Author's Notes: This story starts
in the summer of 1780, not long after the capture of Charleston. The main
characters are Colonel Tavington (yum), Captain Bordon and Emily (the niece
of Lord Cornwallis, she's original). Later on Cornwallis himself, General
O'Hara and Ban Tarleton will also be involved :)
Mm.. that's it for now. More notes later as required. Hope you enjoy! Feel free to review.
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Chapter 1- A Less Then Perfect Meeting
A cool, salty June breeze was blowing in off the water as Emily stepped down the gang-plank of the British sloop that had carried her to the Colonies. She secured the skirts of her modest, light blue dress with one hand to keep them under control and held the matching bonnet on her head with the other hand, not wanting to lose it in the wind.
Two servants and one of the ship's crew were hastily unloading her personal baggage. She winced as one case landed on the dock planks rather roughly and with a resounding clank noise. Turning away from the fuss caused by the baggage handlers and dock-crew unloading crates of supplies from the ship, Emily took the opportunity to enjoy her first view of Charlestown from the shore. Signs of the recent battles for control of the city showed clearly, as a number of buildings surrounding the harbor had collapsed, the victims of cannon shot and fire damage. Several were little more than a heap of charred timbers and had been roped off in a weak attempt at keeping the city children from playing in the wreckage.
Despite the destruction, the town and its population seemed to have returned to business as usual, and she could see a great number of merchants and other townspeople rushing about on various errands. Several small groups of red-coated soldiers patrolled the area as well, presumably on the watch for any sort of disturbances.
Seeing the uniformed men snapped her out of her casual reverie. Her uncle knew of her impending arrival, and she expected that he would send someone to meet her. Sure enough, at that moment she spotted a pair of officers approaching, flanked by a pair of enlisted men. The taller of the two officers immediately caught her attention.
He was a large, powerful looking man with broad sholders and dark hair, and carried a black helmet cradled under his left arm. He walked up the pier with an attitude of command, surveying the busy activities around the ship. Catching sight of Emily and her mounting pile of baggage, he rolled his eyes slightly and mumbled something to the other officer at his side, a slightly shorter man with reddish-brown hair and a similar uniform. The second officer looked shocked for a moment, but quickly subdued the expression as he realized Emily was watching their approach intently. The tall officer noticed this as well, and put on a polite grin as they neared the spot where she stood waiting.
"Ms. Emily Durnham, I assume? I'm Colonel William Tavington, and this is Captain Frederick Bordon... Lord General Cornwallis asked us to escort you to his headquarters."
As the Colonel smiled charmingly, his cold gray eyes locked onto hers and Emily was dumbstruck for a moment. She found the chill in his voice slightly rude, but the darkness lurking in his eyes was just plain frightening. Her chin fluttered slightly but no words of response came. Bordon cleared his throat quietly and startled her back to her senses.
"Yes! Yes... but my baggage..." Emily gestured quickly to the pile and the servants continuing to bring various sized chests and cases down the gang-way. She suddenly felt very foolish for bringing such a large amount of personal items, but at the time she'd had no say in the matter. Most of it had been packed by her mother. Mrs. Durnham, the youngest sister of General Cornwallis, apparently believed South Carolina to be the absolute edge of civilization and had set about packing everything she thought her daughter might eventually find some use for while on her trip. It had been like pulling teeth for Emily to convince her mother to allow the trip at all, so she made no resistance when her mother insisted on doing the packing for her.
"A minor matter," Tavington said quickly, raising his hand and signaling over his shoulder to the pair of red-coated soldiers behind him, who quickly stepped forward. "Private Wellon and Private Barker will see that it is conveyed safely to the estate. Your servants may accompany them once they're finished unloading it all." His final few words carried a heavy flavor of disdain.
