Emerging from the trees and seeing the fort in the distance energized the troops and they picked up the pace. The Dragoons galloped through the gates and dismounted, more than happy to turn their horses over to the grooms waiting for them. They were hungry, tired and stiff from the cold. Most of the men went to the dining hall for a warm drink and a shot of whisky but Beth wanted sleep more than anything else, so she headed up the stairs to her room. Tavington issued orders to a porter before taking the stairs, two at a time, meeting Beth half way up.
"Lieutenant, report to my quarters in half an hour." Tavington ordered.
"Sir?" Beth asked, her exhaustion obvious in her voice.
"Don't worry Lieutenant, I just need to discuss something with you." Tavington said quietly. They ascended the rest of the stairs and walked down the hall in silence. The Colonel stopped at his door.
"Half an hour, Lieutenant." He reminded her.
"Yes Sir." Beth responded, halfheartedly. She continued on to her room, walked in and sat down on the edge of her bed. A porter walked in and dropped her saddlebags on the end of the bed.
"What are the chances of a hot bath?" she asked.
"Not good Sir, the kitchens are too busy preparing dinner to warm up all that water." The porter answered.
"Hmmm, it was worth a try. Thank you for bringing up my bags." The porter left and Beth dropped her head into her hands. She rubbed her tired eyes and wished she didn't have to go to the Colonel's quarters, when a quiet tap on her door made her jump.
"Lieutenant?" It was Tavington, he took a step in to her room, the door still open. "When you come to my room, bring a change of uniform." He whispered. She looked up at him, surprised that he would request such a thing. "It's not what you think, you'll see." He turned and left. Beth could see something other than desire in his eyes, even he looked tired and in need of sleep. So why is he inviting me to his room? She thought.
Reporting as ordered, she knocked on his door with a clean uniform in hand. He answered the door, invited her in and locked the door behind her. Along the right side of the room was a large fireplace and in front of it sat a tub, full of hot steaming water. A large screen shielded the tub from the draft coming from the windows. It was such and inviting sight she almost jumped in fully dressed, instead she stood there, staring at it.
"Get in before it gets cold." William said as he started undressing. "I think we deserve this." He dropped his clothes on the floor, not caring where they landed. She placed her clean clothes on the end of his bed and started to undress. Tavington pulled his shirt off over his head, dropping it beside the tub as he climbed in. She watched as he lowered his body into the water, realizing this was the first time she had seen his body in a well lit room. He had a fine build, strong legs from all his years of riding, and broad, well muscled arms and shoulders. The sight of his backside was even better now that he was out of his breeches and she couldn't resist a quick look at his crotch as his hips disappeared below the water. He sat back against the end of the tub, leaning his head back, his eyes closing as he enjoyed the warmth of the water. He was not immune to the effects of the cold air and his body appreciated the heat of the bath.
Beth dropped her clothes at the foot of the bed and walked over to the tub. William had opened his eyes and was watching her every step. He had a look of admiration on his face rather than lust. He was amazed at how her body could look so different once she was out of the binding, her feminine curves on display for him as she slowly walked towards him. He loved the combination of physical strength in her shoulders and legs and the softer curves of her hips, stomach and breasts, a sight no one else was allowed to see. Tonight, however, the vision before him failed to arouse his body. All he wanted was to hold her close and be warm again.
He held his hand out for her as she stepped into the tub. Beth settled in to the hot water, leaning back against his chest, resting her head on his shoulder. As they relaxed she let out a big sigh. William wrapped his arms around her.
"My thoughts exactly." He said, turning his head to kiss her neck.
"Thank you for sharing." Beth whispered as she closed her eyes. She could have fallen asleep right there and then. They sat together, losing track of time, until they felt the water starting to cool. William reached over the edge of the tub for the soap and a cloth. He pressed his chest against her back and she leaned forward. He lathered the soap and washed her back, massaging her tired shoulders. Beth jumped as someone knocked on the door of Tavington's quarters. He put his hands on the side of the bath and pushed himself out of the water.
"No one can see me here." Beth said, feeling panic creeping in.
