Bordon's Girl

CHAPTER 18 Confrontation

The warmth of the late May day and having just had a few moments alone with Colonel Tavington made Tess Bordon so happy. She strolled up the lane toward the main house. She smiled as she thought how happy she was to have William in her life—and to be a part of his as well. The girl smiled as she ascended the steps of the veranda, so full of happiness that she felt as though she was floating.

As Tess opened the door of the Bordon suite and entered, her father was standing right in front of it. She smiled prettily, ready to greet him when he grabbed her arm tightly and yanked her into the room. He then put her hard against the wall, her back to it, where he pinioned her there squarely. The sudden unexplained actions startled her, taking her breath away for an instant.

Major Bordon had a look of rage upon his face. His eyes burned in anger. Tess could not mistake that he was furious about something, but what, she thought.

“How long has it been going on?!” Bordon asked, yelling into Tessa’s face.

She was stunned and surprised. Tessa lost her bearings instantly and could not speak. She truly didn’t know what Geoffrey was so upset about.

“Wha….what?” she could only stammer.

“Don’t act like you don’t know,” he warned, shouting at her. “HOW LONG?!”

She shook her head in disbelief, unable to take in his rage. “I…I…I don’t know….what—“

“You and Tavington!” Bordon cried, cutting her off short. “How long has it been going on?!”

Oh My God, she thought. He knows! She panicked. How did he find out?

“Almost a year,” she said, frightened and surrendering the answer immediately. Tess was very afraid now, not knowing what he would do.

“A year?! You little whore!” screamed Bordon. With that, he slapped her with an open hand across her face.

Tess’ hand instantly flew up to her left cheek, which was stinging badly. She was too astonished to say anything. She felt like crying, but the tears stayed solidly in her eyes, blurring her vision.

“I did not raise you to act like a common trollop!” Bordon raged. “What were you thinking?! You could have become pregnant with his bastard! Do you care not that you will be known as Tavington’s whore?!”

“I’m not a whore, daddy,” she implored, her voice breaking, “He loves me!”

“No he doesn’t! You’re just one of his women,” Bordon shot back.

“No, Father,” she insisted, “we love each other!”

“You lied to me and defied me,” he accused menacingly.

“I’m sorry, daddy,” she cried. “I wanted to tell you, but I knew you wouldn’t let me see him.”

“With good reason!” With that, the Major stepped back away from her and took a deep breath. He turned his back to her as he shook with anger. Geoffrey tried hard to get his feelings back under control.

Tess continued to cower against the wall, frozen in place. She was so frightened of her father now, having never seen him this upset.

Bordon turned back to face Tessa. “Ever since I raised you, you were always the perfect child,” he said, his voice a little more calm now. “You obeyed me and respected me. Why do you disrespect me now? I only want what’s best for you.”

Tess felt a little more at ease now. Her brother was starting to calm down. Maybe the worst of his anger had passed. “Colonel Tavington is what’s best for me.”

These words angered Major Bordon. In his eyes, she was in no position to question his authority by even stating something like that. He gripped her arms firmly again and sat her down hard in a chair. He hovered over her as she sank backwards into the wingback chair in front of the fireplace. She tried hard to fight back her tears.

“You are too young and inexperienced to know what is best for yourself,” Bordon said, his teeth clenched and eyes narrowed.

“I can not become an adult if you won’t let me learn and experience things,” she said bravely, but in a meek voice.

“Tavington is not best for you!”

“We love each other,” she remarked. “We want to be together!”

“No!,” the Major answered firmly. “I will not allow it! You will not see that man again!”

“But daddy,” she pleaded, beginning to cry again.

“No! Absolutely not!”

“You have no care of my feelings!” she sobbed.

“I have every concern for you!” Geoffrey countered.

She became a little mad now, thinking he hadn’t understood what she had said. She thought he had cared for her, but that her feelings, at that point, mattered not to him. Tess spoke up.

“I said ‘for my feelings!’” she corrected boldly, trying to stand up for herself.

Geoffrey flew off the handle. How dare she defy him and talk back to him. He slapped her across the face again.

With this, Tess began to weep hard. The slap hurt physically, but demeaned her being as well. She was embarrassed and hurt. Her heart was broken. She buried her face in her hands and cried.

Major Bordon did not allow her to continue hiding her face. He roughly cupped her chin and raised her head up with a snap to let her look in his eyes. Tess gasped and cried out in shock as he did this. She wanted to run somewhere and hide, terrified of him.

“You ungrateful, spoiled rotten brat!” he hissed. “I gave up the latter part of my childhood and young adulthood to raise you! I took care of you while other young men were out playing, courting women and enjoying life! And how do you re-pay me? With insults, lies, and defiance!”

“I didn’t want to defy you, daddy,” she explained through her tears. “I didn’t mean to fall in love with William. I can’t help the way I feel about him.”

