Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update! I spent all of last week out of state, and was very busy this week, not to mention my Internet was once again on the fritz! However, I think everything is finally under control, and hopefully I will be able to continue updating on a regular basis!
Chapter Twenty-Five:
Time passed slowly after William presented me with my engagement ring. We finally announced our engagement formally, and were given the blessing of the Lord General Cornwallis. I learned that it was now December, and that the date of our engagement was December second. A light coating of snow covered the grounds, and fires were kept going at all times to heat the mansion.
Fortunately, nothing more came of my encounter with Captain Williams. William never really told me what he did about it, but apparently it worked, and I did not question it. I was merely content in the fact that the captain was leaving me at peace.
Some time in mid-December, the Dragoons left camp for two weeks to conduct raids in the North. William promised me that he would be back in time for Christmas, and whenever I began to miss him, I reminded myself that he would be back soon, and that we would spend the holidays together.
One evening, two nights before William was due to return, I was sitting alone in my room, trying to occupy myself by rearranging my few belongings. This kept me busy for a short time, but when I was done, I was once again fighting boredom.
Sighing, I walked to the window and looked out onto the grounds. The sun had nearly set, and the snow was glistening in what was left of the daylight. My eyes scanned the area around the building. The soldiers who had been there at all times for so many weeks were now missing, either sheltered from the cold inside the mansion, or out conducting raids with William.
Suddenly, something caught my eye. Something was moving in the tree line, which was slightly visible from my window. Curious, I opened my window and leaned out against the cold, peering intently at the trees. What could be moving there in the dead of winter? There it was again! Something was definitely in there.
Unable to fight my curiosity, I shut my window and retreated back into my room. I went to my bureau, where my clothing was kept, and got out my warmest wool shawl. Wrapping it tightly around my shoulders, I walked to the door, the skirt of my red velvet dress rustling slightly as it brushed the floor. I left my room and headed down the stairs. Making sure that no one was watching me, I slipped out the front door, which I seldom used, and into the dark and stillness of the night.
Silently, I crept towards the trees, determined to find out what was there. I did not know why, but something in me told me that I had to see what was there. There was just enough light left to see my way to the trees and I made my way there, feeling strangely unafraid of what I would find.
I saw it again! A rustling, and some tree branches moving. Something was making its way towards me. I covered my mouth to stop myself from crying out in surprise. I could now clearly see that what was hiding in the trees was not a what, but a who.
"Nathan!" I exclaimed, hurrying to my brother's side. "What are you doing here?"
"Charlotte," he said, gasping for breath. He had obviously come a long way to get here.
"Are you hurt?" I asked, scanning his body for wounds.
"No, no," he reassured me, putting a hand up. "I'm just cold, and tired."
"Why are you here?" I asked once again.
"Charlotte, why wouldn't you leave with me before?" he asked.
This surprised me. For some reason, I had not thought that he had come to once again try and persuade me to leave the mansion with him.
"Nathan, I'm getting married," I said quietly. I held out my left hand and he squinted, peering at my ring, his face emotionless.
"To whom?" he asked me, although I had a feeling he already knew the answer to that question.
"Colonel Tavington," I answered, feeling my cheeks turn crimson, regardless of the fact that I was silently willing them not to. I wanted to be strong, and I wanted to be proud of the man who was going to be my husband, and yet here with my brother, for the first time, I felt like a traitor.
"I had a feeling," said Nathan, shaking his head slightly. "We had gotten word that the colonel was marrying, but we didn't know who. I thought maybe it was you."
"Nathan, I'm sorry," I said, although I wasn't entirely sure what I was apologizing for.
"Do you love him?" asked my brother curtly.
I was somewhat taken aback, but I answered honestly. "Yes, Nathan, I love him."
"And does he love you back?"
"Yes, I believe that he does."
"Then don't apologize," Nathan told me, looking my in the eye. "You have nothing to be ashamed of." He paused, and then laughed lightly. "Though he wouldn't have been my first choice for a brother-in-law."
I laughed nervously, and crouched down in the snow next to my brother. I had missed him. We spent a good amount of time sitting there, talking together. I learned that Nathan had been promoted to corporal, and that he was making his way steadily up the ladder to success in the Colonial army. He told me that he had decided to make military life his career. I also learned that my mother and sisters were now living in a small, secluded town near the coast, where they were safe from any harm.
Sitting there in the snow with Nathan, I was hardly aware of anything else, even the bitter cold. However, something did finally draw my attention away from our conversations. Nathan heard it too. There was a steady crunching of snow, coming slowly towards us. Someone was outside.
"Nathan, go, quickly!" I whispered, urgently.
He shook his head. "There isn't time! I'll be seen!"
"Nathan, you have to go! Please! You can't be caught!"
"If I try to get away now, I will be!" Nathan said.
I started to say something back, but he clamped his cold hand over my mouth, silencing me. I looked out through the bare branches and saw who was approaching. Standing in the snow, holding a lantern, was Captain Williams, himself.
