Thanks so much, y'all. You're really helping me out with this. I started to write back to each of you, but I had a minor surgery done on Wednesday and I think the pain meds have affected my brain. So now I can't remember exactly who I wrote back to. If you didn't hear from me, I do apologize. I'll try to respond from now on. But your enthusiastic reviews have even helped in my recovery. :-)
Right...all that disclaimer stuff...I don't own Patriot or anyone from Patriot, I'm not being paid for writing this, I'm just having fun...putting off my regular writing for awhile.
Chapter 6
A million thoughts buzzed through my mind. The Butcher. I began to understand the reason for his nick name. What had happened to innocent until proven guilty? Apparently hadn't been established yet. I groaned inwardly, trying to think of a way out. My only option was to try to break away and run for it. An option I knew would never work. Before I'd gotten two feet from him, he'd have his pistol in hand and would likely shoot me. Probably in the leg so he could still have the pleasure of hanging me. The beast!
As he continued to drag me toward the gallows–really just a rope thrown over a thick branch of a tree at the edge of the woods–I grew more and more angry. In the past, my anger usually worked for me, helping me to do or say things I never would when I was calm. But now, not even anger could help me. I glanced over at the colonel, all spiffed up in his red and green coat, and neat hair pulled back into that ponytail thingy. I wanted to rip his hair out and then use it to wipe the smug grin off his face. Ooh...if only I could...
"What is it, Miss Hanson? You look very much as if you'd like to scratch my eyes out."
"I was actually thinking of your hair, but the eyes would work, too."
He chuckled and tightened his grip on my arm. Just one more little reminder of his power over me.
As we approached the center of the circle of men, Captain Borden led Shadow toward the tree. So they were going to hang me using my own horse?
Colonel Tavington yanked my hands behind my back and tied a rope around my wrists.
"Do you wish to tell me anything, Miss Hanson? I think I do believe you when you say the horse is yours. Except for those few moments when you lost hold of the reigns, you handled him expertly. You've obviously been well trained in riding. So that leads me to only one conclusion. You are a spy for the rebels, and there is no forgiveness for that kind of treason."
I glared up at him, still wishing I could yank out his hair. "You know, Nathan Hale said it best. 'I regret that I have but one life to give for my country!' Or something like that."
"Nathan who?" The colonel feigned innocence.
"Go ahead and hang me, you brute. At least I know in the afterlife I'll never be running in to you." Oh yes. My anger gave me courage. But it had done me no good.
I closed my eyes as the noose was pulled over my head and tightened around my neck. So this was the end for me. I kept my eyes closed, not willing to give the monster even a glimpse into my head and my thoughts. He would not get any begging from me, or see any fear in my face to feed his cruel ego.
As I faced death once again, a strange peace washed over me. I didn't want to die, and certainly not like this. But at least I had my honor intact. In my heart, if not in the mind of the man about to kill me. If only I could come back as a ghost and haunt the evil colonel!
It seemed forever before I was hoisted up onto Shadow's back. A scene from Pirates of the Carribean ran through my mind, where Jack Sparrow was about to be hanged...drums rumbling ominously in the background. Too bad there was no Will Turner to save me. For some odd reason, that thought struck me funny. I snickered.
"Do you still think this is one big joke, Miss Hanson?" Colonel Tavington didn't sound very happy.
I couldn't resist. I had to open my eyes and get one last glance at him, and hopefully see the frustration in his eyes that he hadn't managed to break me. Well, at least not emotionally. Looking him in the face was no longer frightening, not after staring death itself head on. My lips trembled a smile as my eyes met his and I saw that victory was mine.
"Have a good war, Colonel, and I hope some lazy, undisciplined rebel, or whatever you called us, runs you through. But only after you've seen the United States of America become completely free of your kind of tyranny."
His eyes narrowed into two slits. He charged forward and lifted his hand to hit Shadow's flanks. But at that very moment, a rumble of horses hooves drew the attention of everyone, including my own and the colonel's.
A stiff, pale-faced man rode up with a small group of other mounted soldiers.
"What is the meaning of this, Colonel?" The pale-faced man slid from his horse and marched up to Tavington.
"General O'Hara, sir. Why are you here?" Tavington actually seemed a little nervous. The dandy little man was obviously his superior.
"It was reported that you were hanging a woman, and General Cornwallis sent me to investigate." General O'Hara looked up at me, then back to the colonel again. "I actually argued with him, saying that although you have been known to do outrageous things in the name of loyalty to your king and country, I seriously doubted even you would stoop this low."
I fought hard to keep from laughing. Poetic justice, that I would actually see the brute being thusly humiliated. Maybe I'd get out of this mess yet.
"Thank you, sir. I–" Colonel Tavington began.
"But now you've made a fool out of me, with the Lord General himself, and I don't take kindly to that." O'Hara turned to Wilkins and Borden and snapped his fingers. "Get that woman down from there this instant. If she is truly a spy, it is up to the Lord General to determine that and to carry out punishment."
