Complications of War

William Tavington took his new wife’s hand in a tight grip as he led her across the courtyard. Several people turned to stare in curiosity as they watched the grim faced dragoon practically dragging the noticeably unwilling young woman in the direction of his quarters. No one dared to interfere, however, as no one wanted to incur Tavington’s wrath.

As they neared the door to the officer’s quarters, Tavington spied two dragoons loitering a short distance away.

“You there!” he called out to the higher ranking of the two.

“Yes, sir?” the dragoon said.

“I need for you to take a detachment to the Selton plantation to retrieve Mrs Tavington’s belongings and have them brought here as soon as possible,” Tavington said.

“Uh, yes sir, right away.” the other man replied, surprised at the news of his commander’s marriage. He glanced uneasily at the obviously unhappy woman, but said nothing, as it was not his place to intervene. Turning away, he hurried off to carry out Tavington’s orders.

A moment later, the newly married couple entered the common room of the officer’s quarters. The housekeeper, who was cleaning them lom looked up at them with a quizzical expression. Normally, the women that the handsome dragoon commander brought to his quarters acted happier to be with him than this pitiful young woman did.

“Mrs MacKenzie, this is Mrs Tavington,” he said as he continued to propel Caroline forward in the direction of the stairs. Not waiting for the older woman‘s reply, he continued, “Please arrange to have a complete set of nightclothes delivered to her by this evening, as her baggage has not yet arrived.”

“I’d be happy to, Colonel Tavington,” Mrs MacKenzie said, looking up at the now-empty staircase. Shaking her head and muttering to herself, she went to the back of the house to get one of the maids to go find a nightgown for the new Mrs Tavington.

Tavington let go of Caroline’s hand once he’d shut and locked the door to his quarters behind them.

“Please, can’t you just let me go home with my father?” Caroline pleaded as she backed away from her new husband.

“Your father brought you here so that I would be compelled to marry you,” Tavington pointed out. “He achieved his goal. And yet, neither of you are satisfied.” Moving to where Caroline stood cowering against the wall, he said, “Your father seriously underestimated me if he thought I would marry you and be obliged to support you and your child, without there being any benefit for me.”

Suddenly pulling her ia tia tight embrace, he bent his head to kiss her roughly. “If I must be married to you, I can assure you that you will not be a wife in name only,” he murmured after the kiss ended. “I expect that you will perform all your wifely duties without complaint, considering that I am so kindly saving you from a life of shame.”

“You don’t love me,” she said. “Why are you doing this?” Tears appeared in the young woman’s eyes as she was no longer able to hold them back.

Grabbing her upper arm hard enough to leave a bruise, he said, “Stop that infernal whining, I simply won’t have it.” After shoving her away from him forcefully, he went and sat down on an upholstered chair near the foot of the bed.

Leaning back confidently in the chair, he said, “Come here.”

Slowly and timidly, Caroline obeyed him, still silently crying.

“Remove all your clothing,” he instructed. “I wish to thoroughly inspect what I’ve been obliged to buy.”

Caroline hesitated, totally humiliated by his demand.

“I can assure you that you won’t like it if I have to get up from this chair to make you comply,” he said in a deceptively soft voice. “You came to me with only the clothes on your back. I would so hate to see them get ruined.”

Visibly shaking, the young woman carefully began disrobing, starting with loosening her bodice. A short time later, she stood completely naked in front of him, her arms crossed over her breasts in a pitiful attempt at modesty.

“Put your arms down,” he said. “Then turn around slowly.”

As Caroline complied, Tavington regarded her coolly, appraising her with an almost bored expression. He silently noted the almost imperceptible swelling in her stomach that indicated her pregnancy.

“Hmm, I suppose you’ll do.” Reaching up, he placed one hand over her stomach, gently rubbing it. For a split second, he was awed by the thought of the new life, his child, that grew within.

Caroline looked down and caught the uncharacteristically genexprexpression on his face, which faded as soon as he was aware of her gaze upon him.

Standing abruptly, Tavington again took Caroline into his arms, drawing her close so she could feel his erection pressing against her unclothed body. With one hand, he deftly removed her hair pins, then ran his fingers through her hair as it cascaded down behind her back. With the other hand, he began lazily exploring her body, as his mouth descended upon hers once more.

Caroline whimpered as his finger suddenly penetrated her. Tavington paid no attention as he worked his finger inside her slowly in a rotating motion. His kisses deepened, then his mouth trailed down her neck, alternatively licking and biting.

After a few moments, he leaned down and picked her up and carried her to the bed, then dumped her upon it unceremoniously. Curling his lip in scorn, he looked down at her as she immediately snatched up the bedspread to cover herself.

