3 hours later..
"Enough about war, where have you been?" Benjamin asked. Gabriel looked down at his half full glass of port. Cora… He could still see her blue eyes, and smell her scent. He could still feel her tiny form in his arms, shuddering violently with the force of tears, her pleasant voice still rung in his ears. Glancing up, he noticed that his father was sill waiting for an answer.
"I was badly wounded. A lady found me and gave me care."
"A lady?" Benjamin inquired, an eyebrow raised. He had seen the look on his son's face before.
"Yes." Gabriel replied, his hands suddenly getting clammy. "I barely knew her." He trailed off, remembering her face the night she had found him; her skin glowing softly in the moonlight, her eyes and voice full of concern. Her gentle words, her tender hands, her authoritative yet mild voice. He had been mesmerized by her from the start.
"Uh huh." Benjamin said eyeing him quizzically. Gabriel glanced up at his father and smiled sheepishly. "Pretty huh?" he commented.
"Beautiful. She had dark blue eyes almost like the ocean at night and….and thick, long, silky, curly brown hair and her skin looked like….like….like… spun marble."
"Hmmm. Sounds good."
"She was British. Her father was fighting in the British army, but he supported our cause. She was helping a lot of our men, and she hid us when a British station took sanctuary in her home for a night, there was a secret room."
"So she was a British patriot?" Benjamin asked in surprise.
"Basically, yeah." Gabriel said, drinking some more port.
"Interesting. What was her name?"
"Cora. Lady Cora Aislinn-Elizabeth De Barbarac."
"Long name."
"Yeah." Gabriel took another swing of port and placed his empty glass on the table.
"De Barbarac… I know that name… Jacob De Barbarac?" Benjamin asked his expression thoughtful. "Was that her father?"
"I don't know, was he a General?"
"Yes. He was promoted just as the French and Indian war ended. Good man, Jacob, fine soldier, exceptional leader."
"So she told me. Said that he gave her battle tactics as bedtime stories."
"Interesting."
"Yeah."
"Sounds like you're taken with her."
"I think I am." Gabriel said sheepishly glancing up at his father with a shy grin.
"Ah ha. Well in that case play your cards right. She sounds like a real…challenge, a force to be reckoned with. Sounds like your mother, with an accent and brown hair."
"Mmmmm. She is… something." Gabriel said, remembering her harsh words and fiery eyes.
"Maybe your paths will cross again." Benjamin said, noting his son's smitten face.
"Perhaps." Gabriel said, trying to keep a relatively cool exterior although those words of hope seared his soul. 'Perhaps we shall meet again. And hopefully this time I won't be a damned fool!' he thought to himself. He should have pressed to see if she had felt the same and instead he took her at face value. What if she was as frightened of rejection as he was? What if she just didn't feel the same? He hoped not, something in her eyes and voice had begged to differ with her words. Maybe he was thinking about it too much. Yes, that was probably it. He needed to stop thinking so damn hard.
"You will want to get some rest, we leave in the morning." Benjamin said. Gabriel nodded silently and sighed. "It does me great good to have you back." Benjamin said patting his son's back in a fatherly gesture, rubbing his shoulder.
"Likewise." Gabriel replied smiling up at him, and he meant it. His family was all that he had left, and he would fight for them, if for nothing else.
"Enough about war, where have you been?" Benjamin asked. Gabriel looked down at his half full glass of port. Cora… He could still see her blue eyes, and smell her scent. He could still feel her tiny form in his arms, shuddering violently with the force of tears, her pleasant voice still rung in his ears. Glancing up, he noticed that his father was sill waiting for an answer.
"I was badly wounded. A lady found me and gave me care."
"A lady?" Benjamin inquired, an eyebrow raised. He had seen the look on his son's face before.
"Yes." Gabriel replied, his hands suddenly getting clammy. "I barely knew her." He trailed off, remembering her face the night she had found him; her skin glowing softly in the moonlight, her eyes and voice full of concern. Her gentle words, her tender hands, her authoritative yet mild voice. He had been mesmerized by her from the start.
"Uh huh." Benjamin said eyeing him quizzically. Gabriel glanced up at his father and smiled sheepishly. "Pretty huh?" he commented.
"Beautiful. She had dark blue eyes almost like the ocean at night and….and thick, long, silky, curly brown hair and her skin looked like….like….like… spun marble."
"Hmmm. Sounds good."
"She was British. Her father was fighting in the British army, but he supported our cause. She was helping a lot of our men, and she hid us when a British station took sanctuary in her home for a night, there was a secret room."
"So she was a British patriot?" Benjamin asked in surprise.
"Basically, yeah." Gabriel said, drinking some more port.
"Interesting. What was her name?"
"Cora. Lady Cora Aislinn-Elizabeth De Barbarac."
"Long name."
"Yeah." Gabriel took another swing of port and placed his empty glass on the table.
"De Barbarac… I know that name… Jacob De Barbarac?" Benjamin asked his expression thoughtful. "Was that her father?"
"I don't know, was he a General?"
"Yes. He was promoted just as the French and Indian war ended. Good man, Jacob, fine soldier, exceptional leader."
"So she told me. Said that he gave her battle tactics as bedtime stories."
"Interesting."
"Yeah."
"Sounds like you're taken with her."
"I think I am." Gabriel said sheepishly glancing up at his father with a shy grin.
"Ah ha. Well in that case play your cards right. She sounds like a real…challenge, a force to be reckoned with. Sounds like your mother, with an accent and brown hair."
"Mmmmm. She is… something." Gabriel said, remembering her harsh words and fiery eyes.
"Maybe your paths will cross again." Benjamin said, noting his son's smitten face.
"Perhaps." Gabriel said, trying to keep a relatively cool exterior although those words of hope seared his soul. 'Perhaps we shall meet again. And hopefully this time I won't be a damned fool!' he thought to himself. He should have pressed to see if she had felt the same and instead he took her at face value. What if she was as frightened of rejection as he was? What if she just didn't feel the same? He hoped not, something in her eyes and voice had begged to differ with her words. Maybe he was thinking about it too much. Yes, that was probably it. He needed to stop thinking so damn hard.
"You will want to get some rest, we leave in the morning." Benjamin said. Gabriel nodded silently and sighed. "It does me great good to have you back." Benjamin said patting his son's back in a fatherly gesture, rubbing his shoulder.
"Likewise." Gabriel replied smiling up at him, and he meant it. His family was all that he had left, and he would fight for them, if for nothing else.