Author's Notes: This story takes place at approximately the same time as events in "The Patriot", on which it is very loosely based. Some scenes from the movie are included, but differ in chronological order and context. Similarly, a limited amount of dialogue from the movie is presented, but mostly in a different context.

Disclaimer: Any lines/scenes quoted from the script of the movie "The Patriot" are done so for the purpose of continuity between this story and the movie. There is no malicious intent and no profit is gained by either the author or the webmistress.

Dedication: To my aunt, Jobelle Aguiar, for believing in me and my writing. Her encouragement and suggestions have been invaluable to me with this story and others I've written.

On the ride back home to Pembroke with her parents, Anne Howard Martin smiled to herself as she remembered her wedding night with Gabriel. Becoming his in every way had been all she'd hoped it would be. Though they'd only parted that morning, Anne missed him already.

"I wish we had more time together," Anne said, clinging to Gabriel while her parents waited in the wagon. "I don't ever want to let you out of my sight again."

Gabriel Martin hugged Anne closer, giving her a tender kiss. "Me, too," he agreed. "But I've still got a war to fight and the men are depending on me."

"I know, I understand."

"And Tavington is still out there. I won't rest until he's stopped."

Anne shivered at the mention of Tavington's name. "Be careful, Gabriel," she warned. "He's a very dangerous man." Kissing him again, she added, "Come home to me soon."

"You can count on that."

"Thinking about Gabriel?" Mrs Howard asked as the wagon neared Pembroke.

"Oh, yes, Mother," Anne said with a shy smile. "Always."

Both women fell silent as they saw a troop of Green Dragoons as they entered the village. Anne looked at her father with fearful apprehension.

"I wonder what they want?" Anne said, twisting her handkerchief in her lap.

"I have no idea," her father replied. "But you can be certain that it will be trouble for us."

"Turn around," Mrs Howard urged her husband. "Let's go hide in the woods until they're gone."

"Too late," Mr Howard said. "They've already seen us." He pointed, indicating Captain Wilkins, who was riding toward them.

"All town residents are to go to the church for a meeting," Wilkins said when he'd reached the wagon. "Colonel Tavington's orders."

Howard did not reply, but followed Wilkins as he escorted the wagon into the town.

When Anne's father stopped the wagon in front of the church, they saw soldiers herding their neighbors inside. As she stepped from the wagon and followed her parents into the building, she noticed a single mounted Dragoon watching from a short distance away. Anne shuddered as she recognized Colonel William Tavington, her stomach queasy with fear at the sight of him.

No sooner had Anne and her parents entered the church than they were surprised by Tavington riding his horse into the sanctuary. He suddenly stopped, his horse blocking the door.

Having gained everyone's attention with this intimidating maneuver, he removed his helmet, then said, "This town has given aid to Benjamin Martin and his rebels. I wish to know his whereabouts." After a pause, he continued, "So. Anyone who comes forward may be forgiven their treason."

None of the villagers spoke.

"Very well," Tavington said, his lip curled in scorn. "You had your chance." He turned, preparing to leave.

Again, there was an uncomfortable silence. Suddenly, one man in the back pushed his way forward through the crowd. "Wait! This man gives Martin and his men supplies, " he said, pointing to Howard. "He brings them from Black Swamp.."

Howard blanched, then hissed, "Quiet!"

"He's in the marsh, by the old Spanish mission," the informant continued.

"You damn fool," Howard said

"This man here?" Tavington said, looking at Howard.

"Yes, sir."

"Black swamp, you say? By the old Spanish mission?"

"Yes," he confirmed. "Not only that, this man's daughter just married Martin's son." Indicating a young woman just behind Anne, he concluded, "I overheard her telling that woman over there."

"That's very interesting," Tavington said, a malevolent grin spreading across his face. "Thank you very much."

Regarding Anne with a predatory expression, he suddenly lunged forward, reaching down to pull her up onto the horse with him. With Anne seated astride in front of him on the saddle, he moved to leave the church.

"Shut the doors," he called out in a low voice to a soldier waiting outside.

"But what about me?" the informant asked. "You said we'd be forgiven. I haven't told you all I know yet."

"This young woman will tell me," he said, pausing at the door. "It may take a bit of.....persuasion....but she will tell me what I want to know." Smirking at the informant, Tavington said in parting, "So far as forgiveness goes, that's between you and God." As he rode out, the soldier quickly closed the church doors behind him.

