A short time later, Charlotte and Tavington were enjoying a private dinner out on the veranda. The newlyweds wanted to have as much private time together as possible before he'd have to spend most of his time out in the countryside chasing rebels.

After their meal had been served and they were left alone, Tavington asked, "What did you do while I was away? I hope you're finished with the farm business as I've decided it's time that you move to the fort. There's simply too much potential for rebel activity in this area for me to feel save leaving you alone here for any extended period of time."

"Oh, yes, I'm ready to go," she assured him. "I've finished with the books, and I've thoroughly inspected the farm." Putting a gentle hand on his arm, she said, "I kept busy, you see, so I wouldn't sit around brooding, worrying too much if you were safe. Despite that, however, I could not relax until I saw you appear at the end of the lane."

"There was no need to worry," he assured her, smiling as he put one hand over hers. "We had the battle well in hand and most of my time away was spent in rounding up stragglers." He did not mention having to kill the reckless teenage boy at the first farm, as he didn't wish to upset her delicate feminine sensibilities.

Changing the subject, he murmured, "Why don't we go to bed early tonight? We're going to have to get an early start in the morning and I've been thinking all day long about lying with you this evening."

"An excellent idea," she said, without so much as a hint of a blush.

A very short time later, they went inside to retire. As they passed by the front sitting room, they saw Bordon and Wilkins playing a game of chess.

"I'll be just a moment," Tavington told Charlotte. "I need to have a word with the captains."

As Charlotte waited at the bottom of the stairs, Tavington entered the room to speak with the two men.

"Mistress Tavington and I are retiring for the evening," he informed them briefly. "I do not wish to be disturbed unless it is a dire emergency. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," both men said in unison, repressing their instinctive smiles.

"Excellent," he said, turning away from them. "I want to be on the road to Fort Carolina tomorrow morning by six at the latest. Make sure the men are ready."

After the men had acknowledged his orders, Tavington returned to Charlotte and the couple mounted the steps with no further ado, eager to be in one another's arms once again.

---------

Shortly after Tavington and his dragoons had left his farm in ruins and had turned Gabriel over to the infantry soldiers, Benjamin Martin had gathered his remaining sons together. He'd been able to retrieve the family guns from the burning farmhouse and had decided to follow the infantry unit to try to rescue Gabriel if an opportunity presented itself. He had no one to help him, save his two oldest remaining sons, but they'd suffice, as he'd taught them well in managing rifles and muskets.

Luck had been with them, as the three Martins had been able to save Gabriel, though it had necessitated a lot of bloodshed to accomplish. Benjamin Martin had wanted to stay out of the war; to mind his own business and to tend to his family's welfare, but Tavington's invasion of his farm had changed all that. And with what he'd had to do to save Gabriel's life, Martin knew he'd effectively burned his bridges behind him. As they'd returned to their homestead where the younger children waited, Martin vowed to enlist as many of his neighbours as possible to form a partisan group to drive the British from the countryside.

Now that Gabriel was safe, Ben turned his attention to finding a safe place to take his remaining children. Charlotte's plantation was closest; about seven miles downriver on the Santee. Charlotte still hadn't been in residence the last time he'd checked a couple of weeks ago and it was unlikely that she'd be there now, but he knew that she'd welcome the children into her home, considering what had happened.

Ben had decided that once the children were settled in their aunt's home that he'd have to risk another trip to Charles Town to plead his case with Charlotte yet again, to see if she would see reason this time and consent to marry him. Now, more than ever before, his children needed her.

After they'd returned to the burnt farmhouse, Ben had taken the time to give Thomas a proper burial and to salvage whatever he could from the ruined farm. He and the boys managed to shoot a few rabbits, which had become the family's supper. Then, after a few hours of rest, the family set out for Charlotte's plantation on foot.

They stayed off the main road, not wanting to risk running into any British night patrols. Stopping often to rest, they did not reach Charlotte's plantation until just before the sun was rising. As they neared the end of the woods that abutted her property, Ben Martin heard an indistinct murmuring sound that soon revealed itself to be the sound of several voices as they moved closer to the edge of the woods. Then he suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of horses at intermittent intervals: snuffling, whinnying, the faint squeaks of saddle leather and the jingling of metal parts, along with the clip-clop of equine hooves. From the frequency and the volume of the equine sounds, Ben realized there were far more horses at Charlotte's plantation than normal.

Holding up one hand for silence, he motioned for the group to halt. "Wait here with the children until I investigate," he told Gabriel.

The young man nodded, having heard the same sounds as his father had. Putting a finger to his lips, warning the children to remain quiet, he watched his father carefully creep forward. Within a couple of minutes, Ben hurried back.

"Green Dragoons!" he hissed. "They're all over the grounds!"

"What are you going to do?" Gabriel asked. "If Aunt Charlotte is in there, she's in danger!"

"First of all, we don't know if she's even there," Ben pointed out. "And it looks like they just spent the night here, as some of them are still breaking up camp. It doesn't appear as if they plan to fire the house, so I'd guess that Charlotte isn't there."

