Complications of War

Caroline Martin was uneasy as the hours passed and her father and brothers still did not return. As she sat with her younger siblings on the front steps of their ruined home, she was worried that something might have gone horribly wrong with the rescue. She did not voice her concerns aloud, however, as she did not want to alarm the children. The young woman knew that if the men did not return by tomorrow morning, she was going to have to take the children to their Aunt Charlotte’s home by herself.

The young woman was jolted from her thoughts by the sound of rapid hoofbeats. Immediately alert, she looked up expectantly.

“Is that Father?” Margaret had heard the horse, too.

“I certainly hope so.” Caroline stood and walked into the yard to see who was coming.

“Oh, my God.” Terrified, she froze in hercks cks when she saw a single Green Dragoon approaching. Noting that it was the same man who had killed Thomas, she shooed her siblings back onto the porch. “Stay up there and be quiet until I tell you it’s safe,” she hissed.

As she turned to face Thomas’ killer, she instinctively moved to stand in front of his body, even though her brother was beyond needing protection any longer.

Colonel William Tavington smirked as he observed her useless gesture. Flicking his eyes appraisingly over the young woman, he demanded, “Where did your father go? Whauld uld have possibly been so important that he could not take the time to give his son a proper burial?”

Caroline was terrified as she felt the haughty dragoon’s predatory blue eyes boring into her. “He’s h-hunting with my brothers,” she stammered, unable to come up with a more plausible lie at such short notice.

“Is that so?” Tavington said casually, his lip curled in scorn. “Somehow, I seriously doubt that.” The dragoon commander had dismounted and was now tying his horse to a nearby tree. Turning back to the young woman, he said, “Could he possibly have gone to rescue his traitor son, hmm?

Caroline went white in shock and Tavington knew then that he’d scored a direct hit. He slowly removed his helmet and hung it carefully from his saddle.

“I can see now where that stupid boy inherited his idiocy from,” he said, indicating Thomas’ body with a jerk of his thumb as he walked slowly toward Caroline. “I don’t see how I missed a such a comely wench when I was here before,” he drawled, reaching out to take her chin briefly in one gloved hand. He then removed his gloves, systematically pulling them off finger by finger. “That is something I intend to rectify this very minute.”

The young woman looked up wide eyed at Tavington in fearful confusion, frozen to the spot.

“Time for a lesson in the rules of war, my dear,” he breathed, reaching out to run his hand through her hair. “I do believe that your father is going to seriously regret leaving you here alone unprotected.”

Caroline suddenly understood his intentions as she saw a look of arousal on his face. Backing away slowly, she pleaded, “Oh, no, no, please, I beg of you!”

“Oh, most definitely yes,” he insisted, advancing a step closer.

Without hesitation, Caroline lifted her skirts and ran as fast as she could away from Tavington. He immediately gave chase, catching her easily, just as she reached the high grass. They tumbled into the grass together, with Tavington landing on top of her.

“It seems as if stupidity runs in this family,” he sneered as he pinned the young woman to the ground. “You cannot avoid this, so you would be wise to stop resisting me.”

Caroline burst into tears, horrified at what was about to happen to her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Margaret starting down the porch steps toward her. “Go back! Go back! Stay where you are!” she screamed. “I mean it!” Margaret froze in her tracks, petrified, but she finally turned and retraced her steps.

Straddling Caroline, Tavington bent and gave her a savage kiss which took her breath away. She whimpered as he left a trail of bite marks on her neck and shoulder.

“Please….please…stop!” Tears flowed freely as felt him grab her breast . “You can’t do this. I’m engaged to be married.”

“I can do this,” he said, his eyes narrowed with irritation. “I am doing this.” Laughing harshly, he told her, “And you will go to your new husband with a bit of useful experience.”

As he reached to unfasten her bodice, Caroline’s hands flew up to push him away.

Exasperated, he slapped her hard across the face. “I would warn you not to be as stupid as your brother was,” he said almost casually. Now impatient, he put both hands down her bodice and ripped it open with a sharp tug.

