Some light reading for your Easter break :-) Thank you for the reviews. I edited this while doing the proof read, I apologise if there are spelling / grammar mistakes.

Chapter 160 - A Promise to Try:

"Cosy," Benjamin said, peering into William's makeshift tent. "Up and about, I see,"

"With help," William replied, leaning on his crutches. "Good to see you're back on your feet too."

"With help," Benjamin said, gesturing at the walking cane he was leaning on. "Jutland insists that I go for short walks. I'd say he was trying to kill me, Tory that he is, except Jones agrees with him."

"They're both saying the same to me. Broken leg, broken pelvis, and still they insist that I keep moving."

"Are you in as much pain as you were?"

"No," William shook his head. "There is pain, but no, definitely not as it was at first. How about you? Beth was worried you were going to die. Why don't you take a seat?"

Grateful to have this respite, Benjamin lowered himself to the stool as William set his crutches aside and sat on the edge of his cot. "I was worried for a bit there myself, but I'm 'gaining back my vitality', according to Jones and Jutland. All I know is that I can string more words together without going into fits of coughing. And I can get up without almost fainting. I can even walk. For a short time."

"I'm pleased to hear it. Are those necessary?" William jutted his chin toward the two men who'd trailed Benjamin, who were now taking up positions near to the tent.

"Well, they'll be helpful if I need to be carried back to the house," Benjamin said, amused. "Or if you try to kill me."

William snorted.

"So, are we going to talk about it?" Benjamin asked, cocking his head.

"About what?"

"Your little plots. First your request to Mr. Ferguson that he carry word of your whereabouts to Cornwallis in the hopes of rescue, and never mind that such a move would have had my boys back - all my boys -" he waved to the men who'd escorted him, indicating that he was speaking of all of his soldiers, not just his sons. "any myself, back in enemy hands. And then your attempted escape with James Wilkins, that saw several of my men killed."

"Do I need to remind you how I came to be here in the first place?" William asked. "If we're going to discuss my decisions since my capture, then surely we need to start at the beginning? Backtrack a little? To when your brother roused your men into killing fifty of mine?"

"Against my orders," Benjamin replied.

"Yes, so I'm told. And I believe it, too. But I see no corpses hanging from trees…"

"Ahh, you want me to punish those who were duped into attacking you," Benjamin nodded. "Well, I considered it. And decided against it."

"So what's there to talk about?" William asked gruffly. "Did you come here to scold me like a naughty child, when you've escaped imprisonment twice now yourself?"

"Yes, I have escaped twice now. But I didn't put you in direct danger to do it. Or our family."

"As I've already stated, I would have ensured your care, and that of your sons. What do you want, Ben? An apology? You won't get it. I am captured but I'm still an Officer in His Majesty's Army. I'm still Colonel to what is left of my men, even with their capture."

"Hmm," Benjamin said as if pondering. He was quiet for a moment, before asking, "what if you weren't?"

"What if I..? What are you talking about?"

Benjamin cast a glance outside the tent, then lowered his voice. "I'm talking about you joining the Cause."

William stared, eyes growing wider with each passing moment as Benjamin's suggestion sank in. "Turn coat?" He spluttered. "You're suggesting I turn coat?"

"Isn't it customary to make the offer to newly captured prisoners?" Benjamin asked. "I would have done so sooner, but I've been a little… incapacitated."

"Yes it's customary, but… that's other people! Not me! I'm a -"

"Prisoner, William," Benjamin interrupted. He held up one hand for silence. "I know what you were about to say. 'I'm an Officer in His Majesties Grand and Glorious army. I'm Colonel of the British Legion and the Green Dragoons'. But the latter don't even exist anymore and as for the former, being an Officer is secondary to what you are right now," he paused, leaned forward, pinned William with his gaze. "Right now, you are, first and foremost, a prisoner of the Continental Army. Perhaps you should begin considering options that will change that."

"It will change soon enough on its own," William snapped. "My plot to have Mr. Collins assist me failed. Captain Wilkins' attempt to rescue me failed. The messengers sent to Tarleton and Simcoe were captured. But by Gods, Ben, you must know that it's only a matter of time before one of the search parties breaks through your blockade." Nearly a week had passed since Captain Rollins had swooped in to prevent William's escape, nearly a week since Thomas had informed him that the messengers James had sent had themselves been captured. While William's hope had initially been dashed, in recent days it had begun to stir again. "Wilkins told me about Cornwallis' search parties," he said now to Benjamin, defiant in the face of this outrageous offer. "Cornwallis still doesn't know exactly where I am - if he did, I would be rescued by now. But I know that he is looking and eventually, he will hear tell of the skirmish here. It's only a matter of time before Cornwallis either falls upon this place like a tonne of bricks, or at the very least, makes contact with you to have me exchanged," William said, snorting. "You got lucky against Wilkins. You've got what, five hundred men here?" William knew that with the camp secure again after the skirmish with Captain Rollins, Benjamin had sent over half his number back out to keep the trails impassable. "Cornwallis' battalions number in the thousands. These parts are abound with Loyalists. You won't be able to keep your presence or mine hidden forever - look how easily Wilkins found me, when he got around your blockade? I'm surprised your position hasn't been reported to Cornwallis already, but I can tell you now, time is running out for you. Despite my set backs, you are on borrowed time, you must realise that."

"I am, am I?" Benjamin asked.

"And when I am rescued, I shall no longer need to dwell on my status as a prisoner. I do not need to change my situation by becoming a traitor. Time will remedy my position, though I'm afraid it will do great harm to yours. You and your sons will be retaken, Ben. I suggest that now you're well enough, you and the boys should leave, this very day if possible."

"Oh, you think they'll come today, do you?" Benjamin pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "The arrogance of your certainty," he said softly. "Do you honestly think I haven't anticipated that? Loyalists tattling of strange happenings at the Ferguson Plantation, that might draw more British attention? Do you think that I didn't take Wilkins breaking through as warning enough? You think I wouldn't have taken steps to prevent a repeat of that lapse?"

