(Back to Mary's POV)
Many moments of silence passed. All I could do was stare helplessly at Bordon holding Brielle in his arms.
William, regaining the ability to speak before me said, "Captain?"
Bordon looked up.
"She's gone...Brielle's gone...she's..."
I handed Braden to William and went over and knelt beside the captain.
"Oh God, Brielle!" Bordon cried.
I wrapped my arms around Bordon and he buried his face in my neck, crying; I cried silently with him. William walked up next to the captain and knelt beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Captain."
William took Braden and I to camp immediately following the incident with Brielle. He would have taken Bordon as well, but the captain insisted upon burying Brielle, so William left with Braden and I, and then returned back to the estate to help the captain. So I waited in one of the tents for William to return.
About an hour later William returned, looking nearly dead on his feet. He stumbled over to the cot and collapsed. I went over to him, quickly stripped him of his clothing and then helped him into his nightclothes and into bed.
"We need to leave Mary. There's a ship that is coming early tomorrow that leaves for New Brunswick that afternoon. I want to leave earlier than planned, for Bordon's sake. God only knows how long it will be before he goes completely mad from grief. I caught him several times eying his pistol when we were digging. I removed his weapons from his tent, just as a precaution..."
"Yes William, we shall leave tomorrow; nearly everything is packed; I agree, Bordon needs to leave as soon as he can. But for now, we must rest." I said, softly kissing him.
I climbed onto the cot and slid into William's embrace, which was slightly more protective than usual.
"William?"
"I don't know...God, the hell the captain must be going through...I don't even know I would do if something like that happened to you, or Braden."
I placed a finger to William's lips, silencing him.
"I'm still here, William. We're still here."
Part 2. Welcome HomeSeveral months passed. Our home in New Brunswick had just been finished; it was well sized, surrounded by sprawling grounds and looked on the outside to be a miniature of the estate we had come from. The captain's smaller plantation house had been finished several months earlier.
It was half past nine in the evening. William, Bordon and I had just finished unpacking the last of our things.
"Thank you Captain, for helping us un-pack." Said William.
I embraced Bordon.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." Replied the captain giving me a small smile.
"It is good to see you smile again."
"Yes, but it is still difficult to do so; I still ache at times for her."
"And you may always, but she would be glad to know that you are going on."
"Thank you, Mary." Said Bordon. "I bid you two good night."
William nodded.
"Good night, Bordon.
Bordon left the house, his footsteps becoming faint as he made his way along the gravel path from our new home to his.
William placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Where is Braden?"
"Asleep. I believe all the "pony rides" his uncle gave him during dinner wore him out."
William smiled.
"Poor boy; he didn't even stay awake long enough to explore the house."
"House? This is like a miniature estate."
William laughed.
"Only the best for my family."
I smiled wrapping my arms around William's neck. William leaned down and kissed me passionately, searing a path from my lips down my throat, to the neckline of my dress, lingering on the flesh there.
"William..."
William laughed lightly.
"It's been a while, hasn't it Mary?"
I leaned forward and kissed William passionately, roaming over his lips and neck. William let out a soft, low groan. He pulled me tightly to him and kissed me deeply, his warm, wet tongue sliding fervently between my lips, caressing the inside of my mouth.
"Mary...upstairs..."
Hours later, I lay awake in William's embrace. William looked down at me and smiled tiredly.
"Thank you, my lady, for the evening."
I smiled, ensnaring my fingers in William's dark hair.
"Welcome home, my love."