Chapter 25 Pillow Talk

Hours later, Melanie awoke with her head pillowed on Alexander's shoulder. One of his hands caressed her back gently, as the other stroked her hair.

"Is it morning already," she asked sleepily, as she looked lovingly up at him.

Alex kissed her forehead affectionately. "I'm afraid so," he replied softly with his lips against her skin. His fingers worked into her blond tresses, weaving themselves in and out, and toying with her curls. His other hand worked smoothly down her back and caressed her bare bottom beneath the covers.

"It's stopped raining," Bordon pointed out. He kissed her cheek lightly. "We can leave right after breakfast."

"Oh….," Melanie pouted. "I want to stay here with you forever." She smiled up at him, then began to kiss his neck.

Before she could tease him much longer, he quickly rolled her over onto her back, and the two kissed deeply and passionately for a moment. Her arms encircled his body, holding him close as they did.

"I would like to as well," replied Alex, pulling away from her kiss. "But duty calls."

He kissed her mouth again with a playful peck, as he moved out of her embrace to sit on the edge of the bed. The man immediately pulled his breeches on and stood up as Melanie sat up in the bed. She pulled the covers up, modestly covering herself in the new daylight of the cabin.

Turning back to Melanie, the officer leaned down, his hands on either side of her, and gave her another slow, sensual kiss. As his mouth left hers, he said, "I'll get the horse ready if you will deal with our breakfast."

She grinned up at him and gave him a quick peck of a kiss back on his lips. Bordon began to pick up bits and pieces of his uniform as Melanie rolled out of bed, reaching for her chemise and pulling it on.

She dressed quickly as Bordon was outside gearing the horse up for the ride back to the fort. Melanie also put out a cold breakfast of salt pork—a few pieces, and Hard tack. The meager breakfast would suffice for now; they'd return to the fort soon and could get a hot meal there.

The couple ate quickly on Bordon's instructions as he wanted to get on the road for Fort Carolina soon. As the officer brought the horse around to the front of the cabin, he entered it again to collect Miss Prescott.

"Ready to leave?"

"Yes," Melanie answered with a loving smile.

"Alright then," said Bordon. "Give me your hands."

Melanie thrust her hands out in front of her with a smile. She wondered what playful thing he would do next. Maybe kiss her fingers again, she hoped.

With that, Alexander pulled a rope out from behind his back and began to lash her wrists together. Melanie looked at him in shock. What was he doing?

"I have to bind your wrists," he said, without emotion and sounding official. He continued with the task.

Too stunned to say anything, Miss Prescott just looked at him in shock. He caught a glimpse of her face, seeing the momentary panic in it as he twisted the rope gently about her wrists.

"It's regulation," he stated, as he laced the binding around her hands. His voice, sounded like that of a proper officer again.

Melanie's heart sank as Bordon neared the end of his task. She closed her eyes and looked away. The girl wondered how she could have been such a fool. He had only used her again.

Tying off the last knot Bordon looked up at Miss Prescott, who was looking away from him at the wall. "Let's go," he exclaimed not suspecting that anything was wrong.

As he walked out of the cabin, he turned to find no one behind him. Confused, he peered back through the door and saw Melanie standing there, still staring blankly at the wall.

The officer walked back in to get her, thinking she hadn't heard him. He smiled at her, then cocked his head to the side when she acted as if she didn't know he stood before her.

"What's wrong," he queried innocently.

She turned back to look at him, her eyes brimmed with tears. Wondering what she was upset about after having acted happy this morning earlier when they awoke, he reached out to touch her cheek. Melanie jerked her head back and away from it, looking down at the floor.

Assertively, Bordon reached out yet again and firmly gripped her chin with his hand. He turned her head back to his in order to see her face.

A tear ran down Melanie's cheek as her face contorted in sorrow. Concerned, Alex reached up and wiped her tear away with his fingers. "What is it?"

"I'm a prisoner again to you," she said, trying to choke back more tears and sorrow.

Bordon sighed heavily and closed his eyes. He wanted to speak to comfort her, but couldn't get the words out in time before she cut him off.

In a defeated voice, she looked down at the cabin floor, dejected and ashamed. The tears now flowed freely from her eyes. "I stupidly fell for your words and charm last night. You used me." She paused, sniffled, then continued on. "You treat me no better than your camp followers. I mean nothing to you."