"No one will, stay still." William said as he pulled the large screen across, hiding the tub from the view of anyone entering the room. He grabbed a towel and strode across the room, wrapping the towel around his waist. He opened the door to find a porter with the dinner he had asked to be brought up to his room. After six days with the men he had no desire to dine with them that night. The porter brought in the large tray and carefully lowered it onto Tavington's desk. Beth sat as still as she could, she didn't want to let the porter know that the Colonel had company, although from the amount of food he'd had to carry up he figured that there was more than one person there. As he left he took a furtive glance around.
"Looking for something?" Tavington asked in the superior tone he reserved for use with servants.
"No Sir." The young man answered quickly, increasing his speed as he left the room. William locked the door again and returned to the screened side of the room. Beth was washing herself as he climbed back in to the tub.
"I smell food." She said longingly, washing quickly. "What a welcome scent after that trip." She handed the soap to William and they both washed the dirt and grime of the road off themselves. With their hair and bodies cleansed they stepped out of the bath and wrapped their wet, chilled bodies in towels that had been warming by the fire. Beth almost ran over to the food, inspecting it all. William walked over to the bed and picked up a small bundle before heading over to the desk.
"Here, I have something for you." He handed the bundle to Beth.
"For me? Thank you." She said as she took it from him. She untied the bow and shook out a pale blue silk nightgown and matching dressing gown. It was the most feminine piece of clothing Beth had seen in a long time. She held it up to admire it.
"Put it on." William insisted. "I saw it and thought of you."
"Where did you find such a beautiful thing around here?" Beth asked still staring at it. Tavington turned to inspect dinner.
"It was left behind by the previous owner of the house." He said avoiding the surprised look she shot him. "I thought you could put it to good use." She laughed.
"And how would I do that? I can't exactly go traipsing back to my quarters in this." She held the nightgown out at arms length for emphasis.
"You're not going back there tonight, you're staying with me." He said as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "Now put it on." His free hand pulled the towel from her body and he walked across the room to drop it behind the screen. Beth slipped the nightgown over her head and was tying the ribbon at the neck when William turned back to her. It wasn't a perfect fit, the previous owner had been a larger woman but once Beth had put on the dressing gown and tied it at her waist, William could see her as a lady for once. She felt uncomfortable wearing the clothes of someone who had probably been run out of the house as the British advanced but when she saw the admiring look in William's eyes she forgot her discomfort. He had dropped his towel and dressed only in his breeches and a shirt, which he left untied and untucked. Beth loved how he looked with his hair free around his shoulders, the sight of his dark chest hair peeking out of the deep V opening of his shirt causing her eyes to drift down his body.
"Aren't you taking a chance having me stay here?" Beth asked, her senses finally returning to her.
"I'm not going to think about that, tonight the rest of them don't exist." This time as they sat down to dine he did hold out her chair for her. He poured her a glass of wine and sat down across the desk from her. As if on cue the crowd downstairs in the dining room cheered and laughed at some story told over dinner. He showed no reaction to the interruption but raised his glass to her.
"A toast. To you, the only soldier I want to spend time with tonight." He reached over the desk as Beth raised her glass, tapped it to his and then took a sip. She didn't know how to respond, being with him tonight felt different. It wasn't a passion-fueled rush, he seemed content just to be around her. Finally William broke the silence. "You are a beautiful woman." He observed. She felt herself blush, no man had ever said such a thing to her. He reached across the table and stroked the back of her hand. She flipped her hand and took a hold of his.
"Thank you, no man has ever made me feel like you do. It's confusing at times."
"No man? Not even your young teacher?" Tavington asked referring to the man who had taken her virginity. "Why do you find it confusing?"
"I'm supposed to be a soldier, a Dragoon, I'm not supposed to be thinking about how good I feel when I am around you…..and no, Alastair never told me I was beautiful." She'd said it now, there was no going back. If he didn't already know the effect he'd had on her, he did now. William smiled.
So she does feel the same way then he thought. He squeezed her hand, it had taken him some time until he figured out why he felt the way he did about her. Her own words had helped him figure it out. He was in love with her precisely because of who she was, a strong woman not scared to take a massive risk with her life. She was no shrinking violet who waited to be rescued, she fought her own battles. He respected her for that.
"You have the same effect on me." He said. "Something I am not used to in my life." He had revealed more of himself in those two comments than Beth had expected and she didn't expect to hear more. "Eat, it's getting cold." He said, changing the subject as he picked up his fork and dug into his food, not letting go of her hand.
