Two weeks later, Charlotte Tavington was awakened just before the sun came up by an upset stomach, as she had been every morning for nearly a week. She rolled over, trying to ignore the nausea, hoping she could get back to sleep. Though she remained very still, the nausea did not subside, but rather increased until her stomach was roiling.
Knowing there was nothing for it, Charlotte resigned herself to the inevitable. She eased herself carefully from the bed, hoping not to awaken William, who had returned late last night after being away for several days on patrol. Sprinting from the bed, she made it just in time to the chamber pot, which was on the floor near the wardrobe.
After she'd finished emptying the contents of her stomach into the chamber pot, she turned to find William quietly sitting up in bed, regarding her curiously.
"Oh, I'm sorry, love," she murmured. "I didn't mean to awaken you."
"How long have you had this problem?" he demanded, knowing full well what it implied.
"About a week, now, I think," she replied softly.
"And your last…um, err…flux?" he asked, somewhat embarrassed to be talking about a woman's private bodily functions, even his own wife's.
"I've missed two," she told him. "I think I might be with child."
"I'm going to be a father?" Tavington asked softly, trying his best not to grin stupidly.
"It appears so," Charlotte said quietly, as she came to sit on the bed beside her now-alert husband. "But I'm not entirely sure and I've yet to visit a midwife."
"I'm sure there's at least one in camp, what with all the brats…err, children…the lower ranks tend to breed in great profusion," Tavington said. "If not, then I'll take you to see one of our doctors." Leaning over to kiss his wife thoroughly, he added, "I'm surprised that Ruth or Mary Miller did not get you to a midwife already."
"Well, I've only been sick in the mornings so far, so I've been able to conceal it from them," she told her husband. "I wanted you to be the first one to know."
Putting a gentle hand on his arm, she confided, "It's hard for me to believe I'm truly with child. After my baby boy died so long ago and after John died, I'd given up on the dream that I'd ever have another child of my own. I suppose that's the real reason why I've not sought out a midwife yet."
Looking intently into his eyes, she murmured, "I'm sorry I never talked to you about the baby I lost, but it's still very painful to me, even after all these years."
"It's all right, love," Tavington said softly, holding her in his arms as he rubbed her back to soothe her. "I already knew about the baby - Wilkins told me quite some time ago - and I knew you'd tell me about him when you were ready to talk about it."
The couple did not speak for a long moment as Tavington leaned in to give her a gentle kiss. After their lips had reluctantly parted, he said, "I'd thought you'd made me the happiest of men when you consented to be my wife. But you've gone and done it again by telling me that you are carrying my child."
"No happier than I am," she said, smiling. "I can hardly wait to hold our baby in my arms."
"Right after breakfast, I'll send Ruth to find a midwife and bring her here to have a look at you," Tavington decided. "But for now, let's try to get some rest. You'll need to get all the rest you can from now on until the baby is born."
A few hours later, the Tavingtons descended the stairs to go to breakfast, both almost glowing with their as-yet untold happy news. However, they'd decided not to share the news of their impending parenthood until Charlotte had been examined by a midwife, because they wanted to be absolutely sure first.
As they left the mansion to head to the officers' mess, they met Ruth in the compound heading to her own breakfast with the other house servants. Ruth normally stopped by the Tavington suite early in the mornings to see if Charlotte needed anything on the days when Tavington was away, but did not come by until later on the days he was in residence, as she did not wish to interrupt their privacy.
"Ruth," Tavington called out haughtily to the passing servant. "I need to have a word with you before you have your breakfast."
"Y-yes, sir?" she asked, somewhat unnerved by his imperious tone. Normally, Colonel Tavington did not directly address her, as she was properly his wife's personal servant. Ruth had heard stories of the dragoon's potentially vile temper and silently prayed that she was not able to be at the receiving end of it. However, she couldn't think of what she could have possibly done to warrant such a thing.
Taking her aside, he asked in a lower voice, "Do you know where a midwife can be found within the fort?"
"There's at least a couple that I've heard tell of," she said slowly, after a moment's thought. Looking over at Charlotte, who was still beaming with happiness, she asked, "Miss Charlotte! Is she…?"
"Yes, yes, we think so," Tavington said impatiently. "But I need someone to come examine her to make sure. What I need you to do is to go find one of these midwives after you've had your breakfast and bring her back to our quarters. Preferably, you will bring the one who delivers the babies of officers' wives, rather than one who tends to the wives of the lower ranks or to the camp whores."