William drew himself up and back, his face growing still. "What steps?" He breathed.

Benjamin sighed. "Mr. Skillern has been silenced -"

"You killed him?"

"Don't be daft. He has been under house arrest this last week. However, I now find his confinement to be no longer necessary. Would you like to know why?"

Has he turned? William wondered. "Enlighten me," he snapped.

"Well, I can have him roam about free as a bird now, for he has no one to report to. Except other Tory's of course. But even if they band together against me, they will not do it with Cornwallis' might behind them," Benjamin said. William frowned, confused. James had said there was some two thousand searchers out there and Cornwallis himself wasn't much further away, with thousands more. "He is gone, son," Benjamin said. "Cornwallis. Do you honestly think he would wait around for you? He continued on after Burwell and Greene."

"Fine," William said, reasoning away the stab of betrayal with the rationale that of course the Lord General of His Majesties Army here in the Colonies could wait upon the return of one Officer, when his enemy was escaping toward Virginia. Of course Cornwallis had to continue the chase. "I do not imagine he waited for me personally," he frowned. "But he would not have given up the search, especially when Captain Wilkins disappeared. He would have Tarleton and Simcoe out there -"

"Both were recalled to the main battalion days ago," Benjamin interrupted. "As were all of the other search parties."

"What?" William breathed.

"As I said, the Loyalists have no one to report your position to, nor can they reply on reinforcements should they decide to rescue a handful of Green Dragoons from a well fortified Patriot camp. The British Army's presence here has been decreasing these last few days and now it's non existent. All we have to contend with now are the occasional nuisance of small, undisciplined Loyalist militias. And believe me, lad, they can't help you. Cornwallis dedicated a few days to the search but when that proved fruitless, he pulled his men back, especially after receiving reports of how many more of his men weren't returning. You mention Captain Wilkins disappearance as the reason for Cornwallis to continue the search? To push harder? Not so. James' disappearance was the last straw, it seemed."

"The search is over?" William asked softly. "They've gone?"

"They've gone," Benjamin said. "I suspect Cornwallis was concerned with the distance that was growing between his battalion and Simcoe and that piece of shit Tarleton. In favour of capturing Burwell and Greene, he cut his losses and let you go, lad."

William was at a loss for words. He understood Cornwallis' need to pursue the enemy Generals, but to leave without situating a company or two to continue the search? After all Cornwallis' talk of how important William was to him. Hadn't Cornwallis said that Colonel Tavington was his right hand, and Colonel Tarleton his left? After all the times Cornwallis had told William how crucial he was to the war effort... And after all William had done? After all he'd suffered? Chasing down rebels in the freezing winters, being shot at and wounded, his body damaged in way that would surely impact him for the rest of his years.

After all of it, William was abandoned? Cast aside, like a broke tool that could no longer be fixed.

"My scouts confirmed it this morning," Benjamin said gently. "Tarleton, Simcoe and the other British detachments have pulled back to the main force. My scouts reported that the rear guard hasn't been in sight since two nights ago. They are gone, which means that you're stuck here. Waiting for your imminent rescue is no longer an option; Cornwallis has given up on you, he has left you behind." He paused, giving time for this to sink in. "Therefore, you have two options left to you. Be sent to Rutledge's camp with the rest of your men, where you will continue to be a prisoner in conditions even worse than this. Or, you could stay, and your quarters will be far superior to what you have now," Benjamin nodded and shrugged. "But only if you join us. Join me." William was silently glaring out the open tent flap, refusing to look at Benjamin. Benjamin stared at his son in law intently. "William, I know your worth. I've come up against you too many times to not have the measure of you. I see the value in you, in your strategies, in your command. And as you are my family, I vow, on my honour, that if you were captured by the British, I would never abandon you."

"That's a low blow," William stated, snapping his gaze back to Benjamin. Cornwallis' abandonment had left a great hole eating away at William's spirit; it was difficult enough to accept without Benjamin chewing away at him further.

"I'm just saying, I don't want us fighting on opposite sides anymore -"

"So you change sides, then," William snapped, eyes flashing. "I shall give you the same offer you're giving to me. Gather up your belongings, your sons if they'll come, and leave this place with me. We'll catch up to Cornwallis, and you can make your defection official. We're family," William said, throwing Benjamin's words back at him. "We shouldn't be on opposing sides anymore."

"There was a time when I might have considered it," Benjamin said, dropping his voice so the men outside could not hear. William stared at him incredulously. "I never wanted this war," Benjamin explained. "I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times. I stood up in the Assembly and spoke against going to war with Britain," he emphasised his point with a stab of his finer. "I never wanted this. I considered myself to be an Englishman, every bit as much as you do. I fought alongside the British against the French two decades ago. Even when the grumblings among my countrymen began, I still bore an infinity toward the Mother Country; I wanted to fix the issues between us, not break away completely. Besides, I have seen war. Battles. So much blood you're unable to rid yourself of the stench of it for years. The needless deaths that chase you in your nightmares. I would have joined the British, if I thought it would bring about change rather than death. When Clinton wrote to me of you, back when he thought I had unwavering loyalties; I considered it. But Gabriel would then be my enemy, if I had. And then there's what you and that damned Tarleton started doing to my little girl. And I was never going to join after Tarleton started putting my country to the torch and hanging my neighbours." He shook his head. "Like hell would I side with an army that would have a demon like him in it. No. When that piece of shit captured me and took me before Cornwallis at Winnsboro, well, Cornwallis offered it to me, too. And I told him then exactly what I just told you now. He didn't like me belittling his little favourite, nor did he like me tearing strips off him for the manner in which he is allowing his lackey's fight this war. That's why he put me in such horrid conditions, I'm sure; for speaking so strongly against Tarleton and Whymess and their like. I could never see eye to eye with a Commander like that. Now you know why I won't turn, you tell me why you won't." Benjamin sat back and folded his arms across his chest. He doubted William's reason would be as dignified as his own reasons were. "What do you owe to your country, William? Why do you fight for Her? Let's start with why you joined - a man of your status had other prospects, surely?"

