Mrs. Cooper looked at the man before her with some surprise. She knew the General was a sensitive man, but this perceptiveness was more than she thought any man capable of. "Well, sir, you seem to have a good grasp of what she has been through. In addition to being violent and controlling, he was unfaithful, and unfaithful in ways that were very insulting. I know Rebecca tolerated it in silence, but I could see how much it pained her."
"I hope you know I would never insult her in that way."
"General, may I be perfectly blunt with you?"
"Of course you may."
"I have never known a gentleman who did not stray at some point in his marriage. I just ask that you be discreet about it. Furthermore, Sir, if you ever hurt her like Gaines did, I will personally see to it that you are called to task. She is a sweet woman; she does not deserve that kind of treatment."
Charlie nodded, "I would hope so. I can see how much you care for her and I am pleased she will have you to rely on when I am called back to service. But rest assured, when I return home I will be faithful to Rebecca as no man has ever been faithful to a woman before."
"I hope so, General, I truly hope so. I assume you have also heard the rumors that Rebecca is…… unable to bear children?"
"Yes, but that does not concern me. As you know, Rebecca has decided to take in every waif that passes through Culpeper, and..." Charlie shifted knowing now was the time to fix this particular problem before more rumors got started. "You see, Ma'am, I was injured. I am afraid I cannot father children."
"Oh, my, sir. That is most unfortunate. If it is not too personal, may I ask how extensive the injury was? I mean, I know Rebecca is a passionate woman and I……" She trailed off, embarrassed to ask the question that was floating just out of reach, past the boundary of her Southern propriety.
"I assure you. I am capable of satisfying Miss Rebecca, just not fathering children."
Mrs. Cooper blushed, rather becomingly for an older woman, and smiled. "I am sure you will extend yourself to the limits of your capabilities, sir. I just do not want to see Rebecca hurt again."
Charlie could not help but smile. He gave Mrs. Cooper a little wink. "I give you my word, ma’am. I will not hurt her."
--*--
C
harlie escorted Mrs. Cooper upstairs. Entering the back parlor, he announced, "Darling, look who has come to help you through the day." Rebecca looked at Charlie and Mrs. Cooper with an odd lack of comprehension.
"What?"
"Honey, Mrs. Cooper has come to help you today." Rebecca was wandering around the room, aimlessly toying with the flowers, the carefully sorted dishes for the following day, the ribbons for the ballroom and various other items that were carefully staged in the parlor for deployment the following morning. She rather reminded Charlie of a lost lamb, milling around looking for its ewe. He looked at Mrs. Cooper. "Perhaps, ma’am, I should send a messenger to your husband asking him to join us here for the evening."
"Ah, yes, I suspect you are right. She looks a little…… disoriented. Mr. Cooper and I can take her to our home to dress for the wedding in the morning. Thank you, General."
Rebecca looked up from a flower arrangement. "Hello, Charlie."
"Hello, darling." He went to her and gave her a soft hug and a kiss on the forehead. "Mrs. Cooper is here to see you, dear."
Rebecca looked from Charlie to the woman across the room. "Hello, Grace." She looked back to Charlie. "We are getting married in the morning."
"Yes, dear. We are getting married in the morning. At least we are if you still want to." Charlie looked over at Mrs. Cooper, a silent plea in his eyes. He was starting to panic. Had the stress finally gotten to Rebecca? Had his beautiful, strong lady finally snapped? "Darling, are you all right? You seem so…… distracted."
She looked at him, not fully understanding what he was saying, but understanding the look of concern on his face. "I am fine…… really."
Charlie was at a loss. She seemed totally removed from him, from the events going on around her, from the bustle of the day. "Are you sure, darling? I do not want our wedding to put you back in bed, as you were before Christmas."
"General, I think you will find that your bride is merely suffering from a severe case of nerves." Mrs. Cooper joined them and placed her arm around Rebecca's shoulder. "She will be fine. I will take care of her and she will be at the church in the morning. You need not worry. Everything is fine."
"Perhaps I should take her up to her room? Maybe a nap and some quiet time together?"
