Chapter 140 - Harmony's Sacrifice:
The two story cabin was made of logs of pine stripped back to the heart. It had steps leading up to a porch, the front door was at the centre of the facade and sported a sash window on either side. The house at Fresh Water was considered small by most Planter's standards. This house was half the size again. Smoke trailed in a comforting upward spiral from the chimney. It was surrounded by pine and oak and hickory, the trees that made up the backwoods of South Carolina.
It was home.
Never had a sight been as welcome as this one was. Harmony continued to set one foot ahead of the other, as she had done for nearly three miles. She had been travelling through the back country with the British Legion for weeks now, and as soon as the surroundings became familiar enough, she had set out on her own. Packed a small bag, left all her dresses behind, and simply walked away from the Green Dragoons. From Richard. It'd been far easier than she had imagined it would be. Although she was asked plenty of questions on her way out of the Legion, not a single one of Tavington's soldiers had tried to stop her. Considering the guard that Richard had placed on her, she'd thought it would be impossible. was constantly situated around Linda, Harmony had thought she'd need a pass to leave, at the very least. Then again, she was not Linda. She had not earned Tavington's fury, he had no cause to force her to stay, likely because he probably never imagined she'd try to leave.
He should have done. Richard too. They both knew how close they'd bought her to home.
Maybe he wanted me to go, she thought and the heartache that shot through her bought blinding tears to her eyes. She halted a moment, breathing heavily, until the pain passed. That could be why she got out so easily. Perhaps the boys at each checkpoint had been told to let her pass. It doesn't matter if he wanted you to stay or to go, she thought. What Richard wants doesn't matter any longer. And if he didn't want her anymore, why should that hurt her so? She no longer wanted him. So why worry about it? Why dwell on it? It was over. She herself had ended it and for very good reason. To this day, she could not understand how Cilla could possibly forgive him. Richard might be heartsore at her leaving, or he might be relieved. Either way, Harmony was determined to not let it matter to her.
She'd needed to stop often, she was nearing her term; this miles long walk in the woods was not as easily accomplished as it had been in her younger, not pregnant days. She hadn't been on foot the entire time, she'd ridden on the occasional wagon for as long as it was going the right direction. She even knew the drivers, though she hadn't seen them in five years. It was good to catch up on local news. She'd had to walk the last half mile though and she continued on now, setting one foot before the other, not at a ground eating pace but it was enough to deliver her to her father's house. The door was opening when she was still several rods away. Her sister's face went from curious to astonishment in a matter of heart beats.
And Harmony had thought the house had been the most welcome sight she'd had in a long time.
"Oh my God, Mamma! It's Harmony!" Amberley's shriek split the air, Harmony grinned to hear it. It drew forth others from the house, one face in particular had Harmony trying to run.
"Mamma," she cried, jogging with difficulty. A startled moment later and Alice Jutland hoisted her skirt and coats, her heels kicked up dirt and mud as she closed the distance. It'd been at least four years and it felt like a thousand. Harmony finally felt her mother's arms around her again.
"Dear God above," Alice whispered into Harmony's hair, her voice on the edge of breaking. They clung to one another, Amberley stood beside them, dabbing moist eyes with her apron. Harmony pulled back slightly, made an opening for her sister and Amberley joined the embrace.
"I've sent for mamma," a womanly voice intruded softly. "And to have Hamish and your papa come down from the mill."
Harmony stiffened in her mother's arms. She hadn't thought of this. Hadn't anticipated Calvin's sister being here at the exact same moment as Harmony arrived. But she was. Claire Farshaw. And she'd sent for her mother. Because they were friends, as old as the hills, so close that the line between family and friend had blurred well before Calvin and Harmony's nuptials had joined them in the legal sense. Of course Claire would send for her mother. And why wouldn't Claire be visiting at this exact same moment? Grace Farshaw had likely sent some of her baking around to the Jutland's. The two families lived in one another's pockets, near enough, one could not exist without the other. The women stood back from Harmony and Claire, smiling and oblivious, threw her arms around Harmony's neck. Of course she would. They couldn't possibly know what had been happening all these years.
"Lord, look at you," Claire said, drawing back, her grinning, emerald eyes - just like Calvin's - dropping to the swell of Harmony's stomach. "You're ready to explode!" She clapped her hands together. "How wonderful, my first niece! Or nephew…" Her eyes lifted to Harmony's. "A cousin for Jeffrey."
"Jeffrey?" Harmony whispered. Lord, her child had nothing to do with the Farshaw's. It wasn't Claire's anything, it was Richard's bastard is what it was. And Claire was so excited.
