I arrived at my quarters, grabbed some dry, clean clothes, and headed to the washroom to freshen up. Once I was finished, I met William outside his quarters. He was wearing a clean, pressed uniform, and his hair was queued back with a black sash and slicked with apple pomade.
"Come." Said William, leading me down to the dining hall.
He led me to the large dining table at the center of the hall and pulled out a chair for me. Then, he took a seat next to me. A servant came into the dining hall and set plates of food on the table.
I began to eat as soon as the food was set on the table, but William stared at his plate, picking almost apathetically at the food on it.
"William, are you well? You look a bit troubled and you've barely touched your food."
"I'm fine." Answered William in a nervous voice.
"William…"
"Mary, I'm fine."
I gave William an unconvinced look and finished eating.
By the time the servant returned to take the plates to be cleaned, William had still barely eaten any of his food.
William and I left the dining hall and went out into the gardens. I sat down on a bench on the side of the path, surrounded by flowers that were swaying in the gentle breeze. William walked further down the path and stopped suddenly, looking quite nervous and muttering anxiously to himself.
"William, something is troubling you and don't try denying it. Please tell me what it is, as it seems to be weighing heavily on your mind."
William sighed.
"Mary…"
"Yes William?" I replied, getting up from the bench and walking up next to him.
William put a hand on my shoulder and pulled me to him.
"Mary, I don't know how to tell you this."
"What don't you know how to tell me William?"
"I understand that I haven't been courting you for very long, however, being a soldier has taught me to take the opportunities that are handed to me in life; if I didn't take them and I was killed in battle, I may have missed out on something life changing. You, Mary, are one of my life changing opportunities; I know for a fact that I shall never meet another woman like you. I love you, Mary. What I'm trying to say is that I was hoping, or more like praying, that you would give me your hand in marriage. I understand if you decline, being as I was your captor, I burned your home, and I have a nasty reputation."
"Yes William, you have quite a reputation. You are called The Butcher for your reckless brutality on raids and in battle. Even your own men fear you and your superiors revile you."
William swallowed hard and made a sound as if he had swallowed poison.
"Yet," I continued. "I have seen what lies behind the ice. You are really The Butcher's opposite. You are gentle, kind hearted, and, not to mention, mischievous. However, that isn't anything I can't handle for the rest of my life. So, as a reply to your request, you shall have my hand in marriage." I said smiling up at him.
William's face glowed and his eyes reflected such happiness as I had never before seen in them, and he wrapped his arms tightly around me.
"Come to my quarters; I have something for you."
I followed William up to and walked over to the window next to his four-poster.
"Mary."
I walked over to where William was standing next to his desk.
"Yes?"
"I want you to have this for our engagement."
William opened a tiny black wooden box that was sitting on his desk and took out a golden ring.
"William, it's beautiful." I whispered, eyeing the ring closely, which had a ruby encrusted in its center and small diamonds encrusted in a circle around the ruby.
"The ring belonged to my mother. It was one of the few possessions that my wretched father didn't gamble away because I slipped it off of her finger before my brothers and I fled from the family estate."
William slid the ring onto my left ring finger and kissed me deeply, his lips warm against mine, engulfing me with their intense passion. He pulled away and caressed the side of my face.
"I shall escort you to your quarters."
William walked me across the hall to my quarters.
"Goodnight, William Tavington."
"Goodnight, Mary Katherine Selton." Replied William.
He took my left hand and gently kissed it.
"How did you know my full name?"
"You wrote your middle initial in the letters you wrote to me. I was curious as to what the K in your name stood for, so being as you were one of the most sought-after women in these parts of South Carolina, I decided to ask my captain if even he might know, for more patriots than loyalists and British know of you. Surprisingly enough however, he did know, and obviously, told me."
"Well then, as you know my full name, what is yours?"
"William Garrick Camden Tavington. It was William Garrick Alastor Camden Tavington, however, once I was able to do so, I omitted my father's name from my full name."
"Well, William Garrick Camden Tavington, I shall see you in the morning."
William nodded and went back to his quarters. I closed the door to my quarters, walked over to wardrobe, and pulled out a clean nightdress. Once I was changed, I got into bed. However, sleep was impossible. I was too excited from the events that had occurred this past evening.
Finally, I gave in to my restlessness and left my quarters. I walked across the hall to William's quarters and knocked on the door. To my surprise, he answered. He was wearing a long white shirt and blue loose-fitting pants.
"Mary, what are you doing here?" Asked William sleepily.
"I can't sleep; I apologize if I woke you."
"Actually, you didn't. I couldn't sleep either, tired as I was."
William let me into his quarters, closing the door behind us.
"Lie down, Mary; you need your rest."
"Don't you need your rest also?" I asked, climbing into the four-poster.
"I am right here." Replied William, climbing into the four-poster next to me.
"Now rest Mary." Said William, undoing my already half-undone hair, spilling at around my shoulders and in my face. He brushed a few locks of hair from my face and said "I shall see you in the morning."
I fell into a fitful sleep and kept tossing and turning in the four-poster. After what seemed to be a couple of hours, I was startled awake when I felt something grab me.
"William?"
"Mary, you've taken all the covers."
"Sorry."
"You really need to relax. I have things planned for us tomorrow."
"William, I can't relax."
"Oh, is that so?" Asked William. "Just close your eyes, don't speak, and don't move."
I leaned against William and he began undoing the buttons in the back of my nightdress. He undid the buttons of my nightdress down to the middle of my back. William's eyes shone brightly in the moonlight and I was ensnared in their hypnotic gaze as he slowly slid my nightdress down, just below my left shoulder. I finally began to relax as William began stroking my bare back, shoulders, and the back of my neck. Within minutes, William's gentle caresses had put me into a deep sleep.