"If you call a life of law other prospects, then certainly," William said with distaste. "But I could not think of anything worse than spending all my days in courtrooms and pouring over boring, stuffy law books. The money and the status would have been grand, but I could achieve both with joining the military. And in far less time, also."

"So, you joined because you wished to distinguish yourself, with your ultimate ambition being to rise quickly to prominence and to wealth," Benjamin said, his suspicions confirmed. His reasons were by far the nobler and moral.

"Not just that. I was caught up in the fervour," William admitted. "I was into my fourth year at college and had made some distinguished friends, Lord Francis Rawdon being the highest among those. Rawdon purchased his commission and volunteered for the Colonies, and many of our acquaintances did also. I began to consider the possibility myself, and when Bordon and Tarleton -" William scowled at saying that second name out loud - "joined, I decided I would also."

"So. You joined to rise to prominence and wealth," Benjamin paused for effect, "and because your friends were doing it."

"What are you getting at?" William asked, offended at Benjamin's tone.

"I've told you why I joined. And now I've compared our reasons. Why don't you try doing the same?"

William tightened his lips, understanding that Benjamin had found William's reasons to be contemptuous. "Don't you look down your nose at me. All that rot you just said - don't you dare forget that you only joined when your family came under threat, Ben," William said, pointing out what Samuel had so long ago.

"I admit to being reticent," Benjamin said, voice tight. "And yes, the threat to my own family was certainly the catalyst. But I have thrown my all into it, because what is happening here - what is being done to our people by politicians who have never even set foot here - is unjust. I could not continue to ignore the distress of my countrymen. I came to the party late, yes. But I didn't join for my own personal gain, as you did. Rather, I have put at risk my status and my wealth, both of which would disappear in a flash if the British won. Hell, I might lose all my wealth, even if the British lose! So here I am," he spread his arms wide. "And I will not change sides, for I will not fight alongside of, or for, men I can not respect."

"You don't respect Burwell, Beth told me of the discord between you."

"Yes, well, that came later didn't it?" Benjamin scowled. "My altercation with Burwell was of a personal nature - one in which you were at the heart of, may I remind you. It has nothing to do with his ability to command, or in the way he conducts himself in that command. I would not serve alongside Tarleton or your Cornwallis for all the gold in England."

"You believe yourself to be more noble than I am?" William arched an eyebrow and Benjamin heaved a sigh.

"I did not come to argue with you. I came in the hope of encouraging you to reflect upon what serving in the British Army means to you. I want you to open your eyes, William. Are you fighting for the love of your Country? No, son, you are not. You came here to distinguish yourself, in order to rise quickly to prominence and wealth. You're fighting for your own ambitions," Benjamin explained. He spread his hands wide and spoke in a reasonable voice, letting William know he wasn't judging him. "And there is nothing wrong with that. But I would hasten to point out that you can reach your ambitions and make those gains with the Cause. You could rise to prominence and wealth just as effectively if you fight for us."

William heaved a breath and shook his head, still unable to believe he was having this discussion. How to make Benjamin understand why he could never change sides? He was thoughtful for a moment, before attempting to do just that. "One evening, while sitting at a table playing cards at a club we favoured, talk began to spring up about General Charles Lee, a British Officer who had joined the Patriot Cause. We were all quite passionate about his turning. Tarleton," again that curled lip. "Ever the show pony, leapt upon our table, and declared to the entire club - while waving his sabre aloft - that with it, he would cut off Lee's head. We all purchased our commissions the day after. If I turned now…" William shook his head. "I'd always be known as a turncoat. Like General Lee; that would be my legacy. He is abhorred in England."

"He's abhorred here, too," Benjamin laughed. "Not because he changed sides, but because he's an odious little man, thoroughly unlikable."

"It's not just that. I'd bring great shame to my family."

"Haven't you already?" Benjamin asked softly.

"Another low blow… My wife has not kept my recent correspondence to herself, I take it?" William asked as he lifted his chin.

"She told me. Honestly, did you expect her not to keep such tidings from her dear old da?" Benjamin asked, amused. "Hell, if you turn, you'll be disliked in England, but who cares? You won't be going back there anyway. You fear that your legacy would be that of a turn coat? Jesus William, you're disgraced there already."

William tensed.

"You're not in favour with Cornwallis. You're not in favour with your family, either."

"Yes, and If I turn coat, I'll be giving not only my family, but the entire country a reason to despise me," William snapped.

"And the entire country here will forgive you," Benjamin retorted. "I knew it. Your reasoning has no where near the moral depth that mine does. I fight for this country because of the way its inhabitants are being treated. You fight for England because you're afraid the people there will stop liking you."

"I have no desire to lose my honour!" William snapped.

"You've been losing your honour with your conduct since you got here! Don't you understand? If you fight for us, you'll be regaining it!" Benjamin said, spreading his hands wide. Offended, William turned his face away and refused to look at Benjamin. That did not deter the older man, however. "You've lost your honour in England. It's gone, you'll never get it back, and you know it. If you return there with Beth and attempt to move in polite circles, you'll always be on the outer, for everyone will know what you did. Possibly even what she did. And what sort of life would that be, if you were both shunned there for your conduct? Isn't that the real reason you wish to settle here? And you say that Fresh Water is now yours and you intend to live there with Beth? Among a polite society of Loyalists, when the war is won and His Majesty the Victor. But how will you do that, if His Majesty and England lose? You need to think about which side you want to be on, if we do. If you change sides now - before the victor is decided - then if it's an American win you'll be accepted among us far more readily later. If you don't, you'll be forced to return home, where - I remind you - you are already in disgrace."

