The Princess (Montgomery/Taggert 10)

“Yeah, well, a war doesn’t have weekends. You want to go to the base tomorrow and look at it again?”

“On Sunday?”

J.T. rubbed his jaw. “It’s the first radar we’ve installed and I’m concerned about it, that’s all. The damned thing is from Britain and I don’t know if it’s going to fit our American ships. Probably make the ship sail on the wrong side of the ocean.”

Bill smiled but Dolly didn’t. “I still think you should spend the day with your wife.”

“I got more important things to do. Doll, did you bring any of your chocolate cake?”

“Yes. Can you cut it yourself or should I get your big strong wife to do it for you?” Dolly turned on her heel and left them.

“Is she mad about something? You do something to tee her off?”

“It’s not me, buddy,” Bill said. “How are you and the princess getting along?”

J.T. yawned. “As well as can be expected. She’s pretty well useless. I had to teach her how to turn on the bathtub.”

“Mitch doesn’t seem to think she’s useless.”

“That’s thanks to my teaching. A week ago she’d have been demanding he serve her oysters on a gold platter.”

Bill shook his head. He knew the story of why J.T. had married Aria. “She must really want that country of hers. When I met her she wouldn’t let anyone touch her and now she doesn’t seem to mind Mitch’s hands all over her.” He looked up at J.T. but J.T. didn’t react.

“Is everything about ready for the conversion of the distillation ship?”

“Yeah,” Bill said, and there was disgust in his voice. “I think I’ll get another beer.”

J.T. walked toward Aria and again everyone held his breath as Mitch removed his hands from J.T.’s wife. “I’ve got some work to do upstairs,” J.T. said. “You take care of everybody. And I mean that. Get them whatever they need.” J.T. looked at the group of people who were standing quietly. “Stay as long as you want. Have a good time. Good night.”

They watched as he mounted the stairs.

“Talk about a wet blanket,” Gail muttered.

“What happened to the J.T. I used to know?” Larry asked.

All eyes turned toward Aria as if expecting an answer.

Dolly stepped forward. “How about if we all meet at the ice cream parlor on Flagler tomorrow at eleven?”

“I think J.T.’s going to work,” Bill said.

“Well then we’ll have to do without him, won’t we? We’ll pick you up at ten-forty-five…Princess,” Dolly said, smiling.

It took them only minutes to clean up and get ready to leave. Mitch kissed Aria’s hand. “Until tomorrow, Princess,” he said.

Aria stood at the door and said good night. She heard Dolly say, “You’re going to tell me what’s going on, Bill Frazier, if you stay up all night doing it.

”

Upstairs, J.T. was ensconced in the big bed, a sheet covering the lower half of him, the upper half bare. Papers were all around him.

“I guess the little bed is mine,” she said.

“Mmm,” was all J.T. answered.

Aria wrinkled her nose at him, but he didn’t look up. She opened a chest of drawers and looked at her pile of nightgowns. On impulse she removed the pink silk one she had bought for her wedding night—a wedding night that had never come.

In the bathroom she began humming one of the tunes she had heard that night and remembered being in Mitch’s arms. Of course it had been very awkward, and by Lanconian standards, it was very improper, but all in all it had been rather pleasant.