A/N - I'm sorry for the delay in this chapter, my personal and work life got really crazy since the last update, and I wasn't in the right mindset to write Jasper. Even pre-vamp, our Jasper is an emotional sponge.
As always, a huge thank you to Jen for helping me with this chapter - helping me batting major writers block, getting Jasper (and myself) past orange roses, and helping me find the census for the 1860s (Charles needed a last name!) If y'all haven't checked out her story, The Life (and Death) of Edward Anthony Masen, you really should. It is even up for an award!
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Chapter 10: The Big Day
Two hours later, at the still ungodly hour of six in the morning, I was pacing in the Blackburn's sitting room. I was uncertain as to what time the Colonel was arriving in Galveston and to the boarding house, but I was determined to be downstairs whenever he did arrive. Hopefully the wait wouldn't be too long, otherwise I would owe the Blackburn's a new carpet.
"Major Whitlock?" A soft voice spoke from the doorway. "You have a visitor."
"The Colonel?" I interrupted the servant eagerly.
"No sir. A Miss Meyer."
I struggled to hide my disappointment, arranging my face in a calm mask. "Send her in."
The servant bowed and ducked out of the room.
"Don't sound so thrilled to see me," Alicia laughed, entering the room. "I came here to wish you luck with the Colonel."
"This early?" I asked skeptically, pausing in my tracks.
"Jas, I know you. You are anxious and whenever you are anxious, you are up at the crack of dawn, wearing a rut in whatever is underneath your feet."
"Touché," I admitted sheepishly. I met her gaze and appraised her appearance. "There is more to your visit though."
Alicia dropped her eyes, lying through her teeth. "No. There's nothing else."
"Alicia Meyer, what is going on?" I demanded gently. "Alicia, look at me. What's wrong?"
"It's Uncle George. He - he's not doing well. The doctor suspects an early case of yellow fever. But none of us are sick. And all the news about the Union… well, Aunt Melly's finally taking you seriously." Alicia tilted her chin up defiantly, trying to mask the pain in her voice. "She doesn't know how much longer Uncle George has, and she doesn't want him in Galveston anymore."
"Alicia - I'm so sorry to hear this…" I hesitated, my arms half-outstretched for a hug before dropping them to my sides. "Tell me, how can I be of any help?"
"Evacuate us. Help us get to Houston… or Sugarloaf…home. The moment trouble arrives, get us home… You…Please…" Alicia's voice was cracking from the strain of holding back tears, everything betraying her anxiety. I hadn't seen Alicia this out of sorts in years, since before the war. And then, it was over something trivial: a broken pane of glass that she was anxious to hide from her mother. This war had forced Alicia to grow into a young women long before her time.
"You have my word. How long have you known?" I helped Alicia into a chair and passed her my handkerchief. I could feel my own chest constricting with her pain.
"About Uncle George? Since right after Robert and Rebecca's wedding, when Uncle left early. I knew then that something was off. Uncle never misses a party. You know this; everyone knows this. Why did it take Aunt Melly so long to admit it?" She half-sobbed.
Alicia's anguish cut through me like a bayonet as I searched for the right words. "She's in love with your Uncle George. We tend to turn a blind eye to the ailments of the ones we love, refusing to see the truth before it is too late."
Alicia snorted as tears tracked down her face, "Jasper Whitlock, I doubt you would know what love felt like, even if it came flying from a cannon ball. You've never courted a single woman in your life. What do you know of love?"
I shrugged, unsure of what Alicia wanted me to say. My promise to tend to her family personally had eased some of her fears and allowed her to return to teasing me, even when she was upset. Her retort reverberated in my thoughts, was I really blind to love? I awkwardly patted Alicia's arm as she dried her tears and smoothed her traveling gown absentmindedly.
Alicia rose from the chair after a few minutes of silence. "I ought to get home, before I'm missed."
I nodded solemnly, pocketing my damp handkerchief, still at a loss for words. But once again, Alicia surprised me.
