Words Heard In Silence / Xena Uber

by T. Novan

  Charlie's eyebrow shot up toward his hairline. "That bad? I knew he was angry, but I did not realize it was so entrenched."

  "It is. Charlie, I believe he could be very dangerous."

  "I will have a guard placed on his door this afternoon. I also need to discuss this at the staff meeting today. Between that little expulsion the other day and Montgomery coming around spitting enough nails to frighten you, we still have a problem."

  "I know, and thank you. I will feel safer and I am sure the other ladies will as well."

  "Then of course we will put a guard on him. I will quietly ask Polk to only use men who served with me in the 49th."

  "Thank you." She gave him a little kiss on the cheek.

  By now, Charlie was fully dressed, in the outfit that most amused Rebecca; the one with the short, belted jacket, tight pants and hobnail boots. Just to amuse her, he asked, "Do I look all right?"

  "Oh yes you do...very all right." She nearly leered at him.

  "Well, love, I will see you at half past one." A quick peck on the cheek and Charlie was off.

  For Charlie, the morning went by quickly. There was some consternation over Montgomery's attitude. Fortunately, none of the other officer's shared his point of view, or, if they did, they were not admitting to it. The orders were clear; reconstruction was to be effected gently and peacefully. Before he knew it, one thirty arrived and Tarent was outside the door with Black Jack and Shannon both saddled and ready to go. Both horses were full of energy; the cool weather after days of rain and mud had them in as exuberant a mood as their owner.

  He was standing, hat in hand, reins from both horses in his other hand, smiling and ready to go.

  The front door opened and Rebecca stepped out on the porch, pulling on her riding gloves. "Why, good afternoon, Colonel."

  "Good afternoon, dear lady. Are you ready to ride?"

  "I am very ready simply to spend the afternoon with my charming Colonel. I do not care where we go or what we do."

  "Then come along and we shall run away for the day." He lifted her into the saddle, his hands lingering for a moment on her trim waist, then made sure she was settled and in control of the rather frisky mare. He swung up onto Black Jack's saddle and played the big stallion for a few minutes while the horse danced and fidgeted. Then the two of them set off around the house toward the bridge over Gaines Run and the orchards and pastures west of the pond.

  "I do believe, Charlie, Shannon needs to get out more." Rebecca chuckled as she gave the feisty beast a pat on the neck.

  "Tarent warmed them up for us, so I would say a good run would be in order." The two of them entered the big pasture behind the stable yards and gave both horses their heads. Running neck and neck, knee-to-knee, they covered the half mile or so to the tree line in good time. Both were laughing with sheer joy at the end of the run.

  "Oh Charlie, that was wonderful!"

  "It was indeed." He pulled Jack to a sitting trot and Shannon followed suit automatically. Drawing in a huge lungful of fresh air, he turned to her, grinning like a willful boy full of mischief. "What do you say we just keep riding west?"

  "West, east, I do not care as long as we keep riding. We can ride in small circles for all I care at the moment. I am just glad to have the time together."

  They rode through the strip of woodland that bordered the run and across the old wooden bridge, breaking out into a long run of grassland that led toward the foothills in front of them. The profile of the Blue Ridge was hazy purple in the distance. "Then we ride, dear."

  Rebecca was completely amused by her fiancéé. He seemed like a young man, so full of life and energy. "You know, Jack would make a fine stud. I believe we could get good money for his colts."

  "I rather had that in mind, love. He has been put to stud on a couple of occasions and the line ran true. And, just in case you were wondering, both Jack and Shannon are mine, not the Army's."

  "I am very glad to hear that, Charlie. I was rather hoping I would not have to petition President Lincoln to buy Jack out from under you."

  "Another gallop to get the beans out of these two?"

  "Of course. Where you go, I follow."

  "Sometimes I think I should call you Ruth, not Rebecca." And with that jibe, he touched his heels to Jack's side and was off running again"

  She smiled and shook her head, sending Shannon right after the frisky two ahead.