They ate their meal in relative silence, both sorting through their thoughts about what they had just admitted. Neither had said much but in few words they had crossed a line. They were no longer just two people who shared their bodies, they now had shared their hearts, well as much as two battle weary soldiers could share anyway.
After dinner William rose to stoke the fire. He moved the screen back to shield the room from the cold draft blowing in from the windows. Beth crossed the room, leaning on the mantelpiece as she watched him, two refilled wine glasses in her hands.
"What do we do in the morning William?" She asked wondering how they would keep from causing gossip amongst the men if she was seen leaving his room so early.
"I thought you would have figured that out. You dress in your uniform and it will look like you were here for nothing more than an early meeting at the request of your commanding officer." He took his glass from her and raised a conspiratorial eyebrow at her as he raised his glass to her.
"You certainly gave this some thought didn't you?" She said, smiling as she clinked her glass against his.
"It was about all I had energy for." He admitted.
"Then you're not expecting…?"
"No, not tonight." He leaned forward until he was face to face with her. "All I want tonight is you, beside me, in that bed." He tipped his head back in the direction of his bed.
"What are we waiting for?" Beth asked as she drained the last of the wine. "My eyes don't want to stay open any longer." She offered him her hand and when he took it, led him to the bed, blowing out all the candles on the way. She let go of his hand to take off the dressing gown and they climbed into bed. As they lay down, the covers pulled up over them, William pulled her to him, her back against his chest and wrapped his arm around her waist. Beth's arm covered his, their fingers lacing together. In the darkness he whispered goodnight and kissed her before he quickly fell asleep.
As tired as she was, Beth didn't fall asleep right away. As he slept, his arm tightly around her, his steady breath on her head, she thought about the enigma that was Tavington. A brutal soldier, she'd seen him sprayed with blood on many occasions and yet here he was, holding her tenderly in his arms wanting nothing more than to share his bed with her. He'd scared her, thrilled her and made her happy, what more could she want? She sighed, snuggled back against him, feeling the heat of his body through her nightgown as she relaxed and fell asleep.
This time the convoy was so small, consisting of only two wagons, that Tavington decided to leave the infantry at the fort, taking only nine other Dragoons with him. They'd move faster without them, and why risk any more men than necessary in the cold. The weather had been so unpredictable that shipments of supplies from Britain had become almost non-existent. That scarcity should have prompted the Colonel to take more precautions but he felt that the poor weather would also work in their favour, keeping possible raiders at home near the fire.
They turned the convoy over to the new escorts who were over prepared for such a small shipment. They'd ridden for half a day back towards the Fort Carolina when the Colonel noticed movement in the woods on their right. He raised his arm, signaling the Dragoons to halt as one scrawny, filthy man stepped out onto the road in front of them. He was armed with a pistol, which he had pointed at the sky, as if surrendering. Tavington turned his head and nodded to Beth and another young officer. Lieutenant McKay dismounted and Beth, not wanting to take her eyes off the colonial, lifted her leg over her horse's head and slid forwards off him, her pistol drawn before she hit the ground. She and McKay started towards the man, her pistol raised in her left hand, her right ready to draw her sword. Once they were standing a few feet in front of him, he started backing up, off the road and into a small clearing. He looked extremely scared of them but Beth noticed his expression change as they got off the road, away from the other Dragoons. He started to look more sure of himself, arrogant. She cocked her pistol and stopped walking.
"You're not very good at this, I can read your face like a book." Beth said to him and his expression now turned to worry. "If I follow you any further I'll fall into your trap won't I?" She stepped back on her left foot and the man made his fatal move. He rushed at her but Beth moved faster. She swiftly lifted her right leg, higher than for a normal step, her right hand grasping the hilt of her knife, pulling it free from its sheath in her boot. She lunged forward as he reached her, the knife sweeping up and slicing his throat as her foot hit the ground. She watched as he fell to his knees, his hand at his throat. He fell backwards, dead, his clothes soaked with the blood that was pouring from his neck. A single shot rang out and McKay fell, a hole in his leg. Beth was pulling him into the brush at the side of the clearing as the rest of the Dragoons joined them. A ragtag bunch of colonials emerged from the trees and opened fire.
The ensuing skirmish didn't last long and ended as the last three colonials turned tail and ran into the woods. Lieutenants McKay, Fletcher and Thomson were injured, nothing life threatening but without treatment they could face infection. As Captain Davies tended to their injuries the others made sure the injured colonials would not be a problem again. Colonel Tavington sent Lt. Evans on ahead, telling him not to stop until he reached the fort. He didn't want any support sent, he just wanted them to be ready for the injured.