"Oh, so you'll renege on our agreement, then?" William asked, catching and holding Benjamin's gaze. "As there could be only one victor, we were going to help the one of the losing side rise here in the Colonies, remember?"

"Yes, I remember. "If England wins, you help me. If America wins, I help you. And I still will," Benjamin said. "But my task will be far easier if you become one of us now."

"For our arrangement to work, we have to be on opposite sides," William pointed out derisively. "If I become one of you, I will have no influence should His Majesty win, I will not be able to help you. In fact, if I turn traiter, we'll be hanged together."

"Potentially," Benjamin said with a shrug. "All the more reason to fight for what is yours, William. You have taken a Patriot woman to wife. Your child is going to be born here. Beth's family are all Patriots. Face it, William. England is no longer your home, you have no intention of returning there even if the British win. And if they win and you remain living here under the yoke of British rule, then in a decade's time, you'll have the same gripes as the rest of us have. If you intend to live here, you're best to do it free of His Majesties tyranny. You've already lost your honour there, but here, among us, you will regain it and your freedom to live as you wish," Benjamin persisted. "Write to Mr. Price, beg him to make amends with your family. Tell him that in return, you'll never return home. Make this your home. Join your family fully. And boy, fight for us, as we will fight for you."

"You're a madman," William whispered, finding Benjamin's speech utterly compelling. It was no wonder he could so effortlessly rouse men to leave their families and homes to join him at war, Benjamin's words resonated deep within him in a very disturbing manner.

"So you've told me many a time," Benjamin said. "But have I ever been wrong?" He held William's eyes until the younger man shifted his troubled gaze a way. "Just think about it, William. That's all I ask," Benjamin said.

"Is this what you came down here for? To try to turn me? Have you asked any of my men yet?" William asked, anger and fear inching into his voice. "Have any of them turned?"

"Any discussions I have with your men will be kept private," Benjamin replied. "I'm not going to tell you what their answers are."

William was on the verge of protest, but his demands died on his lips when a figure appeared in the open doorway of the tent.

Harmony lifted the tarp higher, glanced once at William, then snapped her gaze to Benjamin. "You're Beth's father?" She asked without preamble, completely ignoring William.

"I have that honour," Benjamin replied. He rose to his feet and bowed. "And unless I'm mistaken, you're Mrs. Farshaw. Would you care to sit?" He offered her the stool.

"You are not mistaken and no, I am fine standing. What do you intend to do with my father and brother?"

Benjamin arched his eyebrows as he resumed his seat. As she was towering over him, he had to crane his head to meet the young woman's gaze - she was a striking beauty, he could see why there had been so much trouble over her.

"Colonel Tavington and I were just discussing that very thing," he said, amusement winding through his voice.

"Oh? And what was the decision?" Harmony asked.

"No, Harm, he didn't mean… That's not…" William heaved a breath. He would not recount to her the discussion she had interrupted, or that Benjamin intended to offer changing sides to all of William's men. "Don't listen to him," he finished. "Why haven't you come to see me?"

"What?" She turned to him with a distracted frown. William's intuition was confirmed, she had come here to speak to Benjamin, she hadn't come to see William at all!

"I was laid up for days and you never came. I've requested your presence and you continue to ignore it. Whenever I pass you by, you go the other way. Now you finally come, but it's not to see me, it's to ask Ben what he intends for your father and brother!"

"You should already have the answer to that," she snapped and William heaved a breath. He'd had his suspicions, but…

"You're still angry with me," he said, sighing.

"I told you I never wanted to set eyes on you again and I meant it. Did you think getting shot would mend everything?" Harmony asked sharply.

"Jesus, William, what did you do?" Benjamin asked.

"On the day that I told her I was setting Beth aside before we came here, we quarrelled. But that feels like a century ago now, so much has happened since!" He explained.

"It was a week and a half ago!" Harmony snapped.

"I know that! And no. I would not expect my wounds to mend us, though I would have hoped that my not ending my marriage would have," William said.

Harmony gave an indelicate snort. "You want a pat on the back, do you? That you decided to honour your vows after all? I'll dance and sing a jig, shall I? You change your mind and with a snap of my fingers, everything is all better! I suppose you want me to tell you that it is very noble of you, that you would keep to the oaths you made before your own Reverend. Yes, truly well done. Except for the fact that that was not what you intended to do, when you bought us here, was it?" She asked and he gazed up at her warily. "No. It was only an accident in your circumstances that has afforded you the opportunity to reconsider and then change your mind. Otherwise, you'd be miles from here by now. If you hadn't been shot, you would be long gone," she said, voice hard. "When you told me you were ending your marriage, I told you I would never forgive you. I told you your own actions have been no better than Beth's and frankly, Beth's actions have been a direct consequence of yours toward her! So you've changed your mind and you're going to stay married. What of it? I'm supposed to forget what you were going to, even though it was through circumstances outside of your control that prevented you from doing it? I'm supposed to tell you that you're not a hypocrite after all?"

"It'd be nice," William said, trying not to be offended.

"Jesus, William," Harmony leaned forward, her face and voice tight. "You told your wife - one of my dearest friends in all the world - that your marriage was over and that you were dumping her here. You can't take that back. That moment you told Beth you were bringing her here and ending your marriage. The trip here, Beth's misery the entire way. You broke her heart and I had to pick up the pieces! You can't take any of it back. Beth did wrong," Harmony conceded. "but so have you. And you really made her suffer for it, when you were no less deserving of that suffering than she was."

"I'm suffering now," he pointed out, gesturing toward his wounds. "I've been suffering all week."

"You're not even listening to me," she snapped. "Nothing new there, I suppose." She folded her arms across her chest. She glanced at Benjamin, who was watching with interest. Well, he was making no move to leave, and she wasn't going to moderate what needed to be said, so it was simply too bad. "Staying with Beth now doesn't make up for what you did. Not in my eyes," she said to William.

