Hey guys. Sorry I haven't updated. Had no internet connection. Here is the update. Hope it was worth the wait.
I just realised as well, I haven't given you a description of Anna. Well, here it is. Anna has long blonde hair, that is quite dark, with deep blue eyes. She is around 5 foot 6 inches tall, and has a slender figure with long shaped legs and a slim pear shaped figure.
.:Chapter Four:.
Its was March 29th. The day of both Anna's 20th birthday and General Lord Cornwallis ball. Anna had a nervous feeling in her stomach all day, she didn't want to spend the whole night on Colonel Tavington's arm, whilst people were presuming that soon her and Colonel Tavington would be married.
Anna sat at the desk in her bedroom, writing a letter to one of her friends back in France. She was telling her about the night that was planned ahead of her, how Anna had no idea what was going to happen during the hours leading up to the ball. She didn't even know what dress she was wearing yet.
Anna had received her birthday present from Lord Cornwallis, and was very pleased. He had given her a book, with everything that William Shakespeare in, and she loved it. She had only read a few plays by Shakespeare, and she was desperate to read more, Lord Cornwallis had known this.
Anna finished writing her letter, and sealed it in a envelope and then began her way downstairs to give it to the mail man. Half way down the stairs she heard a door slam behind her and then heavy footsteps, that soon reached next to her. She turned her head and found a familiar looking Colonel walking next to her.
"Hello Anna" Colonel Tavington said to her.
They both reached the bottom of the stairs and stopped, turning to each other Colonel Tavington smiled at her. Anna gave him a small shy smile, as she wasn't used to him smiling.
"Colonel Tavington. You're here for the ball?" Anna asked, addressing him as Colonel, as there were people running around in the corridors.
"Of course. And how could you forget. Your attending the ball with me" He smiled at her.
Anna sighed, and looked embarrassed.
"I'm sorry. I've had my head in the clouds today" She mumbled, and moved some hair from her face.
"Yes, I'm sure you have. I have something for you" Colonel Tavington brought out a velvet box from his pocket, and he handed it over to Anna.
Anna frowned and then accepted the box from him.
"You sure?" She asked. She had only met the man a few times.
Colonel Tavington nodded, and then looked a little bored.
Anna looked back down at the black velvet box and slowly began opening it, and she gasped when she saw what was inside it.
There was a white gold chain and at the bottom hung a single tear shaped diamond.
"Colonel Tavington!" Anna nearly shouted, she was in shock.
Colonel Tavington's eye brow raised.
"Do you not like it?" He asked.
Anna took the necklace carefully out of its case and held it up in front of her.
"Its beautiful' Anna told him, looking deeply into his strikingly blue eyes.
'Thank you"
Colonel Tavington hid a small smile.
"Your welcome. I just hope that it will match your dress" He told her, as they now began walking outside, Anna still admiring the beautiful gift.
"I'll make sure that it will" She answered, and now carefully began placing the item back in its velvet case.
"Well, Miss Beaumont" Anna interrupted him.
"Please. Call me Anna" She smiled.
"Anna. I'll leave you here. I have work to attend to. I shall see you this evening' Colonel Tavington gently took Anna's small, delicate hand and softly kissed the back of it, causing Anna's stomach to tingle.
'Happy Birthday" He whispered, and then turned around and walked away, until reaching his horse and mounting it.
Anna watched him until he and his men had left the walls of the Fort, and then she looked down at her hand. Still smiling, she brought it up to her chest, and gently touched the place which had been kissed by the mysterious Colonel. Quickly noting her surroundings, Anna dropped her hand, and then walked back into the house and into the mail room, un aware of the pair of eyes that had been watching her.
Lord Corwallis turned away from the window after Anna had gone back inside the building, and sat down at his desk.
"Charles. Do you think anything is going on between Colonel Tavington and Miss Beaumont?" He asked his General, then took a drink of his water.
General O'Hara smirked and then moved to Lord Cornwallis' side.
"I wouldn't like to say sir" He quietly answered, knowing that Lord Cornwallis would want to know more.
"What's that suppose to mean?" He causally asked, turning and looking at General O'Hara.
Charles O'Hara sighed and looked down at the floor, knowing he would be in Lord Cornwallis' good books after this, and there was no way of Colonel Tavington of harming him.
"Lord Cornwallis. I shouldn't even be telling you this. As, Colonel Tavington told me I couldn't. A few nights ago I was returning from a meeting, and I found Colonel Tavington and Miss Beaumont returning from outside. Miss Beaumont was only dressed in her night gown" O'Hara slowly told Lord Cornwallis.
Lord Cornwallis' eyes flashed anger and he hit the table with his fist whilst standing up.
"Damn that man! He has to ruin everything" Lord Cornwallis shouted.
"My Lord. Now that I have told you. I beg you, don't mention anything to either of them. Colonel Tavington did warn me after all" O'Hara told him, following Lord Cornwallis to the window.
"I shall confront them both after the ball. I want to see how they are with each other tonight. Colonel Tavington cannot ruin another woman's life" Lord Cornwallis sighed, and ran his hand down his face, his tired looking eyes searching for Colonel Tavington's men riding in the distance.