"Your nephew," Claire said, pointing back at the house. A small boy was climbing down the porch steps, he must have been nearly two years by Harmony's reckoning. He still wore the gown of a baby, though he'd likely start wearing breeches soon. Calvin's nephew, and as such, Harmony's as well. He totted toward them, arms outstretched for his mamma. Claire picked him up and shifted him on one hip to show him off proudly. Jeffrey looked so much like Calvin it twisted Harmony's gut.
When her child was born lacking the Farshaw raven hair and emerald green eyes, would they guess the truth? Did she even want to lie about it? In her heart of hearts, could she truly let them think the child belonged to them? She didn't want to deceive anyone; when she'd decided to come home rather than continue waiting for her father, she'd always intended to tell them the absolute truth. She hadn't considered the Farshaw's. Now, standing before the reality of her family, she wasn't certain what she should do.
"So much has changed," Harmony said, stroking the boy's face gently with her fingers, praying to herself that when he grew up, he turned out to be nothing like his uncle. "You're married and you're a mamma…" Wait, who was it Claire had married? A local lad for certain, one Harmony likely knew. "Who did you marry?" She asked and after a startled moment, Claire threw back her head and laughed.
"Gods, you have been gone a long time!" She teased. "I thought you knew though! I married Hamish, Harm."
Hamish. Harmony's brother. Dear God. She looked at Jeffrey again and again the fear reasserted itself. The Jutland siblings had both married the Farshaw siblings. Their children - cousins though they would be - should look more like brother and sister.
She had never intended to lie to them, she had come here knowing she would tell them the truth. But now, she knew she had no choice either way. Gods, what were they going to say?
"We've so much to tell you," Amberley said, winding her arm through Harmony's. "And you've got a story or two as well, no doubt."
None you'll like hearing, Harmony thought grimly.
"Let's go inside where it's warm, where you can put your feet up. Where have you come from, anyway? And where is Calvin?" Harmony's mother asked, holding Harmony's other arm.
"Calvin is… ahhh…" Lord, Harmony had no idea. And how had she come to be here, how could she explain it all? She hadn't thought this through; her longing for home, her desperation to see her family, she simply had not thought of the stories she would tell. And those she could not. How could she possibly tell her family and Calvin's the truth? "I don't know exactly," she said as they made their toward the house. "But I do know he's with a rebel militia."
"He's back fighting for the rebels?" Alice snorted. They climbed the porch and entered the house. "I would have thought almost dying for their Cause at Savannah would have taught him. We thought he was dead for months and we had no idea where you were either. Why haven't you sent word to us?" Alice gestured toward a chair within the separated off sitting area of the large chamber, then sat across from her.
"I did," Harmony frowned. "Several times. I sent a letter just recently asking da to come and get me. You never got it, did you? I was wondering why he never came." Gods, I sent money with that letter!
"Well," Alice brushed crumbs from her apron. "Correspondence has been disrupted, with the war…" She trailed off. The door was shut and the house was immediately warmer for it. Within, it was one large chamber, a large table served as a divider and what passed for a kitchen at one end, comfortable chairs and sofa's at the other. Amberley and Claire retreated to the far side of the cabin and began pouring something hot from the kettle into cups. Harmony hoped it was her mother's wild berry cider. "Are you hungry? Lunch isn't far off," Alice said and Harmony's stomach rumbled. She gave her mother an almost shy smile and nodded, feeling so much at home she felt she might begin weeping again. The aromas from the kitchen were making saliva fill her mouth. "As soon as your father and brother are here, then," Alice said. Amberley passed Harmony the hot cup - cider as she'd hoped - and she and Claire took their seats, with Jeffrey climbing into Claire's lap to try to drink from her cup.
"Where have you been, Harm? How did you get here?" Amberley asked. After a moment's hesitation, Harmony decided to tell a version of the truth, one that did not include Richard Bordon or her affair. The truth would have to come out eventually, but now was not the time for it. She spoke about working in the city at Mr. Ingles and then taking up work with the army as a camp follower. She hoped they did not enquire about dates and the like too closely, for she was leading them to believe that she'd left the city with Calvin, who - after returning from the dead - had become a British soldier and come to fetch her. Alice and Claire gaped like fish when she said this, clearly they knew nothing of it, knew only that Calvin had lived after Savannah, but nothing else.
"We should wait until the others are here," Claire said. "Harm is only going to have to repeat it all, all over again."
"That's alright, she can do that," Alice said. "I'm not waiting. So what happened? He's with the rebels again now?"
"I guess his heart never changed," Harmony shrugged. "You know how ardently Patriot he is."
"I remember," Alice's lips tightened. "He told his commander of your father's leanings and we almost had our house burned down because of it."
Harmony nodded. "Well. Hamish and papa were in the Loyalist militia," she said. "In Calvin's defence, he did try to keep that secret for a while."
