After supper that evening, I left the estate with the colonel to accompany him on a moonlight ride on the estate. We rode through the gardens surrounding the estate and into the woods behind it. We rode through the woods until we reached the stream that ran through them and dismounted.
I joined the colonel as he sat down by the stream. He had a slightly pained expression on his face as he carefully laid a hand on his ribs.
"Are you well, Colonel?" I asked.
"I'll be fine; I just feel as if my ribs are having too much pressure put on them and it's causing me pain."
"You could remove your waistcoat and vest to see if that relieves the pain."
The colonel looked at me skeptically.
"You know that isn't a proper thing to do."
"Colonel, I have already seen you without your waistcoat and vest. Besides, I don't think you enjoy being in pain."
"Oh alright, I will."
Col. Tavington removed his waistcoat and vest, laying them on the ground beside him and even undid his ruffled shirt.
"Feel better?"
"Yes thank you."
I was silent for a moment and then asked, "Have you heard anything from my father?"
"I wrote to your father the evening of your capture and sent the letter with a post rider early the next morning. A day later, a letter came from your father saying that he would be arriving as soon as he could. Since then, I have heard nothing."
"Did my father mention anything of my brother, Samuel?"
"No, he did not."
Moments of silence passed between us and as it grew colder, I began to shiver. Col. Tavington noticed this and said, "We had best leave now as it is late and you are getting cold."
We returned to the estate and were standing just outside the colonel's quarters when there was the sound of footsteps coming toward us and an annoying voice drawled, "And what, pray tell, are you two doing up at this ungodly hour?"
It was General O'Hara. Col. Tavington turned and met him with a glare.
"I was just giving the colonel something to dull the pain he has been experiencing from his cracked ribs." I said smoothly to the general.
"Oh really, why then, are you doing this so late at night?" inquired the general in a cruelly amused tone.
"It needs to be taken every couple of hours." Replied the colonel smoothly.
The general glanced at us suspiciously and said, "Well then, you'd best get to your quarters before I change my mind on whether or not you are lying to me."
"Yes Sir." Col. Tavington and I replied in unison.
The general then walked down the hall to his quarters.
Colonel Tavington walked me across the hall to the entrance to my quarters.
"Thank you again, Miss Selton."
The colonel took my hand in his and gently kissed it. He stared at me, his eyes ablaze with intense, blue fire.
"I shall see you in the morning."
I lay in bed that evening thinking of the colonel. He didn't act like "the butcher" he was notoriously known for being. He was almost the exact opposite of the satanic brute everyone said he was. It didn't hurt either to say that Col. Tavington was also very handsome and, in a way, charming. But what was I thinking? He was my captor and, not to mention, we were on two opposing sides of war, he being a British Green Dragoon and I the daughter of a patriot. Also, there was a difference in class and age. He was at least six or seven years my senior and of a higher class. Still, I couldn't help being attracted by the mystery he held in his character.
Part 2. Broken Ribs and First KissesThe next morning, while I was eating breakfast that had been brought to my quarters by a servant, Col. Tavington entered the room.
"Good morning, Miss Selton."
"And good morning to you, Col. Tavington."
"I was wondering if, after you're finished eating, you would join me to check on the dragoons."
"Aren't you relieved of your duties for a week?"
"Yes, however, that doesn't mean that I can't check on how my men are behaving in camp."
"Alright, I'll go, even if it isn't that proper."
"If I had to be proper all the time, I would go mad." Said the colonel.
I laughed and he grinned.
We went outside to the stables.
"The camp where the soldiers are staying is a short ride on horseback the property of the estate."
"Why, if the camp is for the soldiers, aren't you staying there?"
"All of the high-ranking officers stay in the estate." Replied Col. Tavington.
"I see. Well then, let us be going, shall we?"
The ride to the camp took about ten to fifteen minutes on horseback at a canter. When the colonel and I arrived at the camp, his demeanour seemed to change; he became more cold, serious, and business-like. One of the soldiers came up and said with a hint of nervousness in his voice, "Good day, Colonel; may I inquire as to who the young lady is with you?"
"She is Miss Mary Selton. And this is my second in command, Captain Bordon." Said the colonel introducing me to the soldier.
Captain Bordon was a tall man with light brown hair, soft facial features, and brown eyes.
"Pleased to meet you, Miss Selton. I've heard about you; your father is Charles Selton, isn't he?"
I nodded.
Captain Bordon turned to Col. Tavington.
"Sir, may I ask why you are here? I was led to believe that you were relieved of your duties for a week."
"I am relieved of my duties for a week, Bordon. Aside from the fact that I needn't a reason to come here, I was checking in on how my men were doing in camp." Replied the colonel rather sternly. "You should know, Captain, that I need no reason to visit the camp."
"Yes Sir, I apologize for asking." Replied Bordon.
"How is our newest recruit, James Wilkins?" Asked Col. Tavington, changing the subject.
"He is alright, however, he did seem a little unsettled while we were raiding homes." Replied the captain.