Emily looked down, her cheeks flushing slightly with shame. She had a good idea of why the Colonel would be upset by a civilian passenger transporting so much luggage on a military ship. Each of her bags occupied space in the hold that could have been filled with supplies for his men and the rest of the army. 'He probably thinks I'm some sort of rich, spoiled brat,' she thought.
Again, Bordon chimed in, "If you have a small travel bag you'd like to take until the rest is delivered, I'd be more than happy to carry it for you, Miss." His voice was soft and reassuring. Emily's expression brightened.
"That's very kind of you, Captain. I do have one here somewhere…" As she turned to look over the stack of bags, a sudden gust of wind caught under the rim of her bonnet and knocked it off her head in a flurry of light-blue ribbon. Startled, she turned quickly and made a move to snatch at it but it had already flown beyond her reach.
With a loud fwap it hit Colonel Tavington directly in the face. In a startled reflex, both of his hands reached up to grab at it, forgetting completely about the helmet held under his arm. It slipped loose and immediately dropped, bouncing on the pier's wooden planking before tumbling over the edge. It hit the water roughly two feet below with a splash. Having landed upside down, it floated on the surface, bobbing lightly in the harbor's gentle waves.
Emily's eyes widened and her hand flew to cover her mouth in a look of panic. Tavington pulled the bonnet away from his face, his expression one of pure rage. His thin lips twisted into a tight snarl and his brow furrowed. The effect was terrifying, and for a moment Emily thought she would surely burst into flame under the heat of his gaze. Bordon's initial look of surprise quickly changed to one of extreme worry. He knew his commander's temper quite well after having been the outlet for it often enough, and this certainly wasn't the time for it to go off, particularly on the Lord General's niece!
He forced a shaky smile, his eyes flicking from the Colonel to Emily and back again nervously. "Must be Rebel ghosts!" Bordon quipped hastily, hoping to lighten the situation.
Tavington stepped forward quickly, the bonnet raised slightly in his tightly clenched fist and Emily stumbled backward to get away from him, afraid he was going to strike her with it. Likewise, Bordon's hand raised quickly, as if to intercede between the young woman and his commander, but much to his relief Tavington lowered the bonnet slowly and held it out to Emily. The vengeful expression on his face melted into one of cold resentment. One hand still clasped over her mouth and her eyes wide with fear, she cautiously reached out and took it from him.
Immediately Tavington turned and drew his sword in one fluid movement. Bordon winced reflexively, but his panic was only momentary as the Colonel took a few steps forward to the edge of the pier, away from the much shaken Emily. Kneeling with his sword still drawn, he reached out and hooked the sword's tip inside the rim of his helmet, using the blade to draw it closer to him so he could fish it out of the water. His movements were stiff and excedingly systematic. Once it was close enough, he stretched out his other arm and snagged it by the chinstrap.
He stood up slowly, a torrent of seawater dripping from his rescued helmet. Bordon couldn't see his face with his back turned, but from the vicious tremble in his shoulders, he could tell Tavington was absolutely livid. Their helmets got wet all the time when it rained, but salt water was something else entirely and he knew it could potentially ruin the helmet's furry crest, not to mention the leather. Such elaborate and vital pieces of equipment were not cheap to replace.
After several moments of silence, Colonel Tavington finally spoke, his voice coming as a muted but carefully measured hiss between tightly clenched teeth, "Captain… Please see Ms. Durnham to the carriage. Report to me once you're finished delivering her to the estate."
Without looking back, he strode off the pier. The boards under his feet shook noisily at the fierceness of his strides, prompting a few townspeople in the vicinity to look up curiously toward the disturbance. Passing one of the small waterfront shops, he swiftly dunked his already soaked helmet into a barrel of rainwater sitting outside the shop's entrance in hopes of rinsing off some of the salt water. Without breaking stride he gave the helmet a shake, carelessly spattering several passersby before retrieving the reins of his horse from a young infantry private. He mounted quickly and turned the horse, riding off down the street.