Wrapping her arms around my torso, she buried her face in my coat as she hugged me tightly, "Thank you Jas. For everything."
I mumbled something indistinct in return as my awkward patting moved to her back. When it came to women and young ladies, I was at a loss on how to effectively comfort them. I often found myself saying the wrong thing, leading to a new wave of sobs and tears. I was better at just holding my tongue.
After a few minutes, Alicia straightened and gave me a watery smile, her eyes rimmed in red. "I mean it; thank you. And good luck with the Colonel."
"You are most welcome." I walked Alicia to the door and saw her safely ensconced in her carriage, promising to stay in contact and to come get the family at the first breath of trouble. After her carriage disappeared into a cloud of dust, I shut the front door and returned to my pacing in the sitting room, more thoughts running amok in my mind.
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The rest of the morning passed without too much more excitement. I was joined in the sitting room by Charles and a few of my other men. We had all dressed in our best uniforms and tried not to wear a path in the rug with our pacing.
"At ease men!" I finally shouted at one point, glaring until every last person was seated, and the thudding percussion of riding boots had ceased. "Thank you."
"Stressed?" Charles muttered from his seat next to me. His eyes were dancing with laughter as he struggled to maintain a serious expression.
"Not a bit," I muttered back sarcastically. Leave it to Charles to attempt to lighten the mood. I could not be too annoyed with him though, he was actually sober.
"Relax Jasper. You've got this. There is not anything to worry about, considering you have been working your ass off getting prepared."
"Colonel Cook did not give me many details on what he wanted, so I hope I'm prepared enough." Although I appreciated Charles's faith and support in me, I was still skeptical.
Charles rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the strip of newspaper he had delivered this morning. The list of missing soldiers and those killed in action was growing faster than any of us could have fathomed at the beginning of the war. His eyes scanned the paper slowly, a finger occasionally tracing a line from name to status.
"Anyone we know?" I was almost afraid to ask.
"Not as of this printing," Charles replied, resigned. "But, we won't know for sure until later tonight. You know that."
I exhaled silently, temporarily relieved. As silence settled on the room, I allowed my mind to wander with the hopes that I would remain distracted from the imminent visit. After a few minutes, the room began to empty, my men preferring to pace in the privacy of their own rooms, or to start poker games without disturbing Charles and I.
Charles was soon finished with the paper, and casually tossed it to the side. "Jas, you need to get out of the house. Go for a ride or a walk. The waiting is driving you crazy. You can't even sit still anymore."
My head snapped over to him, "What do you mean I can't sit still? I'm not pacing any more."
"Your leg has been bouncing a mile a minute since you ordered all of us to cease and desist. If you had a baby in your lap, they would either be asleep or sick." Charles snickered, motioning to my left leg, which was indeed bouncing to some unknown melody.
I growled in response, not having a snappy comeback at the ready. The knock at the sitting room door however, suddenly made everything I wanted to say unnecessary.
"Do all of your men treat you with this amount of disrespect Major?"
Charles went pale and I snapped to attention. "Colonel Cook!"
"Major Whitlock." The Colonel strode forward with a grin on his face as he shook my hand. "It is good to see you again."
"Thank you Colonel. This is Sergeant Charles Farley, who also happens to be a childhood friend of mine. Sergeant Farley, the honorable Colonel Joseph Cook." The Colonel arched an eyebrow in my direction as I made the introductions.
"I meant no disrespect, sir. I just forgot myself," Charles stuttered as the Colonel eyed him carefully.
Watching the scene from over the Colonel's shoulder, I bit my lip to keep from laughing out loud, my annoyance at Charles long forgotten as he fidgeted under the intense stare. Colonel Cook could be very intimidating when he needed to be, and Charles was getting the brunt of it. Colonel Cook was an older gentleman, having served at High Point, and had a reputation for operating just off the beaten path.
Sensing my gaze, Charles nodded imperceptibly, acknowledging and understanding all of my anxiety from the week prior. I ducked my head in response, patiently waiting for the stare down to cease. Now that the Colonel had officially arrived, I could sense today's meeting would be relaxed and informal. The Colonel would likely save the more in-depth meeting for when he was settled into his hotel and had had a chance to meet with the remaining troops in the city.
