Christmas Past

I have taken licence with Thomas and Sarah's ages only for the sake of the story line.

As per usual no copy right infringement is intended and Alan Ball, HBO and Charlaine Harris are the creators of all the wonderful characters within the story.

Part 2

'Supper will be ready in a while, why don't I pour you a hot bath and you can go soak while I finish off getting the food ready?' Caroline asked never taking her eyes off Bill. 'Thomas can you go set an extra plate for your Papa and Sarah, can you run and get Minas and ask him to bring in the hip tub and fill it with some hot water for your Pa?' she said to the children. As soon as they had left the room Bill had Caroline in his arms 'I have missed you so much my love' he said as he kissed her, embracing her soft body to him. 'Oh William, I just can't believe that you are here with me after so long. It has been an eternity and I have missed you for every second that has gone by.'

They were interrupted by the sound of small running feet coming from the back of the house followed by the slower heavier steps of Minas as he followed the children, carrying the tin bath inside to place in front of the fire in the kitchen before coming in to greet Bill. 'Evening Mister William, it's sure mighty good to see you' Minas said, standing there grinning. Minas had been a fine strapping young man when Bill was still a teenager. He 'belonged' to his father but unlike the other locals in the area, with the exception of the Stackhouses, the Compton family had never considered Minas as anything other than part of the family or at worst, an employee and never anything else. Now here was Minas, same as usual, looking just a little older than Bill remembered before he had left for the war but looking good for all that the past three years had been hard on all of them.

'I'll be bringing that hot water in for you now Mister William' he said, still smiling with happiness just as much as the rest of the family were. As Bill took off his uniform jacket Sarah lisped 'Papa what is in that bag?' Bill had a beaten leather bag that he carried some basic creature comforts with him, a small container of salt, some pepper and when he could get it, some paper and a pen and ink. He wrote to Caroline whenever he could and generally was able to convince despatch riders to include his letters in their satchels but as mail delivery had become more and more sporadic as the fighting ebbed and waned, he was always unsure if his letters were getting through.

Tonight however, his old bag carried in it a hand whittled wooden train that Bill had made on the nights when it was too cold to sleep or at any chance he could get to stave of the monotony of the war. Before beginning his walk home he had stopped by the small general store in Munroe and bought Sarah a doll that he was sure the shop keeper had generously lowered the price of for him, in a gesture of Christmas kindness to a soldier in uniform on leave.

'Scoot off you two now, your Pa needs to have a little bit of peace while he soaks in his bath. Thomas why don't you help Sarah with her ABCs so that after supper you can both show him how well you can read your books, if he is not too tired' she said smiling. Minas had filled up the hip bath and placed it near the warmth of the stove in the kitchen before going out to gather more firewood for the parlour and dining rooms. It had turned bitterly cold and Bill was thankful to be indoors with the luxury of a warm fire and joy of joys, a hot bath. Stripping off his uniform Caroline took it to be thoroughly scrubbed with lye soap before Bill would wear it again.

As he had taken off his clothes she could not help but notice that he was looking painfully thin, the last three years taking its toll on his body. He still had strong muscled arms but his waist and hips had become sleeker and more toned. She blushed with modesty as Bill's eyes caught her looking at him and she hurriedly left the room taking his clothes to wash out the grime.

He sat in the tub soaking up the heat while watching Caroline go about preparing their dinner. As they were pretty self sufficient they had not faired as badly as some of the poorer neighbours in the area, the lowly cracker women left at home while their men folk were off at the war were finding it grim times and only the snares and traps they set for wild life and the cat fish caught in the many streams and bayous staved off starvation.

Bill watched Caroline's every move as though drinking it into his memory to be bought out like an old familiar book when needed and reread, just for the pleasure of it. The glow of happiness on her face having him safely there with her made her beauty shine out like a beacon on a dark night. He sighed as his sore muscles relaxed in the hot soapie water and he very nearly nodded asleep, he was so very tired. With dinner ready, Caroline modestly withdrew to call the children, allowing Bill the privacy of the kitchen to dry off and get changed into his regular clothes.

