A/N: Sigh. What can I say—I love Jason Isaacs...which is the general reasonfor writing this fic.Is Sadie Braddock a Mary-Sue? Well, I don't know. I think she's a likeable, well developed character, but then again, I'm rather biased. Feedback is so, so, so appreciated---so don't be stingy:)
Disclaimer: Sadie and the rest of the Braddock's are my own creations—but the rest of the motley crew, including, sadly, Colonel William Tavington swoons are not mine to claim. Tragic, I know.
Mind over Matter
Summary: Sadie Braddock was never meant to be anything more than the pampered, bookish, daughter of a British war hero, a sister to a dead brother, and a disappointment to her father. But when she and her father are taken captive by American colonists, Sadie escapes, and must risk everything to save her father's life. Forced to trust the one man her father believes can save him; his protégée, William Tavington, and held hostage in the aristocratic world she has never been comfortable in, Sadie must learn to trust herself—and her heart, and find the courage to discover who she truly is.
Chapter One
Run
She had lost all feeling in her legs an hour ago, and yet, somehow, she was still moving. Her hands, unused to being subjected to anything more strenuous than turning the pages of a book, were scratched and bleeding, and her exposed face was chapped and raw from the biting cold.
Lost, half frozen, and scared beyond comprehension, the one and only thing that kept her going was her father's last words to her—keep running until you either find the British or fall over dead. Comforting, she thought sardonically. Leave it to Edmond Braddock to offer the least useful words of wisdom to his daughter before she left on a jointure to save his life. Do not let me down Sadie—you are the only hope I have, God have mercy on my poor English soul. Fatigued as she was, Sadie could still feel the sting of indignation at her father's complete lack of faith in her.
She felt at her bodice, checking that the documents her father had guarded so carefully during their weeks in captivity, and that he had pressed into her hands as she readied herself to make a run for it. Give these to Colonel William Tavington. Can you remember that name, Sadie? He is the only man you can entrust these to—and the only man I want you to trust with my rescue. Do you understand that? No one else will do—you insist that Cornwallis send Tavington for me. What this William Tavington person had done to earn her father's unwavering trust, Sadie did not know or care. At that moment, she was more tempted to simply fall to the frozen ground and sleep until spring than to keep running in what was, most likely, a fruitless attempt to find the British troops.
After some time—it could have been minutes or hours or days or weeks—Sadie was too cold and too weak to focus on anything beyond keeping her feet moving northwards—the previously thick woods began to clear. Twenty feet from where Sadie stood, the silent dawn splintered from the tremendous crack of a gunshot. She stopped moving, terror freezing her where she stood. She knew she should run and attempt to hide, but could not quite force her body to move another step.
From the clearing, two soldiers wearing—thank God—red coats appeared, and all but jumped in fright when they caught sight of Sadie, who was vaguely aware of how unsettling the sight of her disheveled appearance must be.
"Who goes there?" Shouted one of the officers, his brow furrowing in mild concern at the young woman swaying unsteadily, as if remaining upright were a great effort for her. When she said nothing, only blinked slowly and purposefully, the officers exchanged weary looks, wondering if they had just wandered across a spy or some type of Colonist female lunatic.
"Identify your loyalties, madam!"
From somewhere in the recesses of her mind, and not for the first time, Sadie thought about the stupidity of men to base a war on a person's loyalties, which, surely, were just as subject to change as the seasons.
"God save the King." She managed to choke, and promptly fainted as the soldiers lowered their guns and rushed forward to assist her.