To Esther, and Bordy blankets...
...every girl should have one.
3.
The weeks turned August into the first of October and Theodora Bordon still had no word from either her family-or that of her deceased husband's.
That didn't surprise her; she knew it could take months to get word from any of them. However, her situation with Bordon hadn't improved much either. And although he had given his permission to allow her to volunteer some of her time around camp, Teddy was at the point where she was happier to see him leave for patrols than she was to see him return.
Today, like most days, she had taken some time to help in the hospital tent and as always her help was greatly needed.
A bilious fever had taken its toll on the camp and several of His Majesty's finest were ill. The surgeons, physicians, and apothecaries were overwhelmed by it and on top of that, bands of Colonial Militia were popping up all over the countryside to skirmish with British troops.
The duty had fallen on Teddy to look after the patients with the fever, while the doctors and surgeons took care of the injured and more seriously ill.
At first, it was very difficult for Teddy. Every day she had to push herself to block out the smells and the sights of sickness and death that awaited her. But soon she found her niche with wiping the fevered brows, patting the hands and coaxing the dry lips of the sick soldiers to drink whatever concoctions the doctors ordered. She found most of the lads she tended to, were men and boys a long way from home and just needed simple comforting.
Teddy was dog tired when she left the hospital that evening. She was hungry, she felt grubby and she knew she smelled bad. Earlier in the day, before she left her tent, she had thought with enough foresight, to leave herself a tub of water with a kettle on the fire ready to heat it with when she came home. As she walked back to her tent Teddy felt a light chill in the air and wondered if they were in for some rain. She wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed them warm. The coolness only made her long for her bath and bed even more and she couldn't shake the disappointment when she saw the glows of candles coming from her tent. Bordon was back and her kettle was missing.
Damnation!
Sure enough, Teddy found Bordon inside dressed in clean shirt and breeches, combing out the wet locks of his hair. She needn't bother to see the remnants of her bath tub fantasy cooling in the corner.
Teddy's shoulders slumped in obvious disappointment as she asked, "What are you doing here?"
Perplexed, Bordon tilted his head slightly.
"Well?" She demanded.
"These are my quarters," he answered tersely. "Or perhaps you've forgotten."
"And I suppose you used all my hot water as well?"
"If by your hot water you mean that which was in the kettle, I used most of it for my bath but there is still enough for tea."
"It never occurred to you that perhaps that water was meant for my bath?"
Teddy was disappointed in his lack of consideration for her but she couldn't quite put her finger on why. She should be used to it by now. She couldn't understand why he had offered to help her in the first place. Maybe it was because he did feel a certain duty towards Ram. But why the need to constantly let her down?
Teddy had hoped that throughout this little marriage of convenience she and Captain Bordon could at least be amiable towards each other. But he was turning out to be an arrogant, pretentious ass, that looked at her as if she were nothing more than something to occupy space. His answer only served to prove her point.
"Yes it occurred to me. But as you were not here and I found myself needing a bath, I took one. I'm sure if you hurry the water will still be warm," Bordon said as he tucked in his shirt.
Teddy wanted to throttle him. But then she had an idea how she could really rile him.
Bordon could not understand why this woman was constantly provoking him. At first he thought it was probably due to her grief but now he assumed it must be some type of flaw in her character. It seemed as though the only time she was pleasant towards him was when she wanted something. He could barely open his mouth without offending her. That only served to add to the enormous amount of pressure the Dragoons were under to find the so-called Ghost and someone known as The Swamp Fox, and it was wearing on his patience.
The Colonial Militia had taken to guerrilla tactics, attacking supply lines, destroying bridges, making roads impassible and killing off every British soldier they came across. This made Lord General Cornwallis angry and when he was angry he made Colonels Tarleton and Tavington very unhappy. Being that Colonel Tavington was Bordon's commander and Bordon served as his aide, when Colonel Tavington was unhappy, he made Bordon absolutely fucking miserable.
Of course his wife wouldn't know this- it wasn't her place to. But right now he had half a mind to knock her arse down into that tub, clothes and all. Instead, he said something he knew she would find snarky and by the look on her face, he had struck his target.
Without a word or even a second glance, the little harpy began to disrobe in front of him. Not even so much as a blush would cast over her skin as Teddy stared him down while her clothing quickly made a pile of dirty laundry on the floor.