Bordon and Emily were frozen speechless as they watched him go. The Captain was accustomed to Colonel Tavington's unpredictable behavior though, and quickly shrugged it off. Emily however was visibly shaken, and he flashed her an apologetic smile.
"You really must forgive him, Miss… I'm afraid my commander has a rather fiery temper. It serves him well enough in the field, but tends to.. well.. clash with the nature of more delicate situations." Bordon repositioned his own helmet under his arm to a more comfortable position and winked at her slyly.
Emily couldn't help but smile, though her expression was meek, "I'm afraid I made a rather bad impression on him, Captain... I certainly wouldn't blame him if he never speaks to me again." She shuffled her feet slightly, then remembered her baggage and turned toward it. "Oh, what a mess! Why did I ever let Mother pack so much?" She stepped softly around the pile, looking for some sign of her travel bag. Finally she spotted it and tugged it lightly, slipping it out from under several other bags without disturbing them enough to topple the stack.
"Allow me, Miss," Bordon said as he stooped to pick up the small bag. It was a cloth carry-all with a lavender and blue floral print and had large leather handles attached to the top, making it easy to carry. Despite the bag's small size, it had a surprising weight to it... Bordon silently wondered at that a moment, then dismissed the idea off-hand in light of the amount of Emily's baggage. 'Who knows what could be in here?' He thought quickly.
"I'm sure the Lord General will be very pleased to see you." He said warmly as she followed him off the pier and toward the waiting carriage. Nearby another young private stood holding the reins of Bordon's horse. "He seemed to be anticipating your arrival quite eagerly and had a nice room prepared for you in the estate's main house. You should find it quite comfortable. It's a very large house owned by a Loyalist family, and several of our officers are staying there, the Lord General included, until the fort is rebuilt." Bordon thought of adding, 'As well as the Colonel and myself,' but stopped short, not wanting to remind Emily of her all to recent encounter with Tavington.
"I'm sure I'll love it, Captain," She chimed with a warm and honest grin, which he returned.
As they arrived at the carriage door, its driver stepped forward and opened the door for them, Bordon lending Emily his hand as she climbed inside. He then followed, sitting opposite her and resting her bag on the floor beside him.
Mm.. that's it for now. More notes later as required. Hope you enjoy! Feel free to review.
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A cool, salty June breeze was blowing in off the water as Emily stepped down the gang-plank of the British sloop that had carried her to the Colonies. She secured the skirts of her modest, light blue dress with one hand to keep them under control and held the matching bonnet on her head with the other hand, not wanting to lose it in the wind.
Two servants and one of the ship's crew were hastily unloading her personal baggage. She winced as one case landed on the dock planks rather roughly and with a resounding clank noise. Turning away from the fuss caused by the baggage handlers and dock-crew unloading crates of supplies from the ship, Emily took the opportunity to enjoy her first view of Charlestown from the shore. Signs of the recent battles for control of the city showed clearly, as a number of buildings surrounding the harbor had collapsed, the victims of cannon shot and fire damage. Several were little more than a heap of charred timbers and had been roped off in a weak attempt at keeping the city children from playing in the wreckage.
Despite the destruction, the town and its population seemed to have returned to business as usual, and she could see a great number of merchants and other townspeople rushing about on various errands. Several small groups of red-coated soldiers patrolled the area as well, presumably on the watch for any sort of disturbances.
Seeing the uniformed men snapped her out of her casual reverie. Her uncle knew of her impending arrival, and she expected that he would send someone to meet her. Sure enough, at that moment she spotted a pair of officers approaching, flanked by a pair of enlisted men. The taller of the two officers immediately caught her attention.
He was a large, powerful looking man with broad sholders and dark hair, and carried a black helmet cradled under his left arm. He walked up the pier with an attitude of command, surveying the busy activities around the ship. Catching sight of Emily and her mounting pile of baggage, he rolled his eyes slightly and mumbled something to the other officer at his side, a slightly shorter man with reddish-brown hair and a similar uniform. The second officer looked shocked for a moment, but quickly subdued the expression as he realized Emily was watching their approach intently. The tall officer noticed this as well, and put on a polite grin as they neared the spot where she stood waiting.
