He slightly closed his eyes and paused to send up a prayer of Contrition for whatever wrong he had done to deserve this.
“Miss Green, I’m not even going to ask why you are here or what you think you’re doing. That has, as I recall, proven rather pointless in the past.”
As hard as it was for her to ask a favor of a Yankee officer, she had to do so.
“Please don’t let them search me. I don’t have any…underpinnings.”
Another Trooper rode up. She recognized Sergeant McKay just as he recognized her. He turned toward the Captain. “I’d almost rather just shoot her out of hand rather than try and search her, Sir.” She stiffened, not certain of how much was humor and how much he really meant. The Sergeant smiled at Captain Lodge. “It’s like you have your own personal plague sir. I believe the Egyptians may have gotten off lightly.”
Mary thought it best to say something before the humor got too far out of hand. “I will cooperate, provided searching is not done in an unseemly manner.”
With a heavy sigh, the Captain slid from his horse as the Sergeant moved his own to shield them. Mary noted that the Sergeant kept his revolver resting across his saddle in her general direction, rather than returning it to his holster as many had done.
Mary stood with her arms outstretched and her legs slightly apart, face turned away as the Captain searched her. Her heart sank as she realized he was bleeding from his leg. Since no other shots had been fired it must have been hers that hit him. “Are you hurt?”
He paused and looked at her disbelievingly. “That is what happens when you shoot someone. Did you think I wouldn’t recognize that ridiculous hat? Fortunately, it appears that fury and self-righteousness are poor substitutes for good pistol drill and I have rather more of a scratch than anything serious.”
His search was rather more thorough than she was comfortable with but obviously driven by anger and frustration rather than prurient interest. In any case, she reflected, she had rather fewer secrets from him than from any other man.
In short order, all of the erstwhile guerrillas had been searched and stripped to their underthings.
Except for her.
Captain Lodge looked over the sorry little band.
“My instructions are to hang incendiaries from the bridges that they attempt to burn. Happily for you, I see no evidence of any fire at all, though, I suspect that is rather more a statement of your ability than your will. Nonetheless, it is a fortunate break for you. So instead of hanging you, we will be marching you to the Provost station where you will be sorted properly.” With that, he looked directly at Mary. “Although I believe there are some of you who can’t be sorted properly at all.”
Mary was not particularly surprised that while she was allowed to remain dressed, she was forced to march along with the rest all the way to the Provost station. With the rain and muddy roads, by the time they reach the Provost station they were a sorry looking lot.
An obviously vexed Captain Lodge left them standing out in the rain under the watchful eyes of the troopers as he went in to confer with the Provost.