# 21 - Promises

Ben's POV

When they finally reached the camp, Ben felt exhausted, and all he wanted to do was get something to eat and then get a good night's sleep. He jumped off his horse and helped Lavinia down as well, when a messenger approached him.
"General Washington wishes to see you, sir." The soldier said and waited impatiently for Ben to be done helping Lavinia.
"Right now?" Ben asked a little annoyed.
"Immediately, sir."
"Sorry." Ben sighed to Lavinia, but she just gave him a small smile.
"Don't worry about it. Duty calls."
"You!" Ben addressed the soldier. "Make sure Miss Lavinia gets something to eat. And take care of the horse."
"Yes, sir."
"I'll take the horse." Caleb interrupted, and took the reins. "Just go."

Washington seemed to be in a foul mood when Ben entered his quarters.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" He said a little impatiently, when Washington didn't seem to acknowledge his presence.
"Yes, Major Tallmadge." The latter said and got up. "What happened? I hear you lost two men."
"Queen's Rangers happened, sir. And they lost four men."
"And you just happened to stumble upon them?"
"No, sir. I believe they were waiting for us."
"Waiting for you? What about Miss…?"
"Miss Lavinia. She's unharmed, sir."
"Do you think that is a coincidence?"
"No, sir. I did my best to protect her."
Washington gave one of his secretive smiles. Ben never knew what they meant.
"I mean… Do you think that the Queen's Rangers were trying to protect her, too?"
"No, sir. I have no reason to believe so."
"It just seems odd to me… Your camp was attacked, and they aimed for her tent, but she was unharmed. Then you were attacked again, and she's still unharmed. Can you honestly say that you don't believe that she is what they're after?"
"Yes, sir. I can."
"Explain it to me, because, apparently, I see a connection which you don't believe to be there, Major."
"Well…" Ben began. "I finally found out the truth about her. She's Lavinia Bainbridge, her brother was Lawrence Bainbridge. I knew him at Yale. He died defending this country. I knew him very well, as he was one of my closest friends. I have no doubts that Lav…" Ben hesitated. "…That his sister would be the patriot, which she claims to be. He told me about her very often."
"And if that's the truth, then why didn't she just say so from the beginning?"
"I'm afraid that's a personal matter that I have no right to discuss with anyone else."
Washington sort of smiled again. Ben wasn't sure, if that was a good sign.
"I am your commander-in-chief, Major. If I tell you to tell me, you will do just that!" Washington reprimanded him.
"Yes, sir." Ben said, and he probably should've stopped at that. "But if you don't tell me to tell you, I won't have to. Would that be fair to assume?" He held his breath, until Washington gave a small chuckle.
"Alright, Benjamin. If you give me your word, that will be good enough for me. But what will you do with her? She can't stay, as you pointed out to me earlier."
"She has family in Philadelphia. I will arrange for her to be brought there, but I want to make sure first, that she will be safe there."
"Safe? With her relatives? Why wouldn't she be?"
"Uh…" Ben avoided Washington's eye for a moment. "She would. I just want to make sure that the journey will be safer than the last one."
"Very well, Major. You do the paperwork, then. Now, get back to your tent and get some sleep. You look like you need it."
"Thank you, sir." Ben said and was dismissed.

He was exhausted, but before going to bed, he sat down and wrote two letters. He needed to find out what had happened to Lavinia's cousin, before he could arrange for her to travel to her aunt in Philadelphia, and he also wanted to find her father. If he was still alive, there was a good chance that he could persuade Washington to sign a release note for him.

#

A few days passed, and things went back to normal. Well, as normal as they could be, having a woman stay with the army.
Ben often sought Lavinia's company, as she seemed to seek his. He knew that the men were talking behind his back, but he also knew that they most often didn't mean any harm. He was more concerned about what they were saying about her. He didn't want rumors to spoil her reputation. She needed to leave soon.
One morning, a rider came carrying letters. Most letters were for Washington, but there was one for Ben as well. He didn't recognize the handwriting, so he tore it open and read its contents. It was about Lavinia's cousin. He sighed and hurried to her tent.

"Lavinia?" He asked and entered without waiting for her permission. She was lying on her bed, reading a book.
"Oh, sorry." Ben said and turned around. He wasn't sure why. She was decent.
"About what?" She asked and got up. "You seem upset. Is everything alright?"
Ben turned around to face her again.
"I've got news. Both good and bad."
"Tell me the bad news first." Lavinia said and closed her eyes with a sigh for moment.
"The bad news is that your cousin is still alive."
Her face lit up in a smile, and Ben returned it.
"And the good news?"
"You're not a murderer!"
"Thank you!" She whispered with relief and threw her arms around Ben's neck.
"You're welcome." He replied and put his arms around her, too. "I'm afraid there's no news about your father, yet, but I am trying."
She let go of him again.
"My father? You're trying to get him released?"
"If I can find him…"
"Why are you doing this, Ben? I mean, I'm very grateful, of course, but you didn't have to do it. Why?"
"Well…" Ben hesitated, trying to find the right words. "I hope I'm not being too bold, but I've come to consider you a friend. I mean, you're Lawrence's sister, and we've come to know each other rather well, I think…"
"We have."
"…And I'd do anything to help my friends."
"Anything?" She raised a brow at him.
"Well, as long as it's not illegal. Or at least…only a little bit illegal." Ben teased.
"Very funny." Lavinia said sarcastically and went outside. "Walk with me for a while, please?"
"As you wish." Ben said and gave a courteous bow before offering her his arm. He felt happier than he had for a very long time.

#

Ben's happiness didn't last very long. Once he was sure that Lavinia's cousin was still alive, he had to make arrangements for her to go to Philadelphia. She had given him the name of her aunt and uncle, the Bakers, in Philadelphia, which made it easy for him to find them and correspond with them. They were relieved to find out that she was doing fine, as they had heard news of her disappearance. They were also very willing to let her stay with them as long as necessary, and the aunt more than hinted that she was looking forward to introducing Lavinia to all the eligible gentlemen in Philadelphia. That specific part of the letter had probably been meant for Lavinia, but as everything went through Ben, he had not had a chance to avoid it.
This knowledge didn't make her departure any easier for him. In fact, he lay awake most of the night before she was supposed to leave. This time he hadn't had an excuse to accompany her, as Washington needed him by his side. Instead, he would have to trust Caleb with the assignment, along with eight other soldiers. At least he knew that he could trust Caleb with this. He may have been throwing sarcastic remarks around most of the time, but he knew when to be professional, and he was a darn good soldier.

"Are you ready to go?" Ben asked as he entered her quarters for the last time. Caleb and the other soldiers were ready with the horses.
"Yes." She replied quietly. "As ready as I ever will be." She didn't sound very happy.
She took Ben's arm, and he walked her to the horse that was waiting for her. He waited to give her a hand getting up on the horse, but she turned around to look at him.
"I'll miss you, Major." She said with tears in her eyes and threw her arms around his neck.
"I'll miss you, too." He whispered into her hair. He didn't care if everybody was watching them
"When the war is over…" She trailed off.
"I'll come visit." Ben replied. "I promise."
"Don't you dare get yourself killed before you fulfill that promise." She said with tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I won't." Ben said and tried to smile at her. He felt a lump in his throat, and his stomach ached in the bad way. "If you'll promise me the same?"
She smiled through her tears.
"I promise." She said and let go of him.
He helped her mount the horse, and a moment later Caleb looked at Ben for permission to leave. The latter gave him a nod and watched as the small party grew smaller and smaller before his eyes.
After some time, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Washington. He didn't say anything, but Ben got the feeling that he understood. Somehow it comforted him.