"Ms. Emily Durnham, I assume? I'm Colonel William Tavington, and this is Captain Frederick Bordon... Lord General Cornwallis asked us to escort you to his headquarters."
As the Colonel smiled charmingly, his cold gray eyes locked onto hers and Emily was dumbstruck for a moment. She found the chill in his voice slightly rude, but the darkness lurking in his eyes was just plain frightening. Her chin fluttered slightly but no words of response came. Bordon cleared his throat quietly and startled her back to her senses.
"Yes! Yes... but my baggage..." Emily gestured quickly to the pile and the servants continuing to bring various sized chests and cases down the gang-way. She suddenly felt very foolish for bringing such a large amount of personal items, but at the time she'd had no say in the matter. Most of it had been packed by her mother. Mrs. Durnham, the youngest sister of General Cornwallis, apparently believed South Carolina to be the absolute edge of civilization and had set about packing everything she thought her daughter might eventually find some use for while on her trip. It had been like pulling teeth for Emily to convince her mother to allow the trip at all, so she made no resistance when her mother insisted on doing the packing for her.
"A minor matter," Tavington said quickly, raising his hand and signaling over his shoulder to the pair of red-coated soldiers behind him, who quickly stepped forward. "Private Wellon and Private Barker will see that it is conveyed safely to the estate. Your servants may accompany them once they're finished unloading it all." His final few words carried a heavy flavor of disdain.
Emily looked down, her cheeks flushing slightly with shame. She had a good idea of why the Colonel would be upset by a civilian passenger transporting so much luggage on a military ship. Each of her bags occupied space in the hold that could have been filled with supplies for his men and the rest of the army. 'He probably thinks I'm some sort of rich, spoiled brat,' she thought.
Again, Bordon chimed in, "If you have a small travel bag you'd like to take until the rest is delivered, I'd be more than happy to carry it for you, Miss." His voice was soft and reassuring. Emily's expression brightened.
"That's very kind of you, Captain. I do have one here somewhere…" As she turned to look over the stack of bags, a sudden gust of wind caught under the rim of her bonnet and knocked it off her head in a flurry of light-blue ribbon. Startled, she turned quickly and made a move to snatch at it but it had already flown beyond her reach.
With a loud fwap it hit Colonel Tavington directly in the face. In a startled reflex, both of his hands reached up to grab at it, forgetting completely about the helmet held under his arm. It slipped loose and immediately dropped, bouncing on the pier's wooden planking before tumbling over the edge. It hit the water roughly two feet below with a splash. Having landed upside down, it floated on the surface, bobbing lightly in the harbor's gentle waves.
Emily's eyes widened and her hand flew to cover her mouth in a look of panic. Tavington pulled the bonnet away from his face, his expression one of pure rage. His thin lips twisted into a tight snarl and his brow furrowed. The effect was terrifying, and for a moment Emily thought she would surely burst into flame under the heat of his gaze. Bordon's initial look of surprise quickly changed to one of extreme worry. He knew his commander's temper quite well after having been the outlet for it often enough, and this certainly wasn't the time for it to go off, particularly on the Lord General's niece!
He forced a shaky smile, his eyes flicking from the Colonel to Emily and back again nervously. "Must be Rebel ghosts!" Bordon quipped hastily, hoping to lighten the situation.
Tavington stepped forward quickly, the bonnet raised slightly in his tightly clenched fist and Emily stumbled backward to get away from him, afraid he was going to strike her with it. Likewise, Bordon's hand raised quickly, as if to intercede between the young woman and his commander, but much to his relief Tavington lowered the bonnet slowly and held it out to Emily. The vengeful expression on his face melted into one of cold resentment. One hand still clasped over her mouth and her eyes wide with fear, she cautiously reached out and took it from him.