Captain Wilkins rode up to Tavington in the churchyard and said, "Ready to fire the town on your orders, sir."

"The town?" he said with a snort, looking at Anne intently. "Burn the church."

"There is no honor in this!" Wilkins said, disgust clearly showing on his face.

Before Tavington could respond, Anne cried out, "No! You can't do this!" She struggled in vain to break free of Tavington, who had been holding her around the waist.

Instantly, Tavington slapped her hard across the face. "Be quiet!" he hissed. "That is, unless you want to join them in the church."

Anne did not reply, but began whimpering softly.

Tavington turned back to Wilkins. "Didn't you say that all those who stand against England deserve to die a traitor's death?" Looking at the other man with thinly veiled contempt, he said, "Burn the church, Captain."

Wilkins paused for a long moment, at war with his conscience. Finally, he threw the first torch, with it landing squarely on the roof, which immediately caught fire. Several other soldiers followed suit and the church was soon fully engulfed in flames.

At the sight of this, Anne began wailing loudly. This time, Tavington punched her in the face, his fist closed. "I told you to keep quiet!" Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out a handkerchief and roughly stuffed it into Anne's mouth to gag her. Calling to Captain Bordon, who was to his left, he said, "Bind her hands."

Anne looked at Bordon with pleading eyes as he moved his horse closer to comply with Tavington's orders. Pulling a short length of rope from his pack, he bound her wrists as gently as he could. Before turning away, he gave her a pitying look. He'd wanted to say something to comfort her, but did not dare in front of Tavington.

"Have the men round up all worthwhile horses they find," Tavington said to Bordon. "Also, have them check the houses for whatever money and small valuables they can carry. Tell them to be quick about it; we will move out in fifteen minutes."

"Yes, sir."

After leaving Pembroke, they rode in the opposite direction from where Anne had come in with her family, headed toward the Dragoon camp. Anne was quiet now, in shock about what had happened to her parents and neighbors, and fearful about what was to become of her.

She slowly became aware of Tavington's breath on the back of her neck. He reached around and removed the handkerchief from her mouth, but left her hands bound.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked. "What do you want with me? I don't know anything important."

"Surely you are not that stupid, Mrs Martin," Tavington replied, saying her name slowly with emphasis. "I have no doubt you know quite a bit of information that would be useful to me."

"I don't know anything." she insisted.

"Eventually, you will tell me everything I want to know," he said. "I always get what I want."

"Not this time."

"Hmm, I think it's time you were taught a lesson in cooperation," Tavington said, a low undercurrent of menace in his voice. "I don't think you quite understand whom you're dealing with."

Anne understood only too well what he meant to do. She suddenly felt the evidence of his intentions pressing against her backside. She leaned forward as far as she could, shrinking away from him.

At that moment, Tavington spotted a clearing ahead with a creek running behind it. He turned to Bordon. "We will stop here for one hour. Have the men water the horses."

Bordon nodded as he moved to carry out Tavington's orders.

Benjamin and Gabriel Martin were puzzled as they rode into Pembroke with their men. They'd noticed black smoke billowing up from the village from the distance and had urged their horses on. As they entered the town, which was silent and deserted, their apprehension grew.

As soon as he saw the burned, ruined church, Gabriel jumped off his horse and ran into the Howard home. "Anne! Are you there? Where are you?"

Other men fanned out through the village checking houses.

Benjamin Martin, however, headed directly to the smoldering remains of the church. He felt sick at heart, as he instinctively realized what had happened. When he saw the chain and padlock around what was left of the church's door, his worst suspicions were confirmed. Suddenly exhausted, he sank to his knees, looking up at the sky as if to ask, "Why, God?"

After a short while, his eyes wandered and he noticed something gleaming in the grass. Moving to pick it up, he saw it was the very same necklace he'd given Anne just before her marriage to Gabriel. He didn't dare hope that she'd somehow been spared being burned to death. At this moment, Gabriel came up behind him, his glance falling onto the pendant his father held. He rushed forward, grabbing it from his father's hand.

"Oh, God, let her be alive!" Gabriel fell into his father's arms, who hugged him tightly.

Both men turned when they heard Reverend Oliver walk up to them with a preteen girl beside him.