She was beautiful.
To say that Captain Bordon was a bit gob-smacked would have been putting it mildly. He wanted to look away. He knew he should look away. But what made matters worse, Bordon couldn't look away. Teddy was like nothing he ever remembered seeing before. When she turned and sat down in the tub, beginning her ablutions, Bordon saw all of her.
Teddy's blue eyes never once left his as he stood there in stunned silence. He detected a certain triumph in them and managed to gather what remained of his wits. Bordon was only left with one option. He stepped back into his boots, grabbed his waistcoat and left.
Teddy laughed as Bordon stormed out of the tent leaving her without a word.
Then for some reason she let the stress of the whole scene get the best of her and she broke down and cried. She had no idea how much more of this she could take. But what really frustrated her- what really made her angry at everyone including herself- was that she honestly had no idea what to do about it.
Teddy finished her tepid bath, put on a fresh shift and wrapped up in her blankets. She never managed to fight off the chill she had taken and decided to crawl into bed and forget today ever happened.
She had no idea what time Captain Bordon came in, she was already asleep. But later she woke to the sound of rain patting the roof of the tent. And the unmistakable dampness of the cold weather crept up through the canvas cot, chilling her to the bone. Teddy quietly stalked over to where Bordon slept, tempted to steal back the quilt he was tucked under. She didn't steal his blankets. She did however do what most Northern girls did in her situation. With cold hands and feet and chattering teeth, Teddy added her blankets to his pile and crawled in with him.
"What do you think you're doing?" Bordon grumbled at her in the dark.
"Trying to get warm. My cot is freezing," she said, nudging him. "Move over."
"I hardly think this is a good idea…" he protested.
Teddy cut him off. "Oh stop being such an old woman. People have been bundling together to keep warm for ages."
He turned away from her with a grunt and she settled against him back to back, smiling to herself at the gasp he made when she rested her icy feet against his bare calves. That would teach him not to steal her bathwater.
Bordon couldn't believe her audacity, but being too tired to fight, he allowed her this one battle. And later when he woke again, he regretted it.
He must have rolled over at one point while he slept. Now his bed mate was sound asleep, tucked against him, her back to his chest, her feet entangled with his legs and God help him, her bottom…well, it was best not to think about that right now.
The crook of Teddy's neck was being supported by the bicep of his arm and Bordon was trying to think of how he might be able to pull away without waking her when he realized his other arm was tucked up under the soft warmth of her breasts. What he didn't realize, was that Teddy lay there awake as well, thinking about the same thing.
She had been dreaming about something that totally escaped her mind when she opened her eyes in the dark. She could still hear part of the dream echo away, mingling with the sound of rain outside the tent. Yet instead of the cold dampness that had awakened her earlier, she found herself engulfed in warmth. Bordon had settled on her like something that could only be described as a toasty, man blanket.
Teddy was used to sleeping with a man so it did not bother her that he was pressed against her so intimately. What bothered her was the tinge of guilt she felt, as if she were betraying Ram. She forced the thought from her mind and turned into Bordon's chest. Reveling in the heat, the soothing rise and fall of his breath and the comfort of being held, Teddy settled back to sleep.
The following morning Teddy woke to find herself alone and couldn't deny her disappointment. She wasn't sure which one of them had finally cracked. But she knew when she woke in Captain Bordon's arms during the night that things might possibly improve between them. Maybe she had finally gotten comfortable enough with him, and he with her, that they could set some of the hostility aside.
She started her morning by dressing and making her way to mess so she could break her fast before beginning her daily routine.
Teddy glanced around the busy tent, hoping to find Bordon or maybe a friendly face to dine with when she heard a familiar and flirtatious male voice from behind say, "If it's me you're looking for, darling, I'm right here."
She turned around to find the smiling face of a young Dragoon she had recently taken care of. He had been very sick with what the doctors thought was something called yellow fever and Teddy was glad to see him finally up and about.
"Good morning, Colonel Tarleton. I'm glad to see you feeling better. As happy as I am to see you, I was actually looking for my husband."
"Your husband?" Tarleton said with a disapproving glance that ended with a curve in his lips.
"Yes, Captain Bordon. Do you know him?"
