An Officer but No Gentleman (31 page)

35

Betsy Bloodworthy insisted Charlie and Jaxon not spend the night in the same house the night before the wedding.  Sailors are superstitious by nature
, so when Charlie learned it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding, she readily agreed.  Jaxon would spend the night at the family homestead and Charlie and Jayne would stay in Jaxon’s townhouse. 

Jayne wasn’t sure if Jaxon had any amusements for them to busy themselves with so she brought checkers and remembering a conversation she had had with Charlie, she brought knitting supplies to teach Charlie how to knit
, but as it turned out they didn’t touch either.  They spent their time trying to decide how Charlie should wear her hair.

The we
dding was set to begin at 11:00 AM and Morty was supposed to arrive shortly before in a carriage to take the women to the church. 

At 10:30
, Charlie and Jayne came downstairs to await their ride.

“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,” Jayne quoted the old rhyme about what every bride was supposed to wear.  “Do you have everything?”

“It’s all new,” Charlie said.

“Those are the pearls our grandmother gave Jaxon.  We were all given a piece of her jewelry
, so although they are new to you, they are actually old.”

Charlie put her hands on the pearls and smiled.  She was touched that he would give her a family heirloom.  “Well, in that case
, I have old and new and Mabel sewed little blue bows on my stockings.  I just need something borrowed.”

“I’ve got a hanky you can borrow.  You can just tuck it into your sleeve in case you need it.  Let me go get it.”

No sooner had Jayne run upstairs, than there was a knock at the door.  Assuming it was Morty; Charlie flung it open without thought, only to find Millie Adams standing in front of her.  When she saw her, Charlie wanted to slam the door in her face, but against her better judgment, she waited to find out what she wanted.  For a moment neither woman spoke.  Millie just stood there with her hands behind her back.

“Even though you didn’t invite me to the wedding, I’ve brought you a gift,” she said with a smirk.

Millie drew a dueling pistol from behind her back and pointed it at Charlie with shaky hands.  Charlie could see her finger wrapped around the trigger and the hammer was cocked.

Charlie silently cursed at her wedding gown
, but didn’t waste another second.  She grabbed Millie’s wrists and thrust her hands upward.  The gun discharged with an ear-shattering blast.  Behind her on the staircase landing, Jayne screamed and fell to the floor with a thud.

Charlie, knowing the dueling pistol only held a single shot, twisted it out of Millie’s hand.  She grabbed her arm and a handful of her dress and flipped her onto the floor.  In a moment, she had Millie turned over on her stomach with her arms twisted painfully behind her back.

“Jayne!” Charlie shouted, the panic evident in her voice.  “Jayne, how badly are you hurt?”

Charlie craned her neck around to see Jayne.  Only her knees and legs were visible from her vantage point.  Her dress was speckled with blood.  It seemed to take forever for her to answer.

“She shot me,” Jayne said in bewilderment.

“Where?”

“I didn’t shoot her,” Millie protested.  “This is your fault!  If you hadn’t grabbed my arms….”

             
Charlie twisted Millie’s arms harder until she cried out in pain. 

             
“Shut up you stupid, twit.  No one would have gotten shot if you hadn’t shown up here with a gun.”  Charlie looked back to where Jayne was laying.

“Where are you hit, Jayne?” Charlie was surprised how calm her voice now sounded when she was anything but.

“It’s my arm. There’s a piece missing about the size of my finger.” Jayne’s voice was high with tension.

“Stay calm, Jayne. I know you’re scared and I know it hurts. Can you tell me if it grazed you or did the bullet go through your arm?”

“Y-yes, I think it just grazed me.”

“Do you think you could get me something to tie her up with?”

Jayne exhaled audibly.  “Yes, I think I can.”  Jayne rose to her feet, unsteadily.  “My legs are wobbly.”

“If you think you’re going to faint or fall
, sit back down.”

“No, I’m all right.”

Jayne slowly made her way down the remaining stairs and looked about for something to use to tie her up.  “Will the yarn work?”

“Yes, anything.”

Jayne went into the parlor, but when she realized her hands were bloody she used a knitting needle to stab a ball of yarn to pick it up.

