Chapter 11 ~ Home

Tavington and Andrea spent the rest of the day in Madam Burn's house. They exchanged stories and tender touches, all under the midwife's sharp eyes. "So, when do you intend on marrying this girl?" Madam Burn asked, setting down a cup of coffee before Tavington.

"Madam Burn, I'm not sure if Andrea has told you... or anyone for that matter, but before I sailed to England, I married her." Tavington explained, never removing his hand from Andrea's.

"No she has not." Madam Burn said, blinking at Andrea.

"I haven't told anyone anything." Andrea said, ducking her head. "I've only said that I have a fiancé that served in the war and was piecing his life back together. I haven't even told anyone you name William."

"I understand Andrea." Tavington said, gently kissing her hand.

"Well I don't." Madam Burn said.

"Well, William did serve in the war, but as a British Green Dragoon, not as a militia or a patriot..." Andrea began and William finished for her.

"I earned a very bad reputation during the war. I earned the name the Butcher of the Carolinas (Madam Burn gasped). Andrea met me after the Battle of Cowpens where she saved my life. She changed me."

"But we couldn't risk him staying in America so soon after the war. He was hated as Colonel William Tavington. We thought that as Mr. William Tavington, there would be less hostility." Andrea said.

Madam Burn nodded. "I understand." Then she looked outside. "It has grown dark. Andrea, you should go back home. Your father will be very worried... William, go with her." She said, beginning to clean up her house.

Andrea and Tavington began to leave but Andrea stopped a moment and went to Madam Burn. "Thank you." She said, giving the portly woman a hug before going outside and mounting Beast.

Tavington let Andrea lead the way to her house. "That is a fine animal you have William." Andrea said, making Beast walk next to the piebald gelding.

"He is nowhere near as fine as Beauty, but he will do." Tavington said, giving the paint a pet on his neck.

"What do you call him?" Andrea asked.

Tavington looked over at Andrea and gave her a smile. "I'll let you name him."

Dr. Dalton was getting worried as darkness settled. Andrea had never ridden that hard out off the land before. He was worried that his daughter had runaway or worse had been killed on the road. He had no fear that she had fallen from Beast; the pair of them were in more unison than the air he breathed for life. Dalton had begun to pace when a clatter of horse hooves sounded from outside his house reached his ears. He ran to the door and saw his daughter dismounting Beast and a familiar looking man dismounting a piebald paint. "Andrea." Alton said, running to his daughter.

She turned and her father caught her up in a huge hug. "I was so worried. I'm so sorry for what I said. I had no right. No right... William will come back for you. I know he will." Dalton said, rubbing his daughter's back.

"But Father, he did come back!" Andrea said, squirming her way out of Dalton's grasp and over to Tavington.

Tavington wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her close. "He did come back." Andrea said, making her father look at Tavington.

"Dr. Dalton." Tavington said, chuckling at the doctor's face.

Dalton was in utter shock. William Tavington had returned for his daughter. "Colonel William Tavington. I thought I would never see you again." He said, extending his hand.

"I'm no longer a colonel Dr." Tavington said, taking the doctor's hand and giving it a firm shake.

"Well, take care of your horses, quickly mind and come into the house for dinner." Dalton said, turning slowly to enter the house.

Andrea led Beast to the pasture gate and stripped the stallion before turning him loose. Tavington lead the paint to the gate and watched. Beauty emerged from a small tree thicket and greeted Beast with a gentle nicker. Sky, the filly that Beauty had delivered, came cantering out of the thicket and trumpeted at her sire. Tavington blinked. "A foal?" he asked, turning to face Andrea.

"Yes. She delivered her maybe four months before you came back. Her name is Sky." Andrea said, gently taking the paint from Tavington.

She led the tired horse into the barn and put him in an empty stall next to Richard. Tavington stopped at the bay and asked, "Wasn't this..."

"Yes, General Cornwallis' surrender mount. Father bought him at an auction after you left. I call him Richard after King Richard the Lionheart." Andrea explained stripping the paint of his tack.

While she put the tack away, Tavington rubbed down the paint gelding. Andrea returned with evening grain for both horses. "I think I'll call him Vinci after Leonardo de Vinci." She said, giving the paint a gentle pat on the neck.

Tavington offered her his arm and escorted Andrea into the house. They entered the house and ate dinner with Dalton, who questioned Tavington thoroughly all through the night.