"Not for long enough. Anyway. So, he is off with the Liberty Caps somewhere? Grace is going to be so worried. Lord, I wish you'd waited, Claire. Grace will be on her way here thinking that Cal is here too. She's going to be so disappointed that he isn't."
"It didn't occur to me to wait, Mamma Alice," Claire said. "In fact, I wouldn't dare wait, not with something like this. Mamma would have had my hide. Oh, you're just tired, aren't you?" Almost in the same breath, Claire was speaking to them and then turning to her boy, her voice heightened in pitch the way ones does when addressing small children. "Let's get you to bed. No, no fussing now," she was already rising and heading for the narrow stairs. "Mamma can have my seat. I'll be down shortly, as soon as Jeffy is down."
"See you soon," Harmony said, realising that Claire lived in the house now. With Hamish and their son. Of course she did. Where else would they go? Just as Harmony had moved in with Henry and Grace Farshaw, when she'd married their son. Lord. She'd come here thinking she would take up occupancy in her room, the bed chamber she'd had as a child. But they'd be expecting her to return to the Farshaw's now, wouldn't they? Because what excuse could she possibly give, to not to? That was her real home - everything she owned, that she'd left behind, was in the room she'd shared with Calvin, in his parents house.
"Do you remember Mr. Howard Dawson?" Amberley asked and Harmony nodded, forcing herself to focus on the conversation. "Well, he has proposed to me," Amberley said, bouncing on her chair with excitement.
"Truly!" Harmony gasped, well pleased for her sister despite her troubled mind. "Lord, you'll be doing well if he does!"
"It's a good match," Alice said as if it were of no moment. As if it were only natural for the daughter of a little farmer to marry a grandee Planter's son. Howard was the first born too, Harmony recalled. He would inherit the lion's share.
"It's a wonderful match," Amberley corrected. "I'll be a Plantation mistress, can you believe that?" It was almost a squeak. "Not that I care about that, I truly don't. I'd marry Howard even if he were a little farmer like da. But he isn't," a grin split her face. "He purchased three hundred acres on the other side of the Pacolet and is building us a Great House. We'll have servants and I'll never have to peel another onion or empty a pea pod again. I won't have to cook, no baking, no making beds, no worrying over how much something costs when we're looking over cloth or getting shoes made or… Anything! Oh, but please, I sound like a fortune hunter and I really don't mean to. I do love him, ever so much. But I don't think it's wrong to be excited about becoming wealthy; it's not just me who will advance now, this is going to be so good for all of us, for papa and Hamish, even for the Farshaw's. For you and Calvin. None of us will want for anything, ever again. I do feel quite terribly that I'm not bringing as much to the match as Howard is, though," Amberley's excitement dwindled a little. "He could marry a wealthy lass with some big dowry and hundreds of acres, so his own family can benefit as well."
"He is marrying you because he loves you," Alice said. "Besides, you bring more to this marriage than you realise."
"The mill?" Amberley laughed. "That's the Farshaw's, not ours."
Claire had mentioned this mill earlier as well and Harmony gave a start of recognition.
"Not Calvin's lumber mill?" She gasped.
"Yes, Calvin's lumber mill," Alice replied. "Henry has built it up from where Calvin left off, it's bringing them a nice income. He had your father's and brother's help of course."
"Which is why Uncle Henry has promised that the Dawson's can have free use of it, as part of my dowry," Amberley said. "I've got you and Calvin to thank for that."
"By the sounds of it, you've got papa and Hamish to thank for that," Harmony said weakly.
"And they've got uncle Henry to thank," Amberley said. "Yes, they've been helping uncle Henry build the mill but I don't think Howard's father would have been so happy for me to marry his son, without our connection to the Farshaw's."
Imagine that. Harmony reeled. When had the Farshaw's surpassed the Jutland's in wealth and rank? So much so that Mr. Dawson will look favourably on Amberley Jutland, because of… Because of Calvin? Good God above. Because of Calvin! She just could not wrap her mind around it.
"Have the Banns been announced yet?" Harmony asked, feeling sick to her stomach. She sipped her cider and hid her misgivings in the cup.
"Not yet, but they will be soon. And then -"
The door was slammed open and Grace was hurtling through, she covered her face with her hands and gasped as Harmony began to rise. All of this had made Amberley cut short but Harmony knew what her sister had been about to say. And then, the wedding. Which was made possible because of Henry Farshaw's success with the lumber mill Calvin had got underway all those years ago. The Jutland's were now indebted to both the Farshaw's and the Dawson's. The Farshaw's, for showing their friendship as they always had, by adding to Amberley's meagre dowry with promises of the use of the lumber mill. And the Dawson's, for allowing their son to look so low for his bride.
And here was Harmony, carrying Richard's bastard, one she could not - would not - lie about. Sweet Lord, I am going to ruin everything.