“Go sit down until I get her tied up,” she said to Jayne as she took the yarn.

Charlie knew how to tie strong knots that would not come loose.  However, she was unsure of the strength of the thick yarn so she lashed her arms together half a dozen times before she felt confident in the strength of the bonds.  She did the same to Millie’s feet.  Only then did she feel safe to look after Jayne.

“No!” Jayne gasped as Charlie approached.  “You’ll get blood on your dress.  Mabel and Mrs. Jenkins will never forgive me if I get blood on your wedding dress.”

Charlie hesitated.  “Jayne the dress doesn’t matter.”

“No, Charlie, take it off.  Please.”

Charlie sighed and began unbuttoning the dress.  “For goodness sake.”

“Put it over there,” she said pointing. “I’ve been bleeding everywhere I’ve gone.”

After laying her dress over the foyer table she ran for her bag and some towels.

Morty stood at the door knocking for several minutes before he decided to try the knob.  He wasn’t expecting to find a woman trussed up like a Christmas goose lying on the foyer floor.

“Help me,” the pretty blonde woman cried.  “Untie me.”

Morty bent down and looked closely at the knots.  He scratched his head as he erected himself.

“Where’s Charlie?”

“They-they took her. Untie me.”

“Not a chance, sweetheart.  I’d know Charlie’s knots anywhere.”

Morty changed his focus to his surroundings.  He saw the wedding gown carefully draped on the table and then he saw a bloody knitting needle and a gun.  There were blood drops all over the floor. 

“Charlie!”  Morty bellowed.  “Charlie, where are you?”

“Back here in the galley,” she called back.  “Thank God you’re here.”

Morty followed the sound of her voice into the kitchen where Jayne lay on the table as Charlie finished stitching up her arm
.  Jayne turned her head toward the doorway; a wide grin graced her pale face.

“Morty, my soon-to-be cousin-by-marriage! Does that make you my cousin once removed or my second cousin? I can never get it straight.”

“What happened, Charlie?”

“I got winged in my wing.” Jayne answered before Charlie could respond.

“I think I gave her a little too much laudanum,” Charlie said to explain Jayne’s silliness.

“Oh no, I think you gave me just the right amount.” Her speech was drawn out and her eyes momentarily lolled shut.

“That…creature in the hallway came here to shoot me and poor Jayne got shot instead. Go to the church and tell him what happened. The wedding will have to be postponed.”

“No!”  Jayne interrupted.  “That’s what Millie wants.  You can’t give her the
satisfaction. Go tell Jaxon I tore my dress and we’ll be there a little late.”

Charlie tied off the last stitch, cut the catgut and began wrapping the wound with a long bandage.

“Jaxon and your mother would kill me if they found out,” Charlie protested.

“Don’t tell them.”

“Jayne, you’re not thinking straight. This isn’t something we can keep to ourselves.”

Jayne, using only her good arm, pushed herself into a sitting position. “Look, I’m not bleeding, and I’m not hurting. We just need to send Morty to the sheriff after he tells them we’ll be late. Then we’ll change and after we turn Millie over to the sheriff, you’ll go get married.”

“When that laudanum wears off, you’re going to be in pain again.”

Jayne swung her legs over the side of the table.  “After the wedding, Mother can take me home if I don’t feel well.”

Charlie found her argument compelling enough to consider it. It would take a couple of hours for the laudanum to lose its numbing effects. She handed a small brown bottle to Morty. “Can you keep this with you in case we need it?”

“Aye.”

Charlie recognized the resignation in Morty’s voice. He could never say no to her. But Charlie already knew that.

“When I get back
, make sure you’re dressed for the wedding not the bedding,” Morty said walking out. 

Charlie blushed to her roots. S
he had completely forgotten she was only half dressed.

36

Morty’s mouth felt dry as it did when he slept with it open after a night on the town.  On any given day, he was more than a little intimidated by Jaxon Bloodworthy, but to lie to him was making Morty sweat.  It didn’t help that Morty couldn’t lie convincingly to save his life.