Mrs. Cooper smiled. "General Redmond, I realize that over the last few months, you and Rebecca have had a rather unique situation as far as sleeping arrangements are concerned. But for today and tonight, I think it would be best if you made arrangements to sleep elsewhere."
Charlie looked at her with his mouth hanging open. It had never occurred to him that he would have to observe that particular tradition. He and Rebecca had slept together every night since he had come to Culpeper, except for the few days he had spent in Washington. Spending the night on the chesterfield in his office was not exactly what he had planned for the night before the wedding. He had had visions of cuddling and wooing his lady. They evaporated with a snap before Mrs. Cooper’s gentle but firm presence. To make matters worse, he had just invited her to spend the night, so she was there to enforce this token gesture to proprietary.
"So, I assure you that Rebecca will be fine, General. Perhaps you should go enjoy your last night as a bachelor with a few of your men. If you are of a mind, I am sure Mr. Cooper would like to celebrate with you."
Meekly, Charlie acceded to her instructions. "Yes, ma’am. I will see you at dinner, and will send a messenger now to inform your husband of your presence here tonight."
"Thank you, General."
--*--
B
anished from the main part of the house, Charlie wandered down to his office. He summoned Duncan and asked him to send a messenger to Mr. Cooper. Then he walked through the stables to see Jack, who was far more interested in Shannon. Charlie made a note to have Tarent mate them, as it was clear Shannon was coming into season. He then wandered through the camp, which was eerily quiet and seemingly deserted. Finally, he went back to the house and up to Em’s room. Tess was keeping her in her room, playing with her quietly to keep her out of the way of the final day’s preparations. Charlie sat on the floor, playing blocks with her, until it was time for supper.
That was not much better. Samantha Carter was running the house for the day and had rustled up some cold ham and a pot of soup for supper. It was simple; it was easy for everyone to take what they wanted, and it meant Sarah could focus on the wedding banquet. Charlie fed Em and gave her to Tess for her bath then wandered back to pick up something for himself. He was really hoping to see Rebecca.
Mrs. Cooper flashed into the morning room, gathering two plates. "How is Rebecca, Mrs. Cooper? Is she coming down for dinner?"
"No, General, she is resting in her room. I told you to go out with the other gentlemen. Now git."
Richard strolled up, overhearing Mrs. Cooper’s side of the conversation. "Come on, Charlie. The boys and I will keep you occupied for the evening. You need to escape from this hive of feminine activity."
Charlie followed Richard. He had no other options available.
Richard nudged his friend. "Buck up, Charlie, it is only one night."
"That is fine for you to say, but……" Charlie could hear himself. "God, I am whining. Get me out of here, Richard."
"With pleasure."
--*--
R
ichard threw Charlie’s greatcoat at him. "Come with me to the Officers’ Mess. Surely we can find something to do down there."
As the two men strolled down to the encampment, they chatted about the order of tomorrow’s event. The wedding was scheduled for three in the afternoon; then the guests were coming back to Redmond Stables for a festive banquet. Charlie and Rebecca would spend their first night as a married couple in their own bed, leaving on Monday for a week in Washington.
They arrived at the Officers’ Mess to find the timbered tent alive with voices. Richard threw the door open and literally pushed Charlie through it.
There were more men in the tent than usual and some of them were civilians. All of Charlie’s senior officers were present, as well as Cooper and Frazier and a couple of other local men of Charlie’s acquaintance. But there were also several unexpected gentlemen present. Sheridan, McCauley, and Merritt were over by a large punch bowl where Duncan presided. In the corner with Mayor Frazier sat a stubby man with three stars on his shoulders and a cloud of cigar smoke above his head. Charlie was overwhelmed.
It may have been his bachelor’s party, but Charlie’s training took over spontaneously. He snapped to attention and saluted. "General Grant, sir."
"Take the stick out of your arse, Redmond. This is your party." Grant grinned and went back to his conversation with Frazier, who he had met and befriended when he had used Culpeper as his own base of operations the previous spring.
Whitman handed Charlie a mug. Charlie immediately took a large mouthful and nearly choked. He had expected coffee, perhaps laced with brandy. What he got was hot rum punch, and by the intensity, one made mostly of rum with only a nod to the other traditional ingredients.