Captains Borden, Hamilton and Davies readied their horses to carry the injured men. Captain Wilkins was left to round up the extra horses and load them up with the saddlebags that the others couldn't carry anymore because of the injured officers.
When they departed the sun was low in the sky, a definite damp chill in the air.
"Ride hard, don't stop unless it is absolutely necessary." Tavington ordered. They spurred their horses and rode south for Fort Carolina. The Colonel and Beth stayed behind to chase down the three who fled the fight. One of them was injured and Tavington knew he wouldn't get far.
They left their horses tied to a tree, heading out on foot to track the men. They knew they would have to be fast, daylight was failing them. The first colonial they found hiding in a tree. Tavington heard the man cock his pistol. Beth turned sideways at the noise but the Colonel had realized the sound had come from above. He raised his pistol and fired. The tree had lost its canopy of leaves so the man was left with no cover to hide in. Tavington's shot caught him in the chest, sending him backwards out of the tree. He hit the hard ground with a sickening thud. A quick check on the man proved that if the Colonel's shot had not killed him then the fall had.
The other two proved harder to catch. Tavington could tell by the trail of footprints that one of the men was favouring his left leg as only the toe portion of the boot could be seen in the mud. The Colonel was getting angry at having so much trouble finding an injured man. They had searched for over an hour and darkness was beginning to descend. As they neared the end of the second hour the twilight gave them some help. One of the men tripped over a root and yelled out in pain as he hit the ground. The two Dragoons turned to their left and found the men a short distance away, huddled against a tree. They both jumped up and ran. Tavington fired his pistol, hitting one in the head. Beth shot the other as he turned to see his comrade fall. They checked the bodies to make sure they were dead before returning to their horses.
It was now completely dark, clouds had covered the moon and the cold was biting through their uniforms. Tavington weighed their options and it didn't take him long to make his decision.
"We'll stay here tonight and start back in the morning." He stated as he started gathering wood for a fire. "It's going to get cold, break out the cloaks and blankets. We're going to need them." He got a small fire going before searching for larger pieces to keep it burning through the night.
They both wore their cloaks as they sat beside the fire enjoying a hot cup of tea and their rations. Beth was so cold and hungry that the salted pork and stale bread tasted good and it would at least give her something for her body to burn to keep her warm. They wrapped their gloved hands around the hot cups for warmth. In an effort to keep their minds off the cold night ahead of them they discussed their theories on the ragtag bunch of colonials. Why hadn't there been a leader of the group? What had happened to him? They spoke quietly, listening carefully for the sound of anyone approaching. In the cold night air it would be easy to hear someone or something if it came near. Neither of them expected to draw any conclusions in regards to the colonials, they just needed to keep their minds busy and this line of conversation was easier and less personal.
Tavington had purposely picked the spot where he started the fire. There were three large boulders on one side that were too large for them to sit on but they would heat up nicely with the fire burning nearby, hopefully giving off that heat during the night as he and Beth slept between the them and the fire. The rocks were also large enough to provide some small protection from the wind that was blowing out of the north. He didn't relish the idea of having to be outdoors tonight and he hoped that the others had kept moving with the injured as he had ordered.
Beth's feet were aching with the cold so she got up and paced back and forth, hoping they would warm up once her blood got circulating. When this didn't work she sat down and removed her boots, propping her feet up on a rock on the edge of the fire. She relaxed, enjoying the heat until the fire spit sparks up, one landing on her foot and burning through her stocking. Tavington laughed as she smothered the smoking fabric and put her boots back on.
"Maybe we should try getting some sleep before you turn yourself into kindling?" He added more wood to the fire, ignoring the glare from Beth. "We can sleep on one blanket and a cloak and cover ourselves with the others." He got up and walked around the fire, placing his hands on the boulders. His idea hadn't worked as well as he'd hoped. The rocks were warm but with the time of year they'd been too cold to start with so they hadn't absorbed much heat. William shook out the blanket, letting it float to the ground before covering it with his cloak. This was going to be a difficult night.
"We're going to sleep on that together?" Beth asked as she walked up beside him. "What if someone finds us?"