"This is Betsy Greene," the minister explained. "I found her huddling in the corner of her parents' root cellar.

"Did you see anything," Benjamin asked her softly.

"British soldiers," she said. "Green Dragoons." The girl was still shaking from what she'd witnessed.

"It's all right now," he said, putting a gentle hand on her arm. "What else did you see?"

"They put everyone in the church and set it on fire," she said, tears beginning to form. "They screamed so loud." She was sobbing now. "I was so scared. I wanted to help them, but I didn't dare come out!"

"You did the right thing," Benjamin said.

Looking at Gabriel, she said, "I just remembered that I saw Miss Howard leaving with the British soldiers."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Colonel Tavington had her on his horse with him."

"Tavington!" Gabriel exclaimed. Though relieved that she was alive, he knew that Anne was still in grave danger. "We've got to go after her before he does something to her!"

"I agree," Benjamin said, "Let's go!"

Before leaving, Benjamin turned to the minister, "Reverend, please see that someone takes Betsy to Mrs Selton. We'll keep her with my children unless some of her relatives can be found."

"I'll take her myself," the minister said. "You can count on that."

"Thank you."

"Here, let me help you." Captain Bordon reached up to take Anne as Tavington handed her down from the horse.

"Thank you." She looked at the red headed officer gratefully. Stiff from riding so long, she stamped her feet to get the circulation going again.

"That will be all, Bordon," Tavington said, dismissing his second in command with a wave of the hand. After quickly dismounting and grabbing a blanket from his pack, he took Anne's arm to lead her behind a group of large bushes near the creek. "See that we're not disturbed."

"Yes, sir."

Anne looked back over her shoulder at Bordon, her eyes beseeching, as Tavington led her away. He shrugged helplessly, powerless to prevent what was about to happen.

When they were out of sight of the soldiers, Tavington quickly spread the blanket on the grass near a tree, then pushed Anne down upon it, her back against the tree.

"Do you have any idea why I spared your life?" he demanded as she looked up at him, eyes dilated in fear.

"You want me to tell you about my father in law and his men," she said.

"That man in the church told me all I needed to know," he said.

"Then why?"

"I need to flush out Benjamin Martin and his men," he said. "I prefer to fight them on my own terms." Reaching down to run his hand through her hair, he said in a silky voice, "What better way to do that than ravishing his son's wife?" He removed his helmet, then released his hair from its tight queue as he spoke.

"Oh, I beg you, please don't!" Anne said.

Without warning, Tavington jerked Anne to her feet and pinned her back against the tree. He moved closer until his lips were almost touching hers.

Anne stared wide-eyed at him. From the first moment she'd met him, she had been painfully aware of his breathtakingly handsome appearance. It was now even more apparent with his long, nearly black hair hanging loosely about his shoulders. But she grimaced when she gazed into his ice blue, soulless eyes. Anne knew then that Tavington would show her no mercy.

As he pressed his body against hers, Anne turned her head and attempted to twist away from him.

"Now then," he said in a deceptively soft voice. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." He pulled her head back to face him. "It makes no difference to me. I intend to have you and that is exactly what is going to happen, no matter what. You would be wise to accept it."

Tavington leaned forward to kiss Anne's neck in an unhurried manner. A lock of his hair brushed against the side of her neck, bringing with it the scent of his cologne, mixed with that of leather and horses.

Anne remained still, willing herself to think of other things. She closed her eyes, imagining it was Gabriel kissing her.

"That's a smart girl," Tavington purred as he felt her relax in his arms. He loosened the bodice of her dress, exposing her small breasts. Without giving her a chance to react, he bent and took one nipple into his mouth as his hand lazily rubbed the other.

After a few moments, he unbuttoned his breeches to release his almost painfully hard member. With the other hand, he raised her skirts to her waist, tucking them up in her apron. Tavington noted with satisfaction that Anne wore no undergarments other than a shift.

Anne stiffened in his arms as she felt his hand touch her most intimate place.

"Relax," he said softly. "This will go easier for you if you do." Pushing one, then two fingers inside of her, he attempted to make her ready for him.

Despite her fear and disgust, Anne finally moistened against Tavington's fingers.

"There now, don't you see?" Tavington said with the slightest hint of a smile. "I knew you wanted it." With no further delay he lifted her up and set her down on his hardness, with them both leaning back against the tree.

