Author's note: A huge thanks to my longtime friend and fellow author SlytherinDragoon for some help and suggestions with this chapter. She's busy with her own life and her own stories here but always has time to help a friend and fellow author out with ideas.....or just to give great support! Thanks TS!

Chapter 56 Misgivings And Regrets

Melanie opened her eyes slowly then blinked them against the light coming in through the window. The young woman judged by the positions of light and shadow in the room and the amount of noise coming in from the hospital camp that it was near noon. She thought she had been asleep now for four hours or so, judging it to have been well after sun up when she and her new husband finally ceased their lovemaking. The two had then fallen asleep in each other's arms.

Mrs. Tavington rolled to her other side to see that her husband was gone. She pushed her sore body up to a sitting position with a wince. "William?", she called, looking about for him. Feeling the urge to urinate, she climbed slowly out of the bed. Each step and movement she made as she crossed the room hurt her sore hips.

As she walked gingerly across the floor, she felt raw between her legs, as well. William's stamina had twisted and turned her body every which direction last evening. The girl blushed when she realized that there was maybe only a few moments during the night in which she did not have her legs splayed open wide. She giggled at that memory as she stepped behind the privacy screen.

After relieving herself into the chamber pot, she made her way back to the bed. It was only then that she realized she was still completely naked. Melanie grabbed her chemise off the floor and slipped it over her head as she climbed back into bed.

The girl reclined back into the pillows and closed her eyes. She stretched her arms out in the bed. As she slid her hands across the sheets, she found a dried spot of William's seed upon the sheet. Soon her other hand found another stain of their lovemaking, as well. The girl thought that if she were fertile still, the great amount of her husband's seed that had been spilled last night would have surely impregnated her.

Her mind drifted back a moment to when she had been pregnant just months before with Alexander's child. The two spent nights together regularly in each other's bedchambers in Fort Carolina. They had been together so much she couldn't even begin to pinpoint just when she had conceived the baby.

And now, she was married to another virile officer, one who would surely have her as much as Bordon did. Thinking of the two men made her mind move to comparing them.

First, she laughed to herself at the naughtiness of thinking about the size of their manhoods. The girl blushed thinking of how they were both very well endowed. The she thought of their stamina in bed. Bordon had wanted her frequently, and she could tell by last night that Tavington would probably require her wifely duties just as often.

She also remembered how good Alex was at pleasing her. His fingers and his tongue: how good it felt as they moved over her body. Melanie had to admit that William's felt just as nice on her. And then both men's mouths: their kisses. While the touch of their lips felt different, the slow, passionate kisses or deep, aggressive ones still incited such feelings in her.

Then she recalled the feel of their bodies. Alex's torso, while as muscular as William's, was thicker, while Tavington's was lean and finely chiseled with muscle. Both the men's bodies bore scars from their years in the cavalry. Melanie recalled the old scars, numerous, on both the men.

She remembered seeing Will's newest scars last night: on his left bicep, left side, right abdomen and right side of his neck. When he had come to the plantation over three months ago, they were open, gaping and bloody. Those same scars last night were newly healed upon his body; new, pink skin, delicate looking, replacing the once horrid looking wounds.

Then she recalled how both men were as officers. They were both brave, yet strict with their men. Both could be brutal with rebels and prisoners. She had been present when both men had killed innocent colonials. And she'd heard the rumors about both men ravishing female prisoners, taking advantage of them for intimidation. She experienced this with Bordon in the beginning, remembering that he had scared her. Melanie frowned as she remembered Tavington's threats last evening about forcing her to submit to him if she was not willing to consummate the marriage. The girl hoped he would never ravish her, but she knew now that he was certainly capable of it.

The young woman recollected what Bridget had once told her about both of their temperaments. Her Irish friend had proclaimed that they were the two most ill tempered officers in the fort. Melanie had witnessed, as well as had the brunt of both of their famous tempers. She hoped that marriage and happiness might help curb his irascibility.

Finally her mind drifted back to the day in the vineyard with William. She had asked him if he would take a mistress and was distressed that his answer wasn't a resounding "no". Melanie remembered feeling confused ever since he'd told her that if she attended to her wifely duties, then he wouldn't have to take one. She thought back to her time with Alex: he was married and had fallen in love with her. She had become Bordon's mistress. And if Alexander took a mistress, what was to stop William from doing the same?

Melanie looked over at the side of the bed where Will had slept beside her just a few hours ago. She reached out and touched it, her hand gliding over the cold sheets. All this thinking of mistresses now made her paranoid, and she wondered just where the general was.

The girl decided to get up. She rolled her still sore body out of bed and searched for her robe. Putting it on, she then set off in search of her new husband.

Once outside the room, she called for the man as she strode down the hallway. The girl stopped and looked over the banister into the rooms below. "Will?" , she called then stayed still for a moment listening for him to answer her back.