"I'm sorry to hear that," William said gravely.

"I didn't come to discuss any of this. I came to find out the future of my father and brother." She turned to Benjamin. "I've heard rumours that the prisoners are to be shipped off to Rutledge, who is apparantely holed up someplace in South Carolina. I assume that means my father and brother are to go, too. The thing is, I wish to return home, Sir, and I'd like for them to come with me. Will that be possible?"

"I'm afraid not," Benjamin said gently. "As you stated, both Mr. Jutland's are prisoners of war."

"Wait, you want to leave?" William asked, frowning up at Harmony. "What of Richard?"

"Richard is dying, William. As you already know, Richard is dying," tears rushed up to sting her eyes but she held them in check. "All this waiting, lingering at his bedside for days on end, knowing it's inevitable. I wish he'd just…" She cut short, bowed her head and drew an unsteady breath.

"You wish he'd die? You can't mean that, Harm," William said, chiding.

"He is going to anyway," she said. "All this waiting - it's become the hardest part. I just…" She trailed off. Steeling her spine, she forced strength back into her voice. "When he has… left us… I wish to return home," she turned to Benjamin. "And Cilla will be coming with me."

"Cilla wants to go with you?" Benjamin asked, stunned.

"I don't think she's truly accepted that Richard will not be with us for much longer. But she's been willing to discuss plans for that eventuality, if only to humour me. And yes, she said she would come with me," Harmony said. "You're up and about now, I can't imagine that you'll stay quartered here at the Ferguson's, just twiddling your thumbs. You'll leave here soon enough and the prisoners will go to Rutledge. So, my question is, must all them go? Keeping in mind the service my father has given you - he has worked tirelessly on keeping alive not only William's men, but your own that were injured. Yes, my father and brother chose to fight when that bloody bastard James Wilkins offered them the opportunity, but they were barely in the Dragoons for five minutes before they were captured. In return for my father's service, for saving the lives of your own men, can't you offer them both parole or somewhat?"

"That would take great trust on my part," Benjamin said. "So many who give their word end up breaking their parole."

"I assure you, Sir, if I can get them both home safe and sound, none of the women in my family will ever allow them to leave again," Harmony announced. "And if either of them want content wives, sisters and daughters, they'll be foolish to ignore our wishes."

"I shall consider your request, Mrs. Farshaw," Benjamin replied gravely.

Harmony's arms dropped to her sides as the tension she was holding eased from her. Surprised, she said, "oh. You will?"

"You came here expecting me to refuse? You thought you would have to argue with me?" Benjamin asked, amused.

"Um… yes, I guess I did… I… Well, thank you. I would certainly appreciate it if you would consider it," she said and Benjamin inclined his head, both accepting her thanks and making making a wordless promise.

"Richard might pull through yet," William said. "And if he does, he will be sent to the prison camp along with the other recovering wounded."

"So?" Harmony snapped, her tension returning full force. "All that will mean is that Cilla will be going with him, instead of with me. It does not change my intention to return home and my desire that my father and brother come with me."

"I thought… you've barely stirred from his sick bed. If he survives, surely you will go with him, too? He will be bedridden for months and will need both you and Cilla -"

"The women will not be going to the prison camp, William," Benjamin interrupted. William's eyes widened in surprise. "Not my daughter, not my niece, not Mrs. Farshaw. That is no place for any of them."

"I will not discuss this with you," Harmony cut in before William could speak, voice ringing with finality. She shifted out of the way as Mrs. Garland approached with baby Louisa. Harmony had fed the baby already, Mrs. Garland had changed the babies soiled under cloths and was now bringing her to visit her father. Harmony decided to leave before William could continue to hound her, but when she was about to step back out, William seized her wrist to prevent her. She glared down at him and tried to wrest free from his iron grip.

"There are other matters we do need to discuss," he said, even as he awkwardly took his baby daughter into his arms, finally releasing Harmony's wrist in order to do so.

"Gods, not like that," Harmony said. Instead of taking her freed hand as an opportunity to make her escape, she stepped in front of Mrs. Garland to correct William's hold on the baby. "Haven't you taught him how to hold her?" She asked Mrs. Garland as she placed William's arm just so to support Louisa's head, his other arm to support her body.

"I've tried," Mrs. Garland said. "He is not a natural learner, not when it comes to this. Will you bring Louisa back with you when you come to feed Lydia? She will be awake soon," Mrs. Garland asked and Harmony, realising she wasn't going to be able to storm off after all, nodded curtly. Mrs. Garland inclined her head toward Benjamin, then left the tent.

"If Richard does survive, he's not going to let you take Lydia from him," William said, holding Louisa correctly now. He was looking up at Harmony however, not down at his daughter.

"That's what you wanted to say? I told you, I will not discuss Richard with you," Harmony snapped. She sat on the edge of the cot beside William, leaning in close enough to grab Louisa, should William lose his hold. Mrs. Garland had previously warned her that William was both awkward with and - worse yet - uninterested in his daughter. Seeing him with Louisa now, Harmony feared that the midwife had spoken truly.

"Very well, I shall refrain from speaking of it," William said. "There is another matter to discuss, however. I wish to know if our arrangement still holds, that you will care for Louisa." Harmony arched an eyebrow and William explained, "my future is again uncertain, for when the prisoners are sent to Rutledge, I will accompany them." He refused to look at Benjamin, he kept his gaze firmly on Harmony as he spoke. "Will you keep Louisa with you until I can come for her, as we once agreed?"

"As long as you do come for her," Harmony said. "It's bad enough that all those fine ladies up at the Great House believe Louisa to be my daughter and Lydia's twin. I won't have that lie continue forever, I won't raise Louisa believing that her father is bloody Calvin Farshaw and bloody dead. She'll know who her father is, and if you're alive, she'll know that too."

