2.
Within a few days of his proposal, Captain Andrew Bordon had made all the necessary arrangements for a marriage to Theodora Edwards.
He wasn't exactly sure why he made the suggestion in the first place. It just felt like the right thing to do at the time. As his long- time friend Ram Edwards lay dying he asked Bordon to watch over Mrs. Edwards. And she had looked so panic stricken when she told him she worried for her future now that her husband had passed.
"Look after my Teddy," the Infantry captain said desperately to Bordon that fateful day. "She's a sweet girl but it's doubtful her family will want her. Send her to mine if you must…."
Bordon had no intention of marrying her or anyone else right now for that matter. He imagined his parents had probably already chosen a nice English girl for him to marry, or at least had a few in mind. And if that was what he was obliged to do, then he would carry it out when he returned home rather than face his father's wrath or disinheritance. But Captain Edwards' plea had struck a cord with Bordon and when Mrs. Edwards admitted she had no idea what she would do next, the thought just came to him.
He couldn't fathom the notion of allowing oneself to be disowned by family for love. And he hoped for Mrs. Edwards's sake that Ram's family would be willing to take her in if her family would not. It could take months to find out; months she didn't have. Bordon had felt a duty to see to it that Theodora Edwards was looked after until she could find a home for herself. That was the precise and only reason he had asked her to marry him. It would be a simple solution to a temporary problem. And being that officers were almost always expected to marry, it was possible he might benefit from the arrangement as well.
It wasn't hard for Bordon to understand why Ram had chosen his wife Teddy- as he had called her. As boys at Eton and even during their younger days racketing about London, Ramsey Edwards always seemed to go for the dark-haired, blue-eyed beauties. Bordon could see as plain as day that Mrs. Edwards certainly fit that mold the minute he saw her. She was average height, slim built with the blackest hair that shined like satin and eyes as blue as periwinkles. She was very pretty in the face with a clear ivory complexion and a smile that could be described as quite lovely.
Had she been a good wife? Would she make a good wife to him? He had no idea and could care less. Mrs. Edwards would be nothing more to him than a bunkmate. Someone he would co-habitat with until it was time for her to leave.
The day they were married Bordon was surprised to find his intended to be a bit nervous. He couldn't understand it. He thought he had made it very clear to her that he wished nothing more than a marriage in name only. She would be free to live her life just as she had before. He was a reasonable man after all and it wasn't as if she hadn't done this before. By her own admittance she had run off with Edwards and that would have taken at least some fearlessness on her part. But now she seemed as jumpy and nervous as a virgin bride and he hoped it was the circumstances causing her hands to shake rather than a trait in her personality.
As far as Teddy was concerned, she had every right to be nervous. And as Captain Bordon took her hand and they repeated their vows she tried to control her nerves. They had no marriage contract and even if they had she knew there was nothing that would guarantee a marriage in name only.
As her husband he could discipline her as he saw fit and even bed her, regardless of her wishes. He could take away every freedom she enjoyed and the courts and laws of the land would always side with him. She had to trust that he would indeed honor their agreement and take him at his word. Blind trust was a difficult thing for her to swallow yet she found herself wanting to trust Captain Bordon.
Teddy had been lucky with Ram as her husband. Because she had married him so young at the age of seventeen, she never realized the power a husband could wield over his wife. That is until she began to see how other soldiers and officers treated their wives. It was rarely the pretty picture of love and companionship that most young girls imagined and certainly not the partnership she enjoyed with Ram. She wondered what he would say if he could see her now.
There were no flowers and no special dress for the occasion. Teddy simply wore the nicest gown and petticoat she had and of course Bordon was in uniform. She kept the wedding band Ram had given her, as there was no sense in Bordon purchasing her a new one. There was to be no kiss and they were witnessed only by one man who introduced himself as Bordon's commander, Colonel William Tavington.
After the chaplain pronounced them husband and wife, Bordon and Teddy shared their wedding dinner in the officer's mess. It didn't really matter; she wasn't concerned about all the niceties most brides expected on their wedding day. What she was concerned about most was her safety and when all this would end and she could go home. Wherever that might be.
Theodora Bordon -as she was to be called now- discovered two things about her new husband that day. One, was that his middle name was Patrick and two, was that he would be gone from camp quite a bit with the Dragoons.
Captain Bordon took her 'home' to his quarters and gave her a quick show around, explaining that her things had been already moved to his tent. Then he told her to make herself at home and left on patrol. So she did.
