Colonel Tavington was trying way too hard to make me mad. He sat there the whole time behind me, saying how it was a shame a rebel woman as beautiful as my mother had to burn like that. I did everything in my power not to lose my temper. I had no doubt in my mind that if I said something insulting, he would have Eric shot, just like if Eric said something insulting Tavington would shoot me.
"I've never caught two siblings before," Tavington said,"I usually have them killed."
"How generous of you to spare myself and my brother," I said, trying to sound polite.
"Don't push your luck, girl," Tavington said.
I went silent. There was only so much I could say before I crossed the line. We rode in silence the rest of the way. Finally after an hour or so, a large estate came into view, and it was surronded by red coats. The gates opened as we drew nearer.
"Middleton place,"Tavington said," Don't try anything funny."
I rolled my eyes. What could I possibly do now?
"Colonel Tavington," said a voice somewhere by the house,"What on earth have you brought back with you this time?"
A red coat with a somewhat pale face appeared at Tavingtons side. He looked me up amd down. He then looked behind me to my brother.
"Oh you brought a boy along with a girl this time," the man asked," Lovers I'm guessing."
"You're just as sick as the Colonel," I accidentally blurted out. Tavington squeezed my stomache. The man stared at me with interest.
"If you are not lovers," he said," how do you know each other?"
"She's my sister," I heard Eric say. Like Tavington, this man looked at me, and then at Eric.
"Well now," he said," Isn't that something?"
Tavington got off his horse and then grabbed me. Taken by surprise, I fell off the horse and into Tavington's arms. He set me right.
"You're very light for one who wears so many skirts," he said.
Eric came up beside me. Both our hands were still tied, and my wrists were starting to bleed a little from where frayed parts of the rope were cutting in.
"I suppose you'll be wanting to see the Lord General about these two," the man said.
"Yes sir," Tavington said.
"Follow me," the man said. Tavington grabbed me by the arm and my brother by the rope on his wrist, and dragged us inside.
We went up a flight of steps, and went into the first door on the right. There was another man in there, and he looked at me and Eric as we came closer to him.
"O'Hara," he said to the man that we had been following," What's this all about?"
"Colonel Tavington has brought us two siblings," O'Hara said.
For the third time, my facial features were studied, and then Eric.
"Why did you bring them here," The Lord General asked.
"They were causing trouble for us," Tavington said.
"That's a lie," Eric said," We were only trying to hide. Then they came after us."
"Yes that is something our dear Colonel would do," The Lord General said.I could hear Tavington silently making an annoyed sort of groan.
"What shall I do with them," Tavington asked.
" Give them each their own quarters," The Lord General said," Give them something to do for now. And remove those bonds Colonel. Can't you see the girl is bleeding?"
O'Hara came over with a knife and cut through the ropes. I flexed my hands to get better circulation going through my fingers. I looked up and noticed the Lord General looking at me.
"Come here," he said. After my experience with Tavington, I went slowly to him, not daring to look anywhere else. I came around the desk to where he sat, and he stared right into my eyes.
"What is your name," he asked. I looked at Eric who motioned for me to tell him.
"Carrie Campden," I said in a low voice," I'm afraid I only know that you are the Lord General."
"I am the Lord General Cornwallis," he said kindly. My tensed body finally relaxed. This man was nothing like Colonel Tavington.
"You boy," he suddenly said," come here."
Eric came and stood beside me.
"Tell me your name," Cornwallis said.
"I'm Eric," my brother said.
Cornwallis looked both of us up and down," I have never seen so much of a resemblance between two siblings. You two look like twins."
The funny thing about that is that Eric and I aren't twins. We get remarks like that all the time.
"You two are going to behave yourselves while you are here right," he asked us. I nodded and so did Eric," Good. As long as you behave no one here except me, Colonel Tavington, and General O'Hara will bother you."
We nodded again.
"Colonel Tavington there are two rooms at the end of this corridor that are free," Cornwallis said," Those can be thier rooms. You are dismissed."
Tavington took me and Eric by the arm and led us from the room. He took us to each room. Eric was on the left side of the hall, and I was on the right.
"I wouldn't attepmt escape if I were you," Tavington said," As I have very good hearing, and my quarters are just there."
He pointed to the door next to mine.
"Now youhave your rooms," he said," I'll be back in two hours to check up on you.''
He walked away with out another word. I looked at Eric and raised an eyebrow.
"My clothes are filthy," I said.
"Mine too," Eric said," I'm gonna go change."
