After leaving the plantation the next morning, Tavington and his men took a circuitous route back to Fort Carolina, hoping on the off chance to come upon the Martins. Tavington did not have high expectations at this point, however, considering that this was Martin's home territory and he no doubt knew every bolt hole in the area. He also knew that Martin would lay low for awhile, as the man knew that he was being hunted. Nevertheless, the dragoon felt duty-bound to be alert for any opportunities to run Martin to ground.
Still, Tavington was not discouraged when they rode through the gates of Fort Carolina without once spotting their quarry. William Tavington was a patient man. He would bide his time and strike when Martin least expected it. It wasn't a matter of if he caught the rebel, but rather it was when.
He intended to soon follow the lead Rufus had given him; to visit the town of Pembroke to see what he could learn there. But he needed to report his findings to the Lord General first before doing so and also be updated on any intelligence other units might have been able to obtain.
Looking over at Wilkins as the group entered the fort, Tavington was once again thankful that the man had joined the Green Dragoons when he did, as there would not be a man more useful in assisting in the capture of Martin and his son. Between Wilkins' knowledge of the area and its people, and Bordon's talents in interrogation and as a spymaster, Tavington was confident that he had the matter well in hand.
After dismissing the men and heading to the stables, Tavington was delighted to see Charlotte coming to meet him. He'd missed sleeping with her in their bed at the plantation the previous night and hoped they'd be able to spend some private time together before having to take the dragoons out once again. He was amazed at how quickly he was becoming accustomed to being married, a fact which both amused and unsettled him.
Smiling broadly as she hurried up to him, he opened his arms to embrace her. "Did you miss me?" he murmured quietly after giving her an unhurried kiss.
"I was counting the minutes until your return," she assured him breathlessly. "You know that I can never truly relax until I see you coming through the gates."
"Such is the lot of an Army wife during wartime," he noted as he turned to get some items from his saddlebags. "But I shall endeavour to do my best to make the time of war be curtailed as soon as I possibly can."
Turning back to Charlotte, Tavington handed her four books. "I brought you a few more books from your library to keep you occupied when I'm away from the fort."
"Thank you," she said smiling, as she linked arms with him to walk back to the main mansion. "You're so thoughtful. I'm sure the other officer's wives will be equally grateful, as we've been exchanging books amongst ourselves." After a moment, she asked, "Did you see any sign of Ben and Gabriel?"
"No, we never saw them," the dragoon informed her. "But he'd been to the plantation with his children, just as you'd said he do. He actually had arrived before we left, but stayed hidden, watching us leave, before he went inside. But he was long gone by the time we arrived. Mr Stanton told me that he'd 'borrowed' one of your wagons to use to take the children to one of his sisters, but had promised him that he'd have it sent back when he was through with it."
After a pause, he added, "But I doubt that will happen any time soon, as Rufus told me he's quite aware that I'm searching for him."
"Oh, my," Charlotte said, frowning, as she imagined Ben's likely reaction when he'd found out that she'd married another man so soon after rejecting his proposal. But she was quite relieved that Will and Ben still had yet to meet. She knew the meeting was eventually inevitable, but she was glad it hadn't been so soon after finding out that she'd remarried. "I can't imagine that he was very pleased when he was told of my marriage."
"Magnolia told me he turned purple and nearly had a fit when she told him," Tavington told her, laughing heartily. "It must have been quite a sight to behold. I wish I'd seen it, actually."
"William!" she admonished. "You're incorrigible!"
Though she tried to remained serious, she could not suppress a smile tugging on her lips. After a moment, she couldn't help but laugh herself, imagining Ben in a state of near-apoplexy. She was meanly glad that all of his annoying persistence over the last few years had come to naught and only regretted that she'd not been there to see the expression on his face when he learned that simple fact.
Now serious once more, Charlotte was glad that Ben had been able to see his children settled in a safe place. She wondered what would have happened to the younger children had Will caught up with the Martin family at the plantation.
"Will, what would you have done with the younger children if you'd caught Ben and Gabriel?" Charlotte asked curiously. "After Elizabeth died, Ben had often told me he'd want them to live with me if something ever happened to him."
"To be honest with you, I hadn't really given the matter any thought," Tavington admitted. "Would you have wanted to take them all in?"
"At one time, I would have taken them all, no questions asked," Charlotte said slowly. "But now, I don't know. It would be quite awkward for both them and for you, to say the least. We've only just begun our marriage and I must put my first loyalties with you." Looking deeply into his eyes, she assured him, "You come first to me and you always will."
"Have I told you lately just how much I love you?" Tavington asked. "I don't know what I did to deserve you."
After leaning over to give him a peck on the cheek, she added, "And it's not as if I'm their only living relative. There are others who could take them in."
"Quite right," he agreed. "You shouldn't give the matter another thought."
Moving on, she asked, "Did Rufus mention which sister he went to?"
"It was Sarah," Tavington told her briefly.
"But you obviously decided not to pursue him there," Charlotte stated, puzzled.
"Well, for one thing, he did not mention where this Sarah lived in front of Rufus," Tavington reported. "And Martin did not intend to stay there. Rufus overheard him and his son talking about forming a militia as soon as they'd left the other children at the aunt's home. Martin mentioned getting in contact with former associates from the previous war and the son mentioned going to Pembroke."
"Oh, dear," Charlotte said, obviously distressed. It was just like Ben to go running off to war, without thinking of the possible consequences for his children.