A few days later, Teddy watched as Captain Bordon passed their tent three times before he noticed her sitting under the fly she had added. Ram had purchased it years ago and it served as a sort of sun porch for those hot Carolina days when the heat inside the tent proved too intense to tolerate. Teddy hated to see it go to waste and brought it with her. She also added a small folding table and chairs for dining alfresco or chatting with friends and fellow officers over for a friendly game of cards. Considering she had no real home of her own, entertaining a few of her husband's friends was something she always enjoyed. Teddy always tried to make them feel welcome, knowing that most were missing their own homes and families and she hoped she would have the opportunity to continue with that duty.
When her husband saw her he stopped dead in his tracks and looked up at the fly. Without a word, he stepped past her and pushed back the tent flap.
Bordon couldn't believe his eyes. His quarters had been transformed into something he barely recognized. His new wife had indeed made herself at home. Aside from the tent fly and table and chairs outside, Teddy had also done a bit of redecorating to the inside.
The first thing he noticed were the quilts she placed not only on the camp cot he provided her with, transforming it into something that looked more like a real bed, she had also spread one across his bed. Her trunks were neatly stowed in the corners and she had added a few candle lanterns and sconces along the tent poles for additional lighting. An old wool blanket had been hung for privacy and one of her trunks hadn't been a trunk at all. It was actually a folding cupboard of sorts and it now held kitchen wares and a few provisions for making and serving light meals or tea.
As he took in all the changes he heard her ask, "Well, do you like it?"
Bordon wasn't sure how to answer because he wasn't sure he did like it. He stepped over to his desk to see if anything had been done to it and found it as he had left it.
"You said I should make myself at home," he heard her say a little more timidly now.
"Yes, I did," Bordon replied grimly. But when he turned to her, he saw a pleading in her face that made him soften. He couldn't bring himself to say anything negative and instead he told her, "It looks fine. You did well."
As the weeks went by and the Bordon's became better acquainted, Teddy started to notice certain things about her new husband. The most noticeable and appreciated habit he possessed was that Captain Bordon had impeccable personal hygiene.
Every time he came in from a regular patrol he wanted hot water to wash and a shave, never letting his beard growth come anywhere near the three day limit. Whenever he was gone for more than a few days at a time he insisted on a full bath-even waiting to eat sometimes until he could have one.
The amusing thing was, he never once asked Teddy to assist him as most husbands would. He never expected her wash his hair or scrub his back or have his water ready. Even Ram wanted his back washed from time to time. But Bordon only expected her to leave him in peace and privacy for a while, giving him time to complete the task. And since she always liked being around a good clean man, Teddy didn't mind at all.
Teddy was also learning how to gage his stony facial expressions. Considering she had yet to see him crack a joke let alone a smile, she figured when his face brightened, he was happy, or at least content and possibly eager about something. When his brows darted up, he was surprised. When he frowned or scowled, he was either very engrossed in what he was doing at the moment, or he was he was upset about something. Since he always seemed to be looking at her when he held that expression, Teddy assumed it was the later. But every now and then his expression would soften and something would flicker in his eyes, yet she could never quite figure that one out.
He always slept on his back or his belly and sometimes not at all. Many nights she would leave him at his desk pouring over paperwork or maps only to find him in the same position the following morning.
Teddy also discovered that Captain Bordon was the second son of The Earl of Westcliff. As one of the oldest titled families in England, they held a vast estate in the southern county of Hampshire. Even though Bordon wasn't in line for his father's title, Teddy understood that he was under a certain amount of pressure from his family to do well for himself in every way possible. And that wouldn't include her- a minister's daughter.
Pretty soon the two of them began to get on each others nerves.
It started out with simple things really. And always seemed to take place in the evening hours after supper and before bedtime when they were most likely to be alone together. When most newlyweds would enjoy spending some quiet time together, the Bordon's bickered and fussed like children.
It usually started when Bordon would become irritated over some trivial thing that Teddy always seemed to be doing. Like the fact that she was always misplacing her things and then expecting Bordon-when he was there-to help her find them. The worst of it for Teddy came when she lost a silver aigrette Ram had given her when they were first married. Fed up with her seemingly lack of care for her belongings, Bordon had refused to help her look for it.
Not only was Teddy hurt when Bordon refused her, but she was heartbroken over the sentimental loss and realized the hair ornament was probably gone for good. But then so was Ram, and it was then that Teddy decided it was probably time to start moving on a little. She reminded herself that the aigrette was just a material possession and the most important thing were the memories behind it.
Bordon made a hasty comment one day out of aggravation with Teddy, saying that she was common and she talked too much. Teddy refused to speak to him for three days. Not a single peep was uttered from her lips. At first, Bordon relished her silence. But when the captain finally left for another patrol, he couldn't understand why he felt so unsettled over not hearing her usual "Good-bye, Andrew and be safe."
