Disclaimer: I do not own The Patriot or any of its characters.

Elizabeth Cornwallis is not your typical young woman of the 1770s. An only child, her mother died when Elizabeth was four. Her father, a general in the King's army, had wanted sons more than anything. Since he had no sons to speak of, his daughter took on the role of substitute son. The Lord General taught her to ride and shoot, and he read her military history at bedtime. Society would surely have disapproved of Elizabeth's upbringing, but as they lived at the family's country estate, she was little in company until she was sent off to finishing school at the age of fourteen. Her maid Tansy had made sure that she knew enough of manners and womanly arts to navigate this new setting. Elizabeth was an industrious and spirited young lady who loved to read and ride when she returned to her father's house.

By that time, she was eighteen and he was waging war in the Southern colonies against some treasonous rebels. She was surprised by a letter ordering her to come to Charles' Town, South Carolina on the next ship, but she immediately started packing, hastening to make the ship her father had arranged for her to sail on.

And so it was that Elizabeth Cornwallis, one of the most eligible young women in England, came to America.

As her ship approached the harbor, Elizabeth stood at the rail close to the bow. Charles' Town was far smaller than London, but not so small as she had been led to believe, she decided. If you believed the way some Londoners described the colonies, you would expect to find a few small huts huddled on the verge of an endless forest. She was very glad to see that Charles' Town, at least, was a proper town. She hoped she would enjoy living there until she could return home with her father. She was so excited to see him. It had been three years since she had seen him last. He had come through London on his way to the Colonies, and he had made time to visit with her before he departed.

Tansy interrupted Elizabeth's thoughts, offering to help her change in time for their landing. Elizabeth groaned internally. Tansy probably thought a proper disembarking outfit included a corset!