A few weeks later, Captain Wilkins joined the Tavingtons for dinner one warm evening, as he had been doing fairly frequently since the Bordons had left. He'd been promoted to Tavington's second in command following Bordon's departure, thus now spent more time with his commanding officer than previously. Though he loved his sister, Mary, he'd wisely not taken sides when Bordon had broken with Tavington.
"Did I mention that I got a letter from Mary today?" Wilkins said to Charlotte midway through dinner.
"No, you didn't," Charlotte replied. "How is she getting along? I suppose she must be relieved to be settled in a town, now, at least for awhile."
"Oh, she had some good news for me," the tall dragoon replied, grinning broadly. "In fact, it was the very best of news. She wrote especially to tell me that she'd recently found out that she's with child."
"That's wonderful news!" Charlotte said, exchanging a glance with William. "Did she say when the baby would be born?"
"In March, she thinks," Wilkins told her. "She is most excited."
"I imagine she is," Charlotte said. "Please send her my best wishes in your return letter."
"I certainly will," he said. "I know she's missed you."
Turning to Tavington, Wilkins said, "I believe I might have found you a buyer for this house; one who would be willing to wait to take possession until you and Charlotte are ready to leave. They're even willing to buy all the furniture as well."
"Excellent," Tavington said. "Tell me all about it."
Charlotte took this as a signal to leave. "Well, I'll leave you gentlemen to your business," she said. "I must go check on little Will."
"How is he faring?" Wilkins asked politely. "I'll bet he's growing like a weed."
"That he is," Charlotte said, smiling. "He's a healthy little boy."
"I'll see you later for tea, love," Tavington told her. "I'll come up and say goodnight to Will in a little while as well."
"All right," she said, accepting a kiss on the cheek from him before leaving the room.
Charlotte found Ruth in the nursery a few moments later, sitting in a rocking chair as she fed her baby girl, Martha. Little Will was asleep in the bassinet next to her.
"Feeding her again?" Charlotte said, chuckling, as she entered the room. "The last time I saw you, you were in that chair doing the very same thing."
"Martha is insatiable, just like her father," Ruth said, gazing down at her dark haired daughter with love. The dark hair, combined with her pale blue eyes, made it obvious as to who the child's father was.
Picking her son up, then sitting beside Ruth, Charlotte said, "Oh, yes, little Will, too. I'll be so glad when he goes on solid food exclusively."
As the two women sat side by side, each basking in the glow of motherhood, Charlotte turned to Ruth and said, "You'll never believe what I just heard downstairs."
"Tell me," Ruth said, leaning forward a bit. "I've not heard any good gossip in awhile, except for the little things Marcus sometimes tells me."
"Well, Captain Wilkins came to dinner and he had a letter with him from his sister," the other woman confided. "It seems as if Mary Bordon is now pregnant."
Ruth's eyes widened and she shook her head slowly in disbelief. "That woman put Marcus and I through all that hell because she thought she couldn't have a baby." The young mother shook her head again. "Marcus put his career on the line to defend me, and then the woman turns up pregnant just a few months later."
"I know," Charlotte said, sympathetically. "I did try to tell her to be patient, that it would happen in its own time, as did her husband, but she wouldn't listen to either of us. She interfered with his career as well." After a long pause, Charlotte added, "I'm happy for her, of course, but wish she had not been so rash and impatient to have that child."
"I'm afraid I cannot have much sympathy for her," Ruth said. "I cannot forgive her wanting to take my child from me, despite things having turned out all right in the end."
"I understand," Charlotte said. "I still don't quite understand what got into her. When I'd known her years ago, she'd always been the picture of calmness and serenity."
"Ah, there you are." Marcus Tapp stood in the doorway, looking down on the two women. "The Colonel said I'd be able to find you up here." Nodding at Charlotte, he greeted. "Mistress Tavington."
"Sergeant Major Tapp," she replied in a pleasant tone, as she rose from the chair. "I believe I'll leave you two alone to visit while I take little Will out to see his father for a little while before I put him down for the night."
"Much obliged," Tapp rumbled as he took the seat that Charlotte had just vacated.
"Would you like to hold Martha?" Ruth said as she removed the baby girl from her breast and fastened her bodice. "Let me put a cloth on your shoulder so you can burp her."
"All right," Tapp said, holding his large hands out for the tiny baby.
"Let me put her on your shoulder," Ruth said, gently placing the baby onto her father's lean chest. "There. Now support her back with your hand and rub it gently with the other."
Ruth smiled with pleasure at the sight of the two people she loved most in the world.
"I can't think of a sight anymore beautiful than what I'm looking at now," she murmured as she watched Tapp awkwardly rubbing Martha's back, which was soon rewarded by a loud burp, followed by a bit of spit-up.
"Ugh, I think I'll let you take her back now," Tapp said, wrinkling his nose as he eased the baby down from his shoulder,
"It's just a bit of spit-up," Ruth said. "All babies do it. That's why I put the cloth there."
