Baths
As the door shut behind them, Tavington turned to his young bride. "Have you eaten breakfast?"
"No, Father came before I awakened this morning, and I went right outside, so as not to miss him," she said.
Leading her to a table in the common room, he said, "I will have Mrs MacKenzie bring us something to eat." After seating himself at the table and indicating a place for Caroline to sit, he continued. "I have a few things I need to discuss with you, so we might as well do it over breakfast."
A short time later, they were sharing their first meal together as a married couple. Though the provisions were plentiful and delicious, Caroline didn't taste a thing, as she forced down hard lumps of food. She was fearful of Tavington, even more so now that her father had left and she was totally at his mercy.
"Later today, you are going to move to the married officer's quarters," he told her. "There will be a bit more room there, enough space for a nursery, plus your belongings." Looking down as Caroline's wrinkled, limp gown with a curled lip, he said, "Hmm, we're going to have to do something about that. It will take my men at least another day to get your belongings back here. I simply won't have my wife walking around the fort looking like a common slattern."
"I can't help how I look!" she whined. "This is all I have. I didn't expect to have to stay here and live with you."
Tavington sighed loudly. "Ah, well, I imagine it isn't really your fault," he conceded. "I'm sure the idea of compelling me to marry you came from your father, and as an obedient daughter, you had no choice but to comply." Not waiting for Caroline to reply, he demanded, "Did Mrs MacKenzie bring you any nightclothes last night?"
"Yes, she did," Caroline said.
"Well, I will see if she can find you more clothes to wear, then."
At that moment Mrs MacKenzie returned to clear away the plates. "Will there be anything else, Colonel?"
"Yes," he said. "I will require a tub and hot water brought to my quarters as soon as possible.
"Right away," she said.
Tavington stood, after folding his napkin and placing it on his plate. "Come along, Caroline." Leaning over her and sniffing deeply, he said, "You most definitely could use a bath."
Caroline reddened in humiliation as he followed her husband up the stairs, hoping no one had heard what he said.
As soon as the door to their quarters had shut behind them, Tavington immediately began stripping off his uniform. Caroline sighed loudly, figuring she was about to be brutally used once again.
Hearing the sigh, Tavington gave her a knowing smirk. "I could use a bath, myself," he said softly as he dropped the last of his clothing onto a chair. Picking up his robe from its hook, he put it on, tying the sash neatly. Turning back to Caroline, who hadn't moved since they'd entered their room, he said, "Take off your clothes, so that you can bathe as soon as I'm done."
The young woman complied readily, realizing that Tavington did not intend to take her to bed now. She donned the nightgown she'd worn to bed the night before, then sat on the bed to wait for the bath tub to be brought.
Tavington leaned casually against the wall, gazing intently at his young bride as she sat demurely at the end of the bed. She shifted uneasily under his scrutiny, which reminded her of a predator toying with its prey
"Ah, you are truly lovely to behold," he said, noting how the sunlight glinted off her long, golden hair. Shaking his head ruefully, he said, "And it was precisely that loveliness that got me into this unfortunate situation."
Before Caroline could comment, a knock came at the door. Tavington opened the door to let the slaves in who had brought the tub and water. As he began to close the door, Mrs MacKenzie rushed up, holding a couple of towels.
"Here are some towels," she said, out of breath. "I had forgotten to send some with the bath tub."
"Just as well, Mrs MacKenzie," he said as he took the towels from her. "I'd forgotten to tell you about something else I needed." Grabbing some money that was on top of the dresser, he said, "I need for you to acquire clothing for Mrs Tavington to borrow, as it will be a day or so before her own clothes arrive." Handing her the coins, he said, "Here is something for your trouble."
"I'll find her something within the hour," the woman promised, taking the coins and slipping them into her apron pocket.
"Thank you."
"I'll leave you newlyweds to your privacy, then," she said, blushing as she hurried away.
Once the Tavingtons were alone together once again, Tavington went directly to the tub. Turning to face Caroline, who still sat on the bed, he unbelted his robe and let it slide to the floor. As he climbed into the tub, he noted that Caroline had automatically swept her eyes over him from head to toe. He smiled tightly as she unsuccessfully tried to disguise her prurient interest in her new husband's body. The expression on her face was clearly that of avid arousal.
"Bring me my razor and soap," he directed after settling himself into the hot water. "Both are on the dresser."
She slowly crossed the room to do as he asked. After retrieving the items, she approached him warily to hand them to him.
"Come closer," he said. "I don't bite." Looking at the bite marks he'd left on her neck the day before, he chuckled and said, "Ah, well. I guess I do bite, but I promise I won't do so now."
Caroline giggled, in spite of the fact she was still very much afraid of him.
"Hmm, I think this is the first time I've seen you smile," he said. "I like that. You should do it more often."
"You haven't given me much reason to smile."
Tavington did not reply, but began to shave himself with quick, sure strokes. After a moment, he said, "Come here and wash my back for me while I finish shaving." He extended the soap for her to take.
Taking it from him, she quickly dunked it into the water for a split second, then rubbed it awkwardly across his broad, muscular back. After working up a good lather, she put the soap down, then began massaging it into his skin.
