Hey guys! I can't decide if I want to do an actually "pairing" in this story, and if I did I have no idea with who. I would love to know what you all think about it! Anyway, here's chapter four! Enjoy!
Quick disclaimer, I own nothing but the character of Sarah. And I've tried to keep the dialogue from the movie as close as possible to what's in the movie, but it's not all word for word.
The next morning I got up and as I was getting dressed, Aunt Charlotte came to see if she could help in any way. Unfortunately, she also brought a corset with her, which I usually didn't wear if I didn't have to. They make it very hard to get any work done since they're so tight (but somehow Abigaile could move as easily with one than without one. I'm not sure how she does it).
"Good morning, Sarah. Now I know you don't usually wear a corset, but I think today it would probably be a good idea with the Assembly meeting and everything." Aunt Charlotte said when she walked in.
"Do I really have to? I haven't worn one in years." I said as she made me put it on.
"I insist. Really you should've been wearing one since you were about fifteen, but since it wasn't ideal at the time, no one has seen to it that you wear one all the time." She said, beginning to lace up the corset.
"I hate these things." I said as it got tighter.
"I know you do, but like I said, I insist that you wear it. Besides, you might meet a nice young man today. You never know." Aunt Charlotte said and I knew she and Father had had a talk about me at some point.
I groaned in frustration and said, "Highly unlikely. I might as well never get married at this rate."
"You have to sometime. You know that." She said as she finished up tying the laces of the corset. "There, done. You didn't even complain at all. That's a first." She added, making me laugh. An hour later, me, Thomas, Gabriel, Father, and Aunt Charlotte were on our way to the Assembly Hall. We decided to walk since it wasn't very far and it was fairly nice outside. When we got there, there was still about an hour until the meeting actually started so we socialized for a little bit.
"Good morning, Miss Martin. I'm glad to see you came along with your father." I heard someone say behind me and turned to find Colonel Burwell.
"Good morning, Colonel. You knew I would be here." I said, a little confused.
"Yes, Gabriel said that you were both coming last night, but I know how women tend to change their minds about things." He said with a chuckle.
"Well I'll have you know that even if I had changed my mind, I'm sure my father would've dragged me here if he had to." I said, not appreciating the comment about women very much.
"No need to get angry, I'm just teasing you." The Colonel said lightly.
"If you don't mind me asking, Colonel, I've begun to wonder why exactly you've taken a sudden interest in me at all. It doesn't have anything to do with my father, does it?" I said.
"It does not, actually. Whatever it is you're talking about with your father, I have no idea if he's trying to do something or not. You forget that my wife and I visited frequently when you were a child." He said, assuming things.
"I have not forgotten about that and you know that. I think me and my parents all liked it very much when the two of you would visit since we don't really live in a town or anything. I know my mother was very fond of your wife and thought of her as a dear friend. All I'm trying to say is that if you know I just happen to be in relatively the same place as you, you always seem to find me even if it's just to say hello. Don't take any of what I've said the wrong way, I'm just merely curious since you haven't shown any kind of interest in getting to know me at all since I was thirteen but suddenly you do. It just confuses me is all." I said, trying not to get frustrated.
"Ah, yes. Well that is because I have found that you have many admirable qualities, and that little speech right there proves that. You're not like any woman I've ever known, even your mother wasn't as out spoken as you are. But I suppose you get it from your father, he was the same way at your age. Speaking of whom, I think I'll go find him and say hello. Good day, Miss Martin." The Colonel said and walked off before I could say anything else, making me frustrated again.
"Well that was quite a spectacle to see." I heard someone laugh from behind me and turned to find James Wilkins standing there.
"Good morning, Mr. Wilkins. Are you here to tease me as well?" I said, trying to contain my frustration.
"No, I'm not. I'm here to say good morning and ask how you are doing, though I can clearly see that you are rather frustrated right now if I do say so myself." He said, suppressing another laugh.
"Yes, obviously you can see that I'm frustrated right now." I said.
"Well I do hope your frustration goes away soon, Miss Martin. Good day." He said with a slight bow.
"Good day to you as well." I said, nodding slightly. When he walked away, my father came over to me.
"I see you've seen two men this morning." He said, choosing his words carefully with my frustration.
"Yes, neither of whom I care to see again today." I said, still not able to contain my frustration.
"Oh it wasn't that bad. In fact, I think Colonel Burwell is quite taken with you." Father said and I rolled my eyes.
"Well then I have some bad news for him. I'm not interested." I said, crossing my arms.
"Why not? He's a good man." Father said.
"While that may be true, and even with the fact that you would marry me off to him right now, I am not interested. For all I know I'll never marry." I said.
"Except at some point you must, you know that." Father said, trying to ease the tension in me.
"But do I really have to marry just because it's convenient? You know that's not what I want to do." I said, almost whining, which made my father laugh a little bit.
"You are so much like your mother. Surprisingly, she said almost the exact same thing to me right before I asked her to marry me. But anyway, let's go inside, the meeting's supposed to start soon." He said and I followed him inside and went to sit with Aunt Charlotte, Gabriel, and Thomas. Once the meeting started, it took a little while to get all of the men calmed down, but once they did Colonel Burwell stepped up to make his address. He saw me and sent a small smile my way before he spoke.
