Tavington was in an even fouler mood than usual. His conversation with Cassandra that morning had left him on edge, and as a result, he pushed his men harder in the days training than was necessary. As he made his way past them an hour later, he overheard Lieutenant Thomas whispering to another soldier. Normally, he would have ignored them, but the fact that he distinctly heard Cassandra's name mixed with own, gave him cause to stop.
Giving the Lieutenant an icy glare, Tavington crossed his arms over his chest.
"If you've nothing better to do than stand here and gossip, then maybe another hour's training will do you some good"
"You see?" Lieutenant Thomas said to the other man, not bothering to look away from the Colonel's steely gaze. "She's got to be the only woman that ever turned him down"
"What are you talking about Lieutenant?" Tavington spat, his irritation mounting.
"I saw you talking with your….. guest… this morning Colonel" the Lieutenant said with a shrug. "And seeing as how you've been in a right foul mood since, I can only imagine she told you of her feelings for your Captain. It must be a hard hit to the ego, a man such as yourself unable to capture the affections of the woman he has his eye on"
Tavington raised an eyebrow at his Lieutenant. Who did he think he was speaking to him like that?
"I will have you know Lieutenant, that I do not, and have never had feelings for Miss Davies. And as for your assumption that she harbors feelings for Captain Wilkins, I can tell you, she most certainly does not"
"That isn't what she said Colonel. I know for a fact that she is in love with Captain Wilkins. I heard her telling The Lord General yesterday."
"Oh did she now?" Tavington asked, feeling the anger rising within him.
"Yes Colnel. I heard her telling Lord General Cornwallis with my own ears. The two of them are quite friendly you know"
"Thank you for this information Lieutenant. Rest assured I will be dealing with it now"
Marching over to where she stood watching him, Tavington seized her roughly by the arms, not noticing the look of fear and pain that flashed into her eyes. "I will not be played for a fool!" he hissed at her. "I may have been blinded at first, but I see you for what you are now Cassandra Davies!"
Cassandra took a step back, holding back her tears. She would not cry in front of him again. She would not let him see how deeply his words cut her.
"William I – "
"Silence! I am done with you. I want you to leave this place. It is what you wanted all along isn't it? Leave here Cassandra. And do not come back"
Turning on his heel, William left her standing there, satisfied when he heard Lieutenant Thomas ask her where she was going. William did not turn as he heard the gates open, knowing that if he were to watch her leave, he would lose the respect of his men when he turned and begged her to stay.
Tavington marched towards the house, coming to a sudden halt when he saw the Lord General standing on the porch.
"My Lord" he said at once, bowing slightly.
"Colonel" Cornwallis responded, unable to hide his surprise. "Where is our guest going?"
"Wherever she was heading when I captured her in the first place I would suppose"
General Cornwallis said nothing, only inclined his head slightly as one eyebrow rose. He was fully aware of the mutual feelings between his most trusted Colonel and the American girl.
"I must say Colonel, I'm surprised at you"
"My Lord?"
"You seemed……. Set….. on her staying here, and yet now, you just let her leave?"
"It has come to my attention that she has captured the affection of one of my men" Tavington replied shortly. "I will not have my soldiers preoccupied by a woman"
"I was unaware that Miss Davies had a relationship with any of your men" Cornwallis responded with a hint of a smile, "In all my talks with her, she never mentioned one of your men"
Tavington barely managed to keep the surprised look off his face at Cornwallis' words. He knew Cassandra had told the Lord General about her affections.
"She kept the secret well guarded then My Lord" Tavington said casting a glance over his shoulder to make sure she had indeed followed his order to leave. "Had it not been for Lieutenant Thomas, I would have been unaware myself"
"And what was it that Lieutenant Thomas you Colonel?" Cornwallis asked, curious in spite of himself.
"That he overheard Cassandra telling you yesterday My Lord, that she had developed rather strong feelings for Captain Wilkins"
"Don't be stupid Tavington" Cornwallis said with a hearty laugh and a wave of his hand. "She wasn't talking about Wilkins… Colonel, she's in love with you"