Tavington arched his back in pleasure as Caroline continued to wash him. "Mmm, you've got gentle hands," he said. "That feels wonderful."
"I've bathed my younger brothers and sisters for years," she told him, shrugging.
"And soon, you will have a baby of your own to bathe," he said quietly. He turned to look at her, and for the merest millisecond, she regarded him as something other than a vicious rapist. But as she placed the soap back onto the dresser, she caught a glimpse of his bearskin crested helmet sitting on a nearby chair, and the truth of what sort of man he was came crashing back in all its ugly reality.
Caroline fell silent as Tavington rose from the tub a short time later. As he stood before her, vigorously toweling himself dry, he said, "I would suggest you get into the tub right away while the water is still warm."
She obediently approached the tub, then modestly turned away from Tavington to slip out of her nightgown. Before she could step into the tub, she felt his strong hands turning her around to face him.
"You are my wife now," he said, his hands still gripping her tightly. "There will be none of this ridiculous modesty. It is my right to gaze upon you any time I see fit."
The young woman did not reply, but quickly stepped into the tub and sat down. The water was beginning to cool, so she immediately began washing.
As he slowly dressed, Tavington watched Caroline washing herself, knowing it made her nervous. Though quite satisfied with what he saw, his mind had moved on, now thinking about Jane, whom he intended to move in here as soon as he got Caroline settled in new quarters. He sighed loudly as he marveled to himself at how he managed to impregnate two women at the same time.
After Tavington had finished dressing and had queued his hair, Caroline was still in the tub waiting for him to leave. She shivered as she heard the sound from his spurs as he walked up to the back of the tub.
"I have some business to attend to now," he said, as he reached down absently to stroke her breasts. "You will wait here until Mrs MacKenzie brings you a new outfit. After that, you may go downstairs to the common room until I return. I shouldn't be gone more than an hour or two."
She trembled as his hands continued to lazily explore, whimpering when he rolled one nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Caroline held her breath, praying that he wouldn't become aroused to the point where he'd postpone his business and force his attentions on her yet again. The young woman breathed a sigh of relief when he abruptly released her and began walking to the door.
As he walked down the steps, William Tavington chuckled to himself. He was well aware of Caroline's fears, but he was confident that she would soon long for his touch as he gave her lessons in the fine art of lovemaking. He did not love his young wife, but considered that now that he was married to Caroline, he might as well make good use of her.
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It had been a slow morning for Procurement Officer Samuel Norris. Not a single person had entered his office since he'd opened early that morning. He had not slept well the night before, as he'd spent most of the night coughing and sneezing from a bad cold. Now, as the time slowly approached noon, he was exhausted. He leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the desk, figuring that no one would be any the wiser if he took a short nap. Within a few moments, he was sound asleep.
Colonel William Tavington entered the Procurement Office and found Norris still leaned back in his chair, feet propped, and emitting raspy snores. Incensed to find the soldier so blatantly disregarding his duties, he quickly rushed up and kicked the chair out from under the younger man.
"Wha-?" Norris was confused to find himself on the floor. He looked up to find the furious dragoon commander glaring down at him. The hapless soldier quickly scrambled to his feet, gulping nervously as Tavington continued to glower.
"If you were one of my dragoons, I'd have you flogged for dereliction of duty," Tavington informed him coldly. "However, I cannot be bothered reporting you to your commanding officer at this time, as I've got other, more important things to attend to."
"T-thank you, sir," Norris said, gulping again. "How can I help you?"
"I require a suite in the married officer's quarters," he said.
"How soon do you need it?"
"Right away."
"Major Wemyss' quarters are still available," Norris told him. "He moved back into the unmarried officer's quarters after his wife returned to England."
"Fine," Tavington said. "I trust that the suite has been cleaned since he moved?"
"Oh, yes sir!" the procurement officer assured him. "When will you be moving from the unmarried officer's quarters? I need to have it cleaned for the next tenant."
"I will be retaining those quarters as well," the cavalryman told him.
"That is highly irregular," Norris said. "You are not entitled to have more than one location at a time for your quarters."
"Hmm, perhaps I can find the time to inform your commanding officer of your lack of diligence to duty," Tavington said. Leaning over so that his face was only inches from that of Norris, he continued softly, "And I think he would also be most interested in what happened to all those supplies that have gone missing in the last few months. I can just imagine how he would react if he were to learn that you have been selling the property of His Majesty's army to the black market, where it no doubt ends up in the hands of the people we are here to fight."
"No need to bother him, sir!" Norris said quickly. "I'll make the necessary arrangements to have both locations reserved for your use."
Tavington regarded him with a feral grin. "That's more like it."
Norris opened a desk drawer and rummaged around for a few moments. Finding a set of keys, he handed them to the dragoon commander. "Here are the keys to Major Wemyss' quarters. You can move in immediately."
"Thank you," he said, heading to the door. As he reached the door, he paused and turned back to Norris. "Oh, you will also provide a new shirt for each of my dragoons. You have a week to deliver them." Without waiting for a reply, the dragoon commander left without another word.
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A/N Next Chapter: Truth