After a pause, he continued, "I'm going to sneak up to hide under the porch to see if I can hear anything that might be useful. And if I'm going to do it, I need to do it now, while it's still not fully light. The tree cover should also help to conceal my approach."

"Why don't you let me do it, Father?" Gabriel asked.

"Because you've escaped from British custody," Ben told him. "If they catch you, they'll hang you immediately. If they catch me, I can merely say I'm there to visit my sister-in-law."

"All right," Gabriel conceded grudgingly.

"And if they do catch me, I don't want to try to rescue me," Ben told him firmly. "I want you to get the children out of here as quickly as possible to head for your Uncle Henry's and Aunt Sarah's farm. The children's welfare must come first. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," the young man acknowledged.

Turning to the other children, Ben said, "I want you all to remain very quiet and obey Gabriel while I'm gone. It's very important." After hugging each child in turn, he quickly made his way to the edge of the forest.

Surveying the scene in front of him, he concluded that the dragoons were preparing to ride out and were not paying particular attention to the woods surrounding the plantation. Taking his chance, he quietly crept forward, moving from bush to bush to aid in concealment. Luck was with Benjamin Martin, as he reached the edge of the porch undetected.

The high porch had a large crawl space underneath, screened by wooden latticework. Ben knew the latticework had come loose in one corner and if pulled would allow him to squeeze inside the space underneath the porch. Indeed, on the visits his family had made over the years to the Selton plantation, his children had made ample use of this space in their play.

No sooner than Ben crawled under the porch and pulled the latticework back into place than he heard the front door open and close.

"Tell the men to mount up, Bordon, as we'll be leaving shortly," a haughty cold voice ordered.

Ben froze at the sound of the voice, which he recognized immediately. It was Tavington, the man who had carelessly killed Thomas and had sentenced Gabriel to death. He had to struggle to resist his immediate urge to rush out and attack the man, knowing he'd be signing his own death warrant if he did so. Instead, he hunkered down to continue to eavesdrop.

"Yes, sir," another British voice answered. "Right away."

"Wilkins, are Mistress Tavington's pack horses loaded and ready to go?" Tavington demanded.

"Yes, sir," Wilkins said. "I had two men take of that this morning."

"Excellent," Tavington replied briskly.

Martin heard the sound of boots quickly descending the stairs. Peering out of the lattice work, he saw the two officers whom Tavington had just spoken to. He recognized his old neighbour, Jim Wilkins, and was not terribly surprised to see that he'd joined the Green Dragoons, as his Tory leanings had been no secret to anyone in the community. A moment later, he heard the front door open again.

"Ah, there you are, darling." Tavington's voice had changed from businesslike ice into a seductive purr, which caused Ben Martin to give off an instinctive shudder. After hearing the unmistakable sound of kissing, he heard a feminine voice reply, "Ready when you are, William, dear. Although I'm surprised we were able to awaken in time, considering how long as you kept me awake with your lovemaking last night." A low laugh, laced with a distinct undercurrent of satisfied lust, followed her words."

Ben's jaw dropped when he recognized his sister-in-law's voice using a tone of voice she'd never used with him in all the years he'd known her. He could hardly believe his ears -- she was Mistress Tavington? Suddenly, it all made sense and he now understood the cold note of refusal to his proposal she'd sent back with the little boy a few weeks ago.

Knowing that his sister-in-law was safe, at least for the time being, he sagged against one of the porch's support pillars, wondering how she'd ended up with Tavington. He was still concerned for her welfare, but knowing that she was in no immediate danger, he put her out of his mind. His first concern was the well-being of his children.

Once again hearing the sound of footsteps on the stairs, he leaned forward to catch a glimpse of Charlotte, dressed in a riding habit walking with her arm linked with Tavington's toward a pair of waiting horses. A plainly dressed woman, whom Ben remembered as one of Charlotte's indentured servants, trailed behind them.

He watched Tavington help Charlotte to mount her horse, raising an eyebrow to see her mounting astride. After she was settled on the horse, Ben seethed to see her look down at that barbarian Tavington with such a tender look of love in her eyes.

He'd been trying for years to persuade Charlotte to marry him, and she had put him off each time. It galled him how this haughty British officer had just breezed into her life and had seemingly instantly swept her off her feet. He'd heard that the British had finally taken Charles Town on May 12, so she couldn't have known Tavington all that long.

Martin wondered what this British dragoon had that he didn't have that appealed so to Charlotte. Money, perhaps. And if not that, it had been fairly obvious to him that Tavington came from a privileged, aristocratic background. He'd thought that Charlotte was above being impressed by such things, but apparently not.

But now was not the time to brood about such matters. He had his children to think of. From his hiding place, he watched the dragoons depart the plantation, with Tavington and Charlotte, riding side by side, leading the column. Ben remained in the hiding place for a half hour more after he watched the end of the column disappear from sight, just to be on the safe side.

After he was sure the dragoons would not return, Benjamin Martin warily crawled out of his hiding place. He needed to question the slaves about Charlotte's marriage, particularly Rufus and Magnolia, and see if it would be safe to bring the children to stay there at least for a few days. He made his way around to the back of the house where he found Rufus' son Lucius chopping some firewood.

