"Well, Redmond. You have what you wanted. A legal way to get rid of me –– the only man in the whole regiment who would willingly stand up to your Southern sympathizing and your treasonous actions against the Union. You should have just let me die –– and no one would have been any wiser."
"I suggest that you save your comments for your counsel and for the court, Montgomery." He turned to Rebecca, who was white faced and trembling. "Gather your belongings, Mrs. Gaines. I will escort you to your quarters, and send someone to take your testimony."
Chapter 19
Sunday, December 18, 1864
Charlie gently escorted Rebecca to her sitting room and settled her into her favorite chair before the fireplace. "My dear, I must attend to a couple of things." He rang briskly for Reg and as he waited for the man to appear, quickly penned two notes. One was for Polk; the other was to Major Swallow. The two notes were essentially the same, outlining the results of the afternoon’s confession.
Reg slipped into the room. "You rang, sir?"
"Yes. Deliver these two notes as quickly as possible. Run. And if you see a trooper –– any trooper –– on your way, send him to me immediately."
Reg tugged his forelock and scurried from the room.
Charlie returned to Rebecca’s side. "My love. Are you all right?"
"I am fine, Charlie. Just angry."
"Want to talk about it, dear?"
"I do not know what to say. I simply cannot believe he could be so arrogant about what he and those men did to Constance, and I am ashamed of the way I feel toward him."
"I heard you, dear, tell him that he was no better than your husband. Is that what Gaines did to you? What they did to Constance? And why should you feel ashamed, love? He is despicable."
She lowered her eyes, unable to look at Charlie. "Yes." She offered softly before looking back at him, tears in her eyes. "I should not have said those things to him. It makes me as despicable as he is to wish such things."
Charlie took Rebecca into his arms. "My dear, to want to exterminate vermin is not despicable. It is human. That you should suffer such treatment at the hand of your husband, who had vowed to protect you, certainly qualifies Mr. Gaines as vermin in my mind. Listening to Montgomery spew his venom and clearly enjoy the impact it was having on you was enough to make both Franklin and I feel physically ill."
She sank into his arms with a sigh. "I must admit it had much the same effect on me." She took a deep breath and sat up, wiping her eyes, giving Charlie a little smile. "Do you not have things you should be attending to?"
"I sent messages to both Polk and Swallow, and expect a trooper at the door shortly to take over from Franklin. Until then, I am yours, dear."
"What will happen to him, Charlie?"
"He will be hanged. There is no alternative. I will have to have Sheridan down here to conduct the court martial, as I believe if I sit the board of inquiry, it will be questioned."
She gave a slightly frustrated laugh. "Ironic. We spend weeks saving his life, only to have it taken from him."
"He condemned himself. To be honest, I almost suspect he did it on purpose. I have often seen officers spiral down into suicidal guilt and anger when they lose too many men, and Montgomery certainly fits that pattern. Unfortunately, there is little or nothing we can do about it. If Franklin had not been witness to the confession, I do not know if I would have made the charge or not. Perhaps he could have been saved, perhaps not. Certainly, Constance has room in her heart for forgiveness. But Montgomery does not have the same in his. Mostly, he cannot forgive himself."
"Charlie, we are going to have to be very careful with Constance. She is not well. The pregnancy is very difficult. I am afraid that this could make it more so."
Charlie sighed deeply. He had seen Constance growing paler and frailer as her child grew within her. "I do not want this to become a circus. I have a confession; I have a senior staff officer, I have two witnesses. I believe we can keep it quiet and simply transfer Montgomery to Sheridan as soon as he can be moved. I can only imagine what conducting the trial here would do to morale, let alone what it would do to Constance. It is a very ugly picture."
"It is indeed." She rubbed his arm. "I really am concerned for her. Elizabeth is taking very good care of her, but there is only so much we can do. Either Lizbet, Tess, or myself have Em almost all the time. Constance is so weak she cannot look after the baby. It is a good thing that child adores you so; some nights you are the only one who can calm her down."
Charlie smiled indulgently. "She is a charming little imp. And I have noticed that lately she seems to go to you as much as she comes to me. Rebecca, what will happen to Em if Constance……."
"Dies?" She shook her head. "I am not sure. She has no other family that I am aware of."
"Would you..." Charlie floundered. He loved the little girl dearly, and knew that Rebecca did too. But to ask her to consider adopting a child who still had a living parent, when they were not yet married seemed to be both tasteless and something of an imposition. On the other hand, he would certainly be proud to raise the little scamp if her mother succumbed to the risks of pregnancy.
"What, Charlie?"
"Well, um, if Constance, um, does not, um, survive her, um" Charlie flushed a bit. This was one of the strangest ways he had ever considered to gain a family. Perhaps planning parenthood was not a bad thing. "Well, if Emily is left alone, would you consider raising her?" he finished in a rush.
"Me? Oh, Charlie, I," She paused then smiled at him. "No, Charlie, I will not raise her. We will raise her. You will be a wonderful Papa. She is quite her Papa's little girl now."
"I meant us, love." Charlie blushed, starting with his ears and spreading over his face. "I know it is not the normal way to acquire a family, but I also know you want one. And I do not wish Constance ill, but you know how I am. I always figure that if I plan for the worst case, well, then if it happens I am ready and if it does not happen, I have been lucky."
"Of course." She cupped his cheek. "I am sure all will be well."
Charlie luxuriated in her touch, cuddling her close for a few minutes. As they sat quietly, a hesitant knock sounded at the door. Charlie rose and went to talk quietly with the trooper for a few minutes, then returned to Rebecca’s side.
"You know, dear, there are many orphaned children who will need love and care. What do you think of adopting children after we are married, love?"
She smiled. "Hmmm, a whole herd of children for the good Colonel to corral along with the horses?"
Charlie held her close as he laughed. "My dear, if I can keep this herd of unruly troopers under control –– at least most of the time –– I think I can handle a herd of children. How many were you thinking of, darling?"
"Oh, I do not know." She gave him an evil grin. "We can just keep going until we run out of bedrooms."
Charlie laughed, a full, hearty laugh. "My dear, clearly you are intent on making sure that I keep my exercise program up and maintain my image. For with that many children underfoot, I will no doubt have to do a fair bit of weight lifting just to carry them all around with me." With that, he kissed her soundly. "It sounds like a lovely plan, my love –– a whole house, full of laughter and growing young’uns. All because of our love." He gently tickled her. "And you will be able to keep your lovely figure as well, my dear, without the risks or drain of pregnancy. I think it sounds like a perfect plan."