This was a highly personal conversation and Harmony hoped that Benjamin Martin would take the hint and leave. Instead, he leaned back on the stool and crossed one leg over the other, as if settling in to watch a play.

"Of course," William said. "I'm not arguing - why are you speaking as though I'm arguing?"

"Because she's a woman and she's angry with you. Does she need any other reason?" Benjamin asked, amused.

"Well how the hell do I know what you're planning? You say you intend to settle at Fresh Water," Harmony challenged. "When the war is over, if the British win, you'll get cosy at Fresh Water. Which is what, a four day ride from the Shoals? I'm not going to be able to bring her to you, I can't afford a trip as expensive as that. How do I know you'll come for her?"

"William owns the title to Fresh Water now, but his Commander and Chief isn't going to be able to make that stick, when we win," Benjamin scoffed. "So, despite William thinking he owns Fresh Water, he's never going to settle there, unless he wants to live with his dear old papa."

"God forbid," William groaned.

"Well, that's most unhelpful," Harmony said to Benjamin. "Now I know even less where William will be or where to find him for Louisa."

"I'll know where she is though. I'm not going to desert my daughter," William chided.

"You don't look particularly interested in her," Harmony accused. "You look nothing like Richard did when he held Lydia."

"It's different, isn't it?" William finally shifted his gaze downward, his eyes tracing Louisa's face. It always unnerved him, when he did this. Whenever he looked at Louisa, he imagined he would somehow see Beth. But of course, that would never be the case. Instead, all he ever saw - all he would ever see - was Linda. He wished Louisa's mother was Beth and he felt a strange disconnect from the baby, because Beth wasn't. "It's not Louisa's fault," he admitted. "But each time I look at her, I see Linda and… I want to love her. Louisa I mean - Linda can burn in the fires of hell. I want to love Louisa, but…"

"I love Louisa like she's mine and I won't let you ever be cold toward her because of Linda," Harmony said, voice strong and firm. "Louisa is an innocent and doesn't deserve that sort of treatment from her own father. You stuck your dick in Linda, knowing what might come as a result." - Benjamin chortled with equal measures outrage and humour. Well, he could have left this private conversation; it was his choice to stay and Harmony wasn't going to hold back her punches. - "How many times do I have to say it?" Harmony spat, ignoring Benjamin's outburst. "You own a large measure of blame in everything that has happened; how dare you look at Louisa and see only Linda's short comings! How dare you not see your own?" William heaved in a shocked breath. Harmony remained adamant. "I'll never allow you to take it out on Louisa, William. She will not be exposed to such a reception from you. If you are going to treat her this way, then by damn, I will raise her myself and allow everyone to believe she is Lydia's twin after all."

"You love her like she's yours?" William asked, bewildered.

"Yes. Linda carried her for nine months but I'm going to be raising her for the next God knows how long. When you look at her, see me. For I'll be her first influence, I'll be her mother. Forget Linda. She's yours and mine, William."

A cheeky grin split across his face and Harmony heaved a long breath at the insinuation in that smile. She understood that grin immediately; he'd always wanted to bed her, back before they became friends, anyway. And if they'd bedded, then they might have had a child together. And if that child was a girl, they might even have called her Louisa. She glared down at him. "Let Beth see you with that grin, William. She'll know what it means as much as I do and she'll wipe it from your face as quickly as I should right now."

William laughed softly. He turned his gaze down to Louisa, whose small mouth opened wide on a yawn. The babies eyes remained stubbornly open, the pale blue gazed fixed, as if fascinated, on William's face. His expression became more serious as he gave Harmony's tirade some thought. "I don't only see Linda," he admitted. "I do see myself, also. I wouldn't treat her with disdain, Harmony. But… It's just hard, that's all."

"You need to love her for her and her alone," Harmony said, her voice still sharp but not as it had been. "And to do that you need to spend more time with her, and you need not to allow your thoughts to dwell on Linda. You'll form an attachment soon enough, and God knows you've got nothing else to do before you're sent off to Rutledge."

"That is true," he said.

"Well, he might be able to stay," Benjamin said slyly, "if he declared himself to be a Britisher no longer…"

"Martin," William said with a warning in his voice.

"What do you mean?" Harmony asked. "William no longer a British Officer?"

"Here, let me have a look at her," Benjamin said instead of answering. Glancing at Louisa, Harmony hesitated. "What?" Benjamin asked. "She's the daughter of my son in law. We're family. Sort of. Here," he held out his arms and as William was offering Louisa up to Harmony, she took her and passed her on into Benjamin Martin's waiting arms. There was no awkwardness here, Harmony did not have to correct Benjamin's hold, he knew how to handle a baby.

"Beth won't have anything to do with her," William said, watching warily as Benjamin gazed down into the face of William's bastard daughter. "Whenever Louisa is bought to me, Beth walks out and doesn't come back until Louisa is taken away. If I live to do so, I will raise Louisa, I'm not going to abandon her as Harmony seems to believe. But I don't know how it's going to work with Beth and our child, or the children we have in the future. I worry that Beth will favour our children and Louisa will always feel ignored."

"Hmm, it's hard on a wife, accepting a bastard child," Benjamin said, adding, "she has your eyes." He was quiet for a while, contemplative as he held the baby in his arms, letting her little hand curl around his thick finger as he rocked her back and forth. "Mrs. Farshaw is right," he said finally. "This child is an innocent. She should be raised alongside her siblings and she should not feel apart from them, or feel she is less loved. I'll talk to Beth."

"You'd do that?" William asked.

"Of course," Benjamin said.

"And what will you say?" Harmony asked, voice sharp. "You can't make Beth accept this child, she shouldn't be made to accept her."

