Rebecca dried her hands on a towel she had prepared for Em's bath. Before she even poked her head into the hall, she called. "Guests? Oh, who in the name of God would have the bad manners to call just before a holiday?"
"My commanding officer and his staff." Charlie’s response was very flat, devoid of any expression or emotion at all. Rebecca had learned that tone was a very bad sign.
Rebecca took a deep breath and quickly glanced into the mirror as she removed her apron and tossed it aside. Oh wonderful. Charlie is going to have my hide for this. "I will be right there, Colonel Redmond."
Reg, in the meantime, had retreated it to the kitchen, where he had helped Sarah and Beulah quickly assemble trays with ham, breads, pickles, and cheese, as well as a huge pot of hot tea for the officers. They carried the rough lunch into the main dining room, and threw open the doors, inviting the officers in to eat. Charlie let out a very relieved sigh. Now, if only Jocko had seen them coming and managed to grab a clean coat for him, he might be able to rescue some shred of dignity.
As Reg opened the doors to the dining room, Rebecca descended the stairs. The gentlemen of Sheridan’s entourage all drew themselves up to greet the lady of the house. Snickers were muffled, although several of the men could not help continuing to grin.
"General Sheridan, Gentlemen, may I present our hostess and my fiancéée, Mrs. Rebecca Gaines?"
Rebecca tried to present herself as the proper hostess and a lady worthy of the distinguished Colonel. The very first thing she did was relieve him of Emily and then smile at the General. "General Sheridan, Gentlemen, good day to you, Sirs, and welcome to my home."
The gentlemen bowed politely to the lovely, somewhat flushed young woman before them. The child in her arms squirmed and reached out for Charlie, fussing and whimpering. "Papa. Want Papa!"
Charlie stepped in. "Gentlemen, we have put together a hasty lunch for you. If you would step this way, you can ease your hunger while Mrs. Gaines and I attend to this particular... small, and very demanding citizen."
"That is all right, Colonel Redmond; please attend to the General and his men. I will see to our Em and return shortly."
"Thank you, Miss Rebecca." With a look of relief, Charlie turned back to the officers in the hall and led them into the dining room. Beulah had thought to provide a pile of warm, damp towels in a basket on the sideboard to let the men wipe the dust from their hands and faces. "It is a chill day, gentlemen. There is hot tea, hot cloths, and some fine brandy to warm yourselves." Reg was tending the fire, stoking it from glowing embers to a warm flame. "So, General, to what do we owe the honor of your presence? Will you be joining us for the Christmas feast?"
"I will indeed, Colonel. I wanted to see for myself this Eden you had found for the winter. Your letters about the beauty of the land made me desire a see it for myself. I also wanted to see for myself the condition of the civilians you have told me about, and to see what progress you have made in unifying your regiment."
McCauley cleared his throat. "Um, General, there was the matter of that paperwork you were waiting on, as well."
Sheridan smiled a dour half smile. "Oh, yes. Thank you for reminding me. Just a little bit of administrative hoopla to attend to, I think."
Charlie looked at Sheridan with a puzzled expression. Paperwork? He was certain that he and Polk had submitted everything that they were supposed to. But then, the ongoing adventure of trying to get quality supplies from the Quartermaster General was always a challenge.
"Well, sir, I am sure we can clear up any questions you may have. I will send for Polk while you eat."
"No, Colonel, do not bother Polk. You will be responsible for answering the questions I have." The General turned his back to the Colonel and picked up a plate as he looked over the food placed before them. "Looks like your Mrs. Gaines is a very capable hostess, Redmond."
"Yes, sir, she is. She has found homes and productive work for a number of refugees and has helped to organize the ladies of the community to do what they can help themselves and the refugees survive the winter. It has been hard for her, I confess, for some of the locals see her as a traitor for associating with us, but she has been magnificent."
Sheridan picked a few things for his plate and slowly turned to face his officer. "Your fiancéée, aye, Colonel Redmond?"
Charlie drew himself up to his most erect and dignified, an effect that would have been a perfect demonstration of his pride in his lady, had it not been marred by the now drying and flaking bits of gruel on his uniform left from Em’s lunch. "Yes, sir. My fiancéée. Mrs. Gaines has done me the honor of consenting to be my wife. We plan to announce it officially at the New Year, although many of the local folks already know. It will be a small wedding, probably before the spring campaign, as is appropriate for her second marriage."
"I suppose congratulations are in order then. Will the new Mrs. Redmond be joining you when you go west?"
"When I go west, sir? I had understood that General Wilson was to go west and I was to remain here." There was a hint of a squeak in Charlie’s voice. McCauley and Brigadier General Merritt, standing behind Sheridan at the buffet, overheard the conversation and snorted to one another.
"Yes, of course. West, that is where the excitement will be after the war, Colonel. Certainly you want to be where you are needed the most. I have two or three burgeoning forts that I think you would be just right for. They are just getting started. Not much in the way of luxury or comfort, but if you can survive the Indian attacks, I am sure you will be fine."
Rebecca swept into the dining room at that moment. "Oh, my. The west! I hear it is very exciting, rugged and natural."
Charlie stood there with a bemused look on his face. "The west. Yes. Well, sir, I believe we need to see this situation to an end before we start thinking of Indian attacks, sir."
Sheridan could only smile at the couple as Rebecca took her place next to Charlie and looped her arm through his. The General could tell he might be able to bait the Colonel but he would not succeed in luring his lady. "Yes, Redmond, I do believe that is the wisest course of action. Very good, young man."
"I look forward to it, sir. Now, I believe I asked if you and your staff would be joining us for Christmas. Miss Rebecca, do you think we could find places for these gentlemen?"
Rebecca smiled and caressed Charlie's arm as she looked at the General. "Of course, Colonel Redmond. I will have Reg and Lizbet prepare rooms immediately. We are honored to have the General in our home."
Sheridan smiled at Rebecca. "Thank you, ma’am. My men and I are honored." Sheridan gestured to McCauley, who stepped to his General’s side and handed him a packet of papers. "But I have a question, ma’am. Why do you persist in referring to Charlie as ‘‘Colonel’?"
Rebecca blushed and looked to her fiancéé, then back to the General. "To be honest, it just seemed like the thing to do."
"Madam, it is customary to refer to officers in the United States Army by their proper titles." He handed the packet of papers to Rebecca. "Perhaps you should review these documents?"
Her heart jumped to her throat, fearing she had made a serious mistake in front of Charlie's commander. She swallowed hard and took the packet of papers. "Of course, General. I do apologize if I have offended." She glanced to Charlie, hoping that he was not too horrified.
Charlie was totally confused. Had his summary dismissal of the men who had objected to the orders to begin the process of reconstruction come back to haunt him? Had he been demoted? Was that why Sheridan was talking about the western forts? Was he going to be banished to some two-bit stockade in the western plains, never to be heard from again? If that was the case, it was time for him to tender his resignation. He looked around at the other officers in the room. Several were brigadiers, the rest wore the same eagles on their shoulders he had on his. Most were younger than him. Charlie was afraid that his twenty years of honorable service was about to end because of one moment of righteous anger. He nodded to Rebecca to open and read the documents.