Our World Divided

"A family that stands apart will eventually fall together."

~Giovanni Petrolane circa 1640~

~~WT~~

Lauren Shaw and Grace Tarleton stood back near the open doors of the crypt. Both watched Olivia in a quiet, respectful manner. Neither wished to interrupt her silent vigil before the casket that contained the remains of her illustrious ancestor.

Colonel William James Edward Tavington.

Grace watched Olivia kneel down before the solid black mahogany casket. The torches in their iron holders cast eerie shadows over the crypt; the many candles that surrounded the casket cast even more shadows.

Lauren glanced at Grace. When she turned to smile silently back, Lauren noticed the emptiness in their friend's eyes.

"Grace?" She nudged her in the side.

Grace turned back and looked at Lauren.

"I know what you're thinking Lauren. We come here every day with her, and it is always the same. We keep a silent vigil to the two hundred plus year old memory of a man who still walks the earth!"

Lauren nodded in agreement.

"Yes, but we are her closest friends. We do what we must to keep her happy! God knows, being a Tavington, there isn't much happiness in her life."

"I know." Grace sighed softly. "Still, why keep this useless vigil? The Colonel is alive and well, and reigning over the Hall. Lady Georgiana barely comes here anymore! Only Olivia continues this tradition."

Lauren turned her gaze to where Olivia still knelt. She admired the woman's values and her quiet way of keeping a century's old tradition alive. Lady Georgiana, Olivia's grandmother, had kept the vigil for nearly seventy years. She had since stopped coming to the family crypt. Though only because the Colonel had requested it of her. He felt she was too old to keep making the treacherous climb to it…the many stairs worried him.

"Colonel Tavington requested that Olivia's grandmother not come here anymore." Lauren remarked.

Grace nodded.

"Still she does come here."

"Only if it is with Olivia or the Colonel."

"Oh I know that, Lauren. He worries about Lady Georgiana. Can't say I blame him any, she is getting on in years."

"Grace Tarleton! What a horrid thing to say about Lady Tavington! I'm certain if she was your grandmother, you would not speak in such a manner about her."

Grace laughed.

"Oh indeed I would! Besides, it's not as if she is my grandmother. My grandmother has been dead for fourteen years now…"

"Yes, and she was old." Lauren grinned.

"Horribly ancient, really. Lady Tavington is what, nearing ninety?"

"I do believe she is. You would not know it though. Not with the way she gets about and how she acts." Grace said in a huff.

Lauren giggled softly.

"Have you seen the way she looks at the Colonel? One would think she is a girl again!"

"I have. Odd behaviour for a woman her age. Nothing will come of it, isn't he betrothed to Olivia?"

Lauren nodded.

"Yes, he is betrothed to Olivia. Has been since she was born. I envy her, you know. He is quite the handsome man."

Grace agreed.

"I do agree there. But, I much prefer my ancestor…"

"The devilishly handsome rogue, Banastre Tarleton?"

Grace blushed.

"Aye 'tis the one! He makes me blush…" She blushed once again.

Lauren nudged her friend knowingly.

"When will he visit again?"

"Before Boxing Day, I suspect. But, he always has something going on, so when he will visit, really is anyone's guess."

"Didn't he ask for your cousin's hand in marriage?" Lauren asked.

"Julia? Yes, he did. She refused him on the grounds that he was not to her liking."

Lauren laughed.

"What? She must be blind!"

"I believe she is. She is also money hungry, and poor Ban didn't have enough for her." Grace fiddled with her necklace. "Did you know he asked for my hand, as well?"

Lauren looked shocked.

"He did? When? Do tell!"

It was Olivia who answered.

"Just last month. Caused quite a scene with Lady Tarleton, too."

Grace blushed and nodded.

"Mother said he needed to wait until my twenty-first birthday."

"Don't see why he would need to wait. Your birthday is in less than a fortnight!" Lauren scowled.

"Oh I know. But mother…"

"Oh please! She is just mad because he didn't ask her!" Olivia muttered.

"He did ask her for her blessing…but…"

Olivia threw back her head and laughed coldly.

"That's not what I meant, Grace."

Grace stared at her.

"Well, what did you mean then?"

Olivia laughed again.

"She is mad, simply because he did not ask her to marry him! But because he asked for her daughter's hand, she is going to make him wait."

"Will he wait, Olivia?"

"Of course he will, darling!" Olivia eyed her for a second then added, "However, you need to get this notion of being in love with my brother, out of your head!"

Grace looked dumbfounded by this. Lauren stared at both.

"Grace? In love with Edward? Or is it William?" Lauren asked.

"Edward it is." Olivia grinned faintly. "My brother loves nothing, no one, but his writing and his books. If she was in love with William, I would have her committed."