"Oh! Harmony!" Grace Farshaw came forward to cup Harmony's face with her hands. Calvin and Claire had their black hair and green eyes from her. "Oh, you're a sight for sore eyes!" Her eyes lowered to Harmony's stomach, much as Claire's had, only Grace's lit up with a joy bordering euphoria. Without a sound, her hands lowered to cup Harmony's stomach, her eyes lifted again and now, they were filled with tears. "Oh, another grandchild!" She wrapped her arms around Harmony's shoulders and held tight, as if to thank her.
And it was then that Harmony was forced to face a heartbreaking truth; she could not stay here. She wiped her own tears, the longing she felt for her family - both her families - was strong enough that now she was with them again, she never wanted to leave. But her love for them was even stronger and she knew that for their sake, she must. Her very presence could destroy the closeness the two families shared. They would soon know that the child wasn't Calvin's. She would tell them, or they would see for themselves when the child was born. A child between Calvin and Harmony would look much like little Jeffrey, so when Harmony and Richard's did not, the two families would suspect. And there was Amberley to consider. Her sister's happy marriage was at stake, as was her families future wealth. That the Dawson's had lowered their expectations for Howard was already pushing incredulity; though Harmony knew Mr. Dawson well enough to guess his reasoning. While the Jutland's had never been wealthy, Mr. Dawson had always known them to be principled. A family lacking in wealth but rich in morals would not make such a bad tie.
But Harmony could never, ever, imagine Mr. Dawson continuing his approval, when it became known that the Jutland's eldest daughter had returned, after committing adultery, and was now carrying another man's child.
Oh, Calvin was far from innocent, in all things he was not. He'd committed adultery. He'd beaten her. Forced her to bed his superior for the benefits whoring his own wife gave him. He'd kicked her stomach until the child she was carrying passed from her body, bringing on a miscarriage. He was a reprehensible human being and his own actions risked tearing their families closeness asunder and put at stake Amberley's future, for Mr. Dawson would not want to tie himself to a man like Calvin, either.
But Calvin was hundreds of miles away, he was a problem for the future. Harmony, on the other hand, could destroy them all here and now.
Lord, she really hadn't thought this through. Harmony pressed her face into Grace's neck for a moment, she held on tight, and then released her mother in law.
"Where's Cal?" Grace asked and Harmony was again forced to tell her white washed version of the truth. Her father, papa Henry and Hamish soon arrived and Harmony had to go through it all over again, adding to the tale how she had come to be here. Out of necessity she blended truth with lies, for the time was not right for anything else. She told them of Calvin's inability to stay true to the British and his abrupt departure. That caused some consternation with Henry and Grace. Had their son abandoned his wife in the British camp when he turned coat? Both looked quite uncomfortable, even embarrassed, as if worried that Calvin's actions would offend the Jutland's. Lord, if only they knew the whole of it. Harmony explained he hadn't. Then how had they come to be parted? It was Papa Henry who asked this. Harmony said that when various units, detachments and Companies went out on missions, the camp followers - such as herself - stayed behind, protected within the confines of the camp. Calvin was sent on such a mission. She claimed that the unit Calvin was with were miles and miles away, when it was discovered that Calvin had been spying on his own detachment for the rebels. It was true, in part. He'd been helping Cilla to spy, though Cilla had only ever confided that to Harmony. To this day, Richard was unaware.
Henry looked disapproving, still.
"He couldn't come back for me," she said. "He'd have been hung." Now that was absolutely, most certainly, truth. He'd murdered a British Officer in cold blood. She continued on, speaking of her place in the camp, her friendship with the Colonel's wife and the Colonel himself. She felt it important to mention Tavington, for he was now going to be her excuse, he was about to become the reason she could not stay with her family. Her visit had become just that, a visit only. But she knew she'd need to provide them with a damned good explanation, as to why she was not to stay. "Colonel Tavington," she said, again twisting truth and hating herself for it, "asked me to nurse his child when it comes. He has offered me quite a high stipend, too."
There was a heavy, momentary silence, before noise erupted from them all. "You're not staying?" Was asked in unison.
Harmony hung her head, stared at her hands in her lap, and said, "no, I am not." If I stay, you'll be ruined. I can't do that to you.
The argument began immediately. Her place was with her family. It was far too dangerous, travelling with an army. There might have been the need before but there certainly was not now. This Tavington fellow could find another to be wet nurse to his child. She was the wife of a traitor, how quickly before Tavington turned on her? Her father, a Loyalist to his core, doubted this possibility, but it was still a concern to them all. Besides, she was about to bear her first child, which bought them back to their initial argument; that her place was with her family.
"I don't care how much he's offered you," Alice said, voice prim. "We're not so hard up that we need you to risk yourself out there in the middle of a war, in the middle of winter, to earn a little more coin."