Anna allowed the dresser to enter her room, and place all of the beautifully different coloured dresses on her bed.
"My name is Madam Kinston, and I'll be helping you choose the dress that you will be wearing tonight. We have 2 and a half hours to get you looking even more beautiful than you already are my dear" The older woman smiled at Anna.
Anna laughed shyly and then closed the door after two men, who looked as if they were dressed from the Dragoons 'William must be back' Anna thought, carried in a trunk.
"All the dresses that are here are already fitted to your size, as you had a fitting a few days ago, and they are all the colours that you asked for. The shoes should also fit you, unless they've grown, but I think your passed that stage at 20 years old now" Madam Kinston smiled at Anna whilst undoing the back of her dress, and pulling it off her so she now stood in her corset and under clothes.
"I need something that will match a diamond. With a white gold chain" Anna told Madam Kinston as she looked through the different pairs of shoes.
"Show me the necklace" Madam Kinston told her, and picked up one of the dresses.
Anna nodded and then walked over to her desk and pulled out the draw, taking the box out she turned around to Madam Kinston who was stood with a dress in each hand. Once was a deep blue colour, almost looked purple, and then other was a light pink.
"Here" Anna told her, opening the box to show her.
"Put it on" Madam Kinston commanded, and then turned around and began undoing the dress that was the deep blue colour.
Anna frowned, and then put on the necklace.
"I'm going to try you in this one first. I think it will look better than the pink" Madam Kinston spoke as she put the dress on Anna, and began doing up the back.
"I didn't even pick pink" Anna told her, whilst Madam Kinston began finishing the lacing on the back.
Madam Kinston finished her work and spun Anna to face her, and she gave her a long look.
"You'll need to take your own corset off. The top of the dress is already a corset" She told her, and then began rummaging around for some shoes.
Anna looked down at the dress.
"But. Madam Kinston. Are you sure that will be appropriate. I mean, the dress is already quite revealing" Anna told her, her hands on her flat stomach.
"No! it's a new fashion. You'll be the bell of the ball" She smiled back at Anna, and brought out some matching coloured shoe's that were healed slightly on the bottom making Anna seem slightly taller.
"But still people cou-"
"Anna, honestly. It looks great on you" Madam Kinston interrupted, and Anna knew she was going to be wearing this dress.
"Well, is there at least a shawl I could use? So I don't feel so bare" Anna asked, looking down at herself.
"Yes I'll give you one when your ready" Madam Kinston replied, whilst she stood her hand on her chin, examining Anna.
She was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Who will that be?" Madam Kinston asked Anna and motioned for her to move so whoever was at the door wouldn't see her.
Anna moved out of the way, and listened as Madam Kinston opened the door.
"Miss Beaumont?" Anna heard a unrecognisable male voice.
"Do I look like Miss Beaumont?" Madam Kinston sarcastically asked the male voice.
"Err, no ma'am. I have this letter for her. Could you make sure she gets it?" He asked, his voice showing a hint of fear.
"Of course I will" Madam Kinston snatched the envelope from the mans hand and then closed the door in his face.
"Miss Beaumont, a letter for you" Miss Kinston turned and handed the envelope to her.
Anna looked at the front of it, and saw that there was no address, just MISS A BEAUMONT so it must have come from somebody in the house.
"I wonder who its from?" Anna asked herself.
"Well open it dear. Then you'll know" Madam Kinston answered her from the other side of the room, whilst looking through small tiara's.
Anna continued looking at the envelope and then she began opening it. 'Who is it from?' She kept thinking.
She pulled out the letter, and un-folded it.
Anna,
Meet me at 6.30 outside Lord Cornwallis' office. Apparently he wishes to speak to us before we go down to the ball.
Until tonight,
William
Anna's heart was beating hard in her chest as she folded the letter up and put it back in the envelope.
"Who was it from?" Madam Kinston asked, holding a diamond clasp for hair in her hand.
"Err. Colonel Tavington" Anna answered, and then placed the letter on her desk and began walking back over to Miss Kinston.
"Colonel Tavington? Of the Green Dragoon's?" Madam Kinston asked, her eye brows raised.
"Yes. I'm attending him to the ball tonight" Anna answered, looking down at the dress.
"Attending the ball with Colonel Tavington? The one there calling the butcher?" She asked, her voice now quite high.
"Yes! Lord Cornwallis thinks that people seeing him at the ball will somehow make him seem more human" Anna answered, taking the hair clasp from Madam Kinston's hand and examining it.
"There going to leave you with him all night. I'm sure Lord Cornwallis isn't that mean" She told Anna, now playing around with the long end of the back of the dress.
"Colonel Tavington is actually quite a nice man. I try not to think about the bad stories I've been told" Anna honestly replied, running her fingers over the diamonds in the clasp.
"Yes well, I hope there's going to be someone watching over you tonight" Madam Kinston answered, and then began undoing the back of Anna's dress.
"What are you doing?" Anna asked, trying to be turned around, but was pushed back around by Madam Kinston's strong hands.
"Getting you out of your corset" She answered.
Anna rolled her eyes and couldn't wait until she could actually go to the ball. 'It had better be worth all of this' Thought Anna.