"Mister Martin!" the young man exclaimed, unnerved by his sudden appearance. "You just missed Miss Charlotte!"

"I know, Lucius," Martin said quietly. "I just saw her ride out with the Green Dragoons. I need to know more about that, too."

Nervously scratching his head, the young man said, "You'd best talk to my father about that. It ain't my place to say nothin'."

"I understand," Ben said, a slight note of impatience in his voice. "Where could I find Rufus right now?"

"He'd be in the kitchen," Lucius reported. "He and Mama are eating their breakfasts."

"Are all the dragoons gone?" Ben asked.

"As far as I know," the young man said, shrugging.

Ben entered the kitchen carefully, alert to any possible dragoons that might have stayed behind. He found the middle-aged slave couple quite by themselves, quietly enjoying their shared breakfast.

As the farmer crept stealthily into the room, Magnolia jumped up in surprise to suddenly see Miss Charlotte's former brother-in-law standing before her.

"Mister Ben!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up.. "You gave me such a fright!"

Rufus raised one eyebrow at the white man, guessing that the timing of his arrival had been no mere coincidence. "Miss Charlotte left no more 'n a half hour ago. You just missed her."

"I know, Rufus," Ben said. "I was burned out by the British yesterday and I was bringing the children here to stay until I can rebuild." He did not tell him that he'd decided to give up his neutrality to fight the British.

"But when we got here, we found the place overrun with the very same group of dragoons who'd come to my farm yesterday," he continued. "And, then, to my complete surprise, I saw Mistress Selton riding off with them, apparently of her own free will!"

Giving the slaves a hard stare, he demanded, "What's going on?"

"Mistress Selton got married," Rufus told him carefully. "She's Mistress Tavington now. Her husband, Colonel Tavington, is bossman of all those dragoons."

"When did this happen?" Martin demanded. "Why didn't you tell me about their upcoming wedding when I was here a couple of weeks ago?"

"We don't rightly know when they got married," Magnolia put in. "And we didn't know nothin' about it until they showed up here already married a few days ago. It done surprised us as much as it surprised you."

Ben was silent for a moment as he digested that information. Charlotte had apparently married in haste, not really knowing what sort of man Tavington was. And now, unfortunately, she would repent in leisure. He could not help but wonder if Tavington had compromised her honour, thus forcing a marriage on her in order to save her good name.

"I see," he finally said. "Do you know if they'll be coming back any time soon? My children need a place to rest for a few days until I can find a better place for them to stay while I'm rebuilding, as I would hardly think that Colonel Tavington would be happy to see us living here."

"Miss Charlotte told me they were going to Fort Carolina," Magnolia said. "The Colonel doesn't think it's safe for her to live here all the time. I don't expect that we'll be seeing her for a few months at least."

Ben considered this for a long interval and concluded it was probably safe to stay here for a night or two. But no longer than that, because it was quite likely that Tavington would stop by from time to time to check on things and to use as a dragoon encampment when they were in the area.

"I'm going to go bring my children in," he informed the slaves. "We'll be staying for a few days so the children can rest, then I'll be moving them to their Aunt Sarah's." After a pause, he told Magnolia, "Make sure that a couple of bedrooms are prepared for the children and we'd also appreciate some breakfast."

Magnolia got up slowly to do the man's bidding, rolling her eyes at his high-handed ways as she did so. Ben Martin did not notice, as he was already hurrying out the door to return to where his family waited.

___

Gabriel had been impatiently standing watch the entire time his father had been gone. As he saw his father finally returning, striding openly across the lawn, he came out into the open and asked, "Well?"

"You aren't going to believe it," Ben said as he reached his son. "It seems as if your Aunt Charlotte has taken it upon herself to marry the man who killed your brother."

Gabriel's jaw dropped open in stunned shock. "Excuse me?"

"When I was under the porch, I heard your Aunt Charlotte referred to as 'Mistress Tavington'," Ben explained, spitting out her new name with scornful distaste. "And then I overheard a rather intimate conversation between her and Tavington." Pausing to take a deep breath, "The slaves didn't know much; they said they didn't know a thing about it until she arrived already married with him and the dragoons a few days ago."

Gabriel turned away from his father, unable to take it all in at once. After a long moment, he turned back to Ben and said, "I'd always thought she would have eventually married you after she'd finished grieving over Uncle John."

"I'd always thought so as well, but it seems as if she finished grieving quite quickly once she met that bastard Tavington," Ben snapped in frustration.

"What are we going to do now?" Gabriel asked. "Tavington is likely to come back this way looking once he finds out that I escaped."

"We'll just be here a night or two, then we'll move the children to my sister's home," he decided. "It's further than I want them to walk, so we'll borrow one of Charlotte's wagons."

Moving to go retrieve the rest of the children, Ben said, "Come on, let's get them inside. I have Magnolia making breakfast, as I'm sure they're ready to eat."

Gabriel followed his father, still dismayed by his news.

---------

Thanks again to my readers. Knowing that you're waiting for new chapters keeps me writing!

Next chapter: Fort Carolina