I awoke around eight the next morning to a pair of blue eyes staring me in the face.
"Good morning, Lady Tavington." Said William caressing my bare back and hip with his left hand.
"And good morning to you, Sir Tavington." I replied.
William and I got out of bed, got cleaned up and dressed, and headed downstairs for breakfast. Thankfully, all of the dragoons had been given a day away from their duties.
As we entered the banquet hall, we were greeted by Lord Gen. Cornwallis.
"Good morning Col. Tavington; Lady Tavington, good morning as well."
"My Lord." Responded William in a slightly stiff tone, nodding.
We took our places next to Capt. Bordon, who was already at the banquet table eating.
"Well well, if it isn't Col. Tavington and Lady Tavington as well, come to grace me with their presence this morning." Said the captain.
William smirked.
"You look sleep deprived Sir; what is the reason?" Asked the captain smirking impishly.
William went red in the face and hissed, "Don't question me about sleep deprivation, you fool!"
Bordon laughed.
"Captain!" I said sternly.
"Sorry." Mumbled the captain, who had instantly gone silent upon hearing me speak.
"That's better Bordon." Said William smirking at the captain.
"At least I didn't say anything in front of the other dragoons to you two."
"If you had, I would have sacked you personally and James Wilkins would take your position."
"James Wilkins is a coward."
"My point exactly. Stay out of trouble."
"You know I didn't mean it Sir."
"I know you didn't; I was just joshing you."
"You!" Shouted Bordon.
"Me; what did I do?" Answered William in mock surprise.
"Let's see here; you only threatened to hand my position to a novice dragoon!"
"Oops." Replied William sarcastically. "My mistake."
Capt. Bordon got up from his seat and stared at William, who stalked cunningly out of the room, past Cornwallis, and out the entrance of the estate. Once they were outside, I heard their footsteps quicken; they had waited until they were outside and away from the lord general to begin running around and behaving like boys.
I excused myself from the table and went outside to find them. I found William in the back gardens, near the entrance of the woods, smirking wickedly at Bordon, who was about ten feet away, gasping for breath, sides heaving, glaring at his superior.
"Dolt!" Wheezed the captain.
William laughed mercilessly.
"There are reasons why people with reason don't challenge me, Bordon."
"Oh really, and what, pray tell, are those?" I asked smoothly.
Both men stared at me in surprise.
"Mary!" Said William in surprise, trying to regain his composure.
"Lady Tavington…" Said Bordon, also trying to regain his composure.
"You may address me by my first name, Captain; you needn't address me with such formality."
"Yes Mary; thank you." Replied the captain going slightly red.
William smirked.
"I've got to say, you two boys never cease to amuse me with your antics."
Both men turned bright read in embarrassment at my comment. I smirked, walked up to William, and kissed him on the cheek. Then I turned to Bordon and smiled mischievously.
"Oh come you two, and stop turning so red."
"It just goes to show what happens when you pick a feisty woman." Whispered Capt. Bordon to William as we left the gardens. "There will be no ordering Mary around, that's for sure."
William and I laughed.
"You're absolutely correct, Bordon." Said William.
"What have the dragoons come to? Their widely feared, notorious leader, The Butcher, should be the best soldier in the British army, only to bested by his own wife."
"You're forgetting something, Captain; in order for me to best him, he had to best me first by capturing me"
"This just isn't fair." Commented the captain suddenly.
'What isn't fair?" I asked.
"Col. Tavington, who was thought to be the least likely among the Dragoons to marry, managed to inadvertently capture his bride on a raid while I, the person who was supposed to be one of the most likely to marry, am still single."
William rolled his eyes and I smirked.
"Still sore over being a bachelor are you?"
"Yes."
"Well don't be stupid, standing in empty corners of the ballroom at balls, rather than conversing with the women."
"William don't be so harsh on the captain. After all, what would have become of you if you hadn't captured me?"
"Mary!"