  The ride continued until it was clear the horses needed a rest and perhaps some water. Charlie found a small glade, with a couple of fallen logs that would serve as seats for them and a rill that chuckled over moss-covered stones. He slid off Jack and lifted Rebecca down from her saddle, and then ground tied the horses near both the water and a small patch of grass. He pulled a blanket from the roll behind his saddle and a small packet with a flask, apples and cheese from his saddle pack.

  He spread the blanket over an outcropping of rock and offered her his hand. "A small treat, my love?"

  She smiled at him. "You think of everything don't you?"

  "Well, I actually have something I want to talk with you about." He was nervous and fidgety.

  "What? You know you can talk to me about anything." She placed her hand over his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

  "Umm... Well, I was thinking. About our future. About all the things that might happen. And I have found that if I. If I, umm, plan for the worst case, um, it usually helps. Keeps bad things from happening." The last came out in a rush.

  Rebecca looked at him, trying not to get upset. "Please, do not think like that, Charlie. Nothing bad is going to happen. I believe that. You have to believe that as well."

  "I do believe that. But what I have found is that if I do all the things I have to do in case the bad things happen, then they do not happen. I know it sounds superstitious, but it has worked for me for twenty years, and it is extremely important to me. You are the most precious thing in my life, and I want to make sure everything is taken care of before I go, just in case. Please?"

  "All right, Charlie. You know I am willing to do whatever will make you feel better."

  He caught her left hand in both of his and tenderly kissed her fingers, then lingered over her hand, just looking at his mother’s small garnet ring on her hand. "You know, this hand represents the only people who have ever truly loved me, I think."

  "Charlie, I love you with all my heart and soul, but there are others who love you as well. You have very dear friends who care for you so very much."

  "I know. But that is not the same, is it, love?" Charlie took a deep breath. "So, Rebecca, my love, will you marry me before I am called back to service?"

  Rebecca could only smile tenderly at him and stroke his cheek with her fingers. "Of course I will."

  Charlie was wearing his childlike look, part impish, and part bashful. "I talked to Reverend Williams. He could marry us on the 28th of January. I was hoping you could be ready for a small wedding that quickly. Could you?"

  "The end of January? My goodness, that is not a lot of time, is it?" She considered it for a moment and nodded slowly. "Yes, I am sure I can enlist enough help to be ready."

  Charlie caught her other hand up in his and covered them both with delicate kisses. "You. Have. Made. Me. Exquisitely. Happy."

  "And you, my dear Charlie, have made me happy beyond words." She looked up suddenly. "Oh my...oh my..."

  "What is it, darling?" Rebecca looked a little pale.

  "This will be a military wedding, will it not? Charlie, I know nothing about military weddings."

  "My dear, this will be what ever kind of wedding you want. Reverend Williams has agreed to officiate, and I am sure that Polk and the boys will want to honor us, but if you wish, we could have a civilian wedding. I will even get a new civilian suit, if you want me to."

  Rebecca smiled and shook her head again. "No, no not all, Charlie. I think you will look absolutely dashing in your dress uniform. I just need to make sure that everything is perfect. I would not want anyon
e to think you have married below your station."

  Charlie shifted so that he could pull the smaller woman into his lap. "My love, I am the interloper here. I just want it to be good enough for you." Charlie could feel her trembling in his arms. "My love, are you chilled?"

  "You, sir, are an important commander in the Union Army, very trusted and apparently highly spoken of in the circles of high command. I have been talking with Elizabeth, Charles Redmond. I know more than you think. I am shaking partly from the chill and partly from nerves."

  "You, madam, are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, the owner of a fine property, and a woman of such spirit and intelligence and breeding that any man would be proud to call you his wife. And if you are chilled, I have a flask of brandy. Would you like a sip?"

  "Why, Colonel Redmond, are you trying to get me drunk so you can take advantage of my person?" she teased, tugging on his tunic.

  "Sweetheart, I have no desire to see you back in a sick bed, so I took the precaution of bringing a bit of medicinal brandy. And if I were going to take advantage of you, I would have done so already. I do believe you may have attempted to take advantage of me on occasion, though," he laughed as he poured her a shot of brandy into the little silver cup that formed part of the flask.