"You're needed here," Grace said. "I've lost Claire to your mother, I need you home, Harm."
"And we need our grandchildren home, all in one place," Alice added.
"Think of Jeffrey and your little one growing up," Claire said, having returned from putting her son to sleep upstairs. "All of our little babies, going on up to visit Amberley on high in her Great House," she gave Amberley a teasing grin. Amberley blushed, but nodded enthusiastically.
"There's really no need," she added to the argument. "Why should you have to be nurse maid to someone else's baby when I'm living in such a comfortable situation? I'd feel awful. Howard will look after us, all of us. I promise Harm, you don't need to scrimp anymore."
"She doesn't even without this coming marriage of yours," Grace said, sniffing primly. The Farshaw's themselves were doing well for themselves, there really was no need for Harmony to leave to earn her bread. She sighed, knowing she could not stay but having no heart to argue further right now.
Taking her silence for agreement, the family surrounded the large table and the women - including Harmony - bustled about, fixing the meal. Harmony lost herself to the familiarity, relished every moment of their company, knowing it would end soon. She seated herself next to her brother, nudging him with her rump to make him make room for her on the long bench. They shared a grin, it was just like old times. It was then that they heard the horses. It started as a low drumming at first, but Harmony recognised it immediately.
It seemed Richard hadn't told the sentries to let her pass if she tried. He hadn't wanted her to go.
And he was not going to let her stay.
She couldn't find it within herself to be angry with him for coming after her. Oh, if he'd arrived a few minutes after her arrival, she would have sent him on his way, with very harsh words. But now, with her new understanding of how her presence could very well destroy everything her family held dear… She knew she wouldn't even need his persuading.
"What in damnation?" Her father murmured as he began to rise. He was reaching for his rifle, resting against the wall.
"It'll be Colonel Tavington," Harmony said, knowing in her bones that it was. And Richard, too. The drumming was louder now, the family were sharing worried looks. "Truly, I doubt there's anything to fear," she said, also rising. She climbed back over the bench and began making her way for the door.
"There was a battle just a few miles from here, up at Hannah's," George, her father, said. "Could be rebels, or deserters."
"The rebels are still at Hannah's, father," she replied. "And I know all about the battle."
She heard the men talking outside, heard boots pounding up the steps and recognised Tavington's tread. She opened the door and came face to face with the Colonel. He looked awful. Richard was just behind him, looking even more wretched.
"Dear God, thank you," she heard Richard whisper. So. He hadn't been certain where she'd gone and was relieved to find her here, safe.
"Jesus, Harm, do you have any idea how worried we were?" William said, voice hard, lips thin, eyes glaring. "What were you thinking, taking off like that?"
"I wanted to see my family," she felt her father behind her, the sheer strength of his presence making her feel protected, safe, loved. Maybe she could stay. She could make it work. She would tell Grace and her mother the truth, she wasn't going to lie to them. But maybe the others didn't need to know. And Calvin, when he returned, perhaps he'd try to be a better husband, under his parents watchful eyes.
"Now is not the time for excursions Harmony. Beth is missing," William said, looking very much like a man on the verge of hysteria. Oh, the panic was not there to be seen, his face was as cold and hard and boulder like as it always was. Except to those who knew him as well as she did.
"What do you mean, missing?" She asked, her own troubles forgotten.
"She's gone from -" he cut off with a short glance at Harmony's father. "She's gone. We need you, Harm. Cilla and I," he drew a deep breath, and added, "I need you. You have to come back with me."
"Alright," she whispered, drawing out the word as her mind reeled. Where the devil was Beth? What had happened?
"Now just wait a damned moment," George pushed past Harmony to confront William.
"Father, please -"
"No, daughter. We just got you back and frankly, I do not give you leave to leave. And I know your husband would not, considering his own leanings. I assume you are this Tavington fellow my daughter spoke of?" George shifted his attention back to William. "With all due respect, Sir, as you can see, my daughter is heavily pregnant and is in no condition to be travelling. I'm afraid you will have to find yourself another nurse maid for your wife's baby, Mrs. Farshaw is going to stay with her family."
Harmony met William's eyes over her father's shoulder, she made a gesture with her hand, a quieting, silencing wave. She saw him struggle, but eventually he recalled his manners and his rank, and he inclined his head and held out his hand.
"Colonel William Tavington of the British Legion," he said. "And Major Richard Bordon, of the same. We are at your service."
"Well," her father nodded. "Yes. Well. You are both most welcome beneath my roof. We were about to sit for lunch, you are welcome to join us, if time allows you."
Harmony met Richard's eye, quietly willing him to decline. Richard accepted and soon, he was stepping past her into the house and in a matter of moments, Richard, as well as Captain Brownlow and Captain Wilkins, were all sitting at the table, with Hamish staring goggle eyed.