"Captain Bordon is your husband? He asked skeptically. His eyes widened as she nodded. Teddy had astounded the young commander, but she wasn't sure why.
"I know it must be hard to believe, Colonel," Captain Bordon said as he stepped up to Teddy's side. "but this is my wife Mrs. Theodora Bordon."
Colonel Tarleton was rendered speechless for a moment and then he grinned saying, "Well done, Bordy…well done indeed."
Bordon guided Teddy over to an empty table but he remained rather quiet while she ate her breakfast. She knew something was on his mind and left him be. When she finished, he escorted her out and she walked with him through the camp, knowing he was heading back to their tent and was about to ride out on patrol-again.
"Teddy," he said keeping his voice low. "You would do well to keep your distance from Colonel Tarleton."
"I happen to like him." Teddy did like Colonel Banastre Tarleton. He was young and handsome, very athletic and only two years her senior. She hated the fact that he had been so ill but truth be told, she looked forward to tending him while he was. And why shouldn't she have some friends?
"That is always the trouble with Ban," Bordon explained. "Women always like him and he likes them. Nonetheless, it would be very bad for both of us if you gave the appearance of being interested in his attentions."
Teddy looked at him a little puzzled. Bordon wasn't demanding anything; he wasn't being snide or uppity with her. He was suggesting- gently suggesting- that she stay clear of Banastre Tarleton. Yet somehow he sounded more serious about this request than anything else he had asked of her up to this point.
Then Bordon stopped in his tracks and placed his hand over hers, pressing it against his arm. "Perhaps, just for the sake of your protection and my reputation it would be best if we….behaved in a more...married fashion in public."
"You're afraid he would cuckold you?" Teddy asked, always searching his stoic face.
"As I said, it would be very bad for both of us," he told her.
Teddy lingered around the tent while he gathered his gear and left her wondering exactly how she should go about proving her marriage in the public eye.
It wasn't that she was offended. She knew in this case he was right. It was fine for a married officer to engage with some of the camp prostitutes, but frowned upon to engage another officer's wife in an affair. Not that it didn't happen, but it was bad for morale and bad for the cuckolded officer's reputation.
It would also be a bad idea to give the impression that Captain Bordon wasn't protecting what was seemingly his to protect. That could only result in harm coming to Teddy. So she decided she would go and give Captain Bordon- her new husband- a good-bye more fitting of a young married couple. If anyone doubted their marital status after that, they were blind or stupid.
Teddy found him near the stables with Colonel Tavington and about fifteen other Dragoons mounted and ready to ride out.
Oh lord, he's already mounted! Teddy thought as she summoned her courage and called out to him anyway.
Wondering what she could possibly want, Bordon glanced at his commander who gave him an approving nod and he brought his horse up to meet her.
Teddy had been running to catch him and was now standing there breathless. She looked up at him and crooked her finger so he had to bend down to hear what she had to say.
"I almost forgot to give you a proper farewell, Andrew," she said. The rapidness of her breathing made it almost sound seductive. Teddy slipped a finger under his chin strap, pulling his face down to hers and kissed him.
The kiss wasn't anything passionate. It was just a sweet, simple kiss that Bordon couldn't stop himself from returning. When she broke it, she let go of his chin strap and Bordon sat upright in his saddle. Then he saw it; the expectant look in her eye that always made his guard go up.
Captain Bordon was used to people looking at him as if they wanted something from him. Either because of who his father was or because of his military rank. But with Teddy it was different. She was the only person he'd ever known that made him feel lacking in character for not giving it.
Teddy wondered for a moment as Bordon's gaze lingered on her if she had just made enormous mistake. Then his expression softened and there was a change in the look of his mouth. A change that to anyone else would have been written off as a twitch or a tic. But to Teddy who had been waiting and watching for it in his every stolid expression for the last six weeks, it was a smile.
She stood there very pleased with herself and called out as he rode back towards his men, "God's speed…..husband."
The Dragoons may have been out of Teddy's earshot by the time they left camp. All the same, Bordon could not mistake the mocking sound of Captain Wilkins imitating Teddy's parting words in a falsetto voice. He also couldn't mistake the amused expression on Tavington's face. Nor could he resist the urge to quip back.
"Jealous bastards!"