I went into my new quarters and looked around. There was a large bed in the corner on the left side of the room, and a desk in front of a huge book shelf covered in books. I love to read, and I planned on reading all those books. There was a door next to the book shelf. I went over to it and opened it. There was a large assortment of gowns. This room must have once been a womans. The dresses were sorted. Ball and party dresses in the very back, regular day time dresses on the left side of the closet, and in the front on the right side were Sunday gowns.
"Brilliant," I thought. My dresses were always mixed in with each other. I wasn't really one for neatness. I picked out a green day dress, stripped off my old dress and slipped comfortably into it. Green was my favorite color, so I enjoyed the dress even more. I went back into the main part of my quarters and went to the door. Eric was standing outside it, and from the looks of it, was about to knock. I laughed.
"That's a nice dress," he said.
"Thank you," I said," And it's green."
Eric walked into my room, and sat down on the bed," I can't believe mother is gone."
"I can't either," I said," I thought they wouldn't do anything."
"Come sit down," eric said. I shut the door and went to sit with Eric.
"We are going to make it through this," he said. I merely nodded.
"I don't like that Colonel Tavington," I then said," He's...scary."
"Yeah," Eric said," Jst be careful around him okay? He's not one to cross."
"I've heard stories about him," I said,"Cathorine told me people call him the Butcher."
"The Butcher," 'Eric asked.
"She said he's a merciless killer," I said," He even kills children younger then me, and for no reason at all."
Eric thought on that for a moment," Thats horrible."
We sat in silence for a long while. This was all happening really fast, and I couldn't get mymind straight. I don't understand war at all. It was so confusing. I wished I could be back home, playing in the yard with Eric under the big oak tree, and hearing mother come out and tell us to come inside and eat. I wanted to be with my father. We would sit in his study and he would wrestle with my brother or try to catch and tickle me. I knew at that moment that I would never see any of that again.
"What are you thinking about," Eric asked me.
"Home," I said," And how things were before this stupid war."
Eric nodded, but said nothing. There was a knock on the door. Eric went and opened it. Colonel Tavington stood there, and looked like he was about to start yelling.
"Oh," he said," You were here the whole time. I thought you had run off."
"And leave my sister here with the likes of you?" Eric asked," Heavens no."
Tavington was now in Eric's face," I'd watch myself if I was you.Don't think that because you're in the safety of the Lord General that I can't still shoot her."
Eric was silent.
"I have something for the two of you to do," he then said," Come with me."
Eric looked at me. When I was next to him we followed Tavington out of my room. We down to the ground level of the house, and then into the back. We entered the kitchen, and the servants that were in there looked up at us.
"Out," Tavington said," All of you."
The servants exited the kitchens looking confused. The kitchen was a mess. I had a feeling I knew what Tavington wanted us to do. Sure enough...
"As you can see this kitchen is filthy," he said," You two will be cleaning it. You will not leave until it's done. Is that understood?"
Eric and I nodded.
"I will sit here and watch you," Tavington said sitting down in a chair by the door," No trouble, or one of you will pay for it." He took his pistol out of its holster and flashed it in front of us. Eric looked at me and the two of us went the the sink.
"Ok," he said," We've done this before. Let's just do like we did at home and split the jobs."
"Ok," I said," Why don't we start with the dishes. I'll wash and you rinse-"
"And I'll dry them," Eric cut in.
"Ok," I said," Then we can figure it out from there."
We got to it. At home, Eric and I would constantly get ourselves into trouble, and we would be punished by having to clean the kitchen for the servants. Like here we would split the jobs, and this made it easier for us. Tavington sat there in his chair, twirling his pistol slowly, and watching us closely. I was just putting a dish in the other sink for Eric to dry when I got a facefull of water.
"Hey," I said. I dipped my hand in the water and flicked it at Eric. He laughed at me, and was about to throw more water at me when Tavington cleared his throat. We stopped but we kept lookin at each other and smiling.
"I'll get you good next time," he muttered to me. After about an hour the kitchen was finally done, and Eric and I were a bit wet from throwing water on each other once in a while.
"Good," Tavington said," Now, it's almost eight o'clock. Go back to your quarters, and stay there. "
"Ah," said a voice at the door," There you are."
The Lord General Cornwallis came into the kitchen," Did you two clean this entire kitchen yourselves?"
"Yes," Eric said," We were just going back to our quarters."
"Yes, wellit lookslike you both need a good change of clothing," Cornwallis said," How on earth did you get so wet?"
"They were throwing water at each other," Tavington said.
"Well that would explain a lot," Cornwallis said," Well, do as the Colonel says and go to your quarters. Off you go then."
We went out of the kitchen and into the hall. General O'Hara was waiting for us. He led silently back to our quarters, and then walked away once he locked both our doors.