Innocence Lost

Chapter Seventeen

One week later, in the middle of the night, Anne went into labor. Gabriel and Ben had been out all night on a mission and arrived home just as she was giving birth.

Mary Ellis left Anne with the midwife and rushed outside as soon as she heard their horses ride up to the house. "Hurry!" she called to them. "The baby is coming!"

The men quickly dismounted and followed Mary into the house. As they climbed the stairs, they heard a baby's cry suddenly come from Anne's room.

Gabriel quickened his step, eager to finally see the child. The moment of truth had come.

"It's a boy!" the midwife told them as they entered the room. She smiled as she held the baby out to Gabriel to inspect.

As he took the child from her and examined him carefully, the tiny hope he'd had that the child might be his was instantly crushed. The baby boy had dark brown hair and piercing, ice blue eyes. Tavington's eyes.

He quickly handed off the child to Ben, then rushed from the room without a word.

Gabriel hurried directly to the barn after leaving the house. He climbed up to the hayloft and went to where he'd hidden a couple of bottles of rum. Easing himself down into the prickly hay, he pulled the cork on one bottle and began to drink deeply from it. After a few moments, he began to feel pleasantly numb.

Inside the house, Ben held the baby as Mary looked on. Anne had fallen asleep, exhausted from her long hours of labor. As they gazed down at the baby, the identity of his father was painfully obvious to them as well.

"He"He's a beautiful child," Mary said. "Regardless of who his father is."

"Yes, he is," Ben said. "But that comes from his mother!"

They both laughed quietly, glad to break the tension.

"But I will be a grandfather to him, exactly as if he were Gabriel's natural child," Ben said, serious once more. "He's an innocent baby and can't be held responsible for who his father is. I will love him just the same."

"You're a good man, Benjamin Martin," Mary said quietly. "Much better than the man who sired him."

In less than an hour Gabriel Martin had gotten thoroughly drunk. The more he thought of Anne bearing Tavington's child, the madder he got. He'd tried to forget about what had happened and to love Anne as he'd done before, but he just couldn't. Though he knew the child was innocent, he would not and could not claim him as his own.

As he continued to drink, an idea took hold and began growing in his alcohol-blurred mind. Throwing the bottle down, he staggered to his feet and carefully climbed down. As he left the barn, the cold air cleared his mind to a degree. He slipped out of the yard and headed up the street to see Reverend Oliver. A large cabin, which would serve temporarily as the church, had been hastily built behind the ruins of the old church near Oliver's small house.

"Reverend Oliver!" Gabriel called out to the preacher, who was just leaving the ch. ch. "I need to talk to you."

"Certainly, Gabriel," Oliver said. "What can I do for you?"

"Anne's had the baby," he said.

"Congratulations!" the other man said. "Was it a boy or girl?"

"A boy," Gabriel said briefly. "I'd like to have his birth registered in church records."

"Of course," Oliver said. "Let's go to the church and I'll enter his name in the book right away."

"Now, then," the reverend said after he'd seated himself behind his desk and opened the heavy record book. "What have you and Anne decided to name the baby?"

There was a long pause while Gabriel considered his words. "Well," he began slowly. "I've always believed that it's important to tell the truth, especially in God's house." After another pause, he continued, "The boy will be named after his father. William Tavington."

Oliver's head snapped up in shock. "You can't mean that!"

"I can, and I do," Gabriel said firmly. "Tavington sired that child and I will not give my nao a o a child that isn't mine."

"I can't imagine Anne has agreed to this."

"It is my right as a husband to name my wife's child," he said coldly. "Please enter the name I have given you."

"I wish you'd think about what you're doing," Oliver said. "Once your mind is clearyou\you'll see that this is a big mistake."

"I have thought about it," the young man said. "And my decision stands. The child's name is William Tavington."

Oliver sighed loudly, but in the end, he reluctantly entered the baby's name as Gabriel requested.

"Thank you, Reverend," Gabriel said. "I won't trouble you any further."

Ben and Mary were sitting in the kitchen when Gabriel went home.

"Where have you been?" Ben asked. "You look terrible."

"And you've been drinking," Mary said. She could smell his breath.

"I went to see Reverend Oliver," the young man said. Looking upstairs, he said, "Is Anne awake?"

"Why don't you go up there and find out," Ben said. "She's been asking for you."

Anne was sitting up in bed feeding the baby when Gabriel entered the bedroom a couple of minutes later. She looked up at him expectantly, but waited for him to speak.

"I just came back from seeing Reverend Oliver," he said. "I had him to enter the baby in church records."

"We've never even discussed baby names!" Anne said. "You went and named him without me?"

"I'm your husband, in case you've forgotten," he said icily. "I have a right to do that."

"W-what did you name him?" She was almost afraid to ask.

"I named him after his father," Gabriel said. "William Tavington."

"How could you do such a thing to me?" Anne demanded. "To the baby?"

"I just figured it was time that someone around here was honest about things for once," he said.

"I don't know if I can ever forgive you for this," Anne said. "Please go, because I can't bear the sight of you right now."

"As you wish". After giving the baby one last glance, he left the room quietly.