Red, Red Rose

by Marjorie Farrell

  There was a moment’s silence, which was broken by a concerted clearing of throats. Elspeth took the opportunity to wipe the tears from her cheeks. Sergeant Will Tallman was not a romantic figure, with his receding red hair and his weather-beaten face, and Mrs. Casey was nothing but a common woman in some eyes, but Elspeth was very moved by the love that was so present.

  Captain Grant cleared his throat a second time. “I brought a wee bit of brandy so that we could toast the bride and groom,” he announced. He poured a small amount into the tin cups the doctor had provided. “To Sergeant and Mrs. Will Tallman, two fine soldiers in Lord Wellington’s army.”

  “To Will and Mags,” said Val, lifting his cup.

  Elspeth was grateful for the warmth of the brandy, for it was chilly in the tent. After she drained it, she put her cup down and, unhooking her brooch, shook out her shawl.

  “Here, let me help you with that, Miss Gordon.” She handed the plaid over to Val, who carefully draped it over her shoulders.

  “You said your vows…or rather, Mrs. Casey’s vows…very well, Miss Gordon,” he told her, with a look in his eyes that warmed her right down to her toes.

  “Mrs. Tallman now, Lieutenant,” she reminded him.

  “Ah, yes, it will be hard to think of her as anything but Mrs. Casey, won’t it? And even harder to think of Sergeant Tallman as a married man. You have forsworn yourself, tonight, Will,” teased Val as Will approached them.

  “But sworn yourself to a better fate,” added Elspeth.

  “I wanted to thank you, Miss Gordon. You said the vows so lovely it made it a real wedding.”

  “I felt privileged to be here, Sergeant Tallman. I have been to a few weddings before, but never one at which I felt the presence of such real affection.”

  “Oh, aye, I love Mags. I always have,” admitted Will. “Thank you again, Miss Gordon. I am going to sit by my wife.”

  He said the word with such pride that Val had to smile. “Sergeant Tallman makes a very good Benedict, don’t you think, Miss Gordon? Swearing never to marry for years and he says the word ‘wife’ so proudly. As well he should,” Val added more seriously.

  “Is there any reason Captain Grant called them both ‘soldiers,’ Lieutenant? Indeed, aside from his being your commanding officer, I could think of no reason for him to be here.”

  “I cannot say very much and I need you to keep what I do say in confidence, Miss Gordon.”

  “Of course.”

  “Mrs. Tallman had taken on a small job for us. You might say she was injured in the line of duty,” Val said seriously.

  “That explains what has been puzzling me,” said Elspeth. “Mrs. Casey is such a popular woman and I have not been able to figure out who in the camp would have wanted to harm her.”

  “We have put it around that the motive was robbery, for she had her laundry money on her.”

  “What was she investigating?” Elspeth asked without thinking.

  “I cannot tell you that, Miss Gordon.”

  “Of course not, Lieutenant. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  Val was quiet for a moment. “Sergeant Tallman was right, you know. You said your…her…vows very beautifully. When you say them for yourself someday, it will be to a very lucky man,” he added.

  “Thank you, Lieutenant,” Elspeth replied after an awkward silence. “I only hope that Mrs. Tallman will be able to repeat her own vows soon. Oh, here is Private Ryan,” said Elspeth brightly, as her father’s orderly approached them. Goodness, she sounded like a ninny, announcing the obvious. But there was a feeling in the air that was making her very nervous.

  “Ye did us all proud, Miss Gordon,” said Private Ryan.

  “I was just telling her that, Private.”

  “I was wondering if I might ask you a favor, sor. The missus and I would like to spend a little time with Will to keep him cheery. Would you be able to give Miss Gordon an escort home?”

  “Er, I would be happy to, Private Ryan.”

  “Really, there is no need,” Elspeth protested. “I can make my way back alone.”

  “Nonsense, Miss Gordon,” Val said sharply. “It is unthinkable while Mrs. Tallman’s attacker is still roaming free.”