The young woman gasped in shock as Tavington ran his hands over her exposed breasts. She looked up into his coldly handsome face, which she could have found attractive under different circumstances. But now, his glacial blue eyes radiated a mixture of smoldering desire and arrogant disdain, and Caroline shuddered in fear.

The dragoon briefly flicked his tongue over each breast in turn before turning his attention downward. Though he would have liked to have taken more time ravishing the enticing young woman, he knew time was of the essence.

Using one knee, he forced her legs apart, then threw her skirts up around her waist. Not wanting to take time to remove her undergarments, he unsheathed his dagger to cut them away. At the sight of the dagger, Caroline attempted to twist away from him. Tavington sighed in annoyance as he pressed his other knee against her leg to pin her down.

“Be still,” he hissed, as he leaned forward to slice away the cloth barrier. “This will go easier on you if you do.”

Tavington eased back to hastily unbutton his breeches, after replacing the dagger in its sheath. Caroline had ceased to squirm, but was now quietly sniffling as she numbly watched him prepare to violate her. Her eyed bulged as she saw his stiff manhood burst forth as it was released from the confines of his breeches.

Without preamble, Tavington pushed her legs further apart, then quickly penetrated her with one hard, vicious thrust.

Still whimpering, Caroline cried out at the sudden, sharp pain as he destroyed her virginity, tears now flowing freely.

He ignored her cry and immediately began to move in a terrifying, brutal rhythm, not giving her time to adjust to him. Leaning forward, he kissed her rou, fo, forcing his tongue inside her mouth to plunder within.

Tavington groaned as he neared completion, the tempo of his thrusts now fast and furious. Biting her neck in passion, he shuddered as he released his seed within her. He panted raggedly, then collapsed against her as the aftershocks of his climax reverberated through him.

After a long moment, he sat up, still inside her. He pulled out of her quickly, pausing to clean himself off with her skirt. “I enjoyed it, my sweet,“ he said a moment later as he stood over her, calmly rearranging his clothing. “Do be sure to give my regards to your father.”

Giving one last contemptuous look at the young woman, who was still quivering with fear, he turned to leave.

As Tavington began walking to his horse, which was tied to a tree near the rns ons of the house, he glanced over at the porch.

The three youngest Martin children were staring at him in abject terror. They shrunk back fearfully as he approached, the littlest girl burying her head in her older sister’s skirts, sniffling loudly. A small boy of about six years began crying as he ran to hide behind the older girl, clutching her skirts as well. “Don’t hurt me!” he wailed pitifully.

Tavington sighed loudly as he saw how afraid the children were of him. Leaning against a tree, he closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. In his mind, he suddenly saw the little boy he’d once been, cowering in fear as his father would beat him bloody with a belt for the slightest infraction. Many, many times as a small lad, he’d begged his father not to hurt him as this little boy now begged him, but his father had never once spared him.

Opening his eyes, he looked over at the small boy, who was still wailing and quaking with fright. Looking at him intently, Tavington said in a low voice, “I won’t hurt you.”

Turning away abruptly, he went over to his horse and hurriedly pulled a blanket from the top of his pack, then returned to where Caroline still cowered on the ground in her torn, stained dress. Crouching down, Tavington hastily covered her with the blanket. He turned away from her without a word, quickly retrieved his horse, then rode away without a backward glance.

________________________________________


Captain Wilkins had not found anything out of the ordinary when he and three other dragoons had checked the perimeter of the Martin property. After assigning one dragoon to r hir his horse, he sent the others back to help Bordon. Now on foot, he walked toward the burned house to report his findings to Colonel Tavington.

As he was passing a small grove of trees on the west side of the ruined home, he saw Tavington getting up from the ground from where Caroline Martin was sprawled in a heap. Curious, he concealed himself behind a tree to observe unnoticed. Looking closely, he watched as Tavington fumbled with his breeches, buttoning them back up.

“Damn!” Wilkins swore to himself. Glancing back at Caroline Martin, Wilkins realized that Tavington had just finished raping her. The dragoon knew his commanding officer was a cold bastard, but until now, didn’t realize just to what extent.

Turning quickly, he hurried away before Tavington realized that he’d been caught in the act of rape.