“Captain, your sister told me to tell you she tore her dress and needed to change clothes so they are going to be late.”

There.  It wasn’t a lie—not his lie anyway.  It was what she told him to say.

“It seems to me
, it would have been faster for you to stay there and wait than for you to be running back and forth delivering messages.”

“Aye, they just didn’t want you to worry,” he said, amber eyes looking everywhere but at Jaxon.

“Was there anything else?”

“No,” Morty answered quickly.  “I’d better get back.”

“Hurry, please.”

“Uh, it may take longer t
han you think.  Charlie wasn’t—” He almost said
fully
dressed,
but he caught himself.  “Charlie wasn’t ready either.”

Morty turned on his heel to leave
, but realized he didn’t know where the sheriff’s office was located.  He scanned the sanctuary until he spotted a familiar fire-headed woman and approached her.

“Mabel,” Morty whispered in her ear.  “Where’s the sheriff’s office?”

“Town square, across from the courthouse.”  She grabbed his arm before he could leave.  “Why?”

“Can I tell you later?”

Mabel looked a little hurt.  “Do you want me to go with you?”

“No, my love.  I can find it.”

“But now I’m going to worry.”

He tenderly touched her face. “Everything is fine.”
He picked up her hand and kissed it.

By the time word of the women’s arrival finally reached Jaxon, he had worked himself into a nervous wreck.  He had convinced himself Morty was spending his time trying to talk Charlie out of marrying him while Jayne was trying to convince her to go through with it. 

“They’re ready,” Daniel stated.  “Are you?”

He was as ready as he was ever going to be.  Despite the fact he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Charlie, he still felt anxious.  The delay had only served to make his nerves worse.

The men took their places by the altar next to their childhood preacher who had baptized them as children.  With a nod from Reverend Fyfe, the musicians began playing.  The ushers, Levi and Eli, opened the doors to the rear of the sanctuary and Jayne began the slow procession down the aisle.  Almost immediately Jaxon noticed her pallor and wondered if having all the attention on her for these few moments plagued her more than his shy sister could tolerate.  She really was as pretty as Charlie had pointed out and he cast a glance at all the sailors in the room and frowned.  Poor Jayne would die a spinster if he and brothers couldn’t relax their protective natures.  It was no wonder such a pretty girl had never had any suitors.

He turned his eyes back to Jayne and noticed how glassy and heavily hooded her eyes looked.  Instinctively, he knew this was not the result of unshed emotions.

Was she drunk?  Charlie’s upbringing contrasted harshly to theirs.  He wouldn’t have put it past her to have gotten his sist
er drunk; not understanding it was something young women did not do.  Did she get sick on her dress causing the delay?

As Jayne approached
, Jaxon stepped towards her and took her hands.  He leaned in to kiss her cheek as an excuse to get close enough to see if he could smell liquor on her.  He could not detect any odor.

“Are you all right?” he whispered in her ear
and pulled back to see her eyes.

The look on her face told him she was surprised to find he had noticed anything amiss.

Jayne smiled and nodded and moved to her position opposite her brothers.

Jaxon retreated back to his place next to Daniel and elbowed him lightly.  When he had his attention, he nodded towards Jayne.  Daniel looked past him and frowned when he saw her eyes.

The music changed and the congregation of family, friends and crew rose to their feet as Charlie began her walk down the aisle on Morty’s arm. Morty wore his white dress uniform as did nearly every sailor there.  It made him look even more muscled than usual.

Jaxon had
been annoyed when his mother insisted if Morty was her cousin, he should give her away.  He either needed to admit the lie or let Morty act as her father.  But there was also a side of him that liked the symbolism of him yielding his hold on her.

But when they came through the doors at the back of the worship hall
, he barely noticed the brute next to his bride. His eyes fixed on Charlie.  He didn’t think she could possibly look more beautiful than she always did, but he was wrong. The joy in her face radiated through the gossamer veil.  He smiled widely.

“Who gives this woman?” the preacher said
, bringing Jaxon out of his reverie.

“Her crew and I,” Morty said eliciting a few chuckles.

