Who would have guessed the days would go by so quickly.
As if no time had passed, Charly was looking at herself in that full length mirror once more, but this time she was wearing the dress instead of just...wondering. It fit to her like it had been made to her every...inch.
The pale blue brought out her eyes and even with her hair up, there were those few swirls of curls that refused to be held or tamed and fell to frame her face. Finally giving up on them, she had been inspecting herself with all the critiquing that she knew the other partygoers would be watching her with.
"You look..." she heard his voice and turned to face him, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she slowly walked over to him, but halfway there, she turned in a slow spin, and her hands moved behind her, catching each other.
"So I take it...the Colonel approves?" she asked softly, a slight one-shouldered shrug.
Tavington watched her as she moved and slowly nodded. Pale blue eyes taking in every move she made...every breath she took. And a slow lick to dry lips. "The Colonel...approves...very much...milady." he said as he fought to think of the words he had to use.
Charly walked on over to him and went around. looking him up and down before coming back to stand in front of him as he stood there, feet just a bit in an 'at ease' stance with one hand behind his back as he always stood. Full dress uniform. At least everything but the hat. Good thing, Charly thought but she vocalized instead, "My my my..." with that smile still firmly in place. "You seem to clean up well...if I may say so myself, sir." And a dip of her head at her approval, and then she headed over to the bed and picked up fan that matched her dress and then back over to him, holding her hand out. "Shall we?"
Tavington smirked and offered a bow before taking her arm and wrapping it around his and taking her downstairs to the party.
The hall was decorated fabulously. Gold and white materials to drape over the beams in the high ceiling. White tablecloths on all the tables. Food and drinks plenty. All of the officers and their women strolling the floor and even outside on the grounds. And Charly tightened her hug around his arm when they walked in through the open doors.
The Colonel smiled as he patted her arm but wouldn't let anything faze him tonight. "Come along, dear," he said softly and when they walked into the room...heads began turning. Charly's gown wasn't as 'rich' as the others, but it was grand. One that would rival any of the colonials at a ball. But these women. They had their wigs and their dresses that were made of silks and lace and gold. Charly trembled knowing she was being stared at but she also knew the Colonel was counting on her to be herself. So? Back was straightened, chin tilted just a bit so that perfect little nose was a bit higher in the air and she walked with that air as if she belonged there all the time. Tavington felt her body's stance change and a small smile crossed his lips. Lords and ladies be damned...he had the pride of the Ball.
As they strolled, he got her a glass of champagne and they walked and talked briefly with Wilkins and then with Bordon. Charly didn't care much for the first...but that Bordon fellow was quite all right. He was pleasant and charming and as soon as Tavington realized how she was getting along with his Captain, he made an excuse to go outside and steered her clear from the others and out the double doors to the grounds.
"Enjoying yourself so far, Charlotte?" he asked as he took a sip from the glass he held in his free hand, leading her to a relatively unpopulated part of the grounds so he would have her to himself.
Charly nodded emphatically. "It's all wonderful, William. Thank you for bringing me."
He looked down at her and shook his head with a chuckle. "Don't thank me, milady. You've done more for me tonight than I could ever even hope to ask for. This is your night." And he gently clinked the glass he held to hers as he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her hair.
"Well isn't that sweet..." the cackle of something akin to the devil...or maybe a minion...would shatter the quiet around the couple. Tavington sighed softly as his eyes closed but didn't pull away from Charly immediately.
"What do you want, Elizabeth?" he mumbled in a soft growl. Obviously this woman that stood before them wasn't one of the Colonel's favorites. Let alone anyone he'd chat with in a normal tone.
"Just wanted to come see for m'self that it was true, William --"
"Colonel." he said as a 'reminder'.
"--that you'd chosen a...colonial to bring to the affair."
Tavington looked down at Charly who had pressed a bit closer to him and his arm slid free from hers and moved around her to hold her close."This is Charlotte." But his gaze never left Charly. "This...is Elizabeth."
The other woman had a hawk-nose and cold black eyes. Her face painted in the garish white makeup didn't help any of the fact that she looked like a ghoul but the bright red lips were what scared Charly the most. That woman could eat anyone up with one bite. She was sure of it. But for Tavington, she smiled and a slight dip of her head. "Charmed I'm sure."
Elizabeth was at least as old as the Colonel, if not a few past, and more of a harpy as anything else. She glared at the girl and a snort as she turned her attention back to him. "William, come walk with me. We must discuss things."
Tavington glared at the woman and a quiet growl once more. "Colonel. And we have nothing to discuss."
"Ah but you're wrong. You see...the General is waiting for the announcement of our plans."
Tavington blinked as if completely confused - which actually he was - and icy blue stare narrowed at her. "What the bloody hell are you saying? We have no...plans!" His grip on Charly tightened slightly and she had to snicker inside. She knew this would happen. She felt it coming. But she just wished that Satan hadn't sent one of his own minions to do it.
Ew.