"Oh, is that so? Well, perhaps I shall have a little "talk" with him to ease him up a bit." Said the colonel, smirking.
Col. Tavington had me wait with Capt. Bordon while he went to "talk" with James Wilkins.
"The colonel seems so different at the moment from how he usually is." I said to the captain. "He's usually…"
"Polite, charming; I know; I take it you have really only seen him when he wasn't in camp or conducting raids on the Colonials. Otherwise, he's a nasty sort. He is especially brutal in battle and is often in trouble from General Lord Cornwallis for his brutality. But make no mistakes about his leadership. He is an excellent leader. Quite stern yes, however, he keeps his men in line better than anyone else, including, General Cornwallis. He has also brought Cornwallis the majority of the victories he has had in this war." Explained the captain.
"So, the colonel's mood depends on the atmosphere he is in and the people he is with?" I asked.
"You could say that; it more depends on whether or not Cornwallis has given him a berating and if so, the severity of it." Replied Capt. Bordon.
Col. Tavington came out of one of the many tents followed by whom I assumed was James Wilkins. Mr. Wilkins was a tall man, even taller than the colonel, with curly brown hair, and a tender face with soft, brown eyes. He looked fearfully at the colonel, who glared back at him.
"Come, Miss Selton, I shall show you the camp and introduce you to some of my men."
So, we walked around the camp and the colonel introduced me to his men. They were all quite friendly to me, however, I could see the slight unease they all seemed to have around their commanding officer.
As I mounted my horse to return to the estate, I turned to the colonel.
"Your men seem to fear you, Colonel."
"They do, do they? Well that is a good thing. An officer can't keep his men under control unless they fear him at least a bit." He replied.
Col. Tavington mounted his horse and we rode off.
As we were walking back to the stables to untack the horses and put them in their stalls, the colonel and I heard a very familiar and unwelcoming voice behind us drawl, "Well well, Colonel, how are you and your mistress doing?"
Col. Tavington froze and fisted his hands.
"She is not my mistress, General O'Hara, you know that." Said the colonel tersely, through clenched teeth.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I couldn't tell." Replied the general sarcastically.
Col. Tavington lunged for O'Hara and grabbed him by the throat, slamming him hard against one of the stall doors. The general stared for a moment dazed by the blow he had received from having his head slammed against the door. Suddenly, an enraged voice yelled from the entrance of the stables, "Tavington! What in God's name are you doing to General O'Hara! Release him this instant!"
Col. Tavington released the general and stared at Cornwallis, his face twitching in rage and horror at being caught beating the life out of his superior.
"I'll think of a punishment for you later." Said Cornwallis, glaring at Col. Tavington.
Lord General Cornwallis left the stables, muttering angrily to himself.
Just as the colonel and I were leaving the stables, Gen. O'Hara, who hadn't left with the lord general, tackled Col. Tavington to the ground, punching his already cracked ribs. The colonel gasped, writhing on the ground in pain.
"That's for being the bastard that you are." Said the general snottily, getting up and stalking out of the stables.
"Burn in Hell!" Called the colonel after General O'Hara.
"Take your own advice!" Replied the general behind his back.
Col. Tavington and I left the stables and went into the woods to the stream. The colonel immediately took off his waistcoat and vest, unqueued his hair, and undid his shirt to relieve the pain from his ribs and laid down on his back in the sun, groaning in pain. His breathing was shallow and slightly laboured because of the pain it caused him.
"Let me check your ribs." I said to Col. Tavington.
He stared at me, surprised by my request.
"I take it you're not a doctor, and this is, in no way, proper."
"If I had to be proper all the time, I'd go mad. I have an older brother who happens to be quite accident prone so I've had plenty of experience. Now, let me check them, Colonel."
"Alright, but you'd better pray to God that no one sees us."
Col. Tavington removed his shirt, exposing his muscular, solid, arms and chest. He winced slightly as I gently applied pressure with my fingertips to his ribs, assessing his wounds. His skin was warm and soft to the touch, and a fine sheen of sweat glistened on his chest.
"Well Colonel, a couple more of your ribs are broken."
"Damn. O'Hara will go straight to hell for this. Anyway, thank you for the diagnosis."
I blushed slightly.
"You're welcome. Now, that wasn't that bad for not being proper was it?"
"No, it wasn't." He whispered. "It wasn't that bad at all. In fact, it wasn't bad enough."
Col. Tavington ran a hand through my hair and drew me closer to him. His eyes seared me with their fire as his face neared mine until I was practically lying on top of him. He drew me closer still, gently touching his soft, warm lips to mine. He pulled back for a moment, his eyes staring into mine, but then kissed me again, this time more deeply and with more passion.
After what seemed an eternity, the colonel broke away, out of breath, and caressed the side of my face with his hand.
"Thank you." I whispered softly.
"You're welcome, he replied, gently kissing my forehead.
We got up off of the ground. The colonel put his shirt back on and picked up the rest of his belongings. Then, we headed out of the woods.