"It's true." I replied calmly.
"I know it is, but the fact of the matter is, is that had I not met you, I would have been perfectly content without a companion."
"I see. Well then, Captain, you'll just have to get along with your marital status until you find the right woman." I said.
"I told you this wasn't fair."
I rolled my eyes.
"Life isn't fair, Captain. Being a soldier, you should know that. Now stop wining."
Captain Bordon immediately fell silent.
William, Capt. Bordon and I left the estate and went to the camp, where both William and Bordon had military business to attend to, so it wasn't until late evening that we arrived back at the estate.
That evening, as William and I had just finished getting dressed in our nightclothes, William called me over to where he was sitting on the four-poster.
"I have something for you; I apologize for not giving it to you yesterday as I had originally intended to do so."
I went over to the four-poster and sat down next to William, who pulled out a golden ring with emeralds encrusted in it; on the inside of the ring was finely engraved writing that read, "I am yours."
I smiled as William slid the ring he had given me for our engagement off my left ring finger, placing it on my right ring finger, and placed the new ring onto my left ring finger. William smiled and kissed my cheek.
"As is written on the ring, I am yours, Mary Katherine Tavington."
I awoke around half past six the next morning and looked over to the spot where William had been sleeping next to me, only to find that he wasn't there. A neatly folded note lay on his pillow and I picked it up, unfolded it, and began reading.
Mary,
I apologize for not waking you to tell you I was leaving. I had to leave for battle. I don't have any real knowledge of when I'll return, only that unfortunately, it won't be very soon and when I do return, it will probably be for the night, as Cornwallis has me quite occupied with work. Please try not to fret over me too much. I love you and miss you.
-William
Part 2. Surprise
William didn't return for a full week and when he did, he was so exhausted that he went straight to bed, only to rise early the next morning and leave again for another few days.
Eventually, William became so busy that I was lucky if he even returned long enough to stay for the evening.
While William was away, I occupied myself by replying to his letters. However, as time progressed, much of my time was spent resting or feeling ill for no particular reason.
On one such morning, I was in the washroom, bent over a pail, vomiting, when there was a knock on the door.
"Lady Tavington, are you alright? Would you like me to come in and assist you with anything?"
It was Lord General Cornwallis.
"You may enter Sir." I replied before vomiting again.
Cornwallis entered the washroom.
"Here." He said holding his hand out to me. "Let me help you up."
I took the lord general's hand and he pulled me off of the floor, placing a hand on my side to steady me.
"Please forgive me for saying this, but I happened to notice that you weren't wearing a corset; is there any particular reason?"
I gave the lord general a quizzical look but then answered, "It hasn't been fitting properly for the past several weeks and I don't have any larger ones."
"I see. Well, it's all beginning to make sense now."
"What is beginning to make sense?" I asked.
"You'll see, Lady Tavington, however, why don't you go to your quarters and rest and I'll have a doctor from camp come over and take a look at you, just to be sure of it."
"Be sure of what, Sir?" I asked, slightly irritated by Cornwallis not giving me a straight answer.
"You'll find out; now to bed with you while I get a doctor."
I waited in bed for about thirty minutes until the doctor arrived. He was of medium height with sandy coloured hair and dark blue eyes, and looked to be a couple years younger than William.
"Good day Lady Tavington, I am Doctor O'Brien." He said warmly.
"Good day Doctor."
"Well, let's get to business, shall we?"
I nodded.
"Lord Gen. Cornwallis mentioned to me that you weren't feeling well; how long have you been feeling like this?"
"Well, it comes and goes, however, I've been like this for the past month or so."
"I see." Said Doctor O'Brien moving his hands carefully up and down my belly.
"Have your monthly cycles stopped?"
I thought for a moment and then replied, "Actually, yes, I've missed them twice."
Dr. O'Brien smiled.
"I thought so; Lady Tavington, you're just over two months pregnant."