"You all know why I'm here. I'm not an orator and I would not try to convince you of the worthiness of our cause. I'm a soldier and we are at war. We expect a declaration of independence from Philadelphia. Eight of the thirteen colonies have levied money in support of a continental army. I as for South Carolina to be the ninth." The Colonel started, but was interrupted.
"Massachusetts and Virginia may be at war, but South Carolina is not!" the man that stood up said.
"This is not a war for the independence of one or two colonies. This is a war for the independence of a nation." Colonel Burwell said.
James Wilkins then stood up and scoffed, saying, "And what nation is that?"
Peter Howard then stood up and shouted, "An American nation!"
"There is no such nation and to speak of one is treason." James Wilkins then said calmly.
"We are citizens of an American nation, and our rights are being threatened by a tyrant three thousand miles away!" Mr. Howard shot back at Mr. Wilkins, which is where my father decided to put in his two cents.
"Tell me, Mr. Howard, why should I trade one tyrant three thousand miles away for three thousand tyrants one mile away?" he said, making many of the men in the room laugh. Then he continued, "An elected legislature could trample a man's rights as easily as a king can." To which some more men laughed.
"Captain Martin, I understood you to be a Patriot." Colonel Burwell said, to which my father answered, "If you mean Patriot by am I angry about taxation without representation, then yes I am. Should the colonies govern themselves independently? I think they can and they should. But if you're asking me if I'm willing to go to war with England, then the answer is most definitely no!"
Then the man that I knew as Mr. Middleton stood up and said, "This coming from the same man whose fury was so famous during the Wilderness Campaign?"
"I was intemperate in my youth." Father said.
"Temperance can be a convenient disguise for fear." Mr. Middleton answered.
"Mr. Middleton, I've fought with Captain Martin up in Washington in the French and Indian War. There isn't a single man in this room with who I would more willingly trust my life." Colonel Burwell said, earning a few "hear, hear"s.
"There are alternatives to war. We go before the King, we plead with him." Father said in a desperate attempt to make everyone see what he saw as reason.
"Yes we've tried that." Colonel Burwell said calmly.
"Well then we try again and again if necessary!" Father exclaimed.
"Benjamin, I was at Bunker Hill. The British advanced three times and we killed over seven hundred of them at point blank range and still they took the field. That is the measure of their resolve. If your principles dictate independence then war is the only way. It has come to that." Colonel Burwell said, a little more firmly this time.
"I have eight children, my wife is dead, who is to care for them if I go away to war?" Father said and I exchanged a look of almost what could be described as defeat with Aunt Charlotte.
"Wars are not fought only by childless men." Colonel Burwell said.
"Granted. But mark my words, this war not on the frontier or on some distant battle field, but amongst us, among our homes. Our children will learn of it with their own eyes and the innocent will die along with the rest of us. I will not fight. And because I will not fight I will not vote to have others fight in my stead." Father said, done with his little speech.
"Benjamin, what are your principles?" Colonel Burwell asked.
"I'm a parent, I haven't got the luxury of principles." Father said, sitting down, to which Gabriel walked out of the building. Thomas was going to go after him, but Aunt Charlotte stopped him. Then those of us that weren't of the Assembly were told to leave while the men voted. When we got outside I saw Gabriel pacing before the recruitment tables.
"Gabriel, why do you want to fight so badly?" I asked him.
"Because I want this country to be free just like everyone else, just like you. You just don't have the ability to fight." He said.
"I have the ability, just not the right. If going to war really is the only way to solve this, I would fight right alongside you if I could and you know that." I said.
"Well it's a good thing you don't have the right to fight. None of us would want to see you go to war." He said, then a boy ran out of the Assembly Hall to tell how the vote went.
"Twenty-eight to twelve, the levy passed!" he yelled, making everyone cheer and some people fire their pistols into the air. I stood close to where Gabriel was signing up to join the army when Father walked up to him.
"You intend to enlist without my permission?" I heard Father say.
"Yes I do." Gabriel said, firm in his decision, then continued, "Father, I thought you were a man of principle."
"When you have a family of your own I think you'll understand." Father said.
"When I have a family of my own, I won't hide behind him." Gabriel shot back and I knew that was a low blow.
I walked up next to Father and said, "Father, he'll be okay." Then Colonel Burwell walked up on his other side and said, "He's as imprudent as his father was at his age. I'll see to it that he serves under me. I'll make him a clerk or a quartermaster, something of that sort."
"Good luck." Father said and I snorted, trying not to laugh.
"Hello, Sarah. And what did you think of the happenings of the meeting?" Colonel Burwell then addressed me.
"I think men are idiots." I said truthfully, which made my father laugh.
"You know, I have the hardest time trying to decide if you're just like your father or your mother. I really can't decide." The Colonel said.
"Oh trust me, she's like her mother." Father said with a smile.
