(Back to Mary's POV)
One week had passed and both William and Bordon were anxious to leave to New Brunswick. There had been incidents of rebel invasions on British territory because they were growing impatient at having to wait for the British to move out.
Brielle and I were sitting in the library conversing when William and Bordon entered the room.
"The colonel and I are going to go purchase some horses in town about fifteen minutes from here."
I nodded.
"Very well, but you both need to rest when you return."
They nodded and left.
"They're so eager to leave. I can't even count the amount of times Fredrick has mentioned New Brunswick this week. My ears are ringing with the name." Said Brielle.
I laughed.
"I know what you mean. But I can understand why."
"I know. We're all starting over."
That evening, around half past eight I put Braden to sleep but decided to stay awake, for William and the captain still hadn't returned. I was not very worried though; William was unnaturally anal, even for a soldier when it came to picking horses.
Suddenly I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye outside the window next to the four-poster. I didn't really think anything of it until I heard a voice say, "Now you're sure that that is the window to Col. Tavington's quarters?"
Another voice answered, "Yes now be quiet and get the rest of the men and enter the estate quietly through the cellars."
My eyes grew wide. I silently went over to William's side of the four-poster, pried up one of the floorboards and grabbed the already loaded pistol hidden beneath them. Then I carefully picked Braden p out of the cradle. He awoke but made no noise. I wrapped him in blankets and then crept out of the room to alert Brielle.
She was already out of her room and half way to mine.
"Did you see them?" I whispered.
"Yes. What do we do?"
"You make your way downstairs and alert the remaining officers."
"What about you?"
"Don't worry about me, just go."
Brielle stood rooted to the spot, her eyes glazed with fear.
"Take this." I said handing her the pistol. "I assume you can shoot…"
"Yes.."
"Everything will be alright Brielle. Just go."
Brielle nodded and quietly headed to the first floor. I went back into my quarters and grabbed my brother's pistol and quickly loaded it; then I made for the door but stopped suddenly at the sound of soft but deliberate footsteps just outside my quarters, praying that Braden would continue to stay quiet and that William and the captain would soon return.
The doorknob turned and in walked a man in a blue coat, his face concealed in the shadows. But as he stepped into the moonlight his face was revealed and I stifled a gasp as it was Benjamin Martin, soiling the room with his presence. He walked over to William's desk and began to go through its contents.
"So, the bastard leaves behind a wife and child, but takes his memoirs with him." Said Martin to himself, obviously displeased with his findings.
I smiled at Martin's disappointment, watching from the shadows beside the four-poster.
Martin turned and started to head for the where I was hidden; I carefully aimed the pistol at him and was just about to pull the trigger when gunshots and yelling sounded from down the hall and distracted him so that he turned away, back toward the door. Unfortunately, the gunshots grew too loud for Braden and he began to cry loudly.
Martin called another man into the room and they both advanced toward me, pistols drawn. I moved further back towards the wall, not even bothering to calm Braden who was now screaming from the noise of the gunshots; I just wrapped the blankets tighter around him to muffle the sound.
Martin and the man kept advancing until they could see me.
"Lady Tavington, lie down your pistol and surrender yourself to me; you will not be harmed if you follow my orders." Said Martin.
"And what of my son?" I asked icily. "Will he be safe as well?"
"You are aware that your husband killed two of my sons, are you not?"
"I have heard from men at camp. But I also heard that they were the cause of their own deaths because of their foolishness."
Martin winced visibly, but continued," Your son is not safe; your son's life for my sons' lives. Though, I must say, the trade is unfair."
"There will be no such trade! Your quarrel is with me, Martin. Not my wife or my son."
Both men turned.
"I thought I killed you!" Martin said in surprise.
"Apparently not." Replied William calmly.
"Well, I can still change that." Replied Martin, pointing his pistol at William, but before he could pull the trigger I fired my pistol and hit Martin's gun, knocking it out of his hand.
The man next to Martin turned his pistol back to me and was about to fire when he was shot in the back by Bordon, who had just entered the room and was standing behind William.
William advanced quickly toward Martin who pulled out a dagger, but he kicked it out of his hand and grabbed Martin by his throat, slamming him hard against the wall.
(William's POV)
"Bordon, take Mary and Braden out of the room."
"Yes Sir."
"You hellish bastard! You should have died!" Hissed Martin after Bordon had taken Mary and Braden out of the room.
"It was either the war or my life. You can't have both." I replied, enjoying watching Martin struggle for air as I had his throat in a vice grip.
"Oh, but I almost did. All I had to do was hold Mary captive a little longer and I would have had your head. Luckily for you, my guard didn't do his job efficiently."
Anger that had been building inside me erupted. I pulled back and punched Martin squarely in the face, breaking his nose. Then I took out my dagger and began slashing at him, making sure the strokes were slow and painful.
Finally I released him and he collapsed on the floor, but I wasn't finished. I wrenched Martin by the hair, exposing his neck and pressed my dagger to his flesh so that it was beginning to cut his skin. Then I turned the dagger on its tip and had it poised to kill in the middle of his throat.
I drew the dagger from his throat to deliver a final deadly blow. But it didn't come. As I looked Martin straight in the eye, the sound of Braden crying distracted me from what I was preparing to do and for one reason or another, I began to second-guess what I was doing. For some reason, it didn't seem right to kill Martin. He had children. I began to think of my own son and what would happen if I were killed and he was left without a father.
I shook my head, trying to focus on my task as a soldier, but no matter how hard I tried, my task as a father weighted heavily upon me.
I slowly withdrew the dagger.
"I'm not going to kill you. Just leave. The rest of your men are dead."
"Why? Why after all the people you've killed can you not kill me, your most prized head?" Asked Martin in a cocky voice.
"I'd rather you spend the rest of your life in my debt." I finished smugly.
I dragged Martin out of the estate, hoisted him onto a horse, slapped it, and watched it carry Martin off away from the estate into the woods. Then I went to see how Mary and Braden were fairing.
When I got to Bordon's quarters where he had taken them, Mary was sitting in a chair with the pistol still in her hand. Braden was lying on top of Bordon's bed.
"Thank God you're here!" Said Mary embracing me tightly.
"Where is Bordon?"
"He went looking for Brielle."
I nodded.
"Come, we're staying at camp for the rest of the evening."
As we left Bordon's quarters and went to the first floor, I heard crying from one of the rooms; I didn't think anything of it until I heard an all too familiar voice choke, "Why!"
It was Bordon.
Mary heard it as well and cast mea a questioning look. I nodded and we both entered the room.
Bordon was on his knees in the middle of the room, his face tear streaked. And in his arms was the lifeless form of Brielle Jayden, her eyes staring vacantly at the ceiling.