Grace looked helpless.

"Edward is wonderful, but I don't think he is marriage material…"

"Neither is William. The military is his life. He loves that more than anything."

Lauren smiled slightly.

"William is also a colonel. Strange how that happened. Two Colonel Tavingtons in one family!"

Olivia shrugged half-heartedly.

"True my brother is a colonel."

"Must be difficult when both he and the Colonel are in residence." Grace pointed out.

"Not really, Grace. There is only one true Colonel Tavington. My brother realizes this, and tries not to make too much of his own rank. However, when both are at the Hall…well, only Colonel Tavington is referred to as such. We call my brother, Liam."

"The Colonel doesn't think much of your brother, does he?" Lauren asked.

Olivia shrugged again.

"No, he does not. I do believe he despises him for many reasons. Not that I blame him much for it. Liam can be a prat most of the time."

All three women turned and look at the casket.

"What about Edward? How does the Colonel feel about him?" Lauren placed her hand on the black casket. It felt odd to be standing here, knowing the man who should have been inside the casket, was instead, ruling Tavington Hall.

Olivia laughed slowly.

"He finds Edward tiresome. It's very obviously when Edward is home, that the Colonel makes it his mission, to be elsewhere."

"Where does he take himself off to, Livia?" Grace inquired.

"Usually to one of the other Tavington estates. Lately, he has been at Grave's End…"

"You were there last with him, weren't you?"

"Indeed I was. Such a gloomy place, but I do love it. As does the Colonel."

Grace grinned at Olivia. Why did she still refer to him as the Colonel? After all, in a month's time, she would be the new Mrs. Tavington.

"Why do you insist on calling your future husband by his military rank, Livia?"

"Habit, I guess. I've known him as the Colonel since I was a child, and had to show him respect. Not saying I have ceased honouring him with the respect he rightly deserves, but it's a rather difficult habit to break."

"I always call Colonel Tarleton, Ban. He seems to delight in being called by his name." Grace blushed again.

"I do not doubt he is delighted by it. Especially when you call him that!" Lauren snickered.

Grace turned a deep pink at this.

"Really Lauren!"

"What? It's true, you know! The last time he visited Tavington Hall, every time he moved, you turned pink! He'd say something, and you would go all giddy! Come now, you are madly in love with him, aren't you?"

"Lauren!" Grace said in mock horror. Despite this, she laughed.

"You two are horrible!"

Both turned to look at Olivia.

"Please, Livia, you should see yourself, when the Colonel is around…" Lauren giggled.

"I know how I am, Lauren Shaw. What woman in their right mind, wouldn't be like that around such a handsome man?"

"Julia." Grace laughed.

"Well your cousin is a bit strange, Grace. If she turns down men such as Banastre Tarleton…at the rate she is going, she'll be unmarried when she's my grandmother's age." Olivia quipped.

"True. She even said she'd turn down Colonel Tavington! He is far too brutal for her liking. How she can even say that, is just proof that she is strange."

"Oh? Why do you say that?" Lauren eyed her.

"The last I heard, my dear cousin Julia, was after Marcus Leland."

"Lord Hastings?" Olivia sneered merely mentioning the name.

"Oh yes, that's the one!" Graced hissed.

Olivia shook her head.

"And she says my Colonel is too brutal? Lord Hastings is notorious for being well beyond brutal."

Olivia sneered coldly.

"Yes, so I have heard. Money he has stolen from various families. My own, included."

"If Julia is just after money, why did she turn down both Colonel Tarleton and Colonel Tavington? Both have loads of money, too. Colonel Tavington has several large family estates, as does Tarleton. What more does she want?"

"Weakness, Lauren. Neither Banastre or Col-William, areweak. They both are very strong willed men." Olivia grinned. "Lord Hastings may be a rogue, and a thief, but he is a weak one."

"Besides, Ban and William would not put up with her outside activities." Grace remarked drily.

Olivia and Lauren looked shocked.

"What outside activities?"

Grace shook her head.

"All I have heard, is she has other men."

"Oh?" Lauren nudged Olivia and smirked.

"Several last I heard. Mother mentioned about four or five, but that could just be Mother being polite."

Olivia laughed.

"When has your mother ever been polite?"

"She can be…"

"When there's something in it for her." Lauren snickered.

Grace muttered softly.

"At least she's not like your mother, Lauren Shaw!" She growled.

Lauren simply laughed at this.

"My mother is a bloody whore. I don't recommend that profession to anyone, least of all Lady Tarleton."

"How can you say that about your mother, Lauren?" Olivia couldn't begin to even imagine referring to her grandmother as such.