"That's not true," he claimed in a subdued voice. He wanted to allay her fears. "What I said was honest. I do love you." With that, he leaned forward and kissed the tears away on her cheeks. Then he pressed a light, loving kiss to her lips, but she did not respond back. She stood there, coldly.

"Melanie, I don't have a choice," he explained in a confined voice. Reaching out to her cheeks, he held her face softly and wiped new tears away from the corners of her eyes with his thumbs.

"Listen to me," he pleaded. "I am an officer and it's against decorum. It is frowned upon for us to be intimate with prisoners."

"But when no one else is around, you can do as you please," she countered in a crushed voice, "because it's my word against yours—an officer."

"Melanie—"

"Don't!," she exclaimed, dodging around him as he tried to take her into his arms. She looked at him with contempt as she stepped away from him. She left him standing there, looking the part of the consummate officer in his menacing uniform and hair pulled back tightly into a queue.

Melanie walked toward the cabin door and to his horse. Once there, she turned and looked haughtily back at him. She desperately tried to hold on to what little dignity she had left—dignity that she felt that she gave up too easily to the man last night.

"So, do your duty now, Major Bordon, and take your prisoner back to the fort," she smirked as she thrust her chin up. She turned away again, facing straight head.

Alexander heaved a heavy sigh and looked up at the ceiling of the cabin. He took a deep breath, pulled his shoulders up and back, again assuming his role as an officer. No use reasoning with her now—it was clear to him that she wouldn't listen.

Major Bordon closed the cabin door behind him. He lifted Miss Prescott up onto his horse, then he mounted behind her. The horse trotted away, leaving the little cabin behind.

It was a quiet and uneventful ride back to the fort. A couple of times during the ride, Bordon leaned forward and affectionately tried to kiss Melanie's cheek in an effort to comfort her. Both times, she jerked forward away from him. Rolling his eyes, he hooked his arm hard around her waist, squeezing her tightly back to him, as he had before on previous rides when he had to keep her from trying to jump from his horse.

Melanie Prescott noticed nothing of the scenery on the ride back to the fort. Her eyes were full of tears, blurring her vision, and her cheeks wet with them as she cried silently to herself, her heart broken.

*************

Fort Carolina came into site in just over an hour. The pair rode through the gates with shouts from the sentries that the lost major had found his way home. Miss Prescott was relieved to be back and anxious to depart Major Bordon's company.

As the officer's steed neared the veranda, Bordon spied General O'Hara coming out to meet them. The general had heard the sentries' shouts from inside and wanted to greet the foundlings. Rushing down the steps, he met the major's horse as it came to a stop just short of the porch.

The General caught Bordon's horse himself, then handed the reins off to a private nearby. "Ah, Major Bordon," he greeted, "we're glad you're back and thankful for your safety."

"Thank you, sir," Bordon answered graciously. O'Hara helped Miss Prescott down from the saddle as Alexander watched. He then dismounted, easing himself onto the ground. He noted that Charlie O'Hara had taken hold of Melanie's elbow and was guiding her toward the steps. The senior officer turned toward Bordon as the trio walked together.

"The Lord General and myself wish to see you shortly for debriefing," he informed.

"Of course, Sir," Major Bordon complied. "Please allow me to escort Miss Prescott to her quarters and I'll join you momentarily."

O'Hara nodded cordially as he handed the young lady back over to her charge. With that, Alex spirited away a very sullen Melanie. The girl said nothing but continued to seethe as the officer ushered her up the stairs and down the hallway.

Once at the door, Miss Prescott stayed mute as Major Bordon opened it. As quick as the door opened, Melanie rushed through it, wanting to put as much distance as possible between her and the officer. Quickly, Alexander grabbed her back to him before she could get too far, slammed the door, then pinned her back firmly against it once inside her room.

Melanie raised her bound hands and tried to hit the man. Alex grabbed her arms, immediately overpowering her, though she still struggled to fight him.

In a moment, the young woman burst into tears of embarrassment. She exclaimed in frustration, "You lied to me!"

The man tried to quiet the young woman down. "Shhhh.."

Still, Melanie fought him. "You toyed with me," she sobbed. "You don't love me!"

"Yes, I do," insisted Bordon.

"You used me!"

With this, Alexander pulled his mistress' bound arms upward and slid them over his head so that they encircled his neck. The helpless girl could do nothing about this.

"Shhh…Melanie, calm down," he soothed.

