Chapter 41 Doldrums And Bittersweetness
After escaping death yet another time, Melanie continued to recover over the next few days. Within two weeks, most of her weakness had passed and she was now able to sit up and move about her room again. During one of those days of improvement, she received a rare visit from General Lord Cornwallis.
After exchanging pleasantries, the Lord General sat down in the chair next to Melanie's bed. She sat up against her pillows, curious as to the busy general's reason for visiting.
"I have some good news for you," he said with a smile. The supreme commander then handed her a letter.
Her eyes quickly noticed the wax seal, which contained a large letter "C". She could not recollect if she should recognize the seal or know who it was from.
"It's from General Clinton," Cornwallis pointed out as she broke the seal on the letter. "You're being sent back to your plantation. That's your confirmation in writing."
Melanie's mouth dropped open in amazement; she had not expected this. The young woman said nothing as she looked away from the Lord General. The girl said nothing as she gazed back at the older man with a quizzical look on her face.
"Is something wrong, Miss Prescott?"
Shock held the girl's tongue captive. She could do nothing but shake her head in disbelief.
"I would think this news would make you happy," commented the general.
"I….I…I'm just……," stammered a still amazed Melanie, "I've grown used to living here." She didn't say what they both knew needed to be included in those words: that she'd also become accustomed to living there as Major Bordon's mistress.
Lord Cornwallis said nothing, listening intently as the young woman went on. "I…I feel safe and protected here."
"You'll be adequately protected on your farm, as well," the general stated. "You know that we have established a hospital there. There are plenty of soldiers there to keep you safe."
Cornwallis paused, then continued. "You will be sharing your home with the hospital until the war ends here or we pull out and close it up."
"Yes," Melanie said quietly.
"You will be happy to know that the plantation is in much the same shape as the day you were rescued," he stated. "General Clinton gave specific orders for the house to be left intact. Nothing has been pillaged. The crops have been flourishing, all under the care of your father's overseer."
"I see," Melanie answered in a disappointed voice.
"None of this makes you happy," asked the Lord General.
Miss Prescott was stunned and saddened. The fort truly had become her home, and she did not want to leave Alex. The young woman was with him most every day, and they spent many nights together in one another's beds. Now she was being told that all this would end.
"This is so much to take in," she commented. "I am grateful that your men have treated my home respectfully. And while I have wanted to go home, things won't be the same without my family there. The whole thing is bittersweet."
"I understand your feelings," Cornwallis replied. "In a few more days or weeks, when you are better, you'll be accompanied back there. Once there, I know you'll think of your family, but I'm sure that the daily duties of running a plantation and helping out with the hospital will keep you from being too melancholy."
"Yes sir," Melanie answered with not much enthusiasm.
With that, Lord Cornwallis bid farewell, leaving Miss Prescott alone. As he left, she looked over the formal letter which released her back to her plantation and heaved a great sigh.
After a moment of reading basically the same thing the Lord General had just told her, she folded it back up and slipped it into the drawer of her nightstand. Then she sank into her bed, pulled the covers up over her head, and sobbed into her pillow.
**************************
It was now the last days of 1780, and the beginning coolness of winter had settled over South Carolina. A noticeable coldness had enveloped Miss Prescott, as well. As she left her room little since her suicide attempt weeks earlier, when she was out, everyone noticed a change in her. She had become sullen and listless, moving numbly about without many words to anyone. It seemed as if she was living, or rather just existing, until her moment to die. It was as if nothing could pull her out of the doldrums. Indeed, no one was more worried about her deep melancholia than Alexander and Bridget.
Major Bordon was working with two new dragoons, showing them some fencing moves, when he caught sight of Melanie moving across the fort's courtyard. As the new recruits talked with each other, Alex watched as the girl walked aimlessly to a bench, where she sat down, and looked about at things, seeming uninterested in anything. It disturbed him that she looked at the world now as if it was dull and lifeless. It hurt him worse that she included their relationship in with all the dullness.