Melanie continued down the stairway and paused again on the landing. She looked about and saw nothing but a still house. In another moment, she stepped down onto the first floor and made her way to first the small parlor, then the office.

"William?"

His wife stood still, marveling at how quiet the house was without servants and military hospital personnel buzzing through it. She sighed, then looked toward the door. Standing in the middle of the floor, the girl wasn't sure what to think. Her mind turned in circles.

Maybe he rode into the village? Maybe he's out inspecting the plantation? Maybe he's outside relaxing? Maybe he's down at the hospital camp? Oh no. Maybe he's at the follower's tents.

She became apprehensive at where Will could be. The young woman felt her breathing become labored and her heart beating fast.

Melanie, Melanie! This is silly. Get ahold of yourself! He's not going to be with a whore the morning after his wedding night! Don't be ridiculous, she berated herself.

Mrs. Tavington took a deep breath, calming herself. She looked out the large window out into the yard, surveying the activity. After a moment of summoning some courage, the girl stepped out onto the porch. Melanie looked over to the side out the outbuildings, scanning the area for her husband. When she didn't see him, she looked out over the sea of hospital tents, but did not spot him there either.

Melanie stepped off the veranda and saw Diedre, one of the house servants, quickly trotting her way. The maid, carrying two empty water pails, looked up and saw her mistress.

She stopped in front her and curtsied.

"Good morning, Mrs. Tavington," she bade, "And congratulations."

"Thank you, Diedre. Have you seen General Tavington?"

"Yes, Ma'am. Down at the creek," she said with a nod of her head that direction.

"Thank you," Melanie said with a smile, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Will you or the master be needing anything soon?," asked Diedre.

"No, we're fine," she replied. "I understand that the general has given all of you the day off until tomorrow morning. We will be fine until then."

The maid headed off toward the well as Melanie strolled across the grass. She pulled her robe securely around her as she crossed the lane. Making her way between the outbuildings, she cleared them and made her way to the grass slope leading down to the brook.

Melanie spotted her husband, crouching by the stream, looking at something. She saw him stand back up as she walked down the grade. As she moved closer to him, the officer knelt back down, hammering a stake into the ground. Will stood back up, still not noticing his wife.

Mrs. Tavington studied her husband for a moment. He was out of uniform—a rare sight indeed. His white linen shirt was open at the collar hanging limply, exposing his neck and the very top of his chest. The sleeves were rolled up, showing his muscular forearms. The general wore brown breeches with a pair of black boots, looking cool and casual in the May late morning sun.

The young woman did think her husband very handsome. She knew that other women would be jealous and envious of her when she was on his arm. The girl sighed as she smiled to herself.

"Good morning, William," she called sweetly.

"Good day, dear wife," he replied, looking up from his task.

"What are you doing?" asked the young woman.

"Measuring. Staking off this plot of land."

"For what?"

"A mill," answered the general.

We haven't even been married one whole day yet and he's already spending Father's money, not to mention changing what daddy worked so hard to build, thought Melanie. She had wanted to keep things the way they were to honor her father and his years of effort making the plantation successful. The girl wasn't keen on changing things.

After a moment of silence, Melanie spoke up. "Do we need a mill, William? We've never had one before."

She tried to keep her voice even and innocent, not wanting to risk the general's temper. Nor did she want to alienate her new husband just hours after their wedding.

"Yes," answered the officer. "It will be more practical for us to do our own milling, not to mention the profit made from milling for others."

Melanie said nothing as she watched William step off a few feet, pulling the string tight and straight, placing the stake opposite of the other. She watched as he drove the marker into the ground.

"We're going to have to have a survey done," the general said aloud as he stood up. He wiped the sweat from his forehead on the sleeve of his shirt as he turned back to his wife.

"The battle I got hurt in back in January," he began to Melanie, "up in the piedmont near the crossing into North Carolina, we crossed a large stream that had some potential for a mill. It was called Macedonia Creek. Do you know it?"

"No," she answered.

"I'd like to go back up there soon to find a spot. I'd like to make that one into a saw mill. I know my way around the grist, but I'm sure I could learn the wood milling business."

"Will, have you seen the books? Can we afford to build two mills?"

"Yes, and hopefully more in the future," the general answered confidently. "Darling you forget that as of yesterday, my inheritance and my officer's salary are now mingled with your family money. We'll be fine."

Melanie sighed. "I see. Can you run everything—the farm and the mills?"

"Yes," the general replied. "I will oversee it all and make the decisions. We have slaves and indentureds. I'll hire hands to help, as well."

Young Mrs. Tavington was silent. She looked away from William and down at the ground. The girl nervously moved her foot over some blades of grass.

Noticing the heavy silence, the officer stopped what he was doing and looked at his wife. "What's wrong," he asked.