My eyes grew wide in surprise upon hearing that I was with child.
"I'll inform Lord Gen. Cornwallis to inform your husband to return to the estate as soon as possible. If you like, however, I shall make sure that it is you who gives Col. Tavington the news."
"Yes, please do." I replied.
A couple of days later, while I was just getting up, William returned. He walked toward where I was lying on the four-poster, a concerned expression on his face.
"Are you alright? Cornwallis wrote a letter to me telling me to hand my duties over to the captain at once and return to the estate; he stated that something had happened to you and you required my immediate attention."
"Well William, to answer your question, we're fine."
William looked at me suspiciously.
"We're fine?"
"You heard me correctly, William Garrick Camden Tavington. I am with child."
William's eyes grew wide in surprise.
"You're…you're with…"
William fainted, hitting the floor with a loud thud.
I smiled, shaking my head as I looked down at my husband lying unconscious on the floor next to the four-poster.
About two minutes after he fainted, William regained consciousness and got carefully to his feet, a surprised expression still on his face.
"You're with child?"
I nodded.
"When is the child due to arrive?"
"In about seven months." I replied. "You're going to be a father, William."
"Indeed." Replied William smiling proudly.
William removed his boots and sabre, and climbed into the four-poster next to me. I smiled as William gently stroked my belly, which was just beginning to show signs of pregnancy.
"If this child turns out to have your personality, I'm in for it." Said William jokingly.
I laughed lightly, kissing William tenderly on the cheek.
"It would be worse if the child had your personality." I said.
William laughed.
"I suppose so because not only would they not take no for an answer, but they would have a much shorter temper than you."
"Indeed they would." I replied.
That evening around eight, as I was getting ready for bed, William came up behind me and encircled me in his arms.
"I've missed you." He said softly in my ear.
"And I you. How long will you be here?"
"Bordon and the rest of my men will arrive here early tomorrow morning. Then, tomorrow night, I have raids to conduct; I leave early the day after tomorrow."
"Cornwallis has you on an impossible schedule to keep; how many hours of sleep have you received in the past week?"
"About three or four."
I gave William a concerned look.
"I average at least that much in a single night; William, I understand that you're quite busy, however, you'll become ill if you keep doing this to yourself. Please, at least go to bed early this evening, as you look more than worn out."
"I still have some dispatches at camp to send out."
I gave William a stern look and replied, "Well then, be back in thirty minutes."
"Mary I…"
"I don't want you ill."
"Alright, I'll return in thirty minutes."
"Thank you."
"I'll see you then."
William kissed my cheek and left the room.
Part 3. Uncle BordonThe next day while William and I were eating breakfast, Capt. Bordon, along with a few other Dragoons arrived in the banquet hall.
"Good morning Col. Tavington and Mary, good morning as well."
"Good morning Captain." I said.
"Yes Bordon." William added. "Good morning."
As we were eating breakfast, I noticed that Capt. Bordon was staring at William and I, an odd expression on his face. William, also noticing this, asked, "Is there a problem, Captain?"
"Well, I'm not sure; you two have been acting rather affectionate toward each other this morning."
"Captain, we're married and I haven't seen Mary in quite some time." Stated William.
"That may be but still; I think something has happened and you didn't mention it to me; after all, you nearly went mad with concern when Cornwallis sent you that letter. Plus Mary usually stops eating about ten minutes before you, and you stopped eating five minutes ago, while she is still eating.
"Easy, Uncle Bordon, Mary is perfectly fine."
"Oh, right." Stated Capt. Bordon sarcastically. "Easy Uncle Bor… Uncle Bordon!"
"Captain!" Scolded Lord Gen. Cornwallis.
"I apologize my Lord." Replied the captain, his face rapidly turning shades of red.
William smirked at the captain, who was now redder than his uniform waistcoat. The captain lowered his voice and asked, "Are you serious, Mary's with child?"
"Yes Captain, he is serious." I replied.