The officers stood in response to Richard tapping on his mug. "Gentlemen, I give you our beloved friend and commander, General Charles H. Redmond. Charlie Redmond, the model soldier, ‘‘til green eyes smiled and made his blood smolder. Now Charlie’s a groom, Rebecca’s in charge and together, we pray, they shall grow older. To Charlie and Rebecca."
The men duly drank the toast then pummeled Richard for his atrocious poetry.
The officers brought out their gift to Charlie, with Swallow, as the senior officer of the company commanders presenting it. "General, as much as we regret it, we understand that you intend to return to civilian life when this war is concluded. Therefore, we have decided that you need to learn to ride in something other than a cavalry saddle. So we got this for you." He unveiled a beautifully tooled hunt saddle that had the distinctive mark of Crosby Leatherworks. Charlie ran his hand over the butter soft leather. Young Dewees spoke up. "We tried it on Jack, Sir. Fits him like a glove." Charlie was deeply touched; he went to each man in his command with a word of appreciation.
Richard’s toast had opened the door to a round of raucous toasts and jokes. The tale of Rebecca and Charlie in the stable, which had made the rounds of the camp very quickly, was resurrected and speculated upon. Charlie spent much of the evening blushing, but as his consumption of the rum punch continued the blushes turned to the flushed face of a man who had had a little too much to drink.
As the midnight guard changed, General Grant decided it was time for this little party to break up, or risk the groom being useless the following day. He stood and cleared his throat. Of course, General Grant had helped himself liberally to Charlie’s supply of brandy, and his words were none too clear; nor was he particularly steady on his feet. "Gen’lmen. ‘‘S been a fine evenin’, but ‘‘tis time to bid our grushing broom –– uh –– blushing groom good night." Grant stumbled over towards Charlie, where he promptly flopped on Charlie’s shoulder. "Bed time, boys." Laughing, Sheridan and Merritt relieved Charlie of the unexpected burden of their commander.
Charlie pulled on his greatcoat and headed out the door, escorted by Richard. They trudged through the cold up to the house, where Charlie let himself in the front door. Richard, unexpectedly, followed him in. "What are you doing, Richard? I am perf’ly fine. I can find my own bed, thank you."
"Oh, really, General ‘‘Totally In Control’? Then why are you headed upstairs?"
"Because that is where my bed is, of course."
"Not tonight, my friend. Tonight you sleep in your office."
"I have to go to Rebecca."
"Not tonight, laddio. Tonight you sleep alone. Jocko and I will collect you in the morning."
Richard steered Charlie down the back stairs to his office. Jocko had thoughtfully laid out blankets and a pillow on the old chesterfield sofa, pulled it in front of the fire, and banked a slow burning fire in the fireplace. Richard relieved Charlie of his overcoat and uniform coat, then pushed his friend into the sofa and pulled his boots off.
Charlie realized that Richard was planning to put him into bed. His innate sense of survival helped him to pull himself together. "Thanks, Richard, but I can handle the rest myself. I believe you also have a role to play tomorrow, old friend. So off to bed with you as well."
"If you are sure, Charlie." Richard grinned evilly. "Sleep well, because I am sure that you will need all your energies for tomorrow."
--*--
C
harlie woke at dawn, as was his habit. A watery stream of sunlight was coming through the cracks in the curtains, hitting him right in the eyes. This was unfortunate, as he had more than a slight hangover. He struggled out of his covers, buttoned his rumpled, slept-in shirt, and half tucked it back into his trousers. In his stocking feet, he padded out into the hall and over to the winter kitchen, praying to all the gods there were that Sarah had a pot of coffee going.
Sarah and several other servants were bustling around the kitchen. Reg was setting up the clockwork spit that would rotate for several hours without being tended. Charlie stood in the door for several minutes watching them before anyone noticed his presence.
"La, General Charlie. What are you doing in the kitchen this early?" Sarah had turned and saw him standing there. She grabbed a mug and pulled a cup of coffee from the urn she had set on the warming stove. "Well, Sir, are you going to just stand there or come in and have your coffee?"