  “You are right, Lieutenant,” Elspeth admitted, “but that is no reason to take my head off,” she added coolly. “Let me just say my good-byes.”

  * * * *

  They were both silent as they walked down the row, and then Val said stiffly, “I am sorry I snapped at you, Miss Gordon. I know you are used to your independence, but I was concerned for your safety.”

  “I understand that, Lieutenant, and I appreciate it.”

  Of course, what she wouldn’t have understood, thought Val as they both relaxed a little, was the other source of his tension. It was true, he didn’t want her walking back alone, but he certainly hadn’t wanted to be her escort. Not tonight, of all nights.

  “Do you think Mags will recover?” Elspeth asked.

  “The surgeon seems to think there is a good chance.”

  “If Mrs. Tallman was helping you in your investigation, then might you not be in similar danger?” asked Elspeth.

  “I don’t think so, or no more than usual,” Val replied with a smile. “As far as we know, the person concerned is ignorant of our investigation.”

  “But Mags’s attacker…?”

  “Most likely thought she was being nosy and was worried she might discover something by chance.”

  “I hope you are right. And I hope you will take care.”

  They were just starting downhill toward the village when Elspeth tripped over some loose rocks. Val instinctively reached out for her and they stood there for a moment, his arm around her waist and Elspeth leaning into him.

  “Would you care if I were in danger?” he whispered, aware that being close to this woman was as great a danger as he ever faced as a soldier.

  “Of course I would,” Elspeth replied, attempting to make her tone matter-of-fact.

  “Why?”

  “Because we are good friends,” she said, lowering her eyes.

  “Of course. Just good friends,” he added with a touch of irony. But a friend would not keep his arm around her slim waist. A friend would not pull her closer as he was doing now, so that he could feel the soft rise and fall of her breasts against his chest. And a friend would certainly not lower his head and capture her mouth with his.

  As soon as his lips touched hers, Elspeth responded. Her arms went around his neck and she opened her mouth under his. After a deep kiss she turned her face away and buried it in his neck, but his collar was too stiff and so she rested her cheek on his chest, loving the feel of the rough wool and the smell of soap and healthy male. After a minute she became conscious of his buttons pressing into her cheek and she pulled back.

  “Your tunic is not the most comfortable piece of clothing, sir,” she said with a shaky laugh.

  Val brushed her hair back gently and leaned down for another kiss, and Elspeth, heedless of the buttons, pressed herself against him. This time, she was more conscious of his trousers than his tunic, for she could feel him hard against her. She longed to have nothing between them—not the rough wool or the soft merino of her dress—and then had to laugh when he finally let her go, for it was a winter night and here she was imagining them both naked.

  “I was just thinking how lovely it would be not to have so much between us,” she explained when he gave her a puzzled look.

  “I was thinking we need something more between us,” he answered.

  “Oh,” she said softly.

  “Miss Gordon, it is clear that our feelings go beyond friendship,” he said with a note of despair in his voice.

  “Yes, they do,” she admitted.

  “I am not going to apologize again….”

  “Well, thank goodness for that,” she replied tartly. “I would be most insulted if you were sorry for such a lovely kiss!”

  He put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a lit
tle shake. “Elspeth….”

  “Yes, Valentine?” she whispered.

  “When I looked across at you tonight, I let myself imagine….”

  “What, Val?”

  He let her go and said sadly, “Something that is quite impossible, my…good friend. Come, I must get you home.”

  By the time they reached her door, Val had himself under control. “Good night, Miss Gordon.”

  She lifted her face to him.

  “No, Elspeth,” he whispered fiercely. “Don’t tempt me, for it must never happen again.”

  “Then good night, Lieutenant Aston,” she said sadly and was inside as soon as he opened the door.

  Chapter 21

  Mags did not open her eyes until the middle of the next day, and when she did, she groaned as light translated itself into pain. The surgeon hurried over. “Are you awake, Mrs. Tallman?”