The young woman hesitated an instant, wanting to choose her words. She spoke cautiously. "Are you sure about all this? It seems so much….and so soon. We were only married yesterday."

Tavington shot her a serious, almost intimidating look. "Melanie," he chided, "have you no faith in my abilities as a businessman and the master of this plantation? I turned my father's business around, and I can help here, as well. I have our future to think about."

"Future?," she questioned.

"Yes. What if there are lean years? Drought, flood, crop failure, infestations. We will need something to supplement the farm," he pointed out.

His wife said nothing, instead smiling and shaking her head. She did understand his logic now.

"Darling, you must trust me," he persuaded, "as your husband and manager of the business."

Again the young woman was quiet, shaking her head in acknowledgment. General Tavington took a couple of steps toward her. He reached out and caught her chin with his hand, lifting it to look into her eyes.

"I need to hear you say it," coaxed William sympathetically.

"Yes, Will," she relented. "I trust you."

"Thank you," he smiled down at her.

She felt awkward. Sure that she could find some mending inside to occupy her time until he was done, she excused herself. "Well, I'll leave you to your task." The girl turned and began to walk away.

"Wait a minute," the officer called after her.

"Yes?" she turned back to look at her husband.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?"

"A kiss for your new husband," he requested.

"Oh," she smiled, then blushed. Melanie walked back to the man and gave him a respectable peck of a kiss on the cheek. He responded with a frown.

"Melanie," he said as he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, "I want more than that!"

"Will," she said, her hands on his chest trying to push him away, "it's the middle of the day. People are around."

"So," he replied flippantly.

"They'll see us," she pointed out, her voice rising slightly in alarm.

"We're newlyweds. They don't expect us to keep our hands away from each other!"

"You'll have to wait until tonight," Melanie scolded playfully.

"Is that so?" With that, Tavington picked her up quickly and slung her over her shoulder and began to walk toward the water. His wife screamed and pounded on his back with her fists, protesting.

"I demand another kiss," he said as he continued walking.

"No," she squealed. "William!"

"Give me another kiss!"

"No!" she shouted, still hanging upside down from his shoulder.

"Kiss me again or I'll toss you into the stream!"

"You wouldn't dare," she challenged.

In response, the general pulled her forward over his shoulder into his arms in front of him, carrying her as he stepped to the bank of the stream. "Yes I will," he affirmed.

"NO!" Melanie screamed. The girl was panicked, more than aware of what her gauzy nightgown and thin robe would look like wet against her body.

"Kiss me or else!"

He rocked his arms as if he was getting ready to throw her in and she tightened her own arms about his neck. She relented and gave him a tender kiss on the mouth.

Will smiled down at her, looking smug and satisfied as put her down. Just as she started back up the bank, he grabbed her and pulled her back to him, his body square against hers. The man leaned down and took her lips in a long, slow, deep and passionate kiss, lasting more than a few seconds and quite inappropriate for public places.

When they parted, still in bliss, they were greeted with loud clapping, cat calls and hoots of laughter from atop the grade. A group of soldiers had heard Melanie's earlier cries, assembled, and watched the newlywed couple's actions, obviously enjoying the stolen and very inappropriate kiss.

Melanie looked down at the ground, flushed red with embarrassment as she grabbed her husband's hand. General Tavington shot the men a look of irritation.

"Alright, you lot," the two heard Colonel Wilton call, "Back to work!"

As the men dispersed, he called down to the newly married couple. "Sorry, General," he apologized. "And congratulations!"

With her hand still in his, he pulled her close enough to him to whisper in her ear. "You should rest up this afternoon," he murmured affectionately, "I intend to keep you up all night long again." He slapped his wife's bottom as she walked away, smiling in triumph.

That evening at sunset, General and Mrs. Tavington were finishing up a cold dinner found in the picnic baskets left by the servants. It was quiet in the house as they sat together at one end of the table in the dining room.

"You're awfully quiet," William said, breaking the silence. "Is anything wrong?"

His wife looked down at her plate and sighed. "I can't help but feel troubled."

"About," the officer asked.

"Well, last night," she began, "most other brides—normal, fertile women, would have surely become pregnant from all the seed you spilled."

"Now, Melanie—"

"I just wish I could give you an heir," the young woman mused forlornly.

"Darling, we can adopt as many children as you want," the general comforted, reaching across the table to cover her hand with his.

"I just wish I could have your child," Melanie stated dejectedly, "To carry your child inside me."

"I understand," Will acknowledged, "I have no less affection for you because you cannot."

She nodded her head and gave him a small, forced smile. And awkward quiet passed between the newlyweds. Both took sips of their wine.

William broke the silence. He was curious about something, but knew that he had to be delicate with the matter.