“You are going to have to help it,” growled Bordon. “A soldier will not make a suitable husband.”

“Father, please!” she pleaded.

“I am the head of this household and I will decide who you will marry and you will abide by my wishes,” he stated clearly with a wave of his hand. It was clear that he would accept no argument from her.

“Daddy, if you care for me, please don’t make me—“

“It is because I care for you that you will marry someone of my choosing and will marry well.” Bordon stood up straight again and took a step backwards from the chair. “You will thank me in the future when you aren’t widowed at a young age by a soldier husband. You will be grateful then, when you don’t have to worry about feeding 5 little starving mouths because your military spouse was maimed in battle and can not work— or killed.”

Tess buried her head again and cried. She longed for William at that moment, wishing that he was beside her to support her and help her make Geoffrey understand.

“Look at me,” Geoffrey commanded.

She obeyed and raised her head. She wondered why her father could not see the tears in her eyes or understand how she felt. Tess wanted him to be loving toward her, not angry.

“You will understand all this when you are older,” he assured.

“No I won’t,” she replied as she dissolved into tears. “I want William.”

“NO! You are not to see him again,” Bordon growled. “And I will make sure of that.”

The officer hesitated for an instant as he turned away from his daughter. He whirled around to face her again.

“I am sending you home to England.”

Tess’ snapped her head upwards and her eyes flew open in panic. She knew that Geoffrey was very capable of doing this; that it was not a threat.

“But…..daddy….I..” she stuttered, unable to snap any words out quickly.

“You will live with Aunt Relda until I return,” he stated. “Then you will marry who I choose.”

Relda Bordon, the siblings’ embittered and spinster aunt, was the last place on Earth she wanted to live. If she were to go home, this would be the first time that she would ever be separated from her beloved brother. She did not want that.

Geoffrey walked away from her. He was finished with this discussion. The officer headed to his desk.

Tess jumped from the chair and followed him. She had to do something to change his mind—and fast!

“Father, please,” begged Tess, desperation coloring her voice. “I don’t want to go home to England; I want to stay here with you.”

“No!” he answered solidly.

“Daddy, we’ve never been apart,” she tried to persuade. “I don’t want to be away from you!”

“Tess, there is no argument! You are going home!”

“Please let me stay,” Tess begged. “I’ll break it off with William, I swear!” She wasn’t even aware that she’d said that; the words just came out in her despair.

Bordon turned quickly on his heel, stopping his daughter dead in her tracks. “And why should I believe that? You lied to me before.”

Tess was trembling as the words stuck in her throat. She couldn’t believe things had gotten out of control so quickly.

Major Bordon continued. “If you stay here with me, that means that you will also be here in the same place with Colonel Tavington. I will not allow that. I do not trust the two of you together in any place!”

Bordon turned again and moved toward his desk muttering, “I should have sent you to live with Aunt Relda in the first place!”

As he got to his desk, he grabbed for some paper and placed it in front of him as he pulled the chair out, readying to sit down. “Or, I should have left you there when I came over here.”

Tess just stood silently in the middle of the room. She shook her head, still incredulous that she was being forced to leave.

“Please, daddy,” she said in a barely audible voice.

Bordon, still standing at his desk, pointed an accusing finger at Tess. “Being around well mannered people and society will be good for you.”

He sat down at his desk, then went on. “Hopefully, it will teach you how to behave like a well mannered lady—something I have obviously failed to do.”

Geoffrey picked up a pen and readied to dip it into the inkwell. “And maybe it will temper your defiant and disobedient attitude!”

“Send me wherever you like,” she blurted out before she even knew what she was saying, “but that does not and will not ever change how I feel about William Tavington!”

The words were already said when she realized she had just spoken defiantly. She became scared again.

Bordon got up from his desk and stomped back over to where Tess stood. She had wanted to run, but her feet were frozen to the floor in fear. She was afraid she was going to get slapped a third time and tried to prepare herself.

“Suit yourself, young lady,” Bordon snarled. “If you wish to make yourself miserable the rest of your life by pining for a man that you can not have, instead of making the best of a good situation and being thankful for what you do have, then That is your decision. In fact, that can be your first choice to make as an adult—since you want to be one so badly.”

Bordon turned away from his daughter, no longer wishing to discuss this with her. His body language made that explicit, and Tess knew any further argument was futile.

He turned back to her. “Now, get your things packed quickly. You will leave first thing in the morning.”

Major Bordon started to walk back toward his desk, then stopped and turned back to her. “You are not to leave our rooms until the coach arrives tomorrow morning.”

His daughter knew that he meant it unequivocally.

Tessa Bordon turned and walked numbly to her room. Once inside, she closed the door. Then, she threw herself down on her bed and cried into her pillow, hiding her sobs from the rest of the world.