Bordon's Girl

CHAPTER 24 Aftermath And Confusion

As Tess waited for William’s unit of dragoons to appear, her mind, soul, and heart were twisted into knots as she dwelled on all that she’d heard that morning. Revenge?She asked herself. Did Private Higgins really think it was a retaliatory act, instead of a war related ambush? Could it have been vengeance? No. This is a time of war. It had to have been a raid. Someone must have seen the small unit of dragoons—their uniforms are well known—one can’t miss those bright red jackets and black plumed helmets. That’s it, certainly. A spy saw them and tipped the rebels off, so they took advantage of the small numbers and attacked.

The longer Tess denied the revenge factor, the tighter it gripped her. Her heart began to sink as reason took over. Would Gabriel Martin really lose sight of the ultimate goal of the rebels to avenge his wife? There is a war at hand. The colonists are fighting hard for their beliefs. There is no time for personal vendettas.

But then, logic made her reverse the situation. What if the rebels attacked this area? She asked herself. What if Benjamin or Gabriel Martin gave the order to raid this plantation? What if one of them led the ambush?

Then, Tessa’s thoughts became even darker. What if I got killed in this raid? I am the wife of an officer. I am carrying his child. William would be distraught.

Tess’ heart sank when she realized she knew exactly what her husband would do—she knew him too well. William would want revenge. Even though he was an officer that put duty to King and Country above all else, he would make the time to exact his retaliation.

She knew that the feeling of being out of control after losing a loved one could temporarily drive one mad. Grief and anger often went hand in hand, and she had known this. She was only too aware that William would want revenge, the same as Gabriel Martin had wanted it when Mrs. Martin was killed. Obviously, Martin and the other Pembroke rebels had found out, or figured out on their own who did the killing. It was obvious that they placed the blame squarely on the Dragoons—and probably pointed the finger directly at Colonel Tavington.

The time passed slowly as she waited. All her musings were giving her a headache and driving her mad. She put a cold compress on her head and laid back in her bad. Tess fell asleep from sheer mental and emotional exhaustion.

Around 4:00 that afternoon, she was awakened by commotion outside her window. She looked down and saw a busy place. A regiment of infantry Redcoats had come in just recently and they were scurrying about. Tess also noted some supply wagons were parked about, as well. Tess hoped that her husband’s division might be back by now. A small amount of relief washed over her. She knew that both men were injured, but had faith that they would get through them, and she would be strong enough to weather the storm, as well. She left her room for the third time to search the tents on the grounds of the plantation.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Tess, William and her brother were there in this group. The severely injured men and the dead had been loaded on to the wagons and had arrived in this wave of humanity. The beds and cots of the medical tents were full because of a skirmish that had happened nearby earlier in the afternoon. A medic had noticed that Will was hurt. He pulled Tavington into the conference tent, sat him on one of the tables, and went to work on his wounds.

Colonel Tavington had sustained some sword slashes about his body. But, the most serious injury was a gunshot wound to his left side. It had passed completely through his side, missing any vital organs, but breaking a couple of his ribs in the process. Tavington clinched his teeth each time the needle and thread passed through his side as his wound was stitched. He winced aloud as the medic wrapped his middle tightly, needing to bind the wound and injured ribs.

Will looked up and out the open tent flap. He noticed Private Snowden passing the opening. This young man had been with Captain Wentworth’s group, so he was walking about, uninjured, trying to help. Tavington called the young man’s name. He heard, and entered the tent.

By now, news of the ambush had spread. The private saw his commander sitting upon the table, attended by the medic. He noticed that Colonel Tavington, an officer that prided himself on being in proper uniform, and looked impeccable in it even after a battle, was uncharacteristically disheveled. He was unshaven, his hair hung long, loose, and wavy about his shoulders, and his face was smudged with gunpowder. His ruffled, white shirt was dirty and ripped. There was a hole in it on the side surrounded by a mild blood stain.

“Snowden, would you please do something for me,” he asked.

“Yes, sir,” the Private answered.

“Go to my room and tell Mrs. Tavington that I am home now,” he began. “But instruct her to stay there until I come and get her. Tell her that I want to escort her down here. She is very near to giving birth and she exhausts easily. And, there is so much commotion going on down here that I fear it will overwhelm her. Do you understand, Private?”

“Yes, sir. I will tell her and I will stay with her, if you so wish,” complied Snowden.

“No, just tell her to wait for me. I am sure she will understand,” ordered the Colonel.

Snowden was off to the house. As he was looking for the Colonel’s wife, he didn’t know that she was already outside, looking through the tents, barns, and outbuildings, searching for the two men she loved.

She had not searched very long when she came to one tent. Unbeknownst to her, she was entering the tent that was next to the command tent where Tavington was being attended to. A soldier hat she didn’t know was rushing out of the tent. She caught his attention as he hurried past her.

“Excuse me sir,”she began, “I am looking for the Green Dragoons. Are there any in there?” She pointed inside the tent.

“Dragoons?” he asked her.

“Yes. Cavalry,” she said.

“What kind of uniforms,” the man asked.

“Oh. Red and green riding jackets. Black breeches…..”, she described to the man.

“No—Oh, yes! Yes there are a couple in there,” the man said, nodding his head. He seemed a little confused as he spoke. The man quickly went on his way. Tess had noted all the commotion in this area. She assumed that the man had been overwhelmed by all that was going on around him and was probably trying to do the jobs of three men at once.

Tess walked into the tent. She saw white sheets covering the bodies and knew right away that this was where they were bringing some of the dead from all the different units. She started to back out of the tent immediately, knowing her brother and husband weren’t in there because Higgins told her they were injured.

