She moved her chair a short distance away from the bed. “I’m going to sit over here so I don’t tempt you.”
“Especially since your buttons are still undone.”
“That’s incentive for you to heal up.”
With her wit and sass, Garrett thought men should be lined up outside her door for a chance at one of her smiles. Never mind that she’d probably shoot them all first.
Her voice brought him back. “Since we can’t discuss or do anything substantial, what shall we talk about?”
Before he could think on that, she said, “I know. Tell me about being in the navy. You’re the only sailor I’ve met.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Where you went on the boat. What kind of work you did. That sort of thing.”
“I was on a ship called theKearsarge. Ever hear of it?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“It was in one of the most famous sea battles of the war, the Battle of Cherbourg.”
“Where’s that?”
“Off the coast of France in the English Channel. The fight took place in July of sixty-four between our ship and the Confederate war sloop,Alabama.”
“What were the ships doing in France?”
“TheAlabamawas there looking for a dock to make repairs. It had made a name for itself attacking Union merchant ships all over the world. We were docked in Holland.”
“Why were the Rebs attacking merchant ships?”
“To stop the flow of food and supplies into the States mostly. Our navy sent twenty war ships out to capture it, but they weren’t successful.”
“Why not?”
“It was bigger, faster, and far better armed, but theKearsargewas its equal in terms of size and guns. We were a war sloop, too.”
“Was theKearsargenamed for someone famous? I’ve never heard that name before.”
“No. It’s a mountain in New Hampshire.” The confusion and humor on her face made him smile. “I’ve no idea why the navy named it that.”
“Okay, go on.”
“When word spread theAlabamaarrived in France, the French refused to let them dock.”
“Why?”
“Because the French supported the Union in Lincoln’s war. When our ship arrived three days later, theAlabamawas anchored in the English Channel and the battle began.”
“How long did the fight last?”
“Once we traded gunfire—less than an hour.”
She startled. “Really?”
“Yes, the Rebs had been raiding Union merchant ships for almost two years, and after sailing around the Horn to reach France, their crew was tired, the ship needed overhauling, and their gunpowder was stale. A few good blasts from our cannons, and she started taking on water. Sank less than an hour later. Our captain wanted to bring the Reb officers back to the States for trial, but never got the chance because an English ship sitting in the Channel watching the fight rescued the Reb sailors.”
“The English didn’t turn them over?”