Morty outstretched his hand to Jaxon.  “I hope you know how fortunate you are to have this woman’s love,” he said quietly.

“I do.  And I intend to show her how much I love her every day for the rest of our lives.”

When Jaxon released his hand, Morty lifted Charlie’s hand from his arm and placed it on Jaxon’s.

As Morty took his seat next to Mabel, Jaxon and Charlie turned to Reverend Fyfe and began their vows.

Jaxon could tell Charlie was surprised when Daniel produced a ring.  She may have forgotten about the ring, but he had not.  She watched as he slid the ring onto her finger and stared at it while Reverend Fyfe spoke the vows first.  When she looked up there were tears in her eyes.

“With this ring….”  Jaxon’s voice cracked and Charlie covered his hand with her right hand and smile.

Jaxon cleared his throat and finished then Charlie said hers, their eyes never leaving each other.

Moments later
, Reverend Fyfe pronounced them husband and wife, telling Jaxon he could kiss the bride.

Jax lifted the veil and leaned down to plant a chaste kiss on her lips
, but Charlie wrapped one arm around his neck and kissed him passionately.  There were some chuckles from his crew and more than one of her crewmembers cleared their throats, but it was Grace and Sloane saying
Ew
that made Charlie relax her hold on Jax’s neck.

As they walked down the aisle to the church’s vestibule
, Jaxon leaned towards her.

“What’s the matter with Jayne?” he whispered.

Charlie’s hand flew to her mouth as her breath caught.  “She insisted we not postpone the wedding.”

Jaxon glanced behind them to make sure Jayne and Daniel followed.  As soon as they were out of the sanctuary
, Jaxon sought out a place where they could talk privately.

“In here,” he said to Jayne and Daniel as he led Charlie into the preacher’s study.

“Daniel,” Charlie said.  “Maybe you should go get your mother, too.”

“No, not Mama,” Jayne protested.

Jaxon nodded his head toward the door and Daniel hurried to find their matriarch.

“I take it Jayne didn’t tear her dress?” Jaxon said frowning in earnest.

“No…”  Charlie started, but Jayne interrupted.

“Millie tried to shoot Charlie.”

“Millie? Oh, God.”

“I tried to wrest the pistol from her and it went off and Jayne got shot,” Charlie explained.

“I got winged in the wing,” Jayne said still feeling the effects of the laudanum.

“She’s made that same joke half a dozen times already.”

“You should have seen Charlie.  It all happened so fast, Millie didn’t know what happened.”

“But you’re all right?”  Jax asked Jayne.

“Nothing a dozen stitches and a little laudanum couldn’t take care of.” 

Jayne smiled widely at Jax.

“No more laudanum.” Jaxon scowled at Jayne and watched as her grin turned crooked as if she wanted him to know his glower did not work on her.

Daniel opened the door and he and Betsy entered.

“Millie shot Jayne,” Jax said without preamble.

“I’m all right. I just got winged in the wing.”

Charlie shook her head with a chagrined expression.

“Charlie stitched me up and in a couple of weeks
, it’ll be like it never happened.”

“Where’s Millie?  Did she get away?” Jaxon asked.

“I subdued her and tied her up and Morty got the sheriff to take her to jail.”

“Thank heavens,” Betsy said taking her daughter’s face in her small
, but steady hands. Her arms suddenly surrounded the young woman and held her tightly for a brief embrace. “Maybe I should take you home so you can rest.”

“No, Mama.  I want to shoot the cannons with everyone else.”

Jaxon and Charlie planned to take the wedding guests out into open water on
The Dragon’s Lair
and shoot the cannons to celebrate their nuptials.

“She can lie down in our cabin if it’s too much for her,” Charlie suggested.  “It’s little more than a bad cut.  It took about a dozen stitches to close up
, but Jayne has been a model patient.”

Betsy insisted on seeing the wound for herself. Jaxon and Daniel gathered behind Betsy as Charlie unveiled Jayne’s wound. The injury was red
, but sewn up neatly. “I think it’ll be all right for Jayne to see the cannons fired.”

“Thank you, Mama.”

“Now we must get back out there and greet everyone.”