Chapter 17
Two days had passed since the latest attack on the British supply line. The morning was sunny and bright, but the emotions were tense with frustration and anger between General Cornwallis and Colonel Tavington. Cornwallis had been informed of the attacks of the supply line, which infuriated him as the supplies were needed for the British to move northward and advance on General Washington.
Awinita had noticed the colonel's change in mood when Cornwallis was brought up. Tavington didn't want to discuss the General at all and she understood. That morning, they cuddled in bed, with Awinita rubbing Tavington's tight muscles in his shoulders. "This will all be over, you know?" she said.
"How soon though? These attacks have delayed our progress for too long now," he replies, breathing in deep, so he could contain his irritation at his inability to capture this entity known as "The Ghost". The story of "The Ghost" was spreading fast among the armies and the Continental Army was pleased with the gloomy outcome for the British.
"These things take time, everything does," Awinita said, kissing his neck and feeling the pulse with her lips. He let out an audible sigh, but he felt his cock harden. The nights of passionate loving making were becoming more frequent and neither one didn't care if they were exhausted by the day's events.
Tavington still kept his feelings of love for Awinita, but he desired to one day tell her. "William?" she asks.
"Yes?" he replies.
Before Awinita could ask her question, there came a loud knock at the door. "Colonel? Sir!" It was Bordon.
"What is it, Bordon?" Tavington answers, covering himself and Awinita, yet his second in command didn't enter.
"Sir, please come down. It's urgent," Bordon answers and they hear him walk away.
The two of them step out of bed, helping each other get into their clothes, with curiosity filling their senses. Tavington touches Awinita's soft cheek before putting on his black gloves. Her skin breaks out into goose flesh from her cheeks down her neck and arms. She grabs his arm in reaction. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said, but she hurried to the wash bin and splashed cold water on her face.
"That should work," she replies, drying her face. They leave the bedroom and join Bordon downstairs.
"Colonel, I have some rather bad news," he said, "This 'Ghost' has attacked another supply transport, but this one's far more crucial than the others."
"Crucial?" Awinita asks.
"The main wagon was transporting two Great Danes, a gift from His Majesty to General Cornwallis. The wagon also contained the general's private journals, which contained correspondences of the ships hailing from Great Britain," Bordon explains.
"Damn!" Tavington curses and sits himself down at a wicker chair. Awinita knew that the general would not be pleased as his personal wagon was attacked, yet it would be possible to try and track the thieves.
"I wish to see the site, perhaps I could be of assistance, even though I do my best," she replies.
"I'm afraid it won't be possible," Bordon said, "We did try to track them ourselves, but the footprints disappeared into the marsh."
Tavington, however, gave Bordon a serious look, as if to say, "Give her a try."
"I will prepare the Dragoons and your horses," he said and hurried away. Awinita looks to Tavington, who still had that serious look in his eyes, and, for some reason, places a soft hand on his cheek. The skin on his cheek broke out in gooseflesh.
"Easy there, my dear," he said, then took a firm, yet gentle grip on her hand, and had her keep it in place on his cheek before removing it, but the gooseflesh made him want more of her touch.
It took the group of Dragoons more than an hour to the spot where the latest attack occurred, but Awinita now understood what Bordon said earlier. "Water washes away any clue," she said, dismounting from her horse, Lady. They were surrounded by swamp waters and cypress trees. The small trail was littered with dead bodies of Red Coats and the horses pulling the wagons were still harnessed to them. Tavington orders a few of his men to take the horses back to camp, but Awinita tells them to stand still.
She looks down on the ground, noticing footprints, and asks one of the Dragoons to come forward. "Let me see your boot print," she said. The Dragoon looked confused, first looking at Tavington, who nodded his head and the soldier made a print in the dirt.
"I am seeing a very distinguished type of boot print," Awinita said, pointing to the ones identical to the Dragoon's. "These ones belong to the dead soldiers' boots, but here," she points to a different set of prints. "These look like…" she trails off, something that reminded her of these kinds of prints.
"What is it?" one of the Dragoons asks.
"These look like the prints of a farmer's boot," Awinita answers, recollecting a memory of her time living on Benjamin Martin's farm.
"So we're up against rebel farmers?" another Dragoon replies, with a few chortles from the other Dragoons.
"Do not let your mind be clouded by such nonsense!" Tavington shouts and everyone goes quiet. "These colonial farmers are putting up surprise attacks, very well coordinated attacks!" He dismounts, while a few of the Dragoons take the horses back to camp, and he and Awinita continue to survey the scene.
"What do you suggest?" he asks her close to her ear. It was her turn now to break out in gooseflesh and Tavington noticed. It did make his head feel light, yet he fought off the dizziness.
"I wish to speak to General Cornwallis," Awinita replies and that caught him off guard. "I have something in mind that would catch these 'radical' farmers'," she adds, yet she could tell he didn't like the sound of it.
"I don't believe that the general would be…" Tavington trails off and looks away from her.
"What? What is it that the general would be interested in?" she asks, but the colonel looks straight at her in the eye like ice daggers.