For several more minutes, the general blasted at Tavington. The look of helpless frustration on the colonel's face almost made me feel sorry for him. Almost. Captain Wilkins helped me down, then quickly sliced through the rope binding my wrists.
"I'm sorry for the fright you must have just had," Captain Wilkins whispered in my ear. "He wasn't really going to carry through with it."
"Please, Captain." I humphed. "You don't believe that, do you? Because I certainly don't."
Wilkins shrugged, then lifted the noose offmy head. "I'd just be a little more careful around him."
"Thank you for the warning."
General O'Hara came toward me, then held out his hand. "I must beg your forgiveness, Miss–?"
"Hanson." I took his outstretched hand and found mine lifted and pressed briefly to his lips. A giggle tried to force its way from my mouth as I turned my gaze to look at Tavington. He glowered, again reminding me of a mad bull, but this time the look wasn't aimed at me.
"Miss Hanson," O'Hara went on. "I find it difficult to believeyou are a spy for the Continentals. However, since the accusation has been issued, please understand that we must at least investigate."
"I understand, General. And thank you for coming to my rescue." I smiled sweetly and would have batted my eye lashes if I didn't think the motion would be lost on the general.
He gave a curt nod and released my hand. "Thank you for your understanding." He turned back to Colonel Tavington. "You will take the young lady back to the fort to be interviewed by General Cornwallis and myself. And see that she arrives safely."
"Yes, sir," Tavington said with forced meekness.
"If even one hair of her head is harmed–"
"Understood, General." Impatience replaced the meekness in Tavington's voice.
With one last nod, O'Hara mounted his horse, and left. The other dragoons, with the exception of Wilkins and Borden, slunk away to go about their business. I looked at the colonel out of the corner of my eye, not daring to stare at him head on. Now that I was no longer dying, I felt the intimidation sink back in. With the general's orders, Tavington couldn't hurt me, at least not physically. But he could do much worse.
It wasn't love. I was too sensible to believe in love at first sight. I knew so little of the man, and what I did know did not lead me to feel love. Attraction, yes. Definitely. There was always something about villains, especially the brooding type, that attracted me. Heathcliff, Ademar, Sean Miller. But it was one thing to feel attraction to a bad guy in a book or a movie, and quite another to feel it in real life.
I suppose it was the idea of a woman having that kind of power over a man...that she could break him out of that brooding evil just with her love. But this! The man had just tried to hang me. How could I be harboring even the hint of romantic feelings for him?
"Take her some place where I won't have to look at her for now." Tavington's growl sliced through my musings, drawing me back to reality.
"Yes, sir."
"Right away."
Tavington squared his shoulders and walked with head held high to his tent.
"You and your big, drunken mouth. See what you've done, now?" Borden said in a hoarse whisper.
I turned to face him, thinking he was speaking to me. But he was glaring at his fellow captain.
"Me? It wasn't my fault." Wilkins scowled. "I thought–"
"Don't think anymore. You know he wasn't going to go through with it. You saw how he looked at her."
"Yes, I did. She's made him feel something more than disdain, and you know as well as I do how much he hates that. All the more reason for him to get rid of her before it goes too far."
I couldn't believe my ears. And these two fools, talking about me as if I wasn't even present.
"I'm telling you, he wouldn't have gone through with it. At least not without a confession and some kind of information he could use." Borden turned his gaze to me.
Wilkins nodded. "That's what I thought at first. Especially when he asked for women's clothing. But–"
"So why'd you go getting drunk in that tavern and spouting off to everyone in there that Tavington was hanging a woman?"
"I wasn't drunk." Wilkins sniffed. "I only had an ale or two."
Borden rolled his eyes then stepped up to my side. "Come, Miss Hanson. We'd better hide you for awhile until the colonel calms down a little." He took my arm and urged me to go with him.
"What did you mean, he wasn't going to go through with it?" I yanked my arm away from Borden's grasp.
"The rope wasn't even tied to anything. He just wanted to scare you into confessing your treason."
I let out the most un-lady-like humph. "You eighteenth century men really think women are stupid, don't you?"
"No, ma'am." Wilkins tried to intervene, but Borden stepped in his way.
"He wasn't going to kill you today, but now he's just mad enough that he might."
"And if I confess? Not that I'm guilty of anything. But if I did, then what would happen?"
Borden shrugged. "Then he'd be able to kill you with a clear conscience."
"As if he had a conscience."
"Now, you see?" Wilkins stuck out his finger at me. "That's just the kind of talk that irritates him. You really don't want to do that."
"I'll keep that in mind, thanks." I threw them both what I hoped was a withering glare, and stomped off, determined to have it out with Colonel Tavington.
"Where are you going, Miss Hanson?" Wilkins ran to catch up to me.
"I'm going to give your colonel a piece of my mind."
"Miss Hanson, please just come with us. You really don't want to bother him right now."
I turned and looked up at the big, bumbling bear of a man that was Wilkins. "Yes, I do want to bother him. Nothing would satisfy me more than to know I've bothered him." Awkwardly, I picked up the skirts of my dress and ran for the colonel's tent. I had to do this while I was still angry, and while I had some semblance of protection from General O'Hara.