"You'd rather sleep alone and freeze? Combining our body heat will give the best chance of surviving the night. I'd rather be found alive and have to explain the situation than be dead of exposure by morning. Lie down." He ordered. Beth removed her cloak and without saying another word, lay down on the thin layer separating them from the cold ground. William lay down behind her and arranged the remaining cloak and blanket to cover them, pulling them up around their necks. He wrapped his arm protectively around her waist and pulled her tight against him. She had one hand between her thighs for warmth and covered his hand with the other. He could feel how cold her hand was through the leather riding gloves that they both were wearing and he felt her shiver.
"I hope this works." She whispered, as a cold blast of wind wrapped around the rocks making them both shiver. He lifted his head and leaned over her to kiss her cheek.
"It will, I have no intention of dying out here." He said as he lay his head back down. She admired his confidence even if it was forced. She was so cold, her feet and hands aching so much, that she doubted their chances. She had felt weather this cold only once before in her life and what came with it had left seven dead.
The next morning Tavington woke to the sound of a spitting fire. He was alone and cold on the ground and covered only in the blanket. As he sat up he realized that the blanket was covered in a layer of frost, created by the condensation from their body heat and the frigid morning air. Beth was standing on the other side of the fire, her cloak wrapped tightly around her, staring not at him but at the sky in the north. He rose and joined her, concerned with the sight before him.
The horizon was filled with an ominous ridge of gray clouds, an extremely cold wind bit at their faces. Beth's face showed more than concern, she looked scared, petrified even. She turned and started packing up the blankets, loading up the horses.
"We have to go now. We'll never make it back to the fort. I know where we can go." She looked at William who stood watching the near frantic woman before him. "Don't just stand there, put the fire out." He walked over to her, taking her by the shoulders.
"Beth, it just looks like rain, we can ride in the rain." He assured her.
"It'll start as rain, within the hour I bet. Then it will turn to snow." She paused seeing the look of disbelief on his face. "Yes, snow. This is just how it looked years ago. I was 12. For three days the wind, snow and ice came out of the north. Everything froze, crops, animals and seven people." She paused, remembering the mother and her two children, lost on their way back from town. Found several days later, miles off their route, frozen to death as they'd huddled together for warmth. "I know where we can go, it's further north but it's much closer than the fort. A half days ride northwest."
"If we ride south for the fort we'll stay ahead of it."
"Oh no we won't. We go northwest." Beth insisted. Tavington wasn't used to having his orders countermanded, he started to argue when he noticed the look on Beth's face. He had never seen fear in her before today and yet the weather had done what battle had not. She had a memory of the area that he didn't and he decided to trust her instinct.
"Fine, we go northwest." He said as he doused the fire with dirt. Beth untied the horses and led them over to the road, where Tavington joined her. With their cloaks tightly wrapped around them they set off to the north as the first drops of rain fell.
"Where is this place your taking me?" William asked.
"My home." She answered. "My family's farm, hopefully it hasn't been overrun." They rode on in silence. Within a short time they reached the fork in the road that they had passed many times on their convoy runs and Beth turned to the left, taking the road they hadn't. Tavington wondered why she had never mentioned that her home was so close by but realized that it was part of her past that could ruin her life as a Dragoon. She had been so close to home and yet had denied herself the pleasures of home in order to maintain her disguise.
As Beth had predicted the rain soon turned to snow, a heavy wet snow that soaked them and their horses. The wind blowing so hard and cold that it felt as if a thousand tiny needles were being thrust into them with every gust. Neither of them bothered to check their pocket watches so they had no idea how long they had traveled but Beth was traveling along using the landmarks she knew from her years in the area. She knew that within the hour she would be within sight of her farm, now she hoped that it was a safe place for them to ride out the storm.
Mid afternoon they passed through the gates of her farm. It was larger than Tavington had been expecting, a massive barn was off to the left and a house larger than any other farm house that he had seen in America stood before them, smoke rising from the chimney.
"Who is living here, your father is dead isn't he?" Tavington asked suspiciously as he and Beth dismounted. Before she could answer, the front door opened and a man carrying a rifle walked across the porch towards them. He may have been old and grey but his grip on the weapon was steady. He kept the gun high aimed right at Tavington who he recognized as the superior officer. This was not the reception she had been expecting but then a lot had changed in the last several months, no one could be trusted.