Immediately Tavington turned and drew his sword in one fluid movement. Bordon winced reflexively, but his panic was only momentary as the Colonel took a few steps forward to the edge of the pier, away from the much shaken Emily. Kneeling with his sword still drawn, he reached out and hooked the sword's tip inside the rim of his helmet, using the blade to draw it closer to him so he could fish it out of the water. His movements were stiff and excedingly systematic. Once it was close enough, he stretched out his other arm and snagged it by the chinstrap.
He stood up slowly, a torrent of seawater dripping from his rescued helmet. Bordon couldn't see his face with his back turned, but from the vicious tremble in his shoulders, he could tell Tavington was absolutely livid. Their helmets got wet all the time when it rained, but salt water was something else entirely and he knew it could potentially ruin the helmet's furry crest, not to mention the leather. Such elaborate and vital pieces of equipment were not cheap to replace.
After several moments of silence, Colonel Tavington finally spoke, his voice coming as a muted but carefully measured hiss between tightly clenched teeth, "Captain… Please see Ms. Durnham to the carriage. Report to me once you're finished delivering her to the estate."
Without looking back, he strode off the pier. The boards under his feet shook noisily at the fierceness of his strides, prompting a few townspeople in the vicinity to look up curiously toward the disturbance. Passing one of the small waterfront shops, he swiftly dunked his already soaked helmet into a barrel of rainwater sitting outside the shop's entrance in hopes of rinsing off some of the salt water. Without breaking stride he gave the helmet a shake, carelessly spattering several passersby before retrieving the reins of his horse from a young infantry private. He mounted quickly and turned the horse, riding off down the street.
Bordon and Emily were frozen speechless as they watched him go. The Captain was accustomed to Colonel Tavington's unpredictable behavior though, and quickly shrugged it off. Emily however was visibly shaken, and he flashed her an apologetic smile.
"You really must forgive him, Miss… I'm afraid my commander has a rather fiery temper. It serves him well enough in the field, but tends to.. well.. clash with the nature of more delicate situations." Bordon repositioned his own helmet under his arm to a more comfortable position and winked at her slyly.
Emily couldn't help but smile, though her expression was meek, "I'm afraid I made a rather bad impression on him, Captain... I certainly wouldn't blame him if he never speaks to me again." She shuffled her feet slightly, then remembered her baggage and turned toward it. "Oh, what a mess! Why did I ever let Mother pack so much?" She stepped softly around the pile, looking for some sign of her travel bag. Finally she spotted it and tugged it lightly, slipping it out from under several other bags without disturbing them enough to topple the stack.
"Allow me, Miss," Bordon said as he stooped to pick up the small bag. It was a cloth carry-all with a lavender and blue floral print and had large leather handles attached to the top, making it easy to carry. Despite the bag's small size, it had a surprising weight to it... Bordon silently wondered at that a moment, then dismissed the idea off-hand in light of the amount of Emily's baggage. 'Who knows what could be in here?' He thought quickly.
"I'm sure the Lord General will be very pleased to see you." He said warmly as she followed him off the pier and toward the waiting carriage. Nearby another young private stood holding the reins of Bordon's horse. "He seemed to be anticipating your arrival quite eagerly and had a nice room prepared for you in the estate's main house. You should find it quite comfortable. It's a very large house owned by a Loyalist family, and several of our officers are staying there, the Lord General included, until the fort is rebuilt." Bordon thought of adding, 'As well as the Colonel and myself,' but stopped short, not wanting to remind Emily of her all to recent encounter with Tavington.
"I'm sure I'll love it, Captain," She chimed with a warm and honest grin, which he returned.
As they arrived at the carriage door, its driver stepped forward and opened the door for them, Bordon lending Emily his hand as she climbed inside. He then followed, sitting opposite her and resting her bag on the floor beside him.