"It was just like this when he ran off to go fight in the French and Indian war," she continued. "He and my sister hadn't been married long then and Gabriel had just been born when he ran off to war. He didn't worry much about how they were going to get by while he was away and our parents ended up having to take them in while Ben was away. And he came back quite a changed man; he wasn't quite himself as he'd participated in some worst atrocities that fell outside the commonly accepted civilized rules of war."
After a pause, she sighed, then continued, "He made the mistake of confiding in my sister, telling her what he'd done. She was so revolted that she would not allow him to touch her for four years. I think if she could have annulled the marriage at that time, she would have done so." Giving him a sheepish smile, she added, "But, obviously, they did eventually mend their differences."
"I see," Tavington merely said as he squeezed her hand in comfort. "That is most interesting.
Years ago, as a young teen, William Tavington had heard about some of the atrocities perpetuated during the French and Indian war when he'd overheard his father and some other men talking. Now, having heard the accounts of how some of the men had been killed in the massacre that had freed Gabriel Martin, Tavington was unsurprised to hear that Martin had been one of the ones who'd participated in the worst atrocities of the that war.
In Tavington's opinion, a certain amount of brutality was sometimes necessary in achieving crucial goals in war, but to hack and mutilate an opponent who was dead and had ceased to be a threat as Martin had done was sick and barbaric. He had to suppress a shudder at the mere notion of his beloved Charlotte married to such an unstable man.
At this point, the couple had reached the mansion. Pausing at the bottom of the stairs, he took both of Charlotte's hands into his own. "I need to report my findings to the Lord General," he told her. "But as soon as I'm done, I'll come find you and, with any luck, we can spend a couple of hours alone together."
"I'll be waiting in our quarters," she murmured, giving him a seductive look. "I'll be counting the minutes."
Giving her a long, lingering gaze, he finally turned and headed reluctantly for Cornwallis' office. As much as he'd like to spend all his time lying in bed with his lovely wife, there was a war on and Tavington was eager to get on with it.
As he entered the outer office, the Lord General's aide said, "Go right in. General Cornwallis is waiting for you and is most eager to hear your report."
"Ah, Tavington," Cornwallis said, looking up from his desk as the dragoon entered the room. For once, he was alone, not attended by the sycophantic General O'Hara. "I take it that you did not capture Benjamin Martin and his son?"
"No, sir," Tavington replied. "But I did get some promising leads about what he's doing that you will be most interested to know."
The older man raised an eyebrow and said, "Go on…"
"I backtracked to his farm to see if he'd left any clues as to where he was going," Tavington began. "What I found there led me to believe that he'd headed to Mistress Tavington's plantation." After a pause, he added, "I don't know if you're aware, but Benjamin Martin is my wife's former brother-in-law, a fact of which I was unaware until just before leaving on this mission."
"Yes, I've heard of Mistress Tavington's connection to him," Cornwallis said. "I hope this will not interfere with you carrying out your duty."
Tavington was offended by the Lord General's insinuation, but swallowed the retort that first came to mind. "No, sir, not at all. I am a professional soldier and my duty is ever foremost in my mind. You can count on me to carry out my duty in the most expeditious manner possible."
Taking a deep breath, he continued, "Now, to continue with my report, one of the slaves at the plantation told me that he overheard Martin and his son talking about recruiting local men to form a militia to fight our forces."
Cornwallis leaned forward, now intent on Tavington's words.
"Martin said that he intended to recruit among the men he'd served with in the French and Indian war, From what Captain Wilkins and Mistress Tavington have told me, Martin and the men he served with participated in some of the worst atrocities of that war. It also seems as if Martin has quite the reputation for toughness among his neighbours. He also said that he intended to go to Pembroke to recruit amongst the men there, whom I'm given to understand are not experienced fighters."
"It would seem as if you and Colonel Tarleton have your work cut out for you, then," Cornwallis said. "If the actions of previous partisan groups we've encountered are any indication, then you will need to concentrate on protecting our supply lines, our couriers, as well as participate in any battles with Continental forces I assign you to, along with regular foraging and intelligence gathering missions."
"Yes, sir," Tavington acknowledged.
"Also, you and Tarleton will need to make periodic visits to Loyalists in the area in order to discourage harassment from their rebel neighbours," Cornwallis continued. "At the same time, I'll want you rooting out Martin and his supporters."
"I intend to do just that at the earliest opportunity," Tavington vowed. "With your approval, I plan to pay a visit to Pembroke as part of a routine patrol to see what I can discover."
"Excellent," Cornwallis replied. "Tomorrow morning is soon enough for you to go, I think." After a pause, he asked, "Why don't you and your lovely wife join me for dinner this evening?"
"We'd be delighted," Tavington accepted, glad that he and Charlotte would get to spend the night together.
"I'll expect you at six, then," Cornwallis said. "Captains Bordon and Wilkins are invited as well."
A few minutes later, Tavington returned to his quarters to find Charlotte sitting by the window with a book. As soon as she saw him enter the room, she closed the book and set it on a side table.
"We're invited to dine with the Lord General this evening," he told her, as he took her hand to lead her to the bed. "And I don't have to go back on patrol until tomorrow morning. Dinner won't be for several hours yet." Giving his bride a heavy-lidded seductive gaze, he said in a low, husky voice, "Whatever shall we do to pass the time?"
Leaning into his embrace, as his hands made quick work of her bodice," she murmured, "I believe I can think of something."
"Great minds think alike, my dear," he replied, as her nimble fingers rapidly unbuttoned his breeches. "It was the exact thing I was thinking of."
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Next chapter is in progress, but not yet named!