The young lady gave up her fight and wept into his chest. With his gloved hand, the major lifted her chin to look at him. "Darling, I do love you," he persisted, "But if we want to be together, we'll have to be discreet. We must act as if nothing is out of sorts. Do you understand?"

Miss Prescott said nothing as she looked into Bordon's blue eyes. She wanted to trust him, but was confused.

"Officers cannot carry on with prisoners," he informed. "It is not permitted."

After another moment, a frustrated Melanie relented with a sigh. Still mute, her eyes searched those of her lover's for reassurance.

As he returned her gaze, he asked poignantly, "Do you want us to see each other, or do you want this to end now?" The tone of his voice and the look in his azure eyes made her nearly swoon.

"Oh, Alex," she began, "I want to be with you."

He smiled silently down at her then lowered his head to meet hers. His mouth took hers in a slow, deep kiss.

After a moment, the girl was unaware that Bordon's lips had left hers. She clung blindly to the wall for support, panting all the while.

The officer smiled softly at the shaky young woman as he brought her arms from around his neck. As she stood there lost in her reverie, he loosened the bonds on her wrists.

Melanie slowly opened her eyes to find herself freed and the major still standing before her. She flushed suddenly, embarrassed as she realized that the officer had watched her in her dreamy state. Blushing, she looked away from him.

In an instant, the young woman felt Major Bordon's lips brush the shell of her right ear in a light kiss. As she shuddered, he whispered lovingly, "I'll come to your bed tonight." He kissed her cheek then stood straight and tall again.

Gently he removed a dazed Miss Prescott from the door, opened it, then disappeared quickly through it. The girl stood breathless as she pondered the twists and turns of the last twenty four hours of her life.

* * * * *

In the darkness of Melanie Prescott's chambers, the only noise was the muffled cries of two lovers at Midnight.

"Oh….Alex…Oh…Oh I'm coming," Melanie gasped softly, burying her cries in Bordon's strong shoulder. The girl was aware of the discretion needed, and that she could not carelessly scream her pleasure aloud as she had the night before in that secluded cabin.

Alexander's orgasm followed an instant later. As he drained himself into the young lady, he uttered a low groan. It was obvious by Bordon's disciplined actions that this wasn't the first time that he'd had to exercise discretion.

After a moment, the officer withdrew himself from her and rested between her legs. The man pillowed his head on her bare, soft breasts, relaxing as Melanie raked her fingers through his long hair.

"Alex, what part of Surrey are you from?"

Major Bordon didn't answer right away. He reveled in the feeling of his lover's fingers working through his locks, as he lazily moved his head to her right breast. He teased the nipple with his lips as he answered.

"Wokking," he replied as he ran his tongue around the jewel. "Southwest of London."

Melanie released a sigh and closed her eyes as Alexander moved then to her left breast, to tease it in turn. Before the girl regained composure to ask another question, Bordon moved up equal to her and covered her mouth in a long kiss.

A moment later, the officer rolled over on to his back, quickly deciding not to answer any more questions from her. He feared he had told her too much the night before in the cabin and was afraid to give up anymore of himself.

He decided to distract her subtly, deflecting her questions with a query of his own. He spoke as he pulled Melanie to him. "Have you ever been to England?"

Miss Prescott cuddled up to his body, laying her head upon his chest. She replied, "Yes. Three years ago in Early 1776."

Alex kissed the top of her head. "With your family?"

"No," she answered. "Just Father." She shifted a bit then continued. "I accompanied him to London to meet with the King and Parliament for the purpose of mediation. Mother, my sister and brothers stayed behind to start the planting in the spring."

"It was an interesting trip. I had occasion to go with father to some of his meetings. We didn't know many people in London, so there wasn't much to do during the day."

Melanie looked up at the major. "Were you in London at that time?"

"No," he answered flatly. "I've been here in the colonies since '75."

The girl opened her mouth to ask another question, but was quickly ushered away from it by the astute officer. "So, when you weren't attending meetings with your father, what did you do?"

"Read a lot," she replied. "Went to parties and dinners. Met many people."

She paused for a moment, recalling more of her trip then went on. "We were in London for two months. I dreaded the voyage home as I had spent most of the trip over below deck seasick. Father was worried. I had only just gained back the weight I'd lost on the trip over when it was time to return home. Suffice it to say, I am not a good sailor."

Melanie continued with her story. "We arrived back in Charles Towne is June, and it was bustling with activity. People were arguing and fighting amongst themselves. Soldiers from both sides were all over the city."

