"Mrs. Gaines?"
"Yes."
"Yes, Ma’am." He pulled his hat from his head. "I am Reg," he gestured in turn to the women he was with. "This is Sarah, Beulah and Lizbet. Colonel Redmond told us to come to you."
"Ah, yes. Come in." She allowed them in, appraising them as they stood before her. Charlie certainly knew how to pick servants. "Well, I will tell you that I am just starting to put Gaines Cove back in order and it will require very hard work to do so. You are not afraid of hard work are you?"
"No, Ma’am." Reg answered for them. "We are very grateful to you and the Colonel for the work. We promise to do right by you and the Colonel, Mrs. Gaines. "
"And the Colonel and I will do right by you." She gestured to the stairs. "You will find quarters upstairs on the third floor. Go put your things away then come back down so I can get you started. And be very quiet going up the stairs, the Colonel is under the weather and resting in bed yet this morning."
"Yes Ma’am."
--*--
Charlie slept until mid-morning, when he was awakened, not by Rebecca as he had expected, but by Jocko, who came bustling in with a pan of hot water and a razor.
"Well, Colonel C. How are we feeling this morning? Bright and chipper, I assume."
Charlie regarded his batman blearily. This degree of ‘‘chipper’ when Charlie still felt like he had a ton of wet bricks on his chest was less than wonderful. Particularly when he had been hoping to see gentle green eyes and instead was looking into brown ones that twinkled maliciously.
"We will be having company today. Colonel Polk needs his orders; Dr. Walker is arriving, and its time for you to be the Colonel again. So I thought I would come over and fix you up."
Charlie groaned. "Ok. Just be gentle. I feel like I have been dragged through hell and back."
"A nice shave and some clean clothes will fix you right up again, I promise."
Charlie lay back and closed his eyes as Jocko bustled around him, lathering his face and then methodically removing the lather and the whisper of facial hair. Years of shaving had coarsened some of those very fine facial hairs so that in reality, Charlie did have a little bit of a beard. The shaving, while originated as part of his disguise, was a real need now. The two were silent as Jocko applied the brush full of soap froth, and then began removing it and the companion stubble with the straight edged razor.
As Jocko shaved him, Charlie turned to his oldest friend for some advice. The dream of his mother the previous night had shaken him more than he was willing to admit, even to himself, and Rebecca’s gentle tending had added to his confusion.
"Jocko, am I wrong for playing the role I do?"
"What do you mean, wrong, Charlie? You are a damned fine officer. You take care of your men, you get the job done with minimal casualties, and you are a fine tactician. You win battles. If you appeared to be a woman, you could not do the things you do so well. They would not let you."
Charlie snorted. "Well, I have been being a soldier and a man for so long, I do not think I could go back to wearing skirts if my life depended on it."
Jocko stopped for a moment and looked his old friend and commanding officer in the eye. "Charlie, for you to survive, you had to be a man, to act like a man, look like a man, and think like a man. In every way that counts, you are a man. So why torment yourself?"
Charlie and Jocko were silent for a minute. Charlie thought about the raw truth in what Jocko had said. It was true; to survive, Charlie had to be a man. Most of the time, he thought of himself as a man. It was only in the safety and seclusion of his room, late at night when he had undressed and released the bindings around him that he remembered just who he was.
Jocko’s mind had traveled elsewhere. "So, you wore skirts? Now that is a sight I would pay money to have seen. Long hair, too? My, my, Colonel C. Were you the proper young southern lady? I think not." With a snicker and a flourish, Jocko finished the shave with a splash of bay rum.
"All right, boss, time for you to get up and out. I brought your uniform. There is warm water in the basin, so get yourself up and dressed. When you are ready, I set up a desk in the back parlor, and there is a nice warm fire going. Miss Rebecca has said you can use it as your office until you get better. Colonel Polk will be here at 9:00 and Dr. Walker is due in on the train at 10:30. Your dispatches are waiting for you, as well as the reports from each company."
"Thank you –– I think. Now go on. I will be down in a bit."
Charlie hauled himself out of bed. He was still feeling feverish and shaky, but the needs of the regiment were more important than his desire to lie in bed for the day. A quick glance at his pocket watch told him that he needed to get a move on to meet Polk. Jocko had been thoughtful. He had brought the uniform trousers instead of the usual riding britches –– and the soft, low cut dress boots that went with them, instead of the snug knee-high riding boots. Even so, just getting dressed tired him out. He sat on the edge of the bed for a few minutes before tackling the stairs.
Finally, he carefully worked his way down the stairs. He met Rebecca coming out of the small parlor just as he was approaching the door. She took his arm and walked back into the room with him.
"I wish you could stay in bed for another day or two."
"To be honest with you, so do I. However, the needs of the men go on, regardless of how I feel."
"Well, at least you can stay warm in here. I found a woolen shawl that my husband used on cold days to help keep you warm. And I just put a pot of that mint tea you liked on the hob. And if you get too tired, you can lie down on the davenport. There is an afghan you can use or the lap rug if you need them."
"Thank you." He glanced around at all of the things that had been done by Jocko and Rebecca to make him comfortable. The neat pile of handkerchiefs on the corner of the table that had been converted into a desk brought a smile to his lips. "I see you have thought of everything. Would you join me in a cup of tea?"
"Thank you, but no. I understand that Dr. Walker is arriving today, and the servants you hired have arrived this morning, so I need to get them to work and make things ready. I will have a light lunch ready for her and who ever she brings."
"Ah, Miss Rebecca, there is a close friendship between Dr. Walker and Colonel Polk. I would think they would both appreciate it if you included him in your luncheon plans."
Rebecca’s right eyebrow rose and a slightly amused look played over her features. "By all means. Colonel Polk is a –– charming gentleman. By the way, Corporal Nailer has been a godsend. Duncan found every piece of old furniture in the attic and the storerooms, and repaired and cleaned everything that could be made usable again. It feels like I have a furnished home again, even if nothing matches."
"I am glad for you. And I will be sure to commend him for his efforts. I noticed that you still have a problem with the kitchen, though."
"Yes, well, the wind took the patch off almost as soon as it started raining."
Rebecca’s face looked strained. Charlie did not know what had affected her so; whether it was the stress of dealing with all of his demands, the pain of having her home taken over, or something else.
"Miss Rebecca, I am sorry we have imposed on you so. If there is anything we can do to lessen the burden, please……" He trailed off, at a loss for words, but sensing the small woman’s distress.
She responded gently. "No, Colonel, you and your men have done nothing to cause me distress. If anything, you have offered me a reprieve, a chance to build a new life for myself. For this, I am deeply grateful."
"Miss Rebecca, I hope you know that I would do anything in my power to make your life less painful, less difficult. I am at your service whenever you need me."