"Of course, sir!" Ruth agreed emphatically. "Nothin' but the best for Miss Charlotte!"
Tavington gave the servant an indulgent smile, then held one finger up to his lips. "But not a word of it to anyone else. We wish to keep the matter confidential until we know for sure."
"You can count on me, Colonel Tavington," Ruth said stoutly. "I won't mention it to anyone."
"Excellent," Tavington said smoothly. "We shall expect you and the midwife back at our quarters in about an hour or so."
A short time later, Tavington paced the floor as he waited for the midwife to finish examining Charlotte. He was more worried about Charlotte's pregnancy than he cared to admit out loud. Wilkins had told him that Charlotte's baby had not died from some random fever gong around, but had been born sickly. The fact that she and Selton had never had another child together, living or dead, also troubled him. Though he was delighted that Charlotte had conceived was likely going to give him an heir, he'd resigned himself to the possibility of this never happening, even before he'd married her. As he continued to pace and brood, he nevertheless hoped that the weakness that caused Charlotte to lose her baby had come from Selton, rather than her.
"Begging your pardon, Colonel, but you're going to wear a hole in the carpet if you keep pacing like that," Ruth said, as she waited on the couch for the results. In a gentler tone of voice, she added, "I'm sure Miss Charlotte will be just fine and the baby, too."
"I certainly hope that you are correct," Tavington said, unconvinced, as he still continuing to pace.
"You have to consider that Miss Charlotte's sister had seven children," Ruth pointed out sensibly "There's no reason to think that Miss Charlotte won't have some healthy children as well. What was wrong with her first baby probably had to do more with Mr Selton's family than it did with her."
Tavington stopped pacing and looked intently at Ruth. "That is exactly what I was thinking. It is almost as if you could read my mind."
"It's just common sense," she insisted, brushing aside any ridiculous notions of reading another person's mind. "I don't think you have anything to worry about"
At that moment, the door opened and the middle-aged midwife came into the sitting room.
Tavington turned to Ruth and said, "Why don't you go in there and see if Mistress Tavington needs anything."
After the servant had complied, the dragoon turned to the midwife, who was wiping her hands off with a towel. "Well?" he demanded. "How is she? She did tell you that she lost the child she had with her first husband, did she not?"
Looking directly at Tavington, the midwife told him, "Mistress Tavington is most definitely with child; about three months along, I'd say. She's in good health and there's no reason for her not to deliver a healthy baby this time, just as long as she takes it easy and doesn't work too hard for the next six months."
"You will keep a close watch on her?" he asked.
Judith Brown had heard the stories about the hard-bitten "Butcher", as had most people within the fort and in the countryside for miles around, but the expression on Tavington's face now was like that of any other concerned father.
Softening her own expression toward him, Judith laid a gentle hand on his arm for a brief moment, then said, "Of course I will. I want to see a healthy baby just as much as you do. I'll be available to her any time she needs me, if she has a question or a problem."
"That's all I ask," he said, mostly relieved at her words.
"I'll be back to check on her from time to time," the midwife told him briskly. "I'll be here more often as her time draws closer."
Ruth came out a moment later, after the midwife had left. "Miss Charlotte is just freshening up a bit, so I'll leave you both to your privacy, unless there's something else you need me to do.."
"Thank you, Ruth," he said sincerely. "There's nothing. You may go."
Ruth hurried down the stairs after leaving the Tavingtons' suite, eager to share the news. Miss Charlotte had given her leave to do so, now that the news was official. As she headed out back to the kitchen, she met Molly coming out of the kitchen building.
"I saw you going upstairs to the Tavingtons' rooms with one of the midwives," Molly stated directly, without the preamble of a greeting. "I suppose that means what I think it means?"
"Yes," Ruth replied briefly, wanting to get away from Molly as soon as possible, as she didn't care to be seen in the other woman's company. Molly was known throughout the fort as a woman of easy virtue and Ruth certainly didn't want to be tarred with the same brush. "Miss Charlotte is with child."
"Well, isn't that quite the coincidence," Molly said, with a slight sneer. "My flux is late and I might be in the same boat myself." With a gleeful snigger, she confided, "And by the same man as well, I'd wager!" Laughing again, she continued, "I wonder if I should go upstairs and share that bit of news with her? I wonder what she'd think to know that her man has been dipping his wick elsewhere?"