"What is this about Beth?" Harmony asked, grabbing William's sleeve as her father returned to the table.
"I can not believe that you left like that, as soon as our backs were turned," he hissed down at her, looking furious. A slow blush crossed her features but she lifted her face, stubborn. It had been the perfect time, with William and Richard in Cornwallis' main camp, having their conference. She'd seized the opportunity but damned if she'd apologise for it. "That was very ill done of you, Harmony. That was ill done indeed."
"I had every reason to go and none to stay," Harmony hissed back. "Besides, it's not like I can help you find her."
"No. You can not. But you would be a comfort to Cilla, who is worried sick."
"And not you?" She asked, eyebrow arched. "Are you not worried sick?"
"Of course I'm worried," he heaved a breath. "And imagine how I felt when we returned to the Legion only to be informed that you had disappeared too! Good God, woman. As if it's not bad enough, losing Beth! We're to lose you too? What were you thinking, can you not understand how dangerous it is for a woman alone? You can't defend yourself against deserters or rebels!"
"What was I thinking?" She asked. "Of my family, William, who I have not seen in bloody years, who were only a few miles away, so close I could almost see the smoke from their chimney! And you would deny me a visit with them?"
"Of course not, if that's what this is. I would have bought you here myself! Are you coming back with us?"
Did she really want to move back to her room in the Farshaw's and be Calvin's wife again? He wouldn't want to raise a bastard, and despite her attempt at deceiving him, it would become as clear to him as the nose on his face, that the child was Bordon's. Nor could she stay with her parents, the house was full to bursting as it was, and her very presence could sink them so low.
Amberley would never forgive her if she lost her Howard.
Her shoulders slumped, she dropped her gaze to the floor, and she nodded. "I am." She felt his relieved breath on her face. "But not because you need me," she said, stubborn again. Her voice softened again. "But because I can only bring harm to my family, by staying."
"Indeed?"
"My brother married Calvin's sister. Our families are as tightly knit as always. And now my sister is about to make a very good match, with the son of a wealthy Planter. What's going to happen when they find out about me and Richard? And Calvin and Emily Wilkins. And his beating me. And this baby being Richard's. And… so much else. The Dawson's would refuse to support a match between their son and Amberley, which would break my sister's heart. My parents and Calvin's friendship would be torn apart. I couldn't stand to be the cause of any of that. If they're to be in peace, I must leave."
"That can not be an easy decision for you." She could hear the sympathy in his voice.
"Of course it isn't," she sighed. "So. I'm sorry if I gave you a fright. I'm not sorry, however, for leaving as I did. But I shall return with you." There was loud talking from the table, everyone was jovial again now, she even heard her father laugh. She met Richard's eyes, despite her narrowing her gaze at him, he stared at her with such longing, it stunned her that her family couldn't see it. She looked away, determined not to give him even a shred of hope. "You'll have to make it clear to him that I'm not returning with you for his sake," she said to William. "I am not returning to be with him, no matter what he wants. I need you to be absolutely clear with him, when you tell him."
"I think he knows that by now," William said. "He was worried and had no intention of being left behind when we started our search. But I believe he knows it's over between you."
"Very good. So now that's all settled, why don't you tell me what's happened with Beth?"
"Hamish, you mustn't!" Harmony heard Claire's panicked voice from the table but she paid it little heed as William began to speak.
"I wasn't going to tolerate any gossip about Tarleton, Beth and I, so when the damned conference came to an end, I followed Tarleton and I demanded he return Beth at once. He told me she left him. She told him she was going to spend the night in some Planter's manor house only the following morning when he sent for her, she was gone."
"Dear God."
"She'd left during the night, with three camp followers and two men, deserters from his Legion. They were likely men she knew from home, or she never would have gone with them."
"William," she said gently, "I didn't have company at all, and I made it here just fine."
"You were foolish for leaving the camp," he said bluntly, "and you were lucky that you made it here safely."
"Foolish, am I?" She folded her arms over her chest.
"I do not want to fight with you, God knows I've enough on my mind without that. But you had me damned worried, me and Richard both," he had the sense to lower his voice when speaking Richard's name. "Yes, Beth has an escort. Wonderful. Won't be much good to them if they face greater numbers now will it?"
"Greater numbers of who? Rebels?" Harmony chewed the inside of her lip as she thought. "Won't she be fine if it's rebels? She can just say 'Martin' and the rebels will fawn all over her."
"If, Harmony. If. If it's deserters, there won't be anyone bloody fawning. The not knowing is killing me."
She gazed at him thoughtfully. "All this time you've been speaking as though you don't want her back. Isn't this a Godsend?"
"Are you mad? Things are far from well between us but I don't wish her to be harmed!"