  Mags opened her eyes halfway and this time the pain was not so bad. “Where am I?” she croaked.

  “You are in the hospital tent, ma’am. You were attacked three nights ago. Do you remember none of it?”

  Mags frowned and tried to concentrate, but it only made her headache worse. “My head…my eye….”

  “The left side of your head was severely beaten, Mrs. Tallman. I think you will keep the eye, though I am not sure how much sight you will retain,” the surgeon told her. “Here is a little laudanum for the pain.”

  * * * *

  She was asleep again shortly and didn’t awake again until nearly midnight. There was a lantern next to her and this time, when she looked at the light, it was not so painful. It took a minute, but finally the shapes around her began to make sense, to her right eye at least. Her left saw only a blur. As she tried to lift herself up from her pillow, she heard Will’s voice.

  “Now, none of that, Mags.”

  “Will?”

  “I’m here, Mags.”

  And there was his face, leaning over hers. “You look awful, Will,” she exclaimed. “I can see that, even with only one eye.”

  Will laughed. “I am sure I do, since I have not had much sleep lately. You don’t look so good yourself, woman.”

  “I don’t feel so well, Will,” she said as she lay back, her head throbbing.

  “I am not surprised, after the beating you took,” he replied, taking her hand in his. “You are lucky to be here, Mags.”

  She closed her eyes and frowned. “I am trying to remember, Will, but I can only remember going into Lieutenant Stanton’s tent.”

  “The doctor says that happens, Mags. You may remember more in a few days, but it’s possible you never will. Now go back to sleep. I’m right here with you.”

  “I’m glad, Will,” she whispered and she squeezed his hand.

  * * * *

  The next morning she felt more like herself, although the headache was still there and her left eye was not seeing much.

  “Where is Will?” she asked plaintively when the doctor came.

  “He’s drilling his soldiers, Mrs. Tallman. We can’t have him called up for desertion, now, can we?”

  This time it penetrated. “Why do you keep calling me that?”

  “What?”

  “Mrs. Tallman. I’m Mags Casey, though I’ve been wanting to be Mrs. Tallman for a long time,” she said with some of her old energy.

  “Oh, dear, I wasn’t even thinking,” said the doctor. “I should have had Sergeant Tallman tell you.”

  “Tell me what?”

  “There was a possibility that you would never…er…regain consciousness, Mags. Will knew that and he felt terrible he hadn’t married you. So he did.”

  “Did what?” asked Mags, thinking that the beating must have been worse than she thought, for she wasn’t understanding a word the doctor said.

  “Married you.”

  “Married me? How could he marry me if I was not awake?”

  “Well, it was what is called a proxy marriage. You were betrothed and everyone knew that you wished to marry Sergeant Tallman. So he asked Miss Gordon to speak your vows for you.”

  For one of the few times in her life, Mags was speechless.

  “It was a lovely ceremony, Mrs. Tallman. Lieutenant Aston stood up for Will and Captain Grant looked splendid in his uniform,” the doctor told her reassuringly.

  “A lovely ceremony,” she whispered.

  “Now,” said the doctor, sitting down next to her, “I want you to tell me how your head feels.”

  “Like I was kicked by a mule. And I can’t see much out of my left eye.”

  “You may never again, Mrs. Tallman, but it was a miracle I could save it and that you see anything at all. Now the orderly will serve you some gruel and then I want you to get some sleep.”

  “Some sleep? It seems all I have been doing is sleeping,” grumbled Mags, but after a bowlful of gruel and some barley water, she went right off.

  It was only a few hours later that she awakened and this time she felt much more herself. Her head was still throbbing, but now it was only a distant drumbeat rather than all the drummers in the army taking up residence in her head. She made the orderly give her an extra pillow, so she was sitting when Will walked in.

  His smile was radiant when he saw her.

  “Will Tallman, you come right here,” she said sharply.

  “Are you all right, Mags?”

  “Mags! You mean Mrs. Tallman, don’t you?”

  Will gave her a sheepish grin.