He looked down at Martha, now safely cradled in her mother's arms. "I can't get over how much she looks like my sister," he said quietly. "I surely cannot deny that child, as she most definitely favours the Tapp side of the family."
"That she does," Ruth agreed. I think her nose is more Moore, though."
She sighed in quiet contentment at having her small family all together, even if it was not yet a full time thing. Marcus had yet to propose marriage, nor was he faithful to her, but Ruth still felt hopeful. He visited his daughter regularly and gave her money for Martha's welfare. Though he'd not spent the night with her since Martha's birth, Ruth knew that was to give her time to recover from childbirth in peace. Nevertheless, Ruth could not help but wonder why he was waiting to propose as it was now apparent that the war was rapidly drawing to a close.
Laying his hand over Ruth's, Tapp said, "I thought I might stay with you tonight. That is, if you think you're ready. It has been several weeks, now."
"Yes, yes, I think I'm ready," Ruth said, almost shyly. "I've missed having you with me at night." After a moment, she added, "I hope you'll not mind me getting out of bed at night to feed Martha. She still sleeps in a bassinet in my room at night."
"Not at all," he told her, his lips curled up into a smile.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"There's my little man," William Tavington said as Charlotte brought their son into the library. "Bring him over here and let me hold him for awhile and you can have your tea."
"So, did Captain Wilkins have a buyer for the house?" Charlotte asked, a moment later as she was pouring her tea.
"As a matter of fact, I think he does," Tavington remarked as he bounced his nine month old son on his knee. "It's a man whom his family has known for years and who managed to remain neutral during this entire conflict. He's spent most of the war in France and has only recently returned to Charlestown and has been looking for a new home. Wilkins is going to bring him by tomorrow afternoon."
"I hope he makes a good offer," Charlotte said with a somewhat wistful expression. "We'll need that, plus what we got for the plantation in order to find a proper home in England."
Noting her expression, Tavington said, "I realize you'll miss South Carolina, but I know you'll love England. And one day, perhaps we can return to South Carolina for a visit, once memories of the war have begun to fade."
"I hope so," Charlotte said. "I would want little Will to see where he was born."
"I'm sure he will one day, even if he has to wait several years," he promised her, patting her hand
"I'll be happy wherever I am, as long as I'm with you," Charlotte said. "It's not a place that make a home; it's the people."
"Very true," he said. "Still, I am quite looking forward to showing you where I grew up."
"I look forward to it." she said. "How much longer do you think it will be?"
"From the reports I've read coming out of Yorktown, I can't see how the Lord General can hold out much longer," Tavington said. "He's backed up against the ocean with nowhere to go and they've been under siege for some time now. I wouldn't think it would be any more than a month."
"What happens then?" she asked. "Will Charleston capitulate then as well?"
"No," Tavington said flatly. "We are well provisioned here and could hold out for at least a year or more. It all depends on whether it is deemed worthwhile to do so. In either instance, we will be ready to go when the time comes."
"Yes, it always pays to plan ahead," Charlotte agreed.
Changing the subject, Tavington said, "I thought Wilkins' news about his sister was most ironic. After all the fuss she created here, it turned out to be entirely unwarranted."
"I am happy that she's finally getting her dearest wish, of course," Charlotte said carefully. "But I do wish she'd been more patient and not upset so many people in the process. I told Ruth about it and, as you would expect, she has very little sympathy for Mary."
"I can't say that I blame her," Tavington said, chuckling. "I can just imagine how you would have reacted if Bordon's wife had asked you to give up little Will."
"Very true," Charlotte agreed ,rolling her eyes.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Three weeks later, as Marcus Tapp arrived at the Tavington home to visit with Ruth and the baby, a courier came in right behind him.
"Where might I find Colonel Tavington, sir?" the young rider said. "I have a most urgent message for him."
"Give it here, Private," Tapp ordered brusquely. "I'll see that he gets it."
As he handed the message over, the private told Tapp, "It's about Yorktown, sir. They've surrendered!"
"I'll be damned," Tapp said. "I knew it was likely to happen, I just didn't think it would happen quite this soon."
"I suppose this means we'll all be going home soon?" the private speculated hopefully.
"Maybe, maybe not," Tapp said. "Wait out here in case the Colonel has a return message."
"Yes, sir," the other man said.
Marcus Tapp found William Tavington in the dining room with his wife and Captain Wilkins, just finishing up dinner."
Standing in the doorway,, Tapp said "Begging your pardon, sir, but I have a message for you."
Tavington took the message that the lean sergeant major had extended to him, briefly scanning the contents. "Damn," he swore briefly after he'd finished.
"What is it?" Wilkins asked.
"Cornwallis has surrendered his entire force at Yorktown," Tavington said laconically. After perusing the message more closely, he sneered, "Correction - O'Hara surrendered Yorktown. It seems as if the Lord General could not bear to show his face to do it himself."
"What does that mean for us?" Wilkins asked.
"I don't know yet," Tavington replied. Pushing his chair back from the table, he said, "I must go down to headquarters and see if Lord Rawdon has any orders in light of these new developments."
"Is there a return message, sir?" Tapp asked, still standing in the doorway.