"Oh, you horrid thing!" Ruth exclaimed, wanting to slap her. But she knew that Molly likely spoke the truth about having been with Tavington. A man with such raw sexuality exuding from him, could not possibly confine it to just one woman, however he might love her. Nevertheless, she wasn't going to allow a slattern like Molly needlessly ruin the Tavingtons' marriage, either.
Staring down at the shorter, more voluptuous woman, Ruth narrowed her eyes in sheer loathing. "No one would believe you!," she exclaimed. "Everyone knows you've been with nearly every officer in camp! There's no real way for you to know who the father would be!" She stepped closer to the other woman and glared down at her. "And you know they'd just throw you out of the fort if you were to do that. You're just lucky they let you stay here at all!"
Knowing that Ruth was right, Molly backed down. She knew she needed to have George Hanger's protection if she were to remain at the fort and knew he'd not be too keen on her meddling into the Tavingtons' marriage. Besides, she'd never get the Colonel to roger her again if she upset his wife. "All right, you've made your point!" Molly nearly screeched. "I won't do it! I was just jesting, in any instance."
"If you're finished, I have better things to be doing that talking to the likes of you," Ruth snapped, leaving Molly looking after her as she hurried away in high dudgeon.
Several hours later, the Tavingtons sat in Mary Miller's sitting room, surrounded by his top officers and good friends. As soon as Mary Miller had heard the good news of Charlotte's pregnancy, she'd insisted on giving them a congratulatory dinner.
Now, as they all sat enjoying after dinner drinks, James Bordon raised his glass and gave a toast. "To the expectant couple! May this be the first of a big family!"
After everyone clinked their glasses together and took a drink, Bordon gave Mary a longing glace, imagining such a party given in their honour. She was intent on the Tavingtons, oblivious to his scrutiny, but he just enjoyed being with her under any circumstances, basking in her mere presence.
At that moment, a sharp knock came at the door. Telling Mary to remain seated, Bordon rose to answer it to find a young soldier standing there, glancing around nervously.
"Begging your pardon, Captain, but Colonel Tavington and Colonel Tarleton are needed right away in the General Cornwallis' office."
Tavington looked in the direction of the open door and called out, "Tell the Lord General we'll be there shortly."
"Yes, sir," the young man said, then hurried away.
Rising reluctantly from the sofa, Tavington bent to kiss his wife. "I'm sorry, my sweet, but duty calls. With any luck, it won't take long, so you might as well stay and enjoy yourself."
"Go ahead," she said, smiling as she squeezed his hand. "We'll be fine."
Tavington hopes for a quick meeting were dashed when he entered Cornwallis' office a few minutes later and found the commanders of the various infantry units there along with him and Ban Tarleton.
"Gentleman, I've just received word that General Gates has moved a large number of men from Rugeley's Mill in the direction of Camden," he told the assembled group. "As most of you know, he's been amassing a force since arriving at Rugeley's from Charlotte a couple of weeks ago."
After a pause, he continued, "I can only assume that he intends to attack Lord Rawdon's garrison in Camden in order to control the town. Our goal is to stop him before he reaches Camden."
Looking at each commander in turn, he concluded, "I need all of you to have your men ready to move out within 90 minutes, so that we can reach his force in time to engage them before they reach Camden."
An hour and a half later, Tavington swung up into the saddle after giving Charlotte a long, lingering kiss.
"Don't worry, love," he said, looking down at her, seeing the worry in her face. "I'll be back before you know it."
"You'll be in my thoughts and prayers until I see you riding back inside the gates," she murmured, reaching a hand up to him.
"And I'll be thinking of you waiting here for me," he said, giving her hand a tight squeeze in farewell. "I want you to get plenty of rest while I"m gone - remember what the midwife told you."
"I'm sure Mary won't let me do a thing," she assured him with a shaky laugh.
After one long, lingering glance at his expectant wife, Tavington released her hand, raising it up to give the signal to his men to proceed.
"Move out!" he bawled, looking back at Charlotte just once as he led the dragoon column out of the gates of the fort.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Historical note: The details about the upcoming battle are from the actual Battle of Camden, which took place in August of 1780. I compressed Cornwallis' response time to Gates' movements somewhat, as Cornwallis had to travel up all the way from Charleston in the actual events.