The girl went on. "We stayed at Mr. Pinckney's home for a week. We'd made it back just in time for father to meet with the South Carolina delegates."

"Did you attend that meeting with your father, as well?" asked Bordon.

"Yes. The room was full of people from the area. Father laid the concessions of the King before the delegates. But, he was immediately cut down by Mr. Howard and Colonel Burwell. The only one that was even remotely near wanting peace was that Martin man from Wakefield. He did not want war or peace; he seemed to just want the world to leave him and his family alone, as if they lived on some isolated island."

Melanie chuckled to herself, shaking her head. "I got the impression that if he didn't…..participate…..then the war wouldn't exist and would not affect him, as if the man was in some sort of denial." She sighed, "Fanciful thoughts."

Major Bordon continued to listen attentively. As he did, his intelligence officer's mind automatically gleaned information that may be of use to the British.

Unaware of what her lover was doing, Miss Prescott went on speaking about the events in Charles Towne.

"Colonel Burwell seemed to sway the crowd to fight that day. He gave an eloquent speech though he tried to appear modest the whole time. Jim Wilkins spoke up against him, and challenged some of the others, as well. I had no doubt of his Loyalist convictions that day. Of course, Britain and the colonies have been very good for his family's winery."

Stopping for a moment, Melanie remembered more of that day. Then, she went on. "Outside, after the meeting, I consoled father as he lamented the group's decision to fight. As we talked and watched all the commotion about, two men joined us."

"They were?"

"Oh, I knew the man in uniform right away to be Colonel Harry Burwell, as he was just introduced and made his speech in the meeting. The other man was quiet and somber, but he knew my father. Papa introduced us. That was Benjamin Martin, the man who seemed to think he could wish the war away."

Alex Bordon remembered that name from his studies of the area. He recalled hearing information that Burwell and Martin had served together in the war against the French years ago. He recalled learning of Martin leading the raid on Fort Wilderness—and that they had been merciless to the French there. The officer continued to listen to his lover.

"I didn't like the way that Colonel Burwell looked at me." She bristled.

"How was that," asked Bordon.

"The way a wolf eyes a sheep," she replied dryly.

Alexander smiled crookedly, amused at her description.

Melanie went on. "There was a ball that evening at Mr. Drayton's house. Needless to say, it was filled with tension since delegates from opposing sides were in attendance. An effigy of the King was burned just two homes away. I spent most of my time that night with Jim Wilkins and his sister, Elizabeth. I think I may have angered Colonel Burwell that evening."

"How was that," Bordon queried.

"I refused to dance with him. But in my defense, I had promised the next dance to Jim. I think Elizabeth may have danced with him, much to Jim's dismay."

Melanie laughed at the memory of that moment then shuddered. "Two times that night I caught Colonel Burwell looking……..lasciviously……at me again. I didn't like being ogled like that."

"But you're a pretty girl," Bordon comment, kissing Melanie's forehead. "He couldn't help but stare, I'm sure."

"But Elizabeth Wilkins told me he is married," she protested. "He should have been longing for his wife in Alexandria, rather than staring inappropriately at young girls in Charles Towne."

"The next day, I bid farewell to Father. He left on a ship to go up the coast to Philadelphia. He needed to meet with the Continental Congress. His pleas and concessions from the King fell on deaf ears there, as well. They wrote and signed their own declaration of independence."

"I left Charles Towne with the Wilkins family to go back home. If I recall correctly, this was the last time I saw Jim Wilkins. Next time I see him, he's standing over my bed in a British fort, dressed in a dragoon uniform, and a Captain!"

"When our family was all together again at home in autumn, Father conceded disappointment with the trip. He vowed, though, never to give up on a peaceful resolution to this conflict."

Bordon spoke up. "Your father was doing just that when your family was attacked."

"So, I've heard," Melanie sighed. She still had little memory of that dreadful day.

After a moment of silence, Miss Prescott settled into Bordon's body, too tired to speak anymore. The couple fell asleep in Melanie's bed, where they hid their love for each other from the world.

*************************

July 3, 2009

Author's note: Hi all! Thanks for reading the first 25 chapters--This is as many as I had written from 2002 and forward. I'm now at the point where the rest of the story is outlined, but now I have to start writing it. So, bear with me, the rest of the story might not get posted as fast as the first 25 chapters did. I will try to get them up as fast as I can write them!

Thanks and stay tuned!

JScorpio