  “After all these years of trying to get you to the altar, Will, and I wasn’t at my own wedding,” she scolded.

  “I’m sorry, Mags—” he started to say.

  “Sorry, Will?” she asked, the tears slipping down her cheeks. “Sorry, when you gave me something I wanted for so long? The right to call you mine.” She reached out her hand to him and he took it in his.

  Mags cleared her throat and tried to keep her voice from shaking. “Will Tallman, you are a good man and I love you for this. So much that I’ll let you out of it if you are sorry for any other reason. I never heard of this proxy business and I am sure you could have the marriage annulled if you wanted. Though we have consummated it enough in advance,” she added with a grin.

  “You would do that, Mags?” he asked wonderingly.

  “You never wanted a wife, Will. I shouldn’t have kept at you. You only did it because you thought I was dying.”

  “Let me tell you, Mags Casey…I mean Mags Tallman…I did it because I love you and because it was the right thing to do. I’ve been thinking like a soldier for too long. It was time I acted like a man. So you are my wife, Mrs. Tallman, whether you want to be or not.”

  “Oh, I want to be, Will,” said Mags with a little sob. “And that is your one and only chance to get out of it,” she added.

  “I don’t want to, Mags.”

  “Nor do I, Will Tallman, and I take you as my husband to love and to cherish…. I don’t remember all the rest,” she said with a blush, “though I’ve done it before!”

  “Till death do us part, Mags,” he whispered.

  “Till death do us part.”

  * * * *

  As Val had told Elspeth, everyone believed Mags’s beating had been part of a robbery. Sunday he was invited by the Gordons to dinner. As reluctant as he was to face Elspeth again, he knew that all three suspects would be there, and he was very careful to observe George, Lucas, and even James when the subject came up.

  “I hear that Mrs. Casey has regained consciousness,” said George.

  “Thank God for that. She is the only one who does my shirts satisfactorily,” complained Lucas Stanton. “But she is Mrs. Tallman now, or so I hear,” he added sarcastically. “Setting herself up to become a widow again.”

  “Sergeant Tallman is a good soldier and has come through safely all these years,” James commented. “I found the story of their marriage quite touching myself. I have always enjoyed Mags and I am very glad to hear she has not only recovered but has got her heart’s desire,” he adde
d emphatically.

  George’s face had its usual dull look and Stanton seemed most concerned about the state of his laundry, thought Val. James? James, of course, would think of Mags, good fellow that he was. Well, he and the captain had concluded that it was most likely the contact who had attacked Mags, for not even Val could believe Stanton would attack a woman so brutally.

  During dinner, Elspeth tried very hard to keep her eyes off Val, but it was almost impossible, for her gaze was drawn to his face more than one. She thought how ironic it was that the legitimate gentlemen were so ignoble-looking: George with his pasty round face and Lucas, whose eyes were narrow and mean and whose thin lips she would never have wanted on her own. Lieutenant Aston’s mouth…no, it wouldn’t do to look at his mouth or even think of it. Now, James, at least, looked and acted as a marquess should, if a title meant anything about the man who carried it. He was handsome, athletic, intelligent, and, most important of all, kind. When she had been at school with Maddie, half of the girls had fallen in love with him on his regular visits to his sister. Elspeth wondered again why he had not found anyone. He seemed to live an ascetic life, for she had never heard any gossip about mistresses and there had never been even a hint of a liaison here in Portugal. She knew that he was greatly burdened by his debts. Perhaps he could not afford a mistress. Perhaps he had put off his own need to marry until he got his sister settled. Well, good luck, James, she thought with some amusement, for Maddie’s letters sounded like she was intent on enjoying her first Season to the hilt and did not sound at all ready to settle down.

  * * * *

  After dinner and a few glasses of port, all of the guests except James took their leave. James lingered by the fire, chatting with Major and Mrs. Gordon about this and that, but all the while watching Elspeth out of the corner of his eye. When the Gordons excused themselves, he sat down opposite her.