Tarnished Armor

Excerpt 1

Sean lay back in his bed and whispered, "Yes, indeed, lass. I do wish I had to beat you off." He closed his eyes and relived Maggie standing over him with that bucket of water. She smelled like the soap that she gave him. Maggie was pretty, even with that unruly red hair that refused to stay in place. He smiled to himself, realizing Maggie did care for him.

The young lass carried pail after pail of water from the tub, letting the memory of Sean’s strong upper torso glistening with bath water, and the feel of his silky raven hair slipping through her fingers, linger as she hurled each pail from the back stoop into the yard. They each shared their common daydream alone. Maggie snapped back to reality with the sound of Sean calling her name.

"What is it, Captain?" she asked, as she set the pail down, wiping her brow and drying her hands on her apron.

"Would it be too much trouble to have a cup of tea? My leg is killing me." Sean’s manner and voice were all new to the young housekeeper.

"Be right there," Maggie called while massaging her shoulders as she entered the cottage.

Maggie took a bottle of elderberry wine from the shelf and poured a cup. Carefully, she added a pinch of laudanum, enough to ease the pain, but not drug her patient. Slipping a jar of salve into her apron pocket, Maggie flipped a clean towel over her shoulder and proceeded to Sean’s room.

In a very short time, the dust of the hot jaunt was washed from his throat. The local hero was moved from the bar to the dining area, where lively music filled the room and women became coquettish, with some even making advances in his direction. It had been a long time--and he enjoyed it to the fullest. The women were all shapes and sizes, and some had cleavage deep enough in which to hide a pouch of gold.

The young hero gave no thought to his mentors back at the cottage, or to their concern or possible worry over his disappearance. The notion that they might be searching the grounds for him at this moment never occurred to him.

Captain Sean Hickey’s new friends carried him off to a table in the corner to share the evening meal with the most popular woman in County Mayo--and the whole province, for that matter. Through a Guinness glow, there appeared an aging beauty with raven hair that framed her milk-white face. Her large blue-green eyes reminded Sean of a sly old cat. The lad’s eyes came to rest on the huge breasts spilling from her extravagant gown.

"Welcome, Captain Hickey," she cooed, leaning forward to insure a titillating view. Touching the back of the tippled lad’s hand, she whispered into Sean’s face: "Usually, an evening of entertainment is beyond a soldier’s purse. Tonight, you will be my guest."

"Kind of you, madam," Sean slurred. "What might this entertainment be?" The woman’s piercing laugh cut right through his drunken haze.

Sister Paula struggled to keep her Irish temper under control. She wanted to dump the plate of stew over Sean’s head and smash the empty plate on his smug face. Instead, she merely attacked him verbally "You are the rudest man I have ever met," she hissed. "How dare you make fun of me, and call me ‘dear lass’! I am nobody’s ‘dear lass,’ you arrogant oaf. I am a Dominican nun and don’t you ever forget it!"

"Hmmm," Sean managed to say, stifling a laugh. "You have a nasty temper for a Dominican nun." He was enjoying the conflict, and again wished Sister Paula was not hidden behind that habit. She had a lot of spirit and would be an adventure to pursue, he thought. "Only time will tell if fighting side by side was the best thing," Sean mused as Sister Paula snatched up the tray.

Pain or no pain, Sean could not stop his mind from reacting to her comeliness as she sat so close. "No. It’ll be fine," he whispered holding the covers close about his leg. "You were right. I did overdo it a bit. I’ll rest here until supper." The medication was beginning to take effect.

"It won’t ever be fine again unless it’s cared for," Maggie said with authority, grasping the blanket. Sean realized it was no use.

"Here, I’ll do it," he muttered, and carefully exposed only the stump, knee and a small part of his thigh, being careful not to expose his other stump. Maggie gently lifted the exposed knee, placing a towel under it. She quickly slid the covers to his crotch, exposing the entire leg.

"I knew it! A skinned rabbit . . . that’s what we have here." Maggie knelt beside the cot for a closer look. Sean gasped in true pain. Not only from his leg, but also from the total exposure of his ugliness. From the very first moment Sean had seen Maggie, he vowed she’d never see this ugliness.

Sean Hickey fell back onto the bed, covering his face with his hands, wishing he could continue falling into nothingness. He could not look at her. The wounded soldier could feel her strong, yet genteel fingers apply the salve. After a horribly long moment the pain eased and the leg felt cool. Sean held his breath as he peeked through his fingers, expecting to see a look of repulsion on Maggie’s face. It was not there.