"Be sure you do not forget yourself again in my presence Sergeant. You are dismissed." The Colonel broke the silence and Charles gladly escaped from the room. A slight chuckle escaped his lips. "Ah, I miss watching the men jump at my every command."
"Pleasure to see you again Colonel. Would you like to discuss things in my office?" I questioned, stepping forward once again. What did the Colonel mean by he missed commanding officers?
"The Blackburn's supplied you with an office? How generous of them. Yes, let us retire there." He seemed impressed with how accommodating the Blackburn family had been with a troop of soldiers living under their roof.
Leading the way up the stairs, I replied, "It is not much sir, but the Blackburn's have made every effort to help with the Cause."
The Colonel snorted when I mentioned 'the Cause' but did not comment further. I made a mental note to not mention that term again. It appeared that the older gentleman had grown weary of false pretenses.
I pushed the door to my office open and stepped aside, allowing the Colonel to enter before me and choose his seat. To my shock, he sat on the visitors side, leaving the more comfortable desk chair for myself. I must have shown my amazement, because the Colonel just laughed, "It's been a while since I've sat in front of the desk. I'm growing a little weary of always being the figure behind the desk and it is good practice for a man such as yourself. Please, sit Major."
I obliged, settling down uneasily in my seat, not bothering to lean back and kick my feet up on the one empty corner as I usually did. I was unsure as to what the Colonel wanted to discuss, I had not been lying to Charles earlier when he asked what was bothering me. Silence settled over the room before I nervously broke it. I took a deep breath and spoke, "Colonel?"
"Maybe you better start Major, tell me what you've seen. As well written as your letters are, I am afraid that they are not doing the situation any justice." The Colonel leaned forward, resting his elbows on my desk. He truly seemed interested in my observations on the town.
We spent the better part of the morning going through paperwork and maps of the town that I had drawn up over the past few weeks, ever since I had written my initial letter to the Colonel. Paging through the stack of papers, the Colonel whistled. "Major, these are quite the works of art, highly accurate."
"Thank you sir." I bowed my head and moved a second stack into the center of the desk, "These are the details of the ships I've witnessed in the harbor. Some of the troops inhabiting the local bases had noticed them, but did not realize how close the ships were moving. Colonel, this island, this town is not fortified for an attack. And there is something else you should be aware of."
"And what is that Major?"
"Yellow fever. A close family friend is suffering from it at the moment. The rest of his family has not displayed any symptoms, but we might be able to use it to our advantage, in case the Union decides to try and negotiate."
"You have this very well planned out Whitlock. I'll expect you to be on hand when it comes to dealing directly with the Union. I could have used a man like you in North Point."
"Thank you sir," I repeated. The flattery was overwhelming, but confusing. Something was going on with the Colonel, and I was determined to figure out what it was. "Colonel, would you like to ride out to the harbor this afternoon?"
"I'll hold off on that visit, Major Whitlock. Let me get settled into my hotel and visit with the other troops first. I want to round up my own company, so we can all see what you've been observing this past month. I am afraid my descriptions will be unable to do the situation justice." The Colonel rose from his chair, "It has been an honor to spend the morning with you Jasper. You are an intelligent young man. Expect to hear from me within a couple days. Have a good afternoon."
Without waiting for a reply, Colonel Joseph Cook strode out of my office and down the hall. I heard his footsteps on the staircase and the click of the front door as he made his hasty exit. I sat stunned, unsure on how to proceed and process the meeting. Propping my elbows on my desk, I stared blankly into the distance, my chin resting on my fists. What else could go wrong?
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The Colonel finally made it! Throughout the difficulties this chapter presented, the Colonel was a much anticipated character for me to introduce. The real Colonel Cook played a big role in the town of Galveston, and I've dug up a few treasures that I will be sharing on my blog.
Leave a review and let me know what you think.