you are not going to do it any more, are you?"
"No, Papa. Mama Becca spank Em."
"And if Em does it again, either Mama Becca or Papa will spank Em again." Charlie kissed the little girl's forehead. "Now, how about some breakfast?"
Tess looked at the General gratefully as he waved her off from the energetic child. She went back to the kitchen, where she would actually get a few minutes of sitting quietly, eating breakfast, and gossiping with Sarah before she had to chase the little imp around again.
They strolled up the back stairs and entered the breakfast room from the veranda. Elizabeth and Rebecca were already there waiting for them. More importantly, from Richard's point of view, the coffee pot was already there.
"So, Charlie, how was your experience of shopping in Washington?" Elizabeth had a wicked grin on her face, knowing full well how much Charlie enjoyed that chore.
Charlie raised an eyebrow at her. "Quite successful, thank you. I believe the supplies were unloaded yesterday evening and are in the storage rooms downstairs."
Rebecca turned to Elizabeth and gave her a slight grin. "Yes, Charlie got all the assistance he needed from Mrs. Armstrong."
Richard snorted into his coffee. "Mrs. Armstrong, Charlie? Well, I must say, if you needed to find a professional shopper to assist you, you could not have done better."
Charlie just smiled.
"As long as those were the only professional services she offered," Rebecca mumbled from behind her coffee cup.
Richard gulped the mouthful of coffee and burned his throat, which set off a coughing fit. Still, it was better than spraying coffee all over the table.
Charlie calmly responded to his fiancéée’s comment. "My dear, what services she may or may not have offered are moot. I am yours, and only yours. She did send us a wedding present."
"I know that, Charlie. I was just making an observation."
"I got a present for you, my dear, and one for young Em." Em, who was happily sitting on her Papa's knee eating her morning cereal, heard her name, the word ‘‘present’ and immediately perked up.
"Fow Em?" She grabbed his coat and met him nose to nose. "Em good, Papa."
"Yes, for Em. After you finish your breakfast. And you must eat all of it, little one."
"Mmmm……" Em made quite the show of going back to her cereal and shoveling it into her mouth.
Just then, there was a clattering in the front hall. Reg came into the room, followed immediately by Captain Maguire of Company G. The captain, the youngest of Charlie's company commanders, was covered in dried mud and road dust. His eyes were bloodshot and it was obvious he was suffering from lack of sleep.
He snapped to attention, realizing he had barged into the family's breakfast, blushing to the roots of his hair. "Captain Maguire reporting, sir."
"At ease, Captain. You look like you could use a cup of coffee. Pull up a chair and tell me what has you in such a rush." Rebecca signaled for Reg to get the Captain a cup.
"Thank you, Sir." The young man took a seat, turning earnest eyes on Charlie. "We caught them, Sir."
Charlie sighed. He was silent for a moment, and then asked, "Did you obtain any evidence of other crimes?"
"Well, Sir, we found in their possession several things a man would not normally have on his person. Ladies jewelry and things of that nature, not much, but a few things. Sir, we caught them just outside Culpeper. Seems they heard you had gone to the Capitol and they were comin’ back here."
"What kind of shape are they in?"
He sighed. "Well, Sir, you can imagine. They are dirty and hungry, but they were fightin’ with my men, Sir."
"I believe you have Davison's cousin in your company. How did he behave?"
"Well, Sir, he, well he beat the tar out of Davison before we could pull him off."
"Hummmm. Well, I suppose that is an indication that we have done our job in inspiring the men to want to work as a team, with a common sense of honor." Richard snorted in the background. "Have Samuelson look them over and patch them up. Where are you holding them?"
"We have them locked up nice and tight in the overseer’s cottage. And there are men posted all around the building, Sir, with orders to shoot them on sight if they get out."
"I take it that there is little sympathy for them in the ranks?"