Thanks to LovesHistory for the inspiration for the opening encounter between James Bordon and Marcus Tapp
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Shortly after dawn the next morning, Marcus Tapp left Ruth's quarters to go by his tent to wash and shave before reporting for duty for the day. He was worn out, having slept no more than an hour the previous night, as he'd spent most of the night initiating Ruth into the various pleasures of sexual congress. She'd proven to be an apt student and Tapp had rogered her several times before they'd both finally succumbed to slumber, still entwined together.
But it was satisfying kind of tired, he thought as he shambled down the stairs to go outside. Yawning like a tiger who'd just eaten its fill, he stepped outside into the cold morning air. As he paused at the top of the steps leading down into the yard, he spied Captain Bordon striding purposefully up toward the big house from the direction of the stables.
Grinning lazily at the red-haired officer as he swaggered proudly down the steps, Tapp drawled, "Mornin', Captain. Fine day, isn't it?"
Bordon pointedly ignored the Sergeant Major, continuing on his way without breaking stride. As he passed the dragoon on the path, he curled his lip in scornful disgust, as the yet-unwashed Tapp reeked strongly of recent sexual activity.
Marcus Tapp glared malevolently at the retreating James Bordon with utter loathing.
"Think you're too good to speak to the likes of me, do you?" he muttered, not loud enough for the officer to hear. "You fucking bastard."
Turning away, he soon forgot about Bordon's snub as he headed back to his tent. A tight grin appeared on his face as he remembered he'd just won his bet and it was time to collect..
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Twenty minutes later, James Bordon was heading back to his quarters after a short meeting with Colonel Tavington and the Lord General. They were to head out within the hour to resume the mission cut short by Charlotte Tavington's near-rape, namely, that of locating and destroying the homesteads of Benjamin Martin's men.
Bordon was more than ready to spend some time away from the fort. Mary had recently become obsessed with the notion of getting pregnant as soon as possible. The more time that had passed without her conceiving, the more fixated she became on it. The captain wanted an heir, but he was not yet alarmed by her current failure to conceive. After all, they'd been married only for a few months. He knew that Mary was thinking of the long fruitless years trying to conceive with her first husband, but he reasoned that a child would come in its own good time.
In the meantime, his days spent with Mary at the fort had taken on a tense note. Lovemaking was no longer spontaneous, but had become a grim task with the sole purpose of getting her pregnant. This had taken much of the joy out of the act for him and he was finding it increasingly harder to perform on command.
As he climbed the steps to their quarters, he thought that several days apart would perhaps cut some of the tension and that he would be eager to lie with her once again upon his return.
Just before opening the door to his quarters, he noticed Marcus Tapp out in front of his tent with a couple of his toadying cronies. He frowned, reminded of seeing the arrogant Sergeant Major earlier that morning leaving Ruth's quarters.
He was still frowning as he walked inside, where he found Mary setting out breakfast for him and Susan.
"What's wrong, James?" Mary asked as they sat down together. "Did the Lord General have bad news?"
"No, the meeting was fairly routine," Bordon told her. "We're going back on patrol, just as I thought we'd be doing."
"Then what is it?" Mary was puzzled.
"Well, it seems as if the advice you gave to Ruth yesterday fell on deaf ears," Bordon told her. "As I was walking over to the Lord General's office for the meeting, I came upon Marcus Tapp coming out of the door that leads upstairs to the servants' quarters. He was strutting like a peacock and stunk of sex when he passed me. It was rather obvious that he was quite proud of himself and I think he wanted to brag about it to me, but I cut him dead." Shaking his head sadly, he added, "I would have thought Ruth would have had better sense than to allow such a base man to seduce her without the benefit of marriage."
"That's a shame," Mary said. "But I can't that I'm very surprised. The lower sorts have always had the utmost trouble controlling their baser impulses. They rarely, if ever, think of the consequences of their actions or plan for the future. I'm afraid that Ruth has made her bed and now she'll have to lie in it. I tried to help her and give her good advice, but she chose not to listen, so I won't bother any longer."
"I suppose you're right," he said reluctantly. "But it's still a shame."
"Did you tell Colonel Tavington about it?" Mary asked.
"No, I didn't get the chance," her husband replied. "The Lord General was ready to begin the meeting as soon as I arrived and the Colonel stayed to go over some details with him at the end. I will talk about it with him once we're out on patrol, for all the good it will do."
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A little more than an hour later, Charlotte Tavington escorted her husband down to where his men were mounting up and getting ready to head out for several days of patrol. This would be the first time that the Tavingtons would be separated since her recent ordeal.
"Take care of yourself while you're gone," Charlotte said as Tavington bent down to give her a long goodbye kiss. "You know I'll be worrying until I see you coming back through the gates."
"There's no need to worry," he assured her. "It's just a routine patrol and our intelligence says there is little partisan activity in the area at the moment."
"Still, I'll miss you," she said. "It's hard to sleep when you're not in bed lying beside me."
"Promise me you'll get plenty of rest while I'm gone and not overexert yourself," Tavington said as he checked over his horse that the groom had just brought to him.