"Alright calm down, I had to ask."
"You had to bloody ask," he spat. After several heavy breaths, he got himself under control again. "Tarleton and I came to blows."
"Oh dear God," Harmony ran a hand over her weary brow. "Is he still alive?"
"Unfortunately. I told you I followed him after the conference? When he said Beth was gone… I punched him one and would have done worse had Cornwallis not separated us. And then, I had to sit in his company," he said intently, his lips peeling back from his teeth, "and I had to smile, Harmony. When I wanted to tear him limb from limb, I had to smile and pretend all was well. I had to act like nothing was amiss between us."
"But, did no one see you brawl?" She frowned. "How could you go from a public brawl to friends again and expect anyone will believe it?"
While William explained Cornwallis and O'Hara's expectations of him and Tarleton, Harmony began to notice a restlessness among her family. While listening to William, she looked to the table and saw that Claire was weeping. She had her head buried in her hands and Hamish was comforting her. Why was Claire weeping?
"There might be those who will begin to doubt if rumours start to emerge from Tarleton's Legion. But neither of us will acknowledge rumours of an affair. O'Hara has put it about that my burst of anger toward Tarleton stemmed from his losing Beth; which I have supposedly forgiven. We are both to stick to this story or face condemnation from Cornwallis," William finished. "We do not have to seek one another out to put on a public show but if we happen to be in the same place at the same time, we're to smile for all we're worth even if it kills us."
"That sounds… uncomfortable," Harmony said distractedly, her eyes on Claire. "Come get something to eat, William," she pulled on his sleeve to get him moving toward the table. She met Amberley's tear filled eyes. What the devil?
"Hamish has decided to return to the militia," her sister answered Harmony's questioning look.
"What?" Harmony exploded, rounding on Richard, the only one who could be guilty of causing such a thing to happen. "What the devil did you do?" She strode toward him, fury in every step. "You recruited my brother? You goddamned bastard, how could you do such a thing?"
George, Hamish and Henry gaped at her, stunned that she would address the Major so. Richard threw his hands up as if in surrender.
"It wasn't me," he said.
"I recruited your brother, Mrs. Farshaw," Captain Wilkins turned on the bench to face her. Her fingers twitched with the need to slap his calm, unapologetic face. It was only when William's strong fingers enclosed around her wrist that she realised she'd been about to do that very thing. If she slapped Wilkins, then Tavington would be forced to reprimand her, a thing she knew he would take no joy in doing. She relaxed her arm.
"It's not as though I needed my arm twisted," Hamish said, looking outraged. "How dare you speak to Major Bordon in that manner, Mrs. Farshaw? You will apologise at once."
"Not bloody likely," Harmony spat, glaring at Richard even harder. "You speak in ignorance, brother. You have no idea of my history with any of these men. I will not apologise, not if I was tied to a whipping post."
"No apology necessary," Richard stepped in and she wanted to slap him, now, instead.
"Sir, my wife and I count your sister as one our my dearest friends," William said to Hamish. "As do Major Bordon and his wife. As such, Mrs. Farshaw has a certain amount of… latitude, in her address toward us."
"She called him a bastard, Sir!" Hamish said in a strangled voice. "Is that what you would call latitude?"
"Perhaps if we were in public, we might have taken exception," William said, looking to Richard, who nodded.
"As if that would stop me, considering," Harmony said under her breath, though her words carried and were heard. Richard flushed red, James and Patrick shifted on their seats, discomforted.
"Will others formerly of the Loyalist militia answer our call to arms?" William asked, his voice overly loud as he seized control of the conversation.
"We disbanded long ago, when we came up against the Rangers. I'm sorry to say they decimated us, and those who survived returned to their homes, their fight was gone from them," Hamish said and George nodded. Both had been in the militia, Hamish had been a Captain. "We simply did not have the numbers any longer and it was folly to continue. But now," his face was shining with Loyalist fervour, "your presence here has changed everything. If you sound the call to arms, Sir," he said to Colonel Tavington. "You'll have dozens flocking to your side. I shall give you a list, Sir, and we will call on them, one and all. They'll come with us, I do not doubt it. Your being here has given me heart and I do not doubt it will strengthen the resolve of others, as well. I'll make contact with all the men in my unit."
"Your unit?" William asked.
"He was a Captain," Harmony sighed, touching her fingers to her brow. "I should never have come home. Claire, I'm so sorry." She rounded the table and put her arm across Claire's shoulders. If she hadn't returned, William and Richard would not have come after her. Hamish might not have rejoined the army. "This is all my fault."
"Don't be absurd," George said, throwing down a napkin. "You're where you need to be, lass. You're where we need you to be. The days are going to be hard on all of you," he said, eyeing his family one by one. He looked a little embarrassed as his eyes lifted to Tavington. "I fought in the Cherokee War, back in the day. And I was at my son's side, in the militia. Unless you think I'm too old -"
"Oh, George, no," Alice dropped her face into her hands.