But, before she was out of the tent all the way, something caught her eye. She thought she saw a red and green uniform at the opposite end of the tent, the very furthest body from where she stood. She immediately felt badly for William and her father, knowing that both officers hated it every time they lost one of their men. She wondered who it was. Tess stepped back in and wandered down to the end of the tent, wishing to see who it was. Then, she’d know and it would help her when comforting her husband and father later.

As she approached, two soldiers, their coats off, vests on and sleeves rolled up, were covering the body up with a sheet. When they saw her approaching, they knew from experience that it was probably someone representing the unit trying to assemble a list of the dead or wounded men. When she was next to the cot, the men pulled the sheet back.

Tessa’s eyes rounded and her mouth dropped open. She immediately felt waves of sickness come over her. Her throat constricted and choked off her breath momentarily.

The two orderlies noticed her very pregnant condition and that she was hyperventilating. They did not know who she was.

“Are you alright, Madam,” one of the men asked.

Tess began to tremble and tears came to her eyes. She let out a horrible scream, then fainted onto the ground. The dragoon that lie on the cot next to where she had fainted was her father, Major Geoffrey Bordon. He was dead.

* * * * * *

“What do you mean, you can’t find her?” Tavington asked of Private Snowden.

“I went to your suite and she wasn’t there,” the young soldier answered. “I checked the mansion and she was nowhere to be seen. I asked around and spread the word that she was missing and for her to be brought right to you when she is found.”

Tavington sighed, not happy that she wasn’t waiting for him in their room, but knowing that the Private made an effort to find her. As Tavington opened his mouth to talk again, a soldier ran into the tent.

“Colonel Tavington,” the young infantry soldier began, “come with me quickly. It’s your wife.”

“Where is she,” he demanded as he bolted off the table.

“In the next tent.”

With that, Tavington charged out of the command tent to the one next to it.

“Where’s my wife?” he shouted to one of the men at the other end of the tent.

After Tess had passed out, someone that had come into the tent saw her and knew who she was. Word was passed on and someone who knew Tavington was sent to fetch him.

“Are you Colonel Tavington?” the orderly asked.

“Yes!”

The medic motioned for the officer to move closer.

When he got there, he saw his wife laying motionless in the arms of the other orderly. She was next to the cot which held Bordon.

Tavington knelt down next to her. The orderly that held her spoke up.

“She fainted, sir,” said the man as he dabbed a cold cloth over her forehead. “She came into the tent and we thought she wanted to see this body. We pulled the sheet back, she screamed, then passed out.”

William let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. He looked at Bordon’s lifeless body, then back at his wife, still lying unconscious. He spoke. “This is Major Bordon, my second in command. He is her father.”

The men understood right away and nodded silently. The orderly passed Tessa’s limp body into the arms of her husband. Tavington held her there and was given a blanket to wrap around her.

William continued to hold his wife for a few moments. He whispered encouragement to her in a low voice. As he looked down at her, he was very worried. She should not have come out here, he thought.

Will laid her back on his arm so that he could sponge her face with a wet cloth. He gently stroked her forehead and smoothed back her tussled hair from her face. His fingers caressed her cold cheeks softly. Then he pulled her upwards and held her close to him, her cheek to his chest.

After a few more minutes, he felt her start to stir. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She was disoriented.

Tavington cooed softly to her. She recognized his deep voice and sat up. She looked around.

“William?” she asked in a lost voice.

“It’s me, Tess. I’m here,” he said. He tried to gently pull her back to him, but she resisted, wanting to sit up.

He tried to be reassuring to her. “It’s alright darling. Stay calm and rest back on me.”

Tess complied, and leaned back in his arms. He brushed his lips against her forehead. “You fainted.”

As the haze cleared from her mind, she was trying to remember what she was doing before she fainted. As she lay back quietly in William’s arms, she recalled that she had been looking for her father and husband. Then, she remembered something. She sat up out of William’s arms and looked at the cot.

“Oh Father! Oh my God, Father! Father,” she cried. Tess then pushed away from Will and touched the cot. She broke down and wept hard, laying her head upon Major Bordon’s body.

William felt his heart break for her, knowing there was nothing he could do. He let her cry, staying with her, rubbing her shoulders and back as she sobbed onto Bordon’s lifeless corpse.

Tessa tried to pick her brother’s solid body up into her arms. She wanted to embrace him a last time. He was too heavy and she too exhausted to pull him against her. She kept trying, desperately needing to hold him.

Tavington realized her struggle to heave her brother’s body up to hers, straining her and not good on her condition. William grasped her gently and tried to pull her away.

The girl did not want to let go of her father. “No! No!”, she implored as her husband tried to pull her away. Major Bordon’s blood now smeared the dress that she wore.

After another minute of struggle, he pulled his wife gently away from the cot. She was tired and gave into her weakness, unable to lift her brother’s torso up from the cot.

Tavington guided her back to him. He enfolded her into his arms and held her close as she cried onto him.

Suddenly, something clicked inside of her and she remembered what she had been told had taken place that day. Tess then tried to break away from her husband. He held her firmly and would not let her go.

“Murderer!,” she cried out as she sobbed. “Murderer!” She pounded on his chest and shoulders with her fists and fought to get away from him. “Murderer!”

She wept very hard and continued to struggle in her husband’s embrace. After a few seconds, he could feel her body going limp. She had worn herself out. When she could fight no more, she let him pull her back against his body. Tess buried her head in his shoulder.

“Murderer,” she said again softly, still crying hard as she did. Her voice was muffled even more by his shoulder. She murmured the word again as she wept. “Murderer.”