It was a joyful family gathering around the dinner table with Minas included in the happy scene. After dinner the children proudly read to Bill, even little Sarah lisping out her ABC story book lines, whilst Thomas read with fluency that for his age, quite astonished him. 'Papa play us a tune please Papa won't you?' the two children chorused as they had moved into the parlour where the fire had been well stoked by Minas to keep out the chill.

Bill sat at the piano and began to play as Caroline joined in a duet, the two of them singing Home Sweet Home, the favourite song of both Confederate and Union soldiers, written long before the first shots at Fort Sumter had ever been fired, her small hands resting on Bill's shoulders as they sang together. When finished, the children insisted on more and Bill, being Christmas and all, played Silent Night and The First Noel with Caroline and the children joining in. Although the piano was painfully out of tune it mattered not to any of them. It was the first music Bill had played since leaving and his fingers had not lost their delicate touch but instead bought the music to life for them all.

'Come now children, it's time for bed' Caroline said picking up Sarah to carry her up stairs. 'Oh please Papa just one more song then you could tell us a bed time story by the fire' Thomas suggested hopefully. Caroline looked across at Bill. 'It is Christmas' he said looking back at her. 'All right you two, if Papa doesn't mind and is not too tired but then it is straight to bed and no more dragging your feet' she laughed despite herself. They all joined in again as Bill played The Twelve Days of Christmas and much to the children's delight he sang Hark the Herald Angels in his rich beautiful voice before settling them on the couch with Sarah nestled in his arms and Thomas sitting next to him, patting him occasionally to make sure that he was real and not some Christmas wish dream he was having. Bill then recounted the Dickens story of A Christmas Carol and by the end of his narrative little Sarah was quietly sleeping cradled in his arms and Thomas was barely able to keep his eyes open either.

Bill gently carried Sarah up stairs and put her to bed, while Caroline made sure Thomas said his prayers before he too got into bed. As Bill went in to say good night to Thomas he stopped in the doorway to watch his small son on his knees fervently giving thanks to god for making his Christmas wish come true and bringing his Pa home to him. Bill fought back the tears as he tucked Thomas in bed and gently kissed him before saying goodnight. As he reached the door Thomas said sleepily 'Thank you Papa for coming home safely to us, Mama misses you so much and besides, it gets lonely here being the man of the house on my own without you' dropping off to sleep within minutes of Bill leaving the room.

Coming back into the parlour carrying his old leather satchel with him, he found Caroline sitting quietly in her horse hair chair pulled close up to the fire from its usual place in the far corner of the room. 'I bought the children these and I thought that we could give them to them in the morning' he said showing her the doll and the cleverly carved train with working wheels, a tiny replica of the trains that his regiment so stoutly defended along the tracks to Vicksburg. 'Oh William, Sarah will just love this and Thomas, well he would be happy with anything that you gave him but he will treasure this knowing his Papa made it for him' she said standing to kiss him for his thoughtfulness. Caroline was the only person to call him William, to everyone else he was just plain Bill but to her, he would always be her sweet and caring William.

Looking regretful he said 'I'm sorry but I haven't bought anything for you. There wasn't much time and I didn't know what to get you. I wanted to give you something…' he said looking at her. Caroline looked at him and looking down again she blushed. She gently rested her small delicate hand on his arm and looked up into his eyes. 'You being here is the most precious gift I could have but' she hesitated 'What is it my sweetheart?' he questioned, 'I want …. I want you to give me a baby' she said as she softly squeezed his arm, his face changing as her meaning became apparent to him and he was thrilled by her boldness.

Caroline, like most Southern ladies, was brought up to never mention those more intimate delicacies connected to marriage. Bill, like all other gentlemen of those times, was not a total naïve to the world of sex. As a young man he had been aware of those certain 'houses' that were established for the comfort of men, some more salubrious, some notorious, but he had never been inside one. He had of course seen the camp followers, the hordes of slatterns that followed all armies, bringing ease to the men but more likely than not bringing disease too. His love for Caroline had always out weighed his physical needs and when the thought of her became too much for his wants he could always manage to relieve himself, keeping his love unsullied.

Now, standing looking into Caroline's trusting eyes glittering with her love for him and feeling the warmth of her hand through his thin shirt sleeve, he could not help his desire for her. 'Oh my darling' he said picking her up gently in his arms and carrying her up to their bedroom.

To be continued ….