From there, he went to the office of the Paymaster of the Army. He spent a very long time working with the Army’s clerical staff arranging for Rebecca to receive his pension in the event of his untimely demise, as the terms of the benefits contract stated.
Having completed his legal tasks, he set off to the haberdashery on G Street with Rebecca’s list clutched in his hand. Walking into the store and looking around was a rather intimidating experience for the usually self-effacing General. It was a world that was very definitely feminine, filled with bolts of fabric in all weights, materials, and colors, with great racks of buttons, pre-made bows, rolls of lace, threads of more colors than any rainbow ever contained. There were forms that could be adjusted to emulate the exact body structure of a woman. All of this was flanked with acres of hat forms, feathers, ribbons, and things for which Charlie simply could not identify.
Charlie looked at the list in his hand and at the bewildering array in front of him and realized he needed help…… lots of help.
He turned around and marched out of the building. The jeweler would be much easier. Rounding the corner, he went into the discreet and elegant shop a few doors down from the haberdashers’. The shop owner looked at the dapper General and recognized a gentleman of taste. The two gentlemen talked quietly, and then Charlie looked at some stones and settings. Within about thirty minutes, they had reached a satisfactory agreement. Charlie arranged to return the following afternoon to pick up three rings –– two for Rebecca and one for himself.
Charlie took himself back to the Willard for a glass of beer in the lobby. It had become a tradition in town that all gentlemen of substance met in that large lobby at around 4:00 every afternoon for a glass of beer. Mr. Lincoln walked over from the White House, along with his command officers and advisors. Anyone who wanted to see the President made a point of being there to join him. Charlie wanted to have a final word with the Quartermaster General, and meeting at the Willard during the afternoon gentlemen’s constitutional was much easier than trying to get another appointment. Unfortunately, General Meigs did not show up. Charlie politely saluted his Commander-In-Chief, who had a couple of kind words for him, finished his beer, then went upstairs to don eveningwear. He had a mission –– to acquire knowledgeable feminine support when he went back to the haberdashery on G Street the next day.
His evening would be spent convincing Lizzie to help.
--*--
Rebecca paused outside the door of Constance's room, with the breakfast tray. She decided she would see how the young woman was feeling before bringing up the unpleasant business at hand.
Entering quietly, so as not to disturb Constance if she was resting, she was surprised to see her sitting up in a chair looking out of the window.
"Good morning dear, it is good to see you up and about."
"Good morning, Rebecca. It is a lovely morning, is it not? I think the view from your back windows, out over the fields, with the mountains in the mist, is one of the most peaceful sights I have ever seen."
There was a strange quality to Constance’s visage. She was pale and frail, except for the swelling of her belly, but there was clarity and a peace Rebecca had never seen on anyone’s face before.
"Yes, I love it here. It is a beautiful place." She sat the tray on the small table then moved it in front of the young woman. "I am fortunate that I will be able to remain here. So many others have lost so much."
"But you have chosen to share it with us, and for that I am very grateful. You have given me more than I can ever express thanks for. You have given me peace at a time when I thought I would never experience it again. And you have given me a vision for my future and my childrens’ future that I am very happy with."
"I am glad. You know you are welcome to remain here for as long as you like. Charlie and I have fallen in love with Em and we would miss her terribly."
"I am glad that you have. For I am thinking that the reward of bringing this little one into the world," she patted her belly, "will be for me to rejoin my darling Henry. If God does grant me that dearest gift, I hope you and the General will raise my children as loving, devout and honorable people."
"Constance, I know you are not feeling well, but there is always hope."
Constance looked at Rebecca and smiled gently. "My dear, you really do not understand. Without Henry, my life is a torment of pain and aching loss. This child is just a small part of that. More than anything, I am without the other half of my soul. The hope, for me, is to be with Henry again. With you and Charlie to look after my children, I can go to him with no regrets, for I know they will have a far better life than I could ever give them now. They will be loved, cared for, and raised as your own. So yes, I have hope. I have hope that this pain, this empty aching that plagues me day and night, will be eased."
Rebecca fought hard not to cry. She blinked away the tears that filled her eyes and took Constance's hand. "I promise you, with my heart and soul, that if you should join your dear Henry, Charlie and I shall give the children the best upbringing possible. But I have a request of you."
"What is that, dear Rebecca?"
"I would ask you to write a letter to each of the children, telling them of yourself and of Henry. Then when they are older and the time is right, I will see to it they are given the letters. While Charlie and I will love and raise them as our own, I believe it will be important for them to know they had parents who loved and cared for them."
"Of course, and Rebecca, you and Charlie are their parents as much as I ever was. For this little one, I believe you will be far more of a parent than I ever could be, even if I survive. I would request that if the price of this child coming into the world is that I pass on, you raise him or her as your own, as if the child were born of your body, not mine."
"As you wish. I promise."
"Rebecca, you are not understanding, are you?"
She shook her head. "Apparently not."
"Think about how you feel with Charlie. What if Charlie was never coming back? How would you feel?
"I have been trying not to think of that very thing lately. I would be devastated."
"Think of what I have lost, dear. My beloved husband, the other half of my soul, my home, my family. Think of how you would feel if Charlie were killed. All I have left is Em and the child of my rapists. The child will come into the world, and I will pass out of it. As far as I can tell, God decided to keep me around for a while so the children would have the home and family and love they deserved. Otherwise, I should have died the night that Montgomery and his men visited. So know, as I know, Charlie will survive. He is meant to be the father to these children."
With those words came the end of Rebecca's control. Tears flowed from her eyes as she stood and gave Constance a gentle hug. "We will love them and raise them as you and Henry would have. We will give them a good life."
--*--
Jocko whistled as he rode up to the little house on the edge of the little village of Alanthus. He was looking forward to calling on the lovely Esther White. After that first visit with Charlie when she had approached him to ask for help, he had called on her a number of times. In fact, he visited her whenever he could get a day off, which lately had not been very often. If he left just after morning chores, he made it to her house by late morning, could spend time and have lunch and tea, then return to the farm in good time. He was looking forward to lunch today, as she was a dedicated and skilled cook.