  She laughed as she took the cup and sipped the brandy. "Well, now, my reputation will be completely undone if people find out I have been trifling with the Colonel. Taking advantage of him in ways that I never thought possible." She finished the cup and smiled at Charlie as she held it out for more.

  He refilled her little cup up and leaned in to whisper in her ear "Love, you may trifle with me all you wish. I am yours to command in all things."

  Charlie's breath tickled her ear and she giggled like a schoolgirl. "You have no idea what that does to me."

  "Oh?" His voice sank to a rumbling purr. "Then tell me, darling. You can tell me anything and everything."

  "Oh, Charlie," Rebecca sighed as she again sipped from the cup. "You just excite me all over. Before you came, there were nights when I was afraid to go to sleep, for fear of what the next day would bring. And now, I cannot wait for night so I can be with you and be in your arms. And I look forward to every morning because I know it will bring us new joyous discoveries." She licked her lips after taking another drink.

  Charlie's lips, so close to her ear, dropped to place light, teasing kisses on her exposed neck. "My future is with you, dear. It is a future I dreamed of and never thought I would find. And here you are, loving, feisty, adventurous, and so beautiful it makes my heart stop. I love you, Rebecca."

  "I love you too, so very much." She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him quite soundly.

  He savored her kiss, flavored with brandy, spiced by the crisp air. He responded with teasing nips and strokes with just the tip of his tongue.

  Rebecca moaned. She was feeling just a tad light headed. She was not sure if it was from Charlie's kiss or the brandy, but she decided that it did not matter. Another strong shiver ran through her body, but she knew that was from the kiss.

  Charlie whispered in her ear, "Love, we either have to stop or we have to make a commitment to go on and the devil take anyone who stumbles upon us. For I crave your touch past words to tell you."

  Rebecca pulled back and looked at Charlie. "Go on? Outside? My, my, Colonel." She laughed. Nothing like that had ever been suggested to her before.

  "My love, if you keep teasing me like this, I probably would not care if the entire regiment were watching."

  "Charlie!" She blushed and buried her face in his neck. "I cannot believe you said that."

  "And would you prefer that I could resist you, dear?" This teasing was more fun than he had anticipated.

  "You need not resist me, Charlie, but that was just scandalous." she smiled, running her hand over his chest. "I am glad you cannot resist me," she said sincerely before kissing him again.

  Charlie groaned and sank into her kiss. When he could speak again, he looked into her eyes. "This is wonderful, darling, soon to be wife of mine, but I think it is getting late, love. And it is getting colder. We need to get back. To our nice, warm room. To our nice soft bed."

  Rebecca’s laugh could only be described as sensual. "Oh yes, that is an absolute must. Our nice…… warm... bed."

  Charlie stood and pulled her up into his arms. She came to him fluidly, almost boneless and for a moment, the two stood, wrapped close, just savoring the feel. "Time to go, dear."

  "By all means, dear man, lead the way. But do it very slowly. I am afraid I may be just a tad tipsy."

  "Stand here, while I gather up our blanket. I shall get you home in one piece, I promise." Quickly, Charlie gathered up the blanket and the remains of their afternoon snack and stowed them in his saddle bags. The last thing to go into the saddlebag was the silver flask. "One more?"

  "You are trying to get me drunk." She teased, even as she accepted the cup.

  "I am trying to keep you from getting sick from the cold. And I will take the last of that, if you do not mind."

  "If you insist." She handed him the cup.

  Charlie lifted the cup in silent toast to his bride and tossed back what was left, then stowed the flask. He whistled for Shannon and she obediently came to him, allowing him to lift Rebecca into the saddle. "Take care of my girl, Shannon."

  "Your Shannon is a very good girl. I am sure she will see me safely home."

  Jack was a little less cooperative, having stood patiently while Charlie packed his gear. He danced a step or two as Charlie swung into the saddle. They set off at an easy pace, riding knee to knee, as much to make sure Rebecca was not too inebriated to ride, as to enjoy the closeness of her company.