"I would ride with my son again," George finished.
"If you can sit a horse and fire a musket, you're welcome to join us," William replied, though Harmony heard the grief in his voice. He gave her an apologetic look; he had no desire to recruit her father, but even she understood that he could not turn away willing soldiers.
"This is mad," she rubbed the tears from her own face. To her father and brother, she said, "you could be killed. Both of you could be killed."
"Might as well make my death matter then. And if I come face to face with any of those Rangers, I'll send as many as I can to hell. Too many died that day, their souls are restless and thirst for blood. Their deaths will go unanswered no longer." George rose, he embraced Alice momentarily but after that, he ignored his wife's weeping as he began moving about, packing his saddlebags. The same as he'd done during the Cherokee War. The same as he'd done five years ago, when the Loyalist militia was called to war. By now, William had come around the table to stand at Harmony's side.
"I'll do my best to keep them safe," William whispered in her ear and she nodded.
"What of you, Henry?" George asked Calvin's father, who shook his head.
"Someone has to hold the fort," Henry replied and Grace's sigh of relief was audible. He looked to the Officers, his face flooding crimson. "I'm not a coward, never think that. But I can't fight, not knowing I might shoot my own son."
"No one here will question your bravery, Mr. Farshaw," William said and Harmony gave him a grateful look; she knew William despised Calvin. With Calvin, the apple had fallen as far from the tree as it was possible to fall, Henry Farshaw was a good man and did not deserve to be tarred with the same brush as his son.
"I suggest you close the house," George said to Alice, who was still weeping but listening. "All of you go and stay with the Farshaw's. You and Claire can share her old room," he rubbed Alice's shoulders. "And with Cal gone, Amberley can share with Harmony."
Sharing a look with William, Harmony became very still.
"Sir," William said. "Mrs. Farshaw has agreed to nurse my child when it comes -"
"With respect, Sir, I have already said, you can get a wet nurse any place," George interrupted. "I'm sorry, Sir, but my mind is set. Mrs. Farshaw's place is with her family and besides, it's too dangerous for her in her condition. It's too dangerous for her either way."
"You're going," Harmony pointed out.
"I'm a man," he said, as if puzzled how she could make the comparison.
"My wife is in the same condition," Richard said, not meeting Harmony's eyes. "And it is Mrs. Farshaw that she wants at her side. Not only as a nurse, but as a companion to Mrs. Bordon and to Mrs. Tavington alike. I assure you, she will be quite safe."
"Safe!" Alice gasped. "There are so many dangers beyond these walls, I don't think I need to list them for you. Besides it being winter, we are at war. You would have her travel with you into that, just to keep your wives entertained?"
"They are my friends, mamma," Harmony said. "I think I should go back."
"Absolutely not," George said. "Your husband is a Patriot soldier, Mrs. Farshaw. I am a Loyalist and that will never change, but you - you took on your husband's political views the moment you married him. If he were here, he would not permit you to leave with his enemy. You are not going."
"Mrs. Farshaw will be paid handsomely -"
"While we might not look it, we are not so hard up as that. I will need my sister as my own companion," Amberley said to William, as if she were already the mistress of a great Plantation.
The argument continued to rage, her family were adamant that she was not to leave and they were voicing their opinions so strongly that even William looked worried over what might be the outcome. Richard's hands were fists and he looked ready to punch anything that got in his way of him and his unborn child.
"Mrs. Farshaw is not far from giving birth," Grace added to the argument. "She should have started her lay in months ago. My grandchild will be far safer here, being born at home."
With this last argument made, Harmony knew what needed to be done. For all that her family might despise her in the next few minutes, she steeled her spine and made ready to present an argument of her own.
The truth.
"Colonel Tavington, Captain Wilkins, Captain Brownlow, will you give us some privacy, please? I need to have a candid talk with my family." The Officers agreed, they rose - the two who were sitting - they bowed, and began to cross the room. When Richard made to follow, Harmony grabbed his arm and whispered, "not you. I am going to tell them everything, Richard. You will have some things to add, I'm sure," she said ruefully. Richard gave her a startled look, then a defeated one. He nodded. I am going to tell them everything, she'd said, and Harmony realised that he thought she was going to reveal what he'd done to Cilla, as well. She had no intention of it but judging by the look on his face, he thought she was. Yet instead of running for the door, he was taking his seat again, preparing for the worst. That shocked her, it was entirely unexpected.
The members of her family were staring at her, some eyes curious, most were wary. Drawing a deep breath, she began at the beginning.
"It all started when Calvin and I left here for the city four years ago, a few months after he joined the Second Regiment…"