"Melanie," he began, forcing himself to measure his words and keep them in a gentle tone. "Did you ever feel Bordon's child moving within you?"

The girl raised her eyes to look at her husband, then she sighed. "No. Even at four months along, when the miscarriage was, it was too early to feel anything."

"I see," Tavington answered tentatively and in a quiet voice, feeling badly now that he'd asked her.

"I wanted to," the young woman added, "I wanted to feel the baby moving inside of me. I couldn't wait to feel that."

Will shook his head and took another pull on his wine. "I'm sorry, dear. I shouldn't have asked."

"It's alright," Melanie said, downcast.

Another uncomfortable silence hung between the newlyweds. After a moment, Mrs. Tavington broke the silence with a revelation.

"I was going to live with Alex," she revealed, "That ring he gave me was meant to be worn as a wedding ring. He decided that he wasn't going home to England."

"I didn't know that," Tavington informed, "Bordon didn't impart such things to me."

"I thought living with him…looking and acting like a wife to him would make us whole….complete," she mused.

Melanie paused, remembering her feelings, then went on. "Alexander was never really mine," she lamented, shaking her head as she looked down at the table. "I would always just be his mistress, no matter if we lived like a married couple and had true love."

William felt bad for his wife—he could tell she was recalling pain. "I should have broken decorum," he imparted aloud with regret. "If I would have, it would have saved you from becoming a married officer's mistress."

"That's the only difference it would have made," commented Melanie, "People would have just called me 'Tavington's whore' instead."

The officer didn't answer. He knew she was right.

"Will, I really do want to get over Alex," she proclaimed, "I don't want his specter hovering over us. I want you and I to grow to love each other."

William smiled at her. He felt she was sincere in what she said and how she felt.

Melanie became quiet again, and Will sensed there was more bothering her. "Is something else troubling you, dear?"

"Are you going to take a mistress," she asked.

General Tavington let out an audible and exasperated sigh. "Melanie, we went over this days ago. There's no reason for me to—"

"William, I would have felt better if you would have given me a resounding 'no' that day in the vineyard when I first asked you."

"I haven't even had a chance to become bored with you—"

"But what if you do?" interrupted Melanie.

With that, the officer got up from his chair and made his way to his wife's chair. He picked Melanie up from it, took a few steps to the other end of the long dining room table and sat her down on the edge of it. He roughly pushed her down onto her back on it.

The girl was too stunned even to protest. In an instant, William pulled her down to where her bottom was at the edge of the table and threw her skirts up above her thighs, kneeling down between her legs. Before she knew it, she was catching her own breath when she felt him bury his face in her womanhood. His tongue made immediate work of finding her womanly pearl, then manipulating it with deft strokes.

"Oh…my God…William!", she moaned as his tongue burrowed steadily into her womanly folds. His wife gasped aloud when he pushed a finger into her moistness. He was pleased to find her ready to accept him.

A delicious warmth began to build in her pelvis and the girl soon found herself arching her back against the hard wood of the table.

"Oh Will! WILL!!" she groaned.

Sensing that she was close to the edge, Tavington stopped and stood back up, pushing his breeches down quickly as he did, freeing his stiffened member from the confines of the material. He took ahold of the shaft and teased her aching and swollen womanhood with the head of his cock, making her coo.

"William….PLEASE!," she begged breathlessly.

He pulled her back down the table just a little and put her legs up onto his shoulders so that he could go deeply into her. With no more hesitation, he rammed himself into her as hard as he could. Will pounded away inside of her, feeling the head of his stiffness hitting the back of her.

Melanie reached down to near her bottom and grabbed onto the edge of the table tightly, feeling that his hard thrusts would send her off the other side. His hands were on either side of her body, jamming his hardness in as fast and rough as he could.

"William oh WILLIAM!!" she cried as her muscles clinched around his manhood.

In just a few more strokes, they came at the same time with Tavington collapsing on top of her. He took her legs off his shoulders and gently let them drop to dangle off the table. As they panted together, trying to catch their breaths, her husband pushed himself up off of her, but she hooked her hand around his neck and pulled his head back down to where their lips met. After a lingering kiss, he looked his wife in the eyes.

"Were those the actions of a man who has grown tired of making love to his wife?"

"No," Melanie relented.

With a smile he asked, "Shall we retire to our bedroom?"

Still breathless, she answered. "Oh Will, I don't think I can walk after that." Her hip joints and thighs were hurting from being stretched over his shoulders.

"That's no matter," replied General Tavington. "Whether you walk or I carry you upstairs, we will be naked in our bed in the next five minutes!"

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

Author's note: Tarleton's Legion really did cross Macedonia Creek in extreme Northern South Carolina on the way to the Cowpens Battle, hours before. It was dark still, and the creek water was cold from the winter and swollen by winter rains. It is about five miles from the battlefield.