"I promise, love," Charlotte said quietly. "But I cannot promise that I might not go blind from all the sewing I've been doing lately."
"You're making enough clothes to outfit an entire family of children," he agreed with a lopsided smile "But I expect we'll have several children, so it's all for the good."
Mary Bordon, who'd accompanied her husband as well, was standing close enough to hear Tavington's comment about having several children and momentarily closed her eyes in discomfort. It seemed that everywhere she turned these days, she was reminded of her inability to conceive.
Further back in the column, Ruth Moore had come out to see Marcus Tapp off to battle. She'd heard the news of the dragoons' impending departure while getting her breakfast and had hastened down to say goodbye, hurrying so she'd not miss him.
As she moved rapidly by Charlotte and Mary and their husbands without speaking, the two women turned their heads to watch as she hurried back to where the lower ranks were assembling. As Sergeant Major, Marcus Tapp would ride at the head of all the enlisted men, much in the same way that Tavington led the entire group.
Tapp, who was slinging his bedroll on the back of his saddle as she came up, turned and smiled broadly at her.
"Ruth!" he called. "Coming to see me off, eh?"
"I couldn't let you go without saying goodbye," she said breathlessly. Holding up a small bundle wrapped in a handkerchief, she added, "And I wanted to give you this."
Tapp took the bundle from her and opened it to find some still-warm biscuits inside.
Not waiting for his reply, she explained, "I was in the kitchen getting my own breakfast when I heard the dragoons were going out on patrol, so I took several biscuits for you to eat on the road. I wouldn't want you to go hungry."
"That's very kind of you," he said as he stowed the food inside his haversack. In a lower voice, he added, "But I'll be hungry for something else the entire time I'm gone - hungry for you." The tall dragoon then leaned down to give her a searching, unhurried kiss. "That should give you something to think about while I'm away."
"I'll be waiting here for you when you get back," she murmured, looking up into his face as if to memorize every feature. "Stay safe and come back to me soon."
"Don't worry," he drawled lazily. "I can take care of myself, trust me."
Tapp's eyes travelled and he noticed both the Bordons, along with Charlotte Tavington staring at them with baleful expressions. Staring right back at them, he gave them a defiant grin.
Grabbing Ruth and pulling her hard against him, he murmured into her ear, "They're watching us. Let's give them a good show."
Without turning, Ruth quickly cut her eyes to the right, and saw what Marcus was talking about. She wrapped her arms around him tightly as he gave her another long, passionate kiss.
Reluctantly, he eventually broke the kiss. "If I'd kept that up any longer, I'd have had to take you out behind the shed before getting on my horse."
"I know," Ruth giggled, as she felt the evidence of that pressing against her thigh, even through the cloth of her petticoats.
Noticing the other dragoons mounting up, he gave her another quick kiss, then swung up into the saddle. "I'll see you soon. Keep the bed warm for me."
"I will," she said, smiling up at him..
A moment later, William Tavington raised one gloved hand and gave the signal to move out. All three women, along with several others, stood and watched until the last man had left the fort and the gates had closed behind them.
As soon as the gate had shut behind the departing dragoons, Ruth hurried off back to the kitchen to finish her breakfast, not ready to face any intrusive questions from Miss Charlotte of Mary Bordon this early in the morning. She'd do much better dealing with them once she'd eaten.
Charlotte Tavington and Mary Bordon walked back to the main house together after the men had left.
"I couldn't believe Ruth's behaviour just now," Mary ranted. "Rubbing herself up against that man like a common trollop. Scandalous, I tell you!"
"I am rather disappointed in her," Charlotte admitted. "But, as they say, love is blind. However, I can't attend to that now. It is rather early and I need to lie back down for a few hours. I am sleeping for two, you know." Turning to head up the steps, she added, "We'll get together for tea this afternoon, I promise."
"I'll see you then," Mary said, pressing her lips together tightly at yet another mention of babies.
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The dragoon column encountered no resistance as they rapidly made their way northwest.
"I suppose Martin and his men are pausing to lick their wounds after the message we sent in Pembroke," Tavington said casually to Bordon as the column rode down a road bordered by brilliant autumn foliage.
"I've actually heard that Martin has fallen ill," Bordon informed Tavington. "And that he's sent his men home on furlough while he recovers."
"If our luck holds, maybe the bastard will die," Tavington said sourly.
"Perhaps," Bordon said in a noncommittal tone. He fell silent then and did not speak again for several minutes.
"What is it, Bordon?" Tavington asked in irritation several minutes later "Out with it" He'd been riding with the man long enough to know when he had something on his mind.
Bordon had been thinking about Mary's current obsession with getting pregnant, but this was not a topic he cared to share with his commanding officer. Instead, he said, "Did you notice your maid carrying on with Tapp just before we left? I caught him coming out of the servants' entrance this morning stinking of sex."
"Bordon, I really have much more important things to concern myself with than worrying about who is rogering who," Tavington said with impatience. "I have war to win here, you know, in case you'd forgotten." After a moment, he conceded, "Yes, it's a poor choice on her part, but they're both adults free to make their own choices. I warned her about Tapp and she chose not to listen. Whatever consequences may come, they are her responsibility."