"Well she is. Why bother candy coating the facts? I mean, she's had eight different men in the last six months! I've been after the same man for the last two years! Now all I need to do is get his bloody attention, before Grace's cousin turns hers from Lord Hastings, to him."

"Lord Morland?" Grace's eyes widened.

"The very one, Gracie darling." Lauren started to the crypt doors. She pulled a packet of cigarettes out of her handbag. "Let's move this outdoors, shall we? I need a smoke."

Olivia grinned.

"Yes, I do believe I could use one, as well."

Grace's eyes widened even more.

"What does the Colonel say about you smoking, Livia? I can't believe he would find that very lady like."

"He doesn't seem to mind it. He smokes on occasion, usually when Edward is here, or Banastre has come to call. When those two get together…well, I know you've heard what happens."

"Bah!" Lauren snickered as they made their way down the steep stone stairs. "Let them have their fun. They've certainly earned that right."

"That's very true. Nevertheless, there are times when their well-deserved fun, gets out of hand. The servants nearly quit every time!" Olivia said quickly.

All three reached the main floor of the crypt at the same time. They laughed about this.

"Just how do we do that?" Lauren lit a cigarette once they were outside.

"Do what?" Grace asked.

"How do we all reach the main floor at exactly the same time? I mean, we go down the steps single file, and yet we reach the bottom at the same time."

Olivia smiled thoughtfully.

"Luck, I suppose."

Grace and Lauren nodded at his.

"That could be it." Lauren took a long drag off the cigarette.

"Pass me one, Lauren." Olivia held her hand out. Lauren passed her the packet.

"I thought you had your own, Livia?"

"I did, but William smoked them while we were at Grave's End. I meant to buy a packet when we reached London, but I forgot."

She shook a cigarette out of the packet, put it to her lips.

"Lighter." She held her hand out again.

Lauren shook her head.

"And I'm the maid here…"

"Not for long, love." Olivia lit the cigarette.

As soon as she did, she began choking.

Grace pounded her on the back.

"Haven't smoked one in quite some time, have you?"

Olivia shook her head. Her eyes had watered and she was a sickly pale.

"No. I tried to smoke one when we were at Grave's End."

Lauren grinned.

"What do you mean, you tried to smoke one?"

"Every time I tried, it made me choke. Or, it made me horribly ill."

Both Grace and Lauren glanced quickly at each other.

"Anything else happen?"

Olivia looked from Lauren to Grace suspiciously.

"Many things happened while we were there. Why?"

Lauren took another drag from her cigarette.

"Did you eat well?"

Olivia stared blankly at her friend.

"I…well…no." She finally admitted.

Lauren nudged Grace.

"Anything happen between you and the Colonel?"

"We didn't quarrel if that's what you're getting at." Olivia shot back.

Lauren smirked.

"That is definitely not what I was getting at, Livia."

"Well then what?"

"You know very well what I'm trying to say, Livia. Did anything happen between you and the Colonel? As in, did you sleep with him?"

Olivia's mouth dropped open.

"I…"

Lauren's face lit up.

"You did! I knew it!"

Olivia's expression went from shock to amusement.

"Yes, we did sleep together. Not this last time when we were at Grave's End…about three months ago. You know, when Edward came and spent the weekend at the Hall."

"When he brought those awful friends of his with him?" Grace asked.

"Yes. William made me pack in a hurry, too. He couldn't wait to leave!" Olivia laughed at the memory.

Lauren snickered softly.

"Trying to change the subject, are you? Won't work, my dear. So, let me see now…" She tossed her spent cigarette in the bushes, and lit another one. "That would mean, that you slept with him at that time, correct?"

Olivia nodded.

"No, I wasn't trying to change the subject, and yes, that is correct."

Lauren seemed to be calculating numbers in her head.

"Just over three months have gone by, since you were there."

"Yes. Lauren just what are you trying to say?"

Lauren's face lit up in a brilliant smile.

"Oh for crying out loud, Olivia Tavington! You're pregnant!"

Olivia's mouth dropped open once more.

"I'm what?"

"P-R-E-G-N-A-N-T." Lauren made a rocking motion with her arms. "As in, you and the Colonel, my dear Livia, are going to be parents!"

"What?" Olivia nearly screamed.

Grace giggled.

"Really, Liv, pregnant is pretty self explanatory…"

"Oh do shut up!" Olivia hissed. She seemed flustered.

"You should make an appointment with Doctor Warren, just to make certain."

"I'm going to have to tell William…" Olivia sighed.

"Whoa, slow down there, Livia! No need to get his hopes up…"

"Or make him terribly mad…" Grace pointed out. Olivia turned and glared hard at her.