Of course the first chance Teddy had, she threw the comment back in his face, completely catching him off guard.
One evening while he worked at his desk he noticed her pour a mysterious pink liquid into a mug and drink it. Curious as to what it was, he asked casually, "What are you drinking?"
"Strawberry wine," she answered, refilling from the stoneware jug. "I'd offer you some but I doubt you'll like it."
Bordon's eyebrows darted up. "What makes you say that?"
"It's common and it might make you talk too much," she retorted smugly. "We wouldn't want that now, would we?"
Bordon stared blankly at her for a minute. Then he quietly turned back to his work and said nothing else.
They argued over her hanging her wash out on a line where everyone might see it. Teddy could have cared less and said she refused to wear dirty clothing for weeks at a time like most Englishmen did, knowing the barb would irritate Bordon. She knew in his case it wasn't true anymore than it had been for Ram. But nor was it something he could deny in the case of some of his fellow officers. Teddy also knew he would take the cut personally, and of course he did.
She could have moved the line to a less conspicuous location. Or, she could have taken her laundry to have it washed by one of the laundresses around camp for a few coins. But knowing that it irritated him to see her shifts, stockings, and other garments hanging on the line right out in the open gave her a sense of vindication. So, she did it anyway.
Then there was a bit of a quarrel over her boredom which escalated into something Teddy could only later describe as priceless.
In Bordon's opinion, Teddy always seemed to hover constantly to the point of nearly driving him to madness. She didn't mean to hover so much, but the fact was he never let her do anything for him and there was only so much that needed to be done for herself. Bordon however began to think of it as her way of pestering and frustrating him the way he knew other men complained of their wives and he didn't appreciate it one bit.
"Do you not have something else to do?" He asked her one night with an irritated tone.
"No, I don't because you won't let me do anything around here," Teddy answered pointedly. "I sit around and do nothing while you're here and I sit around and do nothing while you're gone"
He looked up from his desk and considered her a moment and then asked, "Do you read?"
"Of course I do," she replied frowning. She knew plenty of women who could not read-even women above her station. But the way he asked the question made it sound condescending, as if he were trying to mock her intelligence. And she was really starting to tire of his haughtiness.
"I have a collection of Shakespeare you would be welcome to. You might enjoy The Taming of the Shrew," he suggested with an inflection that implied she might learn a lesson from the story.
"Oh ha! The Taming of the Shrew," Teddy snapped. "How very funny. Shakespeare bores me. I found your copy of Arabian Nights much more entertaining.
"You read Arabian Nights?" he asked incredulously. Now she was getting a reaction.
"It was on your shelf," was her succinct reply.
"Such a book is hardly fit for a lady," he said. A blush started to creep up his face. Teddy couldn't believe it. He was a captain in the army and he was blushing over her choice of reading material. Reading materials that she had chosen from his own collection. Oh, this was so much fun. Teddy couldn't resist goading him on.
"What?" She said with a casual shrug. "It's not as if it was Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure."
"You have read that…that…obscenity?" Bordon sputtered. His face was beet red now. It almost matched the color of his uniform jacket.
Teddy laughed with delight at his apparent embarrassment. "Not exactly," she admitted wryly and then added for extra shock, "Ram read it to me."
Bordon's eyes widened with horror. He opened his mouth to say something and snapped it closed again.
Teddy chuckled. Picking up her tea she left him in stunned silence to sit outside and enjoy the evening air a bit. The Honorable Captain Andrew Bordon was so different from her easy going Ram. Ram was a joy to be around. He had an intense sense of duty to The Crown just as she knew Bordon did. But Ram loved life and he loved to laugh. And she wondered how much more of her antics Bordon would tolerate before he reached his breaking point. Even more so, she wondered when would she reach hers.
Just for the record...Arabian Nights as it's known in English is a book of folk tales originally written in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It was translated in 1704 as Arabian Nights' Entertainment. The most recognized stories from the collection include Sinbad the sailor, Aladin and Ali Baba and his forty theives. However, some of the tales also consisted of some erotica and would have been considered scandalous for an 18th century woman to read.
Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure (aka Fanny Hill or The Life and Adventures of Miss Fanny Hill) was written in 1748 about an English maiden that turns to prostitution when her parents die. In those days, it was considered pornographic. Especially when one considers the artwork. By today's standards at best it would be considered smut.
The Earl of Westcliff is a fictional title I added as a nod to romance author Lisa Kleypas.
An aigrette is an 18th century precursor to the modern hair barrette.