  "I promise you, Charlie, I will not embarrass you by falling out of the saddle." She reached across and took his hand.

  The trip home was uneventful. They arrived at evening mess, so there were few men around the stables. Charlie was left to groom the horses himself as his companion looked on.

  He settled both horses into the holding stalls and began with Shannon, pulling her saddle, bridle, and saddle blanket off and setting them onto the racks to be cleaned. The mare received a rough currying, with special attention to the area under the saddle pad that was damp with sweat, and an apple as a reward for good behavior followed. He led her to her regular stall, where she settled down to peacefully munch some hay. Then he returned to tend to Jack.

  Rebecca watched Charlie, with a look that was half smile and half leer. She was feeling the effects of the brandy to her very toes and she wanted to play. She walked over and leaned on the wall watching him. "Do you have any idea how handsome you are?"

  "I am certainly glad you think so, my love, as you will have to look at me for many years to come."

  "I do think so, very much." She moved to the front of the stall and slowly moved close to Charlie.

  Charlie was focused on brushing Jack down and did not realize that Rebecca was coming closer and closer. "I will have to stay fit for you, then."

  "Oh yes, it is a must," she purred as her hands came to rest directly on his tightly muscled bottom, which she proceeded to give a long loving rub. "Hurry, Charlie, that nice warm bed awaits us."

  Her hands on his rump were the last things Charlie expected. Her hands kneading his buttocks were almost more than he could take. For a moment, he froze; then his forehead dropped onto Jack’s near wither. In a very low, warning tone, he queried, "Ah, Rebecca, dear?"

  "Yes, Charlie, dear." He did not have to turn around to see the smile on her face; he could hear it.

  "We will be able to go inside sooner if you, ah, refrain from ––"

  "From?" she teased further, giving his bottom a little pinch.

  "From playing with my body," he whispered.

  She removed her hands and put them up playfully. "Your wish is my command."

  Charlie groaned. Under his breathe, he muttered, "I could dream." He quickly finished grooming Jack, g
ave the big horse his favorite treat, a carrot, and led him to his stall. "There. Shall we, ma'am?" Charlie offered Rebecca his arm to escort her decorously to the house.

  "We shall, Colonel." She winked and took his arm.

  As they walked out of the stables, they could hear sniggering behind them. Charlie turned and looked.

  Standing at the corner of the barn, were three of the Pennsylvania contingent of the regiment. They gave their commander very impressed looks. "Very nice, Colonel," one yelled. Another was laughing so hard Charlie thought that he might pass out.

  The next trooper waved. "Now we know why they call you Lucky Charlie!"

  Charlie's first impulse was to call them down for being disrespectful, until he felt Rebecca's silent chuckle. Instead, he grinned, threw the men a casual salute and walked on with the beautiful woman on his arm giggling softly.

  "I think your status with your men just went up tenfold, Colonel."

  "Well, perhaps it will put some lie to the rumor that I prefer the company of men." A cheerful grin lit his features. Little did any of his men realize the full meaning of that statement.

  "Well, then, I suggest we just finish off that rumor right now." She pulled Charlie to a stop and threw her arms around him, bestowing a deep kiss upon him. When they parted, she looked back to the men who were staring, slack jawed. "Have a good evening, gentlemen."

  Charlie looked back, winked and smiled. "Gentlemen, meet my bride."

  Rebecca whispered, "Protecting my reputation, Charlie?"

  "Always, my dear. I prefer not to have you referred to as the Colonel's whore. They will refer to you as the Colonel's lady or they will not enjoy their lives."

  "I love you, Charlie. You are my hero."

  --*--

  The two of them walked into the house just as the ladies were preparing to go in for dinner. They rushed upstairs to clean up from their ride. Charlie used Rebecca’s small sitting room as his dressing room, while Lizbet helped her mistress out of her riding habit and into a dress more appropriate for supper at home. Within a matter of minutes, they were ready to join the other inhabitants of the house for a warm, though simple meal.