Tavington stood by the bed and began removing his uniform in a methodical, unhurried man Ca Caroline watched him with a mixture of dread and fascination. She feared his touch, yet was drawn by him all at the same time. He was undeniably handsome, she had to admit. She trembled in anticipation when he finally stood proudly naked before her.

Noting her reaction, Tavington murmured, “You might even enjoy this if you allowed yourself to.”

Caroline was deeply ashamed of herself for her instinctive response to him. Shrinking away from him, she quickly got out of bed on the other side and ran to the door, with the bedspread trailing behind her.

Finding it locked, she called out through the door in desperation. “Please! Someone help me!”

Almost instantly, Tavington was at her side. Violently jerking her around to face him, he hissed, “Very stupid, my dear. No one is going to help you. People do not interfere between a man and his wife.” After wrenching one arm up behind her back, he dragged her back to the bed. He released her arm, then shoved her backwards upon it.

Caroline began sobbing in great heaving waves as she saw his blue eyes narrowed in fury, combined with the rock-hard erection jutting forth from his body. Turning over, she again attempted to crawl away from him to the other side of the bed.

Tavington anticipated her move and grabbed her by the shoulders as he swiftly entered her from behind. Without giving her a chance to react, he immediately began driving into her relentlessly. As he continued to pound into her with an ever increasing tempo and intensity, he leaned forward and muttered, “This could have been a pleasurable experience for you had you willingly chosen to cooperate. Instead, you chose to antagonize me and now you are paying the consequences.”

Caroline did not reply, but merely continued to weep as he took out his anger on her. She grabbed the sheets tightly to anchor herself so that his hard thrusts would not send her off the other end of the bed onto the floor. She cringed as he leaned over to nip at her neck and his hands reached around her to fondle her breasts.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity to Caroline, Tavington reached his climax and collapsed on top of her. Both fell flat onto the bed, still lying sideways across it. He panted raggedly as they remained entwined. Caroline was surprised when she felt his arms encircle her waist to gently hold her against him. Neither moved nor spoke for several minutes.

Tavington remained silent as he disengaged himself from his new wife some time later. After sitting on the edge of the bed for a moment, he got up and began to put his clothes back on. Caroline retrieved the bedspread and covered herself with it as she quietly watched her new husband dress.

As soon as he’d made himself presentable, Tavington headed to the door without a word.

“I just want to know one thing,” Caroline said calmly just as he opened the door to leave. “Why did you come back and cover me with your blanket that day?”

Tavington paused momentarily at the door, leaning his head against it. Closing his eyes, he had a fleeting visualization of the sad-eyed little boy he’d once been. Quickly banis the the unhappy memory, he continued out the door without responding, closing it with a decisive click.

After she heard the sound of Tavington’s heavy boots fading as he descended the stairs, Caroline rose gingerly from the bed to retrieve her shift. She felt as if she’d been split wide open from the way he‘d viciously taken her,her her steps were careful and deliberate. The young woman found the shift on the floor near the foot of the bed. She donned it quickly, then went to stand by the window. As she looked out at all the normal, everyday activities going on outside, tears rolled down her eyes. Again, she’d been brutally raped, but no one out there knew or would care. The tears came in earnest now and the young wife felt totally alone and abandoned. Feeling suddenly weary, she returned to Tavington’s bed and fell asleep within five minutes.

William Tavington paused at the bottom of the stairs to check his reflection in a mirror before entering the common room. Satisfied with it, he casually strolled into the room to find Ban Tarleton and James Bordon seated at a table playing chess.

“I told you to watch out for Bordon, Ban,” Tavington said as he noticed the large pile of money in front of his second in command. “As you can see, he is quite an accomplished chess player.”

Both men exchanged glances as Tavington approached the table. They’d both heard the sounds of Caroline struggling with him earlier and her cries for help.

“Would you care to join us for a drink?” Tarleton asked. “This is probably as good a time as any to take a break.”

“I’d enjoy that,” Tavington replied, pulling up a chair. “I can’t stay long, though. If you remember, Ban, I’ve got plans for tonight.”

“Ah, yes, the comely wench of the auburn tresses,” Tarleton said, “ But if you don’t mind my asking…..”

“What about my new bride upstairs, you mean?” Tavington said. “Ahh….just another of the complications of war, you might say.” He sighed loudly.

“That’s why I always make sure the women I bed are willing to be there,” the younger man said. “There are so many agreeably eager young ladies to pick from, Tav.” Taking a sip of his drink, he continued, “I always leave the t-het-hearted ones alone. Being led to the altar with a musket at one’s back can seriously put a damper on one’s social life.”