"Of course not," Benjamin said. "But no matter how she feels about it, this baby is her husband's daughter. The baby Beth is carrying is Louisa's brother or sister. Whether she likes it or not, Beth is bound to this child by ties of love and blood. Besides, imagine what Louisa could become, if she is forced to suffer an indifferent step mother? Now imagine what she might become, if she's loved by all of us, including Beth? With work, we'll make this lass a part of the family. We have to, if we don't want her filled with hurt, jealousy and hatred. If it is to be that way, then William should give her up to you. But as he has no intention of doing so, then together, we have to make this work." Benjamin shifted his gaze to Louisa again, he began pulling faces and making cooing noises. Louisa stared back at him with wide, pale blue eyes, clearly fascinated by him.

"You're a good man," Harmony said after watching for a while.

"That surprises you?" Benjamin asked, amused. "Family is everything, Mrs. Farshaw. There is nothing more important. Beth is my family. The child she carries is my family. Therefore, this damned lump she married has to be my family, too. And so should be his daughter. If my house is going to be filled with children when they come to visit, I'm not going to make Louisa sit out the fun and affection. She'll be welcome at Fresh Water," he cooed at the baby again. "Oh yes you will. You'll be welcome at Fresh Water. And Fresh Water is mine lass, no matter what your da believes. Oh yes it is. He's not getting his stinky hands on it, deed or no deed…"

"You've made your point, Ben, no need to work through my daughter to make it clearer," William said and to his astonishment, Harmony laughed. William glanced at her, and he saw by her attempt to stifle it that she regretted the sound as soon as it escaped her lips. "Are you determined then?" He asked her. "To stay angry with me?"

"Takes a lot of energy, staying angry at someone," Benjamin said to Louisa, as if it was to the baby that he was imparting this wisdom.

"If Beth can forgive me, why can't you?" William asked.

It was so close to everything Cilla had been saying. If Cilla could forgive Richard, why couldn't Harmony? "Perhaps I care more for my friends than they do for themselves," Harmony said. She saw William deflate, as if resigned, and a small piece of her twisted with pain. She dropped her head back, eyes on the ceiling - it had been sapping a fair amount of her vitality, staying angry with William. Especially with Beth fluttering about all over the place, looking so content and happy. Harmony found she wanted nothing more than to release it, and perhaps things could go back to the way they had been before. Some of Reverend Oliver's sermons were finally useful, they finally had a situation Harmony could apply it to. Yes, William had hurt Beth, he'd broken Beth's heart. As Beth had broken William's. Besides, it wasn't on a par with Richard's sin against Cilla. "Damn and blast you, William," Harmony turned toward him and put her arms around his shoulders. On impulsed, she kissed his cheek. "Martin is right, you're a damned lump." She held tight though, her arms around his neck, her cheek pressed to his. She felt his arms wind around her waist.

"Thank you," he whispered and she wasn't sure if it was a snarky retort to her calling him a lump, or genuine gratitude at her willingness to make things right between them.

"Get your hands off my husband," said a newcomer at the doorway.

Knowing that Beth was in no way serious, Harmony kept her arms in place and lifted her cheek from William's. "I kissed him, too," she said to Beth, then waited for Beth to play along and express mock outrage. Only Beth had seen the baby her father was cradling in his arms and the playful moment vanished like smoke from a snuffed candle. She began to turn and Harmony knew Beth would stride away.

Before Harmony herself could stop her, Benjamin's hand snapped out and seized Beth's wrist, just as William had done to Harmony earlier. Beth turned back, eyes wide with shock.

"Sit down," Benjamin said, voice lashing with command.

"Papa -"

"Sit!" He snapped, jutting his chin toward the cot, where Harmony was now perched with her arms at her sides, no longer around William. William was as silent as the grave, watching solemnly. Benjamin still held Beth's wrist caged in his fist, and he pulled, trying to force her to sit on the cot on Harmony's other side.

"I thought we agreed that you can't make her accept the child?" Harmony frowned.

"I did agree. But the first steps toward acceptance can't be taken if Beth continues to walk off in a snit whenever Louisa is around," Benjamin said. "And those first steps must be taken now." Beth was finally sitting; her face was thunder but her eyes were filled with unshed tears. "Lass, I understand," he said, his voice softening. "Your husband got a child on another woman and that child is going to be raised in your household. I do understand. But you have the deciding of how that household is going to live together. William understands how you're feeling and at the moment, his sympathies are with you. But what about later, when his little daughter, his own flesh and blood, comes to him complaining that her step mother doesn't like her? Whose side do you think he'll take then? He will come to love Louisa, and he will be her only champion, and he may very well turn against you one day, if you keep going down this track."

"Ben -" William began to protest that he'd do no such thing, but Benjamin held up one hand, forestalling him.

"I've seen it," Benjamin said, drawing upon greater wisdom and experience than the young couple had. "You don't get to my age, without having seen this very thing. Beth, you're a compassionate person. You open your heart to and befriend women that others of your standing would refuse to associate with -" he pointed at Harmony and added, "no offence meant, but it's true."

"It is true," Harmony agreed and Benjamin inclined his head, thanking her for not taking umbrage.

"You help them, you defend them, you love them. And yet you can't even look at this innocent child? It's not her fault, Beth. You have her entire future in your hands. Her entire future. The sort of young woman that she is going to be, will be determined by you. By your actions toward her during her delicate years. I can't imagine that you would ever be wilfully cruel, but by ignoring her existence, you are being cruel. She might overcome it, she might become a decent, loving girl, despite having lacked the affection of the only mother she'll ever know, despite having seen that affection bestowed upon her half siblings by that same mother. She might not be jealous and hateful. But she will be in pain, Beth, you better understand that now. Look at her. Will you do that to her?"

Beth was breathing fast, as though she were trying to hold back the tears. Her eyes darted to the baby and swiftly fled again.

"When she is playing with the child you will soon bear, and you walk into the room? Will you speak to and play with one but not the other? Will you smile and laugh only for the children that are yours? While leaving this one, this little innocent, out in the cold? Your marriage has faced some spectacular hurdles, and it appears that the two of you might overcome them. But I can tell you now, if you do make Louisa feel like an outsider in her father's home, your marriage will become pretty damned miserable again, damned quickly. If you don't want that, and if you don't want a young woman to lead an awful existence for the entirety of her life, then you need to put the hard work in now."

