I went up to my quarters, accompanied by the General, but as soon as we got there, I found all the blood that had been left behind from the Colonel. I got so light-headed that I fell back into the general's warm arms. I felt strange in his warm embrace, like something wasn't right. But there was nothing that I felt that I could do about it, so I didn't protest, though God knows I wanted to.
"Are you alright, Miss Tarleton?" asked the General in a concerned tone.
"Yes I will be fine. I am just not used to blood, and get sick at the very sight of it. Speaking of being sick, will you please excuse me for a moment?"
I ran out of the room and got sick right outside the door. I tried to get to the washroom, but was unsuccessful. I felt so bad, for the servant had just cleaned up my last mess, and I didn't want her to have to do it again, so I volunteered to clean up my mess, but just as I got the washrag to clean it up, there was a smooth voice that seemed to be coming from right over where I knelt.
"You seem to be better than when I last saw you. I got cleaned up and came to the washroom with the general and saw you on the floor, and got concerned, so I left. I didn't stay long enough to see you get awakened. I just went back to my quarters and waited there until I heard voices outside."
"And why were you so terribly concerned about me? Or were you even concerned about me. Were you only concerned that you had lost the information that I supposedly hold?"
"Watch your tongue or I will sever it from your mouth you insolent girl."
"Still well enough to argue with me, are you? Well, I don't believe this!"
The colonel slowly turned around and left me to my thoughts, but not for long. He came back about fifteen minutes and said,
"I acted rudely to you and I wish to apologize, if you will let me, that is."
"I will allow you to apologize, Colonel Tavington."
"I had just left camp when a rebel had confronted me. The rebel said that his name was Charles Tarleton and he knew that we had you. He also said that he was going to kill me, take my horse, ride up to the estate this evening and get you away from harm and danger, yet I thought to myself, 'She is not in any danger'. I asked him how he knew you and your whereabouts, and he responded by telling me that he was your cousin. I couldn't very well let him win, so I dueled him and, well let's just say that he didn't win. It was a proper tournament, so there is no need to worry, because we had made an agreement that if he won, I would surrender to him and he could take my horse and if I won, he would leave me alone about you."
"Is that so? Well, why wouldn't you want me gone?"
"Because, uh, well, I don't know, uh, because you might have, uh, information that, well, we may need for, uh, the, uh, war."
"Right, colonel. Whatever you say. Did you know that you have horrible lying skills when it comes to lying to women?"
"Well, yes, but only to women, otherwise I am very skilled."
"Are you saying that you lie to others, or are you just saying that you can lie if you need to?"
"Yes, both. "
From Butcher to Gentleman
I decided that I couldn't clean up my mess, so I handed the rag to the servant and went back into my quarters. I decided to lie down for a while. After about three hours, I heard a knock on my door. I opened the door to find Colonel Tavington nicely dressed in a neatly pressed uniform, black leather riding boots, and his hair nicely queued back in a black sash.
"Why are you so dressed up? What's the special occasion?"
"There is a celebration tonight in the gardens of the estate tonight and I was hoping that you would join me."
"Do I have time to get ready?"
"Yes, I will wait outside. But it starts in thirty minutes, so, if you could, be quick about it."
I went to my wardrobe and got out a deep blue dress that complimented my dark blue eyes, like the ocean, as my cousin always used to say. I put my hair up into a bun, and found some nice dress shoes and put them on; they fit perfectly. I walked out of my quarters to find the colonel on a chair outside my door.
"Let's go then shall we?"
The lights around the estate gardens were not bright, but they were not dim either. We went to an unoccupied area of the gardens and sat on a handcrafted wooden bench. I was looking at the stars in the sky and out of the corner of my eye, I saw an admiring face looking at me, but when I looked over at the colonel, the face of admiration was gone, and he was also looking at the stars.
"Are you alright, Colonel Tavington?"
"Yes, I was just looking at the stars. Are you familiar with any of the constellations?"
"Only one; the North Star. My father pointed it out to me every night when I was a young girl and say that it was God looking down on us and that He would watch us wherever we went."
"I think that we should keep walking. If you wish, I will show you a few more constellations."
The colonel and I walked in the same garden for about an hour. We stopped a few times only to rest or point out constellations. We had a very enjoyable time together, talking about how hard it was to be someone of such high rank or to be someone that younger people looked up to, or feared. What was I doing? I didn't know what I was thinking of; I kept walking and talking with the colonel, but started to get dizzy from walking around so much without stopping. I didn't know whether or not we should get back to the ball, because I was getting nervous about someone recognizing me, and the thought was unbearable. I sat down at the nearest bench and almost fell backwards. I started to feel even dizzier, so the colonel went and got me a glass of water and brought it back to me. I drank the water, and felt better, not by much, but better, nonetheless.
"Are you alright, Miss Tarleton?"
"Yes, I will be fine. I just needed to get something into my system that wasn't wine. I am almost sure that the wine is what is causing my dizziness."
There was an elongated silence between us before, out of nowhere, the colonel said, "You look lovely this evening."
"Thank you." I replied in a slightly confused tone.
"In fact, you look so lovely I am tempted to kiss you."
Col. Tavington slid his arms around my waist and we stood up, the colonel drawing me closer each second. His hands on my back were not the same demanding and harsh hands that had been placed on my back so many times to keep me in line, but they were warm and welcoming. He drew my closer still, slowly drawing me nearer until there was no space between us at all. His face drew near to mine until his warm lips pressed against my own. He pulled away for a moment, as if to see if I would object. But when nothing came, he kissed me again, burning my lips with a passion that I had never felt before. After what seemed to be ages, the colonel pulled away, out of breath, searching my eyes for any sign of objection, but when he found none, he whispered in my ear,
"That, Miss Tarleton, is just a taste of what is to come if you allow it."