"Well, you would know, you've lived with them both." Colonel Burwell said, also smiling. Then turned to me again and said, "Could I come by and see you this afternoon, Sarah?"
Taken aback, I stuttered out, "Oh, um, well, I suppose so."
"Good. I'll see you then." Colonel Burwell said and walked away.
"Well would you look at that. My little girl's growing up. Finally being courted by a man, and it just has to be that one." Father said to me teasingly.
"Oh Father stop it." I said, still flustered.
"What was that all about?" Aunt Charlotte asked as we walked back towards her house.
"Nothing of importance. Oh, but I will be expecting company sometime this afternoon." I said.
"Oh? From who, might I ask?" she said, knowing exactly who from.
"If you must know, Colonel Burwell." I said, trying not to let her teasing get to me because I knew she didn't really mean anything by it.
"Lucky for you I had planned on taking everyone out somewhere this afternoon. You'll have the whole house to yourself." She said.
"Great, first you tease me, then you leave me at home alone." I said, making everyone laugh a little bit.
"Oh don't worry, I'll still be there." Father said, making me groan and put a hand up to my face, which made everyone else laugh again.
"Can I get out of this corset now?" I asked Aunt Charlotte when we got back to her house.
"No! Don't tell me you've forgotten about Colonel Burwell already?" she said as we walked up the stairs together.
"Of course I haven't. How could I with you people around? I just hate wearing it." I said.
"Well you'll have to stick it out for the rest of the day. Perhaps I'll let you borrow one of my dresses for this afternoon. I know just the one." She said and started off towards her bedroom. I followed her slowly.
"Here, this should be good enough." She said, handing me one of her dresses, which were considerably nicer than the one I had on.
"Do I really have to do this?" I asked.
"Yes. As your aunt, I will help you in whatever sort of situation you might be in with a man. And right now putting this dress on is the best thing I can think of for you right now." She said, ushering me into the bedroom I was staying in.
"All right I'll wear it. But can I wait to put it on after lunch? I wouldn't want to ruin it." I said, the last part a little too sweetly.
"Oh all right. Speaking of which, that should be ready soon." She said and we headed back downstairs into the dining room.
After lunch, Aunt Charlotte helped me change into the dress she picked out for me, then got everyone else ready to go walk around the city some, she even convinced Father to go with them. Once everyone was gone, it was very quiet in the house, so I went downstairs to the parlor to read before Colonel Burwell got there. About an hour and a half after everyone had left, there was a knock at the front door and one of the men that I assumed were slaves working for Aunt Charlotte opened the door, then came to find me.
"Miss Martin, Colonel Harry Burwell is here to see you." He said once he found me in the parlor.
"Yes, I was expecting him." I said with a smile and he let Colonel Burwell in.
"Hello Sarah. How have you been since the last time we saw each other?" he asked with a slight bow, then sat on the small couch beside me.
"I've been well. Father and Aunt Charlotte took everyone else out to walk around the city. How have you been?" I said cordially.
"Well. I noticed that the house seemed rather quiet when I came in. Even your father went? Somehow that surprises me." Colonel Burwell said.
"It surprised me too. It'll be good for him though I think. But Colonel-" I started, but Colonel Burwell cut me off.
"Call me Harry, please." He said.
"Okay, Harry, I'm going to ask you what I asked you this morning. Why have you taken this sudden interest in me?" I asked.
"Well, you're a grown woman now, not even seeing anyone so your father tells me, and I admire you, I really do. You've grown to be proud of who you are and in no way are you soft spoken in your opinions. Most women aren't like that, and I think that's what I like about you so much." He said, serious in his answer this time.
"Well, thank you. I believe you are very much the same way, but being a man makes that a lot easier for you to do. But I think you're the kind of man that would listen to someone like me, woman or not, and I think that's what I like about you so much, too." I said, which Colonel Burwell smiled at. We talked for a good long while, even until everyone else got home.
"Harry, it's good to see you again." Father said when he saw the Colonel was still there.
"Benjamin." He said, nodding.
"Well, I must get going." Colonel Burwell said and stood up, I stood up with him.
"Colonel, stay for dinner, please." Aunt Charlotte said, she had come in when my father had.
"No, no, I can't. I'm expected at the Middleton's for dinner." He said, then gave my father a look and he and Aunt Charlotte left the room.
"It was good to see you again, Colonel. And I do hope you'll be careful while fighting for the independence of this country." I said when he turned towards me.
"As I keep telling you, please call me Harry. I don't see the need for formalities. Would it be all right if I wrote to you some while I'm away at war?" he said.
"Of course." I said.
He smiled and said, "Good night, Sarah. I hope to see you tomorrow sometime?"
"Perhaps." I said, smiling. "Good night, Harry." Then he surprised me by kissing me on the cheek before he left. Once he was gone, Aunt Charlotte came rushing in. "So how was it?" she asked and I proceeded to tell her how the visit from Colonel Burwell went and that night I fell asleep with a smile on my face. That had been a good day indeed.
Whew. That was a lot longer than I thought it would be, but, even though it's just the fourth chapter, I think it was an important one. Let me know what you thought about it!