"I don't want her to have an awful existence," Beth managed to say between deep, fast breaths that were still holding back sobs. "It's just… she's Linda's and…"

"Here," Benjamin rose and although Beth drew away, he pushed the baby against Beth's chest, making her either hold the baby or drop her. Harmony gasped and was about to grab Louisa, but Beth instinctively curled her arms around the child. Harmony exchanged a quick glance with William on her other side, before turning back to Beth.

"Linda is gone. Louisa will never see Linda again," Benjamin said, voice firm. He took two full steps back, deliberately leaving Beth to cradle the baby on top of her pregnant stomach. "Mrs. Farshaw shall not have the raising of Louisa forever. You are Louisa's only hope at having a mother, Beth. It's just you and her now. And as she is the child and you the adult, you have to start acting like it," Benjamin said.

Beth's gaze dropped down to Louisa's face as great sobs began to erupt from her chest. Harmony put her arms around Beth both to give comfort but also because she also feared that Louisa might slip out of Beth's shaking arms. Her entire body shook with the force of the sobs. Harmony glared at Benjamin and shook her head.

"I don't really like your tactics," she told him.

"We've no time to be gentle," Benjamin replied. "You're Louisa's nurse, it makes sense that you care for both your baby and William's, as per this agreement of yours. But if you return home with both babies, then how does that give Beth time with Louisa? The time needed for her to come to accept her? She has to face this now, or it might be too late." He sat back and waited as Beth continued to weep. William had his head buried in his hands, as if he didn't know what the hell to do. Harmony finally conceded that Benjamin was right, it had to be now.

"I d-don't mean to be c-cruel," Beth sobbed. "I wasn't t-trying to be c-cruel."

"Good, because being cruel to a baby is simply abhorrent," Benjamin said. "Now, I'm prepared to accept her. When the Tavington family come to visit me, all of you will be welcome, and all of the children will be spoiled and indulged equally. I hope that that won't be a new feeling for little Louisa, I hope that she will be quite accustomed to feeling equally loved by the two adults in her life."

"I r-really hate you sometimes, p-papa," Beth said.

"I know. And I'll always love you, no matter how you're feeling toward me just now. This was necessary, lass. Look at her."

"I c-can't see her," Beth sniffled. Harmony held out a handkerchief, which Beth took to dry her eyes for long enough to gaze down at the baby. She kept having to dry her eyes, for the tears kept coming and kept obscuring her vision.

"I'm sorry, Beth," William lifted his face from his hands finally. "Maybe it would have been best to leave her with Linda."

"Either way, she would have been raised by a parent that wasn't her own," Harmony said. "What if Cox rejected her?"

"Cox was going to raise her as his own," William said. "He already considered her his own."

"Is that so?" Benjamin lifted an eyebrow. "This fellow had accepted your child as his? Does that mean this Cox has more integrity than my own daughter?" Benjamin asked.

"Papa, stop it!" Beth cried.

"I agree, you can bloody stop now, Colonel," Harmony snapped, glaring at Benjamin. "You take this too far!"

"I wasn't… I d-didn't mean… to reject her. It's just… so hard," Beth whispered.

"I know," Harmony said, rubbing Beth's back. "It was hard for Cilla at first, but she loves Lydia."

"Because Cilla loves you," Beth said. "I despise that whore with every ounce of my being."

"That's not Louisa's fault," Harmony said, allowing some firmness to enter her voice.

"I know," Beth drew a shuddering breath. She stared down at the baby and the others held their silence, waiting. Even Benjamin was giving her some much needed room to breathe, to think. "I'm going to dye her hair black," she said finally and Harmony barked a short laugh at Beth's desire to rid the baby of the colouring of her mother's hair. Beth breathed slowly now, in and out, deeply. The handkerchief was sopping wet but she dried her cheeks with it again. "How am I supposed to do this?"

"Spend time with her," Benjamin said immediately, giving the same advice that Harmony had given to William. "Stop walking away from her whenever she's bought down here. Better yet, help Mrs. Garland and Mrs. Farshaw with looking after her, that will help you practice for when your baby comes."

"I know how to look after babies, papa," Beth said, her voice still quiet and forlorn. "I have four younger siblings."

"Having brothers and sisters doesn't prepare you for shit," Benjamin scoffed. "This will, though. And being in her company will soften you to her, I have no doubt of it. Small steps. You've taken the first and largest just now. This one was the hardest."

"It certainly was," Beth sighed. "I still hate you, papa."

"How can you say that when I just saved your marriage? And not for the first time, either," Benjamin grinned, trying to lighten the tension with some humour. He rose and kissed the top of Beth's head. "If I'd known I'd constantly be saving your marriage, I never would have let you marry William."

"You didn't let us marry," William said softly.

"That's right," Benjamin tapped his forehead. "So why the devil do I keep trying to save it? You're right, lad, I'm a madman," he turned to the entrance. "Think on what I said, yes?" He said to William

"No," William said.

"I know you will," Benjamin said. He inclined his head, kissed Beth once more, then ducked out of the tent.

"Are you alright?" Harmony asked Beth, still sitting with her arms around her and the baby both.

"No," Beth whispered, shaking her head.

"Will you at least try though?" Harmony asked.

"I'll try," Beth said. She looked past Harmony and met William's eyes. "I'll try."

"That's more than I was willing to do, when I thought your baby was Banastre's," he said, nodding. "So thank you," he reached past Harmony to hold Beth's hand. "I love you."

"I love you," Beth replied, giving his hand a squeeze. "And you," she kissed Harmony's cheek. She looked back down at the baby, unable to say the same to Louisa. She heaved a sigh.

She had no choice now. By Gods, it was going to be hard, but she had promised to try.