Anne instinctively raised her legs and wrapped them around Tavington's waist in an attempt to remain balanced. She gasped as Tavington completely filled her.

"I thought you were a married woman," he said, noting that she winced as he entered her. "Or was Martin not man enough to consummate the marriage?" Tavington smirked at the notion of this.

"He's more of a man that you are!" Anne cried, eyes blazing. "It's just that you are so much......bigger....than he is."

To her surprise, Tavington nearly hooted with laughter. "Why does that not surprise me?" He bent to kiss her again, prying her mouth open with his insistent tongue. "As long as you're with me, I will show you how much more of a man I am than Martin," he said after the kiss ended.

He began to move, scraping Anne's back nearly raw against the tree as the thrusts increased in tempo and intensity.

Anne kept her eyes shut tightly, desperately pretending it was Gabriel who held her so intimately.

Tavington panted roughly as he neared his peak, a low moan beginning deep in his throat. Finally, Anne felt him shudder as he released his seed within her.

"Gabriel!" she cried. Anne had nearly succeeded in pretending it was her husband who was making love to her. She was brought rudely back to reality when Tavington slapped her hard across the face.

"I will soon have you crying out my name in passion," he vowed, furious at the mention of Martin's name. "I will make you forget you ever knew him." Pulling out from Anne, he wiped himself off with his handkerchief, then stuffed himself back into his breeches. "I will have you many more times before I am finished with you."

Anne sank to the ground after Tavington had pulled her skirt back down to cover her. She remained silent, too heartsick to speak.

Tavington quickly strode to the edge of the bushes, "Bordon!" he called.

"Yes, sir?"

"I am going to shave and wash up before we head on," he said. "Have someone watch Mrs Martin while I do this."

"I will do it," Bordon said.

"Fine," Tavington said, already heading to his horse to get his shaving supplies out of his pack. After retrieving them, he headed down to the creek, Anne Martin forgotten for the moment.

Anne hung her head and turned away in shame as Bordon walked over to her. She knew that he, and probably all the other men under Tavington's command, knew what had just happened.

"Are you all right?" Bordon asked her.

She did not reply, but gulped as tears started down her cheeks.

"Don't be afraid," Bordon said gently. "I won't hurt you."

"I'm so ashamed," she whispered. "And scared."

"You're not the one who should be ashamed," Bordon said, turning to look at Tavington shaving at the creek.

Anne fell silent as she followed Bordon's gaze. Looking back at Bordon, she said, "Thank you for your concern. You've been a comfort to me."

"It's nothing," he said. "I wish I could do more to help you."

"I understand, " she replied. "But it helps to know that someone cares."

A few moments later, Tavington returned to collect Anne. "You may go now, Bordon," he said. "I will take her from here."

Bordon turned and walked away without comment.

Tavington retrieved his jacket, put it on, then quickly brushed and rebraided his hair. Despite her disgust for the man, Anne could not help but watch Tavington in fascination as he groomed himself.

Almost as if he could read her thoughts, Tavington returned her stare with the merest hint of a grin. For about a half minute, they each regarded the other with simple curiosity. Breaking the spell, Anne averted her eyes first as she remembered the unspeakable things he'd done that day.

Tavington helped Anne to her feet, all business once more. But to her surprise, his touch was gentle as he took her hand

As he gathered and folded the blanket he said, "I will unbind your hands if you promise to behave yourself."

"I won't try anything," Anne promised quietly.

After freeing her hands, Tavington led Anne back to his horse. He helped her to mount, then quickly swung up into the saddle behind her. As the men mounted up and grouped themselves behind him, Tavington donned his black leather riding gloves.

"Move out," he ordered, gesturing forward with one gloved hand.

"Maybe we need to stop for the night, and begin searching again in the morning," Benjamin Martin said after several fruitless hours on horseback looking for Anne.

"Just a little while longer," Gabriel said. "I can't stand the idea of Anne having to be with Tavington any longer than she has to be."

"All right," Benjamin said. "We've got about another hour of daylight before we'll have to stop."

The men continued on in silence, too weary to talk.

"Look over there!" Gabriel said a short time later, pointing to a clearing up ahead on his left. "Do you see?"

"Let's take a look," his father said.