"No," Tavington said shortly. Turning to Charlotte, he kissed her on the cheek then said, "I'll be back as soon as I can."
As Marcus Tapp turned to go about his own business, James Wilkins called out to him "Sergeant Major Tapp? Might I speak with you?"
Tapp turned to the taller man. "Of course, sir."
Marcus Tapp and James Wilkins had always got along well together and the recent problems between Tapp and the Bordons had not done anything to change that. Wilkins even secretly sided with Tapp on the matter knowing how difficult his sister could be at times. In light of this, Tapp did not find Wilkins' request to be odd or inappropriate.
"Is there somewhere we can go to have a drink?" Wilkins asked. "I have a proposition that you might be interested in."
"My billet?" Tapp suggested. "It's just around the corner and I have nearly anything you might care to drink there."
"That will do," Wilkins said, as the two men entered the courtyard. As they mounted up, Tapp dismissed the waiting courier with a wave of the hand.
A short time later, Tapp led Wilkins into a book-lined study in the former Powell home. "What will you have?" the sergeant major asked.
"Brandy, if you have it," Wilkins said as he settled himself into an overstuffed chair. "You certainly ended up with a comfortable billet. I wouldn't expect that an enlisted man, even one of your rank, would get something this nice."
Baring his teeth in a feral grin, Tapp merely said, "I have connections." He handed the captain his brandy, then poured some of the same for himself.
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Tapp asked lazily, sitting behind the large oak desk as if he owned the place.
"Like most of us here, I'm sure you know that we're about to lose this war," Wilkins began.
Tapp nodded, waiting for Wilkins to get to the point.
"And I'm sure you've been thinking of where you want to go and what you want to do when it's all over," Wilkins continued.
"Yes, of course," Tapp replied, taking a sip of the brandy.
"Like the Tavingtons, I have been selling off my assets, knowing I'll have to move once the war is concluded," Wilkins said. "I've made tentative plans to move to Canada and have been making discreet inquiries for months about the best places to settle."
Tapp nodded, having conducted similar inquiries himself.
"I've been in contact with a cousin who lives in the northern part of Massachusetts, in Maine. He told me of a new town that has been founded just inside the Canadian border, which will be settled mainly by American Loyalists once this is all over."
"Oh?" Tapp said, urging Wilkins to continue.
"St Andrews will be in Charlotte County, New Brunswick," Wilkins continued. "My cousin tells me that Charlotte County is looking for a sheriff, who will be based out of St. Andrews." Looking sharply at Tapp, he said, "You were a sheriff before joining the Green Dragoons, am I correct?"
"Yes, I was the Sheriff of Gloucester County in New Jersey for five years," Tapp confirmed. "Before that, I spent about fifteen years as a mercenary soldier for various governments in Europe. I am well experienced."
"I can tell you are, by the way you handle your men," Wilkins confirmed. "I think you'd make an excellent sheriff for Charlotte County. I am prepared to recommend you to my cousin, who is one of the founders of St Andrews. Do you think you'd be interested in this position? I can assure you it is a good one, as I plan to move to St Andrews myself, once I am released from my duties here."
"Yes," Tapp confirmed. "I am very interested."
"Excellent," Wilkins said. "I will send word to my cousin immediately to let him know I've got the right man for the job." After a pause, he said, "There is one stipulation you must meet before they will formally offer you the job, however."
"Oh?" Tapp said, raising an eyebrow. "What is that?"
"The man they hire must be a married man," Wilkins said. "They don't want a man who is apt to leave the moment the moment he gets a mind to be wandering. They believe a married man will be more settled and likely to remain in the position."
After a long pause, Tapp chuckled heartily. "Ah, I see."
Wilkins smiled as well, knowing how much the lean sergeant valued his independence. "Are you prepared to make that sacrifice for the sake of the job? I think I know just the woman who would be willing to marry you on a moment's notice."
Tapp sighed loudly in resignation. "I suppose it must be done, then, if I am to get this job. At least I know Ruth and I are compatible and I won't have to start at the beginning with her to court her."
"Good!" Wilkins said. "I'll be off then, so I can get a letter ready to send to my cousin in the morning, to let him know of your acceptance."
"This will remain private between the two of us, then?" Tapp asked. "I want everything settled and official before I share the news with others."
"Of course," Wilkins said, fully understanding Tapp's meaning. He knew it would be best if Ruth did not know that Tapp's upcoming proposal to her was based on less than romantic motivations.
Marcus Tapp showed the captain out, then mounted the stairs to his bedroom. Going directly to the wall safe where he'd squirreled away the best of his plunder, he went through a bag of jewellery until he found a particularly fine ruby ring. He carefully polished the ring, then rolled it up in an old piece of velvet. Leaving the house moments later, Marcus Tapp headed up the street to the Tavingtons to finally propose marriage to Ruth.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Author's note: Maine was a part of Massachusetts until 1820, when it became a separate state. St Andrews, New Brunswick was indeed founded by American Loyalists, but not until 1783. I fudged the time a bit to suit the purposes of this story.