"Yes, sir, you're right," Bordon said. "But I just can't help but think of someone like Tapp preying on a daughter of mine. Did you know that he actually bet some of the other men that he could bed her?"
"But Ruth isn't your daughter," Tavington cut in. "Wait until you have one of your own before worrying about men like Tapp. The men bet about everything and I know that Tarleton frequently bets on whether or not he can seduce a particular woman. It's not an unusual thing."
"I still don't like it," Bordon insisted. "It's not a gentlemanly thing to do."
"Most of the men in the ranks are not gentlemen or hadn't you noticed, Bordon?" Tavington told him. "Half of them are thieves and cutthroats." After a pause, he continued, "Now, let us keep our ears and eyes open, as it's quite possible we might encounter some of Martin's men as we raid the homesteads."
Further back in the column, Marcus Tapp reached into his haversack to get the biscuits Ruth had given him. As he opened the handkerchief, he caught a faint reminder of Ruth's personal scent along with the smell of the biscuits. He smiled tightly to himself as he thought of the previous night lying with the eager young woman.
"What do you have there, Sarge?" Freeman said, sniffing as the fragrance of biscuits reached him.
"Payment for services rendered," Tapp replied, grinning evilly. "For a job well done."
"I'm hungry," Sanders whined from the other side. "Let us have one."
After finishing the last bite of the first biscuit, Tapp belched contentedly as he reached for his canteen to wash down the rest of the biscuits with. "Sorry. You miserable bastards will have to find your own food."
"First you get all our money, now you won't share your food," Freeman complained. "That doesn't sound fair to me."
"You should have known better than to bet against me," Tapp said dismissively. "It's your own fault."
"Well, now that you've broken her in, I think I'll try and have a go at her," Sanders said, licking his lips in anticipation. "Does anyone want to bet that I can get her into bed faster than Tapp did?"
Less that two seconds later, Sanders found the point of Tapp's sabre just under his chin, barely registering the metallic sound of it being unsheathed before it was in his face.
"Lay one hand on her and you're dead meat, you misbegotten piece of shit," Marcus Tapp growled, his cold blue eyes glittering. "She's mine until I say otherwise." Pushing the sabre ahead slightly so that it pricked his skin, he demanded, "Do you understand?"
"Yeah, Sarge," Sanders said, carefully guiding his horse away from the angry Sergeant Major. "I wasn't serious, no how. I was just jestin' a bit."
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Later that afternoon, Charlotte Tavington joined several other officers' wives for tea. She'd given Ruth the day off, because she planned to spend the entire day in idleness as William had urged her to do. She had also noticed that Ruth had apparently not had much sleep the night before, so she figured the young woman needed the rest as well. Choosing to ignore the obvious reasons why, Charlotte merely told her that they'd been working hard lately and needed a day of rest. As she'd sent Ruth on her way, Charlotte fervently hoped that William would prove to be wrong about Marcus Tapp, after all, and that all would turn out well for Ruth.
She looked forward to gatherings with the other wives mainly because the conversations there helped keep her mind occupied while William was away from the fort, so that she did not spend too much time worrying about him. Some of the other women were long time Army wives and were able to reassure her when she became overly concerned when the men were away. They'd also been a steady rock of support since her attack in Pembroke, with several of them making her new, becoming caps to enjoy while her hair grew back in.
As she walked down the long hallway to the reception room where the women usually gathered, she met Mary Bordon coming in from the outside.
"Just on time," Mary noted, as they continued down the hall together. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, I did, thank you," Charlotte replied. "I feel refreshed."
"Well, at least we'll have some fresh gossip to share today," Mary said. "No one could have possibly missed Ruth with Marcus Tapp this morning."
Charlotte heaved a theatrical sigh, then said, "I suppose she'll be the talk among the servants in the kitchen, but not among our group I'd wager. The usual thing is for servants to gossip about us, not us gossip about them." After a beat, she continued, "And I really hope that her relationship with Sergeant Major Tapp will turn out to be a happy one, despite William's dire predictions. Ruth deserves it."
"I wouldn't hold out much hope there," Mary said sourly. "From all I've heard from James, Tapp is a dedicated reprobate."
"Well, I'm sure the ladies will have something of interest to talk about," Charlotte said lightly. "They always do."
They could hear the animated chatter of several women even before they entered the room a moment later.
"Oh, Charlotte! Mary!" Nora Byers called out gaily. "You're finally here to hear my good news!"
Seating herself next to the beaming captain's wife, Charlotte smiled. "Do tell. I could stand to hear something good now."
"I just found out today," Nora said. "Rob and I are going to have our first baby! I'm so excited!"
"How delightful! That makes three of us now," Charlotte exclaimed, indicating Lt. Parker's heavily pregnant wife, Abigail seated on the other side of the table.
As the group of women launched into a detailed conversation about babies, Mary Bordon quietly slipped out of the room, unnoticed by the other women.