"Thank you so very much, Doctor. It is nice to know we are a part of your continuing education." Rebecca poured Elizabeth more tea.
"My pleasure, I assure you. And I am very appreciative of the trust you have both given me."
"Of course, you are one of Charlie's dearest friends." She looked out the window as a blue uniform rode by. She simply could not help herself. "I will be very glad when he comes home."
"I am sure you will, dear. I rather suspect he will be very glad to get home. And Rebecca, I hope you know I am also your friend."
"I do know, dear Elizabeth." Rebecca sighed quietly then gave Elizabeth a very serious look. "He is going to see his friend, Mrs. Armstrong while he is there."
"Oh, did he say so? I would imagine he would want to tell her of his impending marriage to you personally. They were reputed to be rather... close... and Charlie is nothing if not a gentleman.
"Yes, he mentioned it before he left. And yes, they are very close."
"Rebecca, dear, I hope you are not worried about him seeing her. I know Charlie. He is devoted to you."
"Oh, I am sure of that, but well, they do have a relationship. He is very fond of her. We are not married yet so I really could not protest if he does pay her a social call."
"Rebecca, you are not suggesting...?"
"Well, I hope not, but I suppose anything is possible. I have heard the men talk of Mrs. Armstrong. I know she is an attractive woman and she is probably more, shall we say, adept at giving Charlie what he needs."
"Rebecca Gaines. You put that idea right out of your head. Charlie is committed to you. I would imagine the only thing that will go on between them is an honest conversation in which Charlie tells her he is no longer available." Elizabeth had a bemused look on her face. "Besides, he is so charming when he wants to be, he will probably enroll her in assisting him with the shopping; one cannot accuse General Redmond of being particularly skilled in selecting ribbon, lace, fabric, and threads."
"He did look like a startled rabbit when I gave him the list." Rebecca smiled at her friend. "Please believe me, Elizabeth, when I tell you that even if Charlie does spend time with Mrs. Armstrong, I love him and I will not hold it against him. Charlie for all purposes is a man and that is what men do."
"No, my dear, you are wrong there. In this matter, in the matters of the heart, of love and commitment, Charlie is still, and always will be, a woman. And for our Charlie, there is now only one person who has access to his body –– the one who holds his heart and soul."
"Thank you."
"You are still worried, are you not, my dear?"
"I am afraid I have many ghosts in my own past that make me uncomfortable at times."
"Well, dear, if I were you, I would simply ask Charlie when he comes back. I am sure he will tell you the truth."
Rebecca chuckled. "There are some things I would rather not know."
Elizabeth looked at her friend and then started laughing. "You really do not want to give the boy an inch of slack, do you? You will worry he may sleep with her and it will always nag at you. But you will not ask him, and I suspect, in your heart, even if he swore on a stack of Bibles that he had not dallied with her, you would always have doubts."
"And in the words of my mother, who was by the way, a very wise woman, when it comes to the ways of gentlemen, which you do not understand, ignorance is bliss."
"Perhaps, my dear, but for you to always doubt Charlie –– even a little, will put a burden on your relationship that is probably not a good thing."
"Elizabeth, I do not doubt Charlie; I know he loves me. I know he wants to come here and make a life together. I certainly will not let his relationship with Mrs. Armstrong come between us. Regardless of what that relationship may be."
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. She clearly knew Charlie and his sense of honor, better than Rebecca did. "Rebecca, I think this is important. Given who Charlie is, there is no possibility Charlie will allow anything other than friendship to continue with Lizzie Armstrong. She will, no doubt, have the same status of close personal friend I am honored with. Unfortunately, trying to convince you of this truth about our mutual friend is beyond me today." With a frustrated laugh, Elizabeth went on. "Drat. Why should I expect to be able to alleviate your concerns? I have been unsuccessful at everything else toda."
"Elizabeth, you are a good friend my dear, but there are just some things beyond your help. My personal insecurities are among them."
The two women sat in silence, each drinking their tea and ruminating on the frustrations of the day. A somber quiet filled the room, broken only when young Em came galloping into the room crying "Mamma ‘‘Becca. Mamma ‘‘Becca. See Em’s new clothes. Look, Mamma ‘‘Becca." Lizbet had made the little girl’s doll a new outfit from scraps. The two women became occupied with praising the child and her doll. The afternoon’s worries slid into the background.
--*--
Charlie left Lizzie’s with a light heart and vision of a loving future in his head. It was late afternoon, that hazy time between day and night. He walked back toward the Willard, past the homes and boarding houses that had grown up around the Capitol building, across the Mall that would remain pristine and green in the center of this growing city, past the small shops that had sprung up along Constitution Avenue. As he strolled, he glanced in the windows of those shops, on the odd chance that the perfect gift for Rebecca would present itself.
Instead, he found something entirely unexpected. There in the window was a doll. A wonderful doll. A doll with green eyes and hair the color of red gold. The perfect doll for Em. He looked at the time and realized it was a bit late for most merchants. Trying the door, he was disappointed; it was locked. But that doll was perfect for little Em. And the child had so little to call her own. He tapped on the door.
A wizen, gray haired man wearing shirt, vest, and a leather apron shuffled to the door and opened it. "I am sorry, sir, I have closed for the evening. I was just cleaning up when you knocked. Could you come back tomorrow?"
"I do appreciate your answering my knock then, sir. I am afraid I am leaving on a train at first light tomorrow. I saw the doll in the window and it is perfect for a little girl I know. She has very little; the war has taken most of the comforts of home and family from her. Could I just purchase the doll? Please?"
The old merchant looked at the man standing before him. A General, obviously a man of means from the quality of the material in his cloak. A man who would take the time to try and obtain a doll for a war refugee. Well, if the General could take the time, so could he. "Yes, sir, I think I can do that. Come in, and I will wrap it for you. I must confess, it is a rather expensive doll."
"That does not matter. It is a perfect doll for little Em."
With his pocket lighter by a ten-dollar golden eagle and his arm full of a carefully wrapped package, Charlie returned to the Willard. There he took a simple meal, and went early to bed, where he tossed for most of the night, missing Rebecca’s tender touch.
Chapter 25
Friday, January 6, 1865
Early the next morning, after having booked the finest suite at the Willard for the end of January and the early part of February, Charlie took a hackney cab back to Union Station and headed home. Most of his purchases were being shipped in the express carriage of the train. The gift from Lizzie was carefully tucked in his personal bag, as was the doll for Em. The papers from the attorney and the bank, along with the three precious rings, were stowed in the inside breast pocket of his coat. At his urging, the engineer made record time returning to Culpeper.
--*--
Beulah entered the parlor with a smile. "Miss Rebecca?"
"Yes?"
"Reg just stopped by to say that General Redmond is on his way home. He should be coming down the road anytime now."