"He hasn't been pleased with the progress reports I've been sending," he replies, yet Awinita stares back with her warm brown eyes. She wondered if she would be able to thaw the ice in his own eyes.
"I understand, but I have something in mind, a plan to stop these 'radical' colonials attacking the supply line," she said.
"Awinita," he replies in a soft whisper, "Cornwallis is…shall we say a hard man to please, yet he believes that women are not fit for fighting nor be involved in war."
"At least let me try and explain the situation to him. I can also explain the plan I have in mind in trapping the colonials that are attacking the supply lines and perhaps locate his missing personal items," she said. Tavington takes off his furred helmet, sweat had built up on his forehead thanks to the humidity, and he wipes it away with the back of his hand.
"It's not going to be easy," he responds and breathes in a little. "He is hosting a ball this coming Saturday and he has invited the Dragoons and myself. I will see that we can spend a few minutes with the General."
"Really?" Awinita asks and smiles a little. "Whatever amount of time you can get with him," she adds. The colonel places a gentle hand on her shoulder before moving his hand from there to her opposite shoulder.
"You will need to look presentable, more beautiful, although you do look ravishing no matter what you wear. Cornwallis, however, sees women as fragile like dolls and that they must dress up like dolls," Tavington explains and she understood his words.
She never liked wearing fancy dresses like Charlotte or any of the women she met in her life. Awinita suddenly felt dizzy when she thought of Charlotte, her adopted mother's sister, her aunt.
"Are you all right?" she hears Tavington said and she presses her body against her horse. He places a hand on her back and Awinita realizes the pulsating feeling throughout her body, from her head to her toes.
"It must be the humidity," she answered when the colonel was in her eyesight. Her mind was flooded with the memories of the Martin; how much time has she been away from them? She wondered how her siblings were doing, especially Gabriel since the last time she saw him he was wounded in the fighting outside of the Martin home.
"Come, let's go back," Tavington suggests, but Awinita doesn't move as another memory fills her head. It was of the time she first met the colonel, who took her away from her family and home. "Are you sure you are-" "Stop! Just stop talking!" she snaps at him and he goes silent.
Tavington was stunned when the woman he was in love with yelled at him all of a sudden. What was wrong with her? "I'm sorry," she said, "I need to get out of the sun."
"Of course, let's go back," he replies, mounting his horse and she did the same.
Upon returning to the camp, Awinita sat in the parlor, staring out the window, looking at the Red Coats as a cold feeling formed in her stomach. She begins to recollect the memories of being tormented by the soldiers on her first day as a slave to them. It was only that the colonel put it an end to the torment and made her something perhaps even far worse than a slave.
"What's wrong with me?" she asks herself.
"Milady," she hears Tavington from behind and she turns to see him with a female servant beside him. She was carrying a dress, colored a soft yellow with patterns of red roses, and Awinita touches it.
"I believe this will suit you at the ball," he said and she takes it out of the servant's hands to better examine it.
"Where did you find this?" she asks, yet she believed it belonged to the deceased woman of the house.
"In the dresser drawer up in the room," the colonel answers and Awinta gives it back to the servant, telling her to make altercations to it. "Is there you want to tell me?" he now asks.
"Just...my mind was..." she fumbles with her words and takes a seat by the fireplace. Tavington stands next to her, placing a gentle hand on her back, and she sighs. "I must be overthinking of these attacks and of the radical colonials who could have pulled off such elaborate ambushes."
"I see," he replies, moving his hand up to the back of her exposed neck, causing her skin to break out, again. "You have done well in deciphering that this 'Ghost' has allies."
"However, I am worried that Cornwallis will not listen, as you mentioned he views women like fragile dolls. I suppose he doesn't like intellgent women," Awinita said.
"I am afraid so. I will do my best into convincing him otherwise," Tavington answers and she stands to her feet, looking into his ice blue eyes, and then placing her own hand on his face.
"I always admire those who try their best into changing people's minds about me," she said and he smiles a little as he places his hand on her face. He leans in and kisses her full on the lips; the cold feeling inside her melts away and she returns it.
"Colonel Tavington?" they hear Bordon from outside, causing them to end the kiss.
"Damn!" the colonel curses under his breath and looks into her eyes, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" "I know, you better go and attend to the matter at hand," she said and he gives a gentle kiss on the forehead before departing.
"Get some rest, you will need to look...presentable for Cornwallis," he replies, unsure of what word to use, but she understood. He leaves the sanctum of the house and Awinita watches him go with the Dragoons. She then begins to think of the horrible outcome that would possibly befall on him while he was at battle.
She wondered if the Martin family suffered a dreadful fate, much like the family that once occupied the house. She heads up to the bedroom where she slept with Tavington during the night, but now she was alone. She couldn't stop thinking about him and she wondered if he was thinking of her during those times he was away from her.
"Please don't die," she whispers before lying down to sleep.
From the author: I really don't have much to say, except the fact I've left this story hanging for quite some time. Hope everyone is still loving this! There will be more on the way, just be patient!