"Well of course we do, my dearest William. There's the engagement party and the wedding. All of that to do unless you want me to go ahead and plan it in your stead since you're so busy with your job." Elizabeth let her gaze shift to the girl once more before she added, "I understand being The Butcher and all...can take all the time out of one's day. All those darned colonials to torture."
Tavington wanted to reach out and throttle this woman where she stood. But then that wouldn't do much for disproving what she just said, would it? Damnit. And the growl grew a bit louder. "Elizabeth...go. Away. I'm not marrying you nor am I ever planning on talking to you civilly if you don't leave this instant and take those candied notions of you and I ever being together out of your head." And as his arm tightened a bit more around Charly, he turned to guide her off and they were merely 10 feet when the woman spoke once more.
"So is it true you have plans to kill her brother you have hostage...Colonel?"
Tavington froze. But then so did Charly.
Charly looked up at him and blinked and then over her shoulder at the minion. "Wha-what?" she said softly.
Elizabeth laughed like a cackling monkey, waving her fan as she talked. "It's true, colonist. Your...escort there has your older brother hidden away and as far as any of us know is torturing him to find the whereabouts of your father. The one man he will never catch. The one man that he will lose everything to." Then a shift of her gaze up to Tavington and still to Charly. "So..Is he still 'your hero' now?"
Charly began to panic. She looked up at him and whispered, "You have Gabriel?"
Tavington looked down at Charly first then he whirled on Elizabeth. "Listen to me, you sottering old cow..." softly as he approached her, index finger raised as he pointed at her while he snarled. At least that would keep the gun out of his hand. "If you don't...leave me alone this...instant...I will personally put you on a ship for China and sell you as fodder for their livestock. Got it!" And not stopping until he was invading her personal space to the point where they were almost nose to nose. He was turning red in the face trying to hold himself back and he was realizing it might not work if she opened her mouth again.
Elizabeth just snorted at him. "Nice threat, Colonel." And her gaze shifted to the girl behind him. "But I'd think that your time will be better spent talking to your little toy over there about how you planned to use her all along." And her gaze shot back to him. "Everyone figured it out weeks ago, William." And a smirk. "Especially since you keep using her as a teaser to get to her brother. So tell me..." and she took his glass of champagne from his hand and finished it off, handed it back to him and said with the most evil smirk on her lips and in a softer voice so only he and Charly would hear. "When can they expect to drag the swamp for her used body?"
Tavington was about to kill this woman. He glared into her eyes and mumbled with a soft voice that would rival the Devil's himself. "You...are a soulless bitch that's been spat out of Hell to do only one thing. Destroy human lives." And then a soft smile as his fingertips traced gently against her cheek but in one lightening move, that hand drew back and slapped her hard across that same cheek and he snarled. "If I were you? I'd make sure to keep my doors locked at night...for the rest of your pathetic life...or else the body they pull from the swamps might be yours." And he whirled on his heel, and strode past Charly, taking her forearm in his grip and leading her back to the party. He stopped and mumbled something to Captain Bordon who nodded and slipped away from the woman he had been talking to, and finally Tavington stopped once he found a quiet place once more, but he knew they had to be careful since there were a few couples nearby.
"Don't think on what she said, Charlotte." he said softly as he had to force himself to stop shaking from the rage he had just fought off.
Charly watched him closely, ignoring the other couples, but a hint of confusion that was mixing with other emotions now in her eyes. "Y-You have...Gabriel?"
Damnit. And he looked at her and tried desperately to lie. To fake the truth. Whatever you wanted to all it. But those blue eyes watching him...and he finally sighed and nodded. "He'd been shot. And we were trying to help him..."
Her eyes narrowed at him as she walked closer. "Then why not take him to a field hospital...or bring him here? Why didn't you...tell me about him?"
He wasn't going to be able to handle this for long and he knew it. "Charlotte please, we can talk about this all later after the Ball. Right now I --"
But she cut him off. "I wish you'd answer me straight, William! What are you doing to my brother and I want to see him!"
He looked down at her and shook his head. "It's not something a young lady should see, Charlotte. Trust me. I've been in far more battles than you and it's...not pretty."
A soft growl and she glared at him. "Take. Me. To. Him."
Tavington knew he couldn't. And he shook his head and decided the tone had to change. And with that previous tone of 'Don't argue', he said gently, "Not now, love. When he's better I shall take you. But until then, no."
Charly started to argue back anyway...well she was a spitfire...but she knew she'd never get anywhere with it so she turned and ran off, heading around to the front of the mansion. Tavington dropped his empty glass and mumbled, "Bloody hell," as he took off to follow her.
Around the front, Charly ran to the nearest carriage and in a matter of seconds she had the horse unbound and was on its back, a handful of mane and kicking it in the ribs. The horse literally was flying down the road as she heard the Colonel behind her running up and shouting orders for his own horse to be brought out, trying to keep an eye on her, but losing her in the darkness. Finally when the chestnut was brought out, he mounted up and barked a command to the lieutenant to round up Bordon and a troop and send them out to find the escaped prisoner.
"Prisoner, sir?" the Lieutenant asked.
"Charly..." Tavington said, and jerked his horse around and kicked it hard to get him to race and catch up with the girl.
