Rebecca slowly smiled as she looked up at him,
"Men are so easily convinced," she said before adding thoughtfully, "Except you."
Colonel William Tavington smiled, eyeing the woman trapped against him,
"Yes, well, we cannot all be fooled so easily."
Sarah grinned knowingly at his expression before forcing a wide-eyed fearful look onto her face,
"Please just let me go. I don't know anything about the rebel dispatches. Don't hurt me!" she begged pitifully.
Tavington laughed quietly,
"Where are they?"
"In my bodice," she replied.
"Of course," he said retrieving a knife.
"William," she said backing up as far as the wall would let her go, "Is that entirely necessary?" she asked gasping when he split the front of her dress open leaving her in her chemise and stays.
"Absolutely," he replied pushing the dress from her shoulders.
"Right, damsel in distress," she breathed as his hands went searching for the dispatches.
Tavington smiled at her as she bit her lip and closed her eyes,
"Are you in distress, Rebecca?"
She nodded,
"Oh yes, absolutely."
Tavington's smile widened even more,
"I'll give you distress…"
Sometime later Rebecca leaned into William, her head on his chest with his arms wrapped around her.
"You have to go back soon," she said quietly.
William closed his eyes,
"I know, but I want you to come with me."
Rebecca looked up at him shocked,
"What? I have to go to the rebel camp."
William looked down at her,
"Are those copies?" he asked nodding toward the dispatches on the broken table.
"Of course," she snapped, "I would never have been able to go back if they thought I turned over information to the enemy."
"It doesn't matter anymore. This is getting too dangerous, I want you away from here and safe."
Rebecca twisted in his arms to free herself,
"Safe? There is no safe place. Besides, who would I be, Colonel William Tavington's mistress? I am already that." She paced by the window, "What do you want from me?"
William looked her in the eye as he approached her,
"I want you to marry me."
Rebecca's legs would have given out if her hadn't caught her,
"What?"
He grinned boyishly,
"Damsel in distress?"
Rebecca smiled weakly before hitting his shoulder,
"Why would you want to marry me? My family would never approve, there for I have no dowry."
William shrugged,
"I believe that I have found a way to fix that problem."
Rebecca arched an eyebrow at him,
"Yes?"
He shook his head,
"That is not the point right now. The point is that you are going to come back with me and be my bride."
Rebecca looked at him,
"So sure of yourself, are you? I don't recall anyone asking me to marry."
William looked at her exasperatedly,
"You're going to insist on this nonsense, aren't you?"
Rebecca grinned,
"Absolutely, it isn't everyday that you're proposed to!"
He sighed before looking at her,
"If you ever tell anyone that this occurred I will deny it."
Rebecca shrugged,
"It will be in my memory forever." She said smirking.
William, shaking his head, slowly got to one knee,
"Rebecca, will you be my wife?"
Rebecca pretended to think about it, ignoring William's growl,
"I'll think about it."
William shot up and stood over her menacingly,
"What?"
Rebecca shrugged mischievously,
"I said I would think about it. I might get a better offer."
William backed her up against the wall until Rebecca laughed and held up her hands,
"Oh, Stop with the intimidation, I'm going to marry you."
William brightened up,
"I intimidated you?" he said looking pleased with himself.
Rebecca giggled,
"No, you did not. However, I knew what you were trying to do."
William groaned,
"Damn, I was hoping that if I could intimidate you that you would behave yourself."
Rebecca glared at him,
"Oh no. If you want someone well behaved, you might as well go back to Lord Cornwallis and one of the ninnies that flutters around at his parties."
William raised an eyebrow and looked at her gathering her into his arms,
"You mean that you won't behave now? And stay at home and cook, and clean, and mend my clothes, and attend those absolutely boring parties with me?"
Rebecca shook her head, then paused, making a face,
"Well, maybe. I mean the housework of course. But the parties, that is asking a lot."
William laughed,
"You'll only have to go if I am there."
Rebecca shrugged moving closer to him,
"Well, that is fine, as long as you have to suffer as well."
William laughed before he kissed her. Then, he turned to gather the dispatches. Rebecca was partially out of the door before William caught her wrist,
"Where are you going?"
Rebecca frowned at him,
"The rebel camp."
William looked at her in consternation,
"I thought we had decided that you were coming with me."
Rebecca shook her head,
"No, You decided I was coming with you. I need to go back once more, they are planning something big and I don't know what it is yet, but I'm going to find out and then I will be back."
William scowled,
"I don't like this idea."
Rebecca smiled at him,
"Stop worrying so much. I'll be fine."
William retained hold of her wrist and tugged her back towards him,
"And how will I find you when you are done?"
Rebecca smiled,
"You won't. I'll find you."
William shook his head,
"I still don't like this."
Rebecca reached up on her toes and brought his head down to hers,
"Neither do I, but I can help. So I will go to the camp, stay for a few days and look around. Then, before you know it I will be knocking on your door."
William leaned down the last few inches and kissed, hard and possessively,
"See that you do, soon" he said seriously.
Rebecca touched his cheek before nodding,
"You worry too much."
"You don't worry enough." He replied solemnly.
Rebecca smiled before whispering,
"I love you," and quickly moving into the woods toward the rebel camp.
She was out of sight before William responded,
"And I you."