Alexander waved at Melanie from where he was and in return, received only a slight smile and nod back from her. He went back to answering the new recruits' questions, then quickly wrapped that up so that he could join Miss Prescott.
The officer walked quickly across the green to join his lover on the bench under the tree. He planted a gentle kiss on her cheek as he greeted her.
"Good afternoon, darling," Alex said with a smile. "How are you feeling today?"
"Fine," she answered weakly, in a bored and resigned voice. She looked down, then away from the major.
An awkward quiet settled over the two, which unfortunately, was becoming all too normal these days. It was as if the two could no longer talk easily in each other's presence.
This slight friction between them caused by the recent events of misfortune, had caused the officer to reevaluate his own situation as well as the relationship between he and his mistress.
Miss Prescott broke the silence. "They're sending me home," she declared, giving the formal letter from General Clinton stating this to Alex.
Alexander already knew this, General Lord Cornwallis having threatened it to the officer weeks earlier. It was just a matter of how soon it would happen.
The major read the letter, then folded it back up. He sighed, then spoke.
"Have they told you when you are to leave?"
"Soon," she replied. "Alex, I don't want to go."
"I don't want you to leave either," he lamented.
A few moments of yet another awkward silence surrounded the couple as both looked around at the people going about the daily duties of the fort. As they watched the activity intently, Alexander reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a small box and handed it to Miss Prescott.
"This is for you," he announced as Melanie took the box from his hand.
She examined the small box, a puzzled look on her face as she did. The girl could tell it was a jewelry box, and recognized the name embossed on the outside of it as from a prominent jeweler in Charles Towne. The young woman opened it to find a beautiful ring inside it.
Melanie's eyes widened, surprised by his gift of jewelry. She marveled at how lovely the ring, a single small ruby encircled by small diamonds, was. The girl looked at Alexander, a look of question on her pretty face.
At that moment, Alex Bordon moved off the bench he was seated on and onto the ground before Miss Prescott. He took her hand in his as he knelt before her.
"Melanie," he began, his deep voice laden with sincerity, "will you marry me?"
Her free hand covered her mouth in disbelief. Dumbfounded, she wasn't sure what to say or what to do. How could she marry this man who was already married to another woman? Before she could utter a word, the major spoke again.
"I've made up my mind," proclaimed Alexander, "I'm not going home to England. I want to stay here……with you. I want us to be together."
"Alex….I…", she began, than stopped, unable to find the right words.
"Before you say anything, just hear me out," he requested. "I want you to take the ring and wear it like you would as a wife. Even though we cannot be legally married, there is nothing to stop us from living together as man and wife. We can go anywhere you want. We can change our names. If we go somewhere new, then no one will know us and they won't know the difference that we aren't truly married."
Melanie's head spun at this surprise. Her heart melted and she felt even more love for Alexander than she had ever felt. But she was confused momentarily. The girl knew it wasn't right to live with a man out of wedlock, but she knew it was just as wrong to be a married man's mistress. As she thought further, she realized that this was probably as close as she would get to any sort of matrimony with Alex Bordon.
"Yes, I'll marry you Alex," she said. "I'll live with you as your wife."
Major Bordon smiled then rose from kneeling to rejoin her on the bench. They embraced and kissed softly. Alexander slid the ring onto the fourth finger of her left hand.
"I know we can't change the past, and I can't change the present in my situation with Paulette," he stated, "but we can shape our future however we want. And we can make our future in life together."
"I'll miss you when I'm back at home," Melanie said simply.
"Anytime we are in that area, I'll try to break away and visit," he promised.
"But still, I wish I could stay here with you," the girl said, nestling into his embrace. "It will be different not seeing you every day."
"I know, but after this war is over, I'll come to your farm, and we will start life anew."
"How long before this war is over," asked Melanie with a sigh.
"I think we are close to having the rebels beat," Alex said. "I believe it is only a matter of months."
Melanie looked into his eyes as she took both of his hands. "I'm so happy that we will be together the rest of our lives."