"I doubt he would be mad, Gracie. I have heard him tell Lady Tavington, he couldn't wait to have children with Liv."

Grace shrugged.

"May have changed his mind?"

"I doubt that, too."

Olivia looked pale and sick.

"I'm not even old enough yet."

"Oh bah! Your birthday is this Thursday. You'll be nineteen…back in the Colonel's day, you would have had about a dozen little Tavington's by now."

Olivia rolled her eyes at Lauren.

"My God, how am I going to tell William this?" Lauren gave her a dangerous look. "I mean, once I know for certain that I am pregnant?"

"You just get him alone and put it to him straight. 'William darling, I am definitely very pregnant.'" Lauren snickered again.

"Oh yes, that will work nicely." Olivia muttered darkly. "And then there's my grandmother…"

"She will too happy to be getting a great grandchild, to be mad at you. Really, Livia! You worry too bloody much."

Olivia sneered at Lauren.

"If you're so damned certain how they will react to this, why don't you tell them?"

"I'm not the pregnant one, Liv."

Olivia shook her head.

"Oh yes, do make sport of this. William will be beside himself…"

"With joy and happiness." Lauren finished Olivia's sentence, much to the other girl's chagrin.

"He is going to be so terribly angry about this…" Olivia muttered.

"Oh stop." Grace remarked.

"Well, he will, you know. I think he might have preferred we had been married first."

"Might have thought about that before he bedded you, Liv."

Olivia sighed deeply.

"What a novel idea, Lauren. Sometimes these things just happen."

"That they do, but how many times they happen, is also a novel idea." She lit yet another cigarette. "Just how many times did he bed you, Livia?"

Olivia turned a deep red.

"I cannot believe you just asked me that Lauren Shaw!"

"Do get off your moral high horse, Olivia Tavington!" Lauren snarled. "Just say it. You're among friends here. No one else but us…not unless you think those three in there will hear us?" She jabbed her thumb towards the crypt entrance.

Olivia turned a brighter crimson.

"Fine! He has bedded me about a dozen times! Happy now?"

"Yes. Now how hard was that?" Lauren laughed as Olivia punched her in the arm. "You know you've wanted to tell us for the longest time!"

"You're right, I have been." Olivia smiled reluctantly.

"Why haven't you?" Grace wanted to know.

"There was never a proper time…."

"Really now? Never a proper time to tell your two best friends that the most handsome man in all of Wiltshire has bedded you, is that what you're saying? Because if it is, you're full of it." Lauren raised an eyebrow at her.

Olivia shook her head.

"Maybe, it's because my two best friends would have found a way to turn it into something nasty?"

Grace Tarleton looked aghast.

"I wouldn't have such a thing, Olivia!"

"Oh yes, you would."

"I know I would." Lauren pointed this out happily.

Olivia tilted her head and looked at both of them. Despite how they would have turned her being bedded by Colonel Tavington, into a free for all porn, she couldn't think of two other people she would have wanted to tell. She was comfortable with them. She had known them since she was a small girl, and she trusted them both.

"Great, now I'm like Mrs. Shaw!" Olivia hooted ungracefully.

"Oh my God! We need to hide you away before this hits the London streets!"

"Or, Julia finds out." Grace snickered.

Both stared at her.

"Now that would not be a good thing." Lauren crushed her cigarette with the heel of her shoe.

"Not at all." Olivia agreed.

"What do we do about it?" Grace moved closer to them.

Lauren smiled slowly.

"We stick together on this. Keep it between us, until Liv is certain she is pregnant."

All three smiled.

"Are we agreed on this?" Lauren held her hands out to the two women.

"We are." Grace and Olivia said in unison as they took her hands in theirs.

"Good. We cannot allow anyone to divide us on this matter. Not even the Colonel."

"He has a right to know, Lauren." Olivia remarked.

"And, he will. When the timk is right, he will be told. For now, we keep it between us."

"I don't like this, Lauren."

"You agreed, Liv. No backing out now."

Olivia grinned.

"I'm not backing out…I just don't like keeping anything from William."

Lauren squeezed her hand tightly.

"Don't worry, Liv."

Olivia still seemed unsure about the whole agreement.

"Alright. But I'm warning you Lauren Shaw, if William finds out and wants to know why I never told him…well, I'm throwing you under the trolley!"

Lauren laughed good-naturedly.

"Wouldn't be the first time, Liv. Now, let's do go back to the Hall. I'm starved."

They made their way down the steps to the lawn. After a moment, they disappeared beyond the line of willows that ringed the crypt.

A lone figure stood watching them. A slow, pleased smile spread over the figure's face.

"It is about time, my love."

And with that, Colonel Tavington descended the back steps to the lawn below.