“I don’t intend for it to put a damper on my social life,” Tavington said, his tone testy. “Cornwallis may have been able to order me to marry her, but he can’t make me be faithful to her. I promised Jane I’d visit her tonight and I have no intention of disappointing her.”

“Sir, you might want to know that Benjamin Martin and his sister in law are still at the fort,” Bordon told him. “Wilkins offered to put them up for the night.”

“Wilkins,” Tavington said. “I’m not surprised; I’ve always suspected that he has conflicting loyalties.”

“Undoubtedly,” Tarleton agreed.

“I also heard Martin saying that he would attempt to see his daughter to make sure she was all right,” Bordon said.

“Help her to escape, you mean,” Tavington snapped. “Well, that just isn’t going to happen. I may not have wanted to marry his daughter, buw thw that I have, I intend to use her to my advantage.” With a nasty laugh, he continued, “He’ll be so worried about his precious little girl having to live with ‘the Butcher‘, that he’ll be so off-balance that he won’t be able to properly concentrate on fighting us.” Laughing again, he said, “And he has only himself to blame.”

Rising to leave, he said to Bordon, “Do not allow Martin to see his daughter tonight. Post a guard, if you have to, to keep him away from her. If I am not back by the time he is ready to see her in the morning, let him see her, but supervise their visit closely.”

“Yes, sir,” Bordon replied. “I’ll take care of it.”

“I will leave you gentlemen to your game of chess,” Tavington said as he headed to the door. “The lady awaits and I don‘t care to keep her waiting any longer than necessary.”

After taking a leisurely walk across the fort compound, William Tavington headed directly to the area where the camp followers had their tents. Jane Thompson’s tent was the first of the row. Without hesitation, Tavington lifted the flap to enter.

Blinking his eyes to adjust to the dim light within, he found his lover sprawled across her bed in tears, clad only in her shift. Tavington sat down gently beside her on the edge of the bed. He leaned toward her and rested one hand tenderly against her cheek. “What’s wrong, my sweet?”

“You’re here,” she said, sitting up to face him, her face streaked with tears. “I didn’t think you’d come.”

“I promised you I’d come, didn’t I?” he said.

“But I heard that you were m-married today,” Jane said, trying to choke back her tears.

Tavington sighed loudly. “News travels fast around here.”

“So it’s true, then?”

“I’m afraid so,” he admitted. “Just what exactly did you hear about it?” After a pause, he said, “Tell me everything.”

“Captain Bordon came down here to reserve Phyllis for later tonight and I overheard him telling her that you’d ravished some Colonial girl while out on patrol one day and that General Cornwallis ordered you to marry her because she‘s now with child.”

Disengaging herself from him, she got up from the bed and stood silently, facing away from him.

He rose from the bed to join her, wrapping his arms around her from behind and drawing her against him. “This doesn’t have to change anything between us, you know,” he said quietly, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. “You must know that this marriage is not a love match. I only entered into it under duress. Lord Cornwallis made it quite clear that I would marry this girl if I cared to retain command of the dragoons.”

Jane did not speak for a long interval. Finally, gathering her courage, she said, “Do you remember me telling you earlier today that I had something I had to tell you?”

“Yes, I was just about to ask you what it was.”

She took his hands from her waist and guided them slightly lower to cup her belly. “What do you feel?” she murmured.

Tavington felt a distinct roundness that he had not noticed before when making love to her. Turning her around to face him, he took her face gently in his hands. “You’re with child?”

The young woman nodded shyly, theokedoked away.

“And this child is mine?”

“Yes,” she said firmly. “I have not lain with anyone but you for at least six months now.”

He did not protest, knowing that his lover spoke the truth. “Oh, Jane,” he murmured, gathering her into his arms. “I promise you that our child will be taken care of. I will not abandon you, even though I cannot marry you.“

“I know you won’t,” she said, hoping he was telling her the truth.

Neither spoke for several moments as they clung to one another, almost desperately.

“Please don’t leave me,” Jane whispered after a few minutes. “I want you to hold me all night long.”

“There is no place I would rather be tonight,” he said as he guided her back to the bed. She sat on the edge of the bed watching him as he quickly shed his uniform, unbouns has hair, then crawled into bed beside her.

“You won’t be needing this,” Tavington said as he helped her to remove her shift. “I will keep you warm.” He tossed the garment onto the ground, then drew the bedspread up to cover them both.

Pulling her close, he began kissing his lover as he gently caressed her body. Jane held him tightly, never wanting to let go. When they eventually made love, it was almost as if they were doing so for the first time. Afterwards, they remained contently in one another’s arms, almost forgetting about the world outside the tent.

“I love you, William,” Jane whispered some time later when she realized he’d fallen asleep in her arms. Snuggling closer, she soon joined him in slumber.