After breakfast, William, Bordon and I were on our way up to mine and William's quarters when suddenly, without warning, my stomach lurched. I ran past William and Bordon's confused expressions, to the washroom nearest to our quarters, grabbed a pail, and proceeded to regurgitate my entire breakfast into it.
William and Capt. Gordon entered the washroom. The captain looked away as I bent over the pail vomiting. William came and knelt beside me, laying a hand on my shoulder.
"Are you alright?" Asked William softly.
"I'll be fine. This vomiting has become almost normal."
"It's the pregnancy isn't it?"
"I nodded before vomiting again.
After a few more minutes of regurgitation, William asked, "Are you alright enough to make it back to our quarters?"
I paused for a moment and then replied, "Yes, but please let me wash my mouth out."
William nodded, got up off the floor and then gently pulled me up. I quickly washed my mouth out and then went with William and the captain to our quarters. Capt. Bordon settled himself into the chair by William's desk, while William settled himself into an armchair that was facing a window covered by curtains on the outside wall of our quarters, and pulled me into his lap.
"Sir, we have raids this evening." Said Bordon suddenly.
William gave the captain an odd look and replied, "I am aware of that Captain; I generally receive the orders from Cornwallis before you."
"Well I was thinking that possibly I could conduct them this evening so you could be with Mary."
"That would be fine with me, however, it wouldn't sit well with Cornwallis; he wouldn't let me off duty that easily; frankly, I'm surprised he let me off so I could see Mary, even if it was so she could tell me that she was with child."
"Sir, you've done more than your share of duty and you're well overdue for a break. Please, at least allow me to inquire about it to the lord general."
"Fine, go on then and inquire about it."
"Thank you Sir."
Capt. Bordon left the room.
"He's right William; you do need a break." I said.
"I know; remind me to thank the man, even if he doesn't succeed.
For a few moments William and I sat together, silently taking in each other's long awaited presence. I closed my eyes and relaxed as I felt the warmth of William's hand upon my back as he slowly undid my dress and underclothes, sliding them down my shoulders and arms to my hips. I reached up and wrapped my arms loosely around William's neck and he smiled, placing his left hand on the side of my ribs and his right on my belly.
"Now I shall have two people to love and miss while I'm away; my beautiful wife and my unborn child."
I laughed softly.
"And you shall have two people who will love and miss you back while you're away."
"Indeed I shall." Replied William.
William carefully pulled the upper part of my dress and underclothes back on and wrapped his arms tightly around me. I closed my eyes as I felt the warmth of William's lips upon the side of my neck.
"I love you, Mary." William whispered softly in my ear.
"And I love you, William." I replied.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"Sir, it's me; may I enter?"
"You may enter, Captain."
"So did you convince Cornwallis to allow you instead of me, to conduct raids this evening?" Asked William as the captain entered our quarters.
"Yes I did, Sir." Replied Bordon. "He wasn't going to give you time off but when I told him how hard you were working and how much I believed that you deserved having time off, he reconsidered."
"Thank you Bordon."
"You're welcome, you needed it."
"I know; Mary told me the same thing."
"I suppose she did, and I know that Mary is not one to be disobeyed." Replied the captain smiling.
"No she isn't." William Replied.
"Well Colonel, I should probably be leaving, as I have work to do at camp; I'll pick up those reports on how well each of your men have been doing when not under your command, and bring them to you tonight so you may look over them tomorrow morning before breakfast."
"Thank you Captain; I'll see you then."
With that, Capt. Bordon walked swiftly out of the room, closing the door behind him. I curled up on William's lap, resting my head on his chest.
"Tired are you, Mary?" William asked.
I nodded.
"Here." Said William pulling a quilt down that was folded on top of the armchair and wrapping it around me.
"Thank you."
"Sleep now." He whispered, gently in my ear, cradling me in his arms.
I closed my eyes, surrendering myself to my fatigue.