"Lots of hoofprints," Gabriel noted. "They must have stopped here."

"It would seem so." The older man had dismounted and was walking around looking for clues. Crouching down by the remains of a campfire, he said, "Cold. They've been gone quite awhile."

Gabriel was down at the creek, having followed footprints leading in that direction. As Ben came over to join him, he noticed something white stuck against a tree near the creek. Moving closer, he saw that it was a scrap of lace.

"What have you got there," Gabriel asked.

"It's a bit of lace."

"It must have come off Anne's dress." Leaning against the tree, he realized that Anne must have been in some sort of a struggle. "We've got to find her!"

"We will," Benjamin assured him. "If Tavington meant to kill her, he would have locked her up in the church with her parents." Walking back to the horses, he said, "Let's camp here for the night. We'll start again early in the morning."

The Dragoon troop arrived back at its headquarters shortly after dusk. The large Sizemore plantation and estate had been host to two Dragoon units for several months. As they entered the gate leading to the mansion, Anne saw a tent encampment in a field not far from the mansion. After Tavington had dismissed his men for the night, most of them had turned their horses toward the encampment. Tavington, Bordon, and Wilkins, however, headed toward the mansion. As the three ranking Dragoon officers, they were quartered inside the Sizemore home, as was the commanding officer of the other Dragoon unit, along with his top officers. The Sizemores were a Loyalist family, who had gladly opened their estate to the British forces.

Anne was relieved to finally be off the horse, not used to riding for that long. However, she was uneasy as Tavington led her up the steps leading to the mansion, with Bordon and Wilkins following close behind. She noticed several soldiers posted at strategic locations around the house, dashing any hope of escape.

As they walked through the front door, a well dressed woman in her forties came over to them.

"Ah, Colonel Tavington," she said, smiling graciously. "You and your officers are just in time for dinner." She regarded Anne with frank curiosity, but did not comment.

"You are very kind, Mrs Sizemore," Tavington said. "We would be honored." Indicating Anne, he continued, "However, Mrs Martin is tired from our long ride. Would you please have someone escort her to my quarters and send up a plate of food to her?"

Mrs Sizemore, lifted one eyebrow imperceptibly, aware of what Tavington's request implied about his relationship with the young woman. However, she kept her opinion to herself. "Of course, Colonel." She gestured to a slave woman, who stood quietly near the stairs.

"This way, miss," the slave woman said. "If you please."

Anne turned to look at Tavington as she moved to follow the older woman.

"It's all right," Tavington said. "I'll join you shortly."

After following the woman up one flight of steps, Anne was directed to a large bedroom on the west wing of the mansion.

"Here we are," the slave said, opening the door to Tavington's quarters. "This is the colonel's room."

"It's very nice," Anne said as she looked around the comfortable room, decorated to suit a man's taste.

"Is there anything you need before I go get you some supper?"

"Not right now, thank you," Anne said. "What is your name?"

"Sally, miss," she replied. "If you need anything while you're here, just call for me."

"Thank you, Sally," Anne said.

While Anne was getting settled in upstairs, Tavington went to the dining room, followed by Bordon and Wilkins. They found Colonel Ban Tarleton, commander of the other Dragoon unit quartered at the Sizemore estate, along with two of his officers, already halfway through their meals.

"Tavington, good to see you," Tarleton said. "Have a seat." He gestured to the empty chair beside him.

Tavington took the chair offered him, with his officers seating themselves on the other side of the table. "I didn't expect to see you back so soon," he said. "Must have been an easy victory for you."

"You could say that," the other officer replied. "It's almost too easy at times."

"Quite."

"By the way, Tav," Tarleton said with a sly grin. "Who was that girl with you when you first came in? Isn't she a little young for you?"

"She just happens to be the newly married daughter in law of Benjamin Martin," Tavington explained.

"The Ghost?"

"The very same."

"And you're hoping he'll come out of hiding to try to rescue her?"

"I'm counting on it," Tavington said

"I almost pity the poor man," Tarleton said.

Both men laughed at this absurd notion.

"What do you intend to do with the girl in the meantime?" Tarleton asked. "Or is that a stupid question?"

Tavington rolled his eyes. "What do you think, Ban?"

Tarleton responded with more laughter.

"I'm sorry to cut this short, gentlemen, but the lady awaits." Tavington said as he rose from his chair. Looking down at Tarleton, he said in parting, "You know, it's an ugly business, doing one's duty. But just occasionally, it's a real pleasure." And with that, he left the room with no further comment.

A few moments later, Tavington found Anne finishing her dinner as he entered his quarters. She jumped, nearing dumping her plate on the floor, when she heard the door open.

Tavington ignored Anne's nervousness. He knew she would soon become accustomed to him and to her situation.

"Ah, I see you've eaten," he said as he removed his jacket, then threw it over a chair. "Did you enjoy it?"

"Yes."

"Good." Tavington stood in front of the mirror as he unbraided his hair for the night. After removing his cravat and shirt, he picked up a hairbrush from the dresser and brushed his long hair vigorously.

Anne forgot herself and her situation as she stared openly at Tavington, wearing nothing but his breeches and boots. She sighed loudly.

Tavington turned and looked at her with a smug expression, fully aware of the effect he had on her. Moving to sit on the edge of his bed, he unfastened his breeches, then reached down and pulled his boots off.

"Come over here," he said, patting the bed.

The young woman reluctantly rose from the chair and slowly walked to the bed. Anne knew there wasn't any point of resisting Tavington any longer. She knew that she needed to make the best of it until Gabriel found her and took her home.

Anne sat down awkwardly beside Tavington, steeling herself for what was sure to follow.

Taking her hand, he said quietly, "It's time for bed, Anne," leaving unsaid the implication behind those words. He leaned over and took her into his arms. Anne sat stiffly in his embrace, neither resisting nor responding to him.

He took no notice of her discomfort, but begin to unlace her bodice in a quick, efficient manner. When she was finally naked, Tavington stood and shrugged out of his unbuttoned breeches.

Anne inhaled sharply at the sight of Tavington's nakedness, thoroughly aroused in spite of herself. She looked away, unsuccessfully trying to rid herself of her thoughts.

Tavington pulled the covers back as he climbed into bed, pulling Anne with him. She attempted to remain in a sitting position, but Tavington pulled her down to him, engulfing her in his arms.

At this point, she couldn't control her emotions any longer. First one, then two tears came, until she was sobbing quietly in his arms. She turned her face away from him, her heart aching.

To her surprise, Tavington just held her for a long time, tangling his fingers in her long, wavy hair. His other hand slowly rubbed her back until she relaxed, sleep quickly creeping up on her. As she lay half asleep in his arms, she felt him raining soft kisses on her neck, moving down to her breasts.

"I won't hurt you this time," he murmured a little while later, as he moved to enter her. He kept his promise, as he took her gently, quickly climaxing, worn out from the day's events. There would be chances for more vigorous lovemaking in the future, but for tonight, he was satisfied with teaching her not to dread his touch.

For the first time that day, Anne was totally relaxed as they both fell asleep, still entwined.

"Gabriel! Wake up!"

"Wha-?" Gabriel Martin slowly sat up. After several sleepless hours on the hard ground, he'd finally fallen into a deep slumber

"It's morning," his father said. "Time to start looking for Anne again."

Gabriel was up in an instant. The first rays of sunlight were evident as pulled his boots on.

"Here," his father said, handing him their canteens. "Go fill them up with water at the creek, while I get the horses ready."

A few minutes later, father and son were on their way.

"We're not going to be able to keep this up for very long," Ben Martin pointed out. "I didn't bring much food. I didn't think it was going to take so long to find Anne."

"We can't just leave her with Tavington!"

"I know that, son," Ben said. "But we'll have to turn back soon for supplies."

"How much longer can we look?"

"We'll have to turn back this afternoon," his father said. "We'd have to go back for reinforcements in a few miles anyway; we're heading into a heavily Loyalist area. It would be suicide for just the two of us to look for her there."

"I suppose you're right," Gabriel said miserably.

"I know I'm right," Ben said. "We won't do Anne any good if we get ourselves killed. Tavington probably hopes we'll do something foolish to try to get her back."

As Anne awakened early the next morning, she felt an arm around her waist. Forgetting where she was for a moment, she whispered softly, "Gabriel," and turned into his embrace. She was brought back sharply to reality as she gazed upon the face of the still sleeping Tavington. Asleep, his features calm and peaceful, he hardly looked capable of the brutality that had earned him the nickname, "The Butcher". Indeed, he looked almost angelic with his hair spread across the pillow.

Tavington's eyes fluttered open as Anne looked at him. "Sorry to disappoint you, my dear," he said lazily, tightening his grip around her waist. "But it's no matter; you will soon forget that name."

Anne did not respond, knowing it would be pointless.

"I hate that I cannot tarry in bed with you all morning, as there is nothing I'd like better," he said as he raised himself to a sitting position, allowing the blanket to fall to his waist. "Unfortunately, I have business to attend to this morning."

"Would you like some breakfast?" Tavington asked her as he swung his legs out to sit by the side of the bed.

'Yes, that would be nice."

"Get dressed, then, and I'll escort you downstairs and introduce you to the Sizemores," he said. Tavington had already pulled his breeches on and was standing in front of the mirror fixing his hair. "Once you've eaten, one of the slaves will show you where you can wash," he continued. "I will also arrange for you to have a couple more dresses."

Anne just looked at him, dismayed at the idea she'd be with Tavington long enough to need more clothes.

A short time later, they left his quarters. As they headed to the stairs, he said to her, "You are free to wander the house, and to go outside to the terrace and garden. You are not to go anywhere else without my permission and an escort." Stopping and gripping both her shoulders tightly to make her face him, he said, "Do you understand?"

"Y-yes."

"Good," Tavington purred. "I don't think I need to remind you that the consequences would be most unpleasant if you disobey my orders."

Anne shivered, knowing he meant every word.

A moment later, they entered the dining room. Mrs Sizemore was there, along with her teenage daughter Emily. Bordon and Wilkins had already arrived and were sitting at the other end of the table from the Sizemores.

"Mrs Sizemore," Tavington said, "This is Anne Martin." Turning to Anne, he said, "This is Mrs Sizemore and her daughter, Emily."

"Pleased to meet you," Anne mumbled, not forgetting her manners.

"Do sit down, dear, and have some breakfast," Mrs Sizemore said.

After Tavington had seated himself to Anne's right, he continued, "Mrs Martin will be staying with us for the foreseeable future."

"Shall I prepare a bedroom for her?"

Tavington narrowed his eyes, pressing his lips together tightly. "No," he said sharply. "She will remain in my quarters."

"As you wish." Charlotte Sizemore did not approve of this arrangement, especially because she understood Anne to be a married woman, but it wasn't really any of her business. Nor did she want to go into any great detail in front of Emily.

"However, Mrs Martin needs some clothing," he said. "I will pay for any clothing your seamstress makes for her."

"I will take care of it," Mrs Sizemore said. "Meanwhile, she can borrow a couple of Emily's dresses. They appear to be about the same size."

"Thank you," Tavington said. "That will do nicely."

At that moment, Ban Tarleton strolled into the dining room.

"Another late night, Ban?" Tavington asked.

Tarleton shrugged. "You know how it is, Tav." Regarding Anne with a wide smile, he asked, "And who is this lovely young lady? I don't believe I've had the pleasure."

"This is Mrs Anne Martin," Tavington said. Leaning over, he murmured in Tarleton's ear, "Hands off, Ban. This one's mine."

Tarleton's only reply was a mute nod. Though attracted to Anne, he respected Tavington enough to honor his wishes. She wasn't worth fighting over; Tarleton knew plenty of women who welcomed his attention.

"Good morning, Mrs Martin," Bordon said quietly. "How are you this morning?" Bordon sat to Anne's left.

"As well as can be expected, Captain Bordon," she said, looking up at him with gratitude. "How kind of you to ask."

"I'm here any time you need someone to talk to," he said, glancing to make sure Tavington hadn't heard him.

"Thank you," she said softly. "I'll keep that in mind."

Shortly after lunch, Ben and Gabriel Martin reluctantly turned back to Pembroke. They'd done all they could on their own, and it was time to get reinforcements and supplies. They urged the horses on, eager to resume their search as soon as possible.

As they neared Pembroke, they met one of their men, Billings, riding quickly toward them.

"What happened?" Ben Martin asked Billings, whose coat was torn and spattered with blood stains.

"Ambush," Billings briefly explained, out of breath. "I was riding out to find you to tell you."

"When?"

"Very early this morning," he said. "Davis was on watch, but they got him before he could wake us up."

"Damn!"

"Tavington's men?" Gabriel asked.

"No," Billings said. "Redcoat foot soldiers."

"Tavington probably had something to do with it," Gabriel insisted.

"Doesn't matter who," Billings pointed out. "We lost seven men, either way, and quite a few wounded." As they turned back toward Pembroke, he asked Gabriel, "What about your wife?"

"Tavington still has her," Gabriel said. "We never caught up with him. They had too much of a head start on us."

"I'm sorry," the other man said, not quite knowing what to say.

"I'll get her back, if that's the last thing I ever do."

Three days later, Tavington was called to a staff meeting with Lord Cornwallis. He would be gone until late that evening, so Anne would have several hours to herself for the first time since Tavington had abducted her.

Over the last three days, Anne had been slowly losing hope that Gabriel would ever rescue her. Her dreams of once again being held in his arms had faded, as Tavington's embraces filled her days and nights. Tavington was an insatiable lover, imposing his desires on her several times each night, and once again this morning before he left for his meeting with Cornwallis.

Though Anne never forgot for a single moment that the man who held her was a ruthless killer, she slowly began to respond to him as he gave her lessons in the arts of love. How could a man who was so bad make her tremble so with passion?

And for this, Anne was supremely ashamed. Even though she despised this man for what he'd done to her parents, her neighbors, and to Gabriel's brother, she could not deny her desire for him. She could not help but wonder what they'd all think of her now if they could see her with Tavington.

Anne was relieved as she stood on the porch of the Sizemore home and watched Tavington ride away with Wilkins. She needed a rest from the conflicting thoughts and confused feelings that Tavington generated in her.

"Ah, there you are." Charlotte Sizemore stood in the doorway. "The seamstress will be here shortly and I thought I'd have a word with you before she arrives." Indicating two chairs on the porch, she continued, "Let us sit here, so we can have a bit of privacy, shall we?"

"Of course," Anne said as she followed the older woman.

"I'll be frank with you," Mrs Sizemore said as soon as they'd seated themselves. "I would prefer if you would stay away from my daughter Emily, as I think you would be a bad influence on her."

"Bad influence?" Anne was baffled.

"You are living in sin with Colonel Tavington," the other woman pointed out. "I don't approve of such goings on, but I do understand I have to make certain concessions for the good of the war effort."

"He abducted me!" Anne cried. "I have no choice in the matter if I ever want to see my husband again!"

"Be that as it may," Mrs Sizemore said with a dismissive wave of the hand, "I saw you out here late last night embracing Colonel Tavington, touching him in a most inappropriate manner. Please do not insult my intelligence by trying to tell me that he was forcing you to engage in this behavior. You were enjoying every moment of it."

Anne turned away, hanging her head in shame. She could not deny the truth.

After a long moment, Anne said, "I'm making the best of the situation until I can go home."

"I'll say you are!" Charlotte Sizemore drew herself up with a haughty sniff. "Let me make one thing clear to you. If it were up to me, I'd have you moved to the tent encampment with the rest of the camp followers." Rising from the chair, she said in parting, "I trust that I can count on you to avoid Emily?"

Anne nodded silently, knowing it would be pointless to respond.

William Tavington paced impatiently in the hall outside Lord Cornwallis' office. He'd been kept waiting for over an hour to see Cornwallis and was getting angrier by the second. Tavington was sick and tired of Cornwallis' cavalier attitude toward him.

Finally, a few moments later, the aide informed him that Lord Cornwallis would now see him. Tavington had to bite his tongue to keep from making a sarcastic remark as he entered his superior's office.

"Ah, Colonel Tavington," Cornwallis said, turning from the window to greet him. "This won't take long. I don't want to keep you from your duties."

The older man seated himself, but did not offer Tavington a chair. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened at Pembroke a few days ago..."

"What of it?" Tavington snapped.

"I cannot condone such barbarism," Cornwallis said, his voiced raised a degree. "It reflects badly on England. It reflects badly on me."

"You wanted me to get results, no matter what," Tavington reminded him, his tone testy. "I warned you that it would be sometimes necessary to employ some.....brutality....in order to have a lasting effect on the rebel cause." Curling his lip in contempt, his continued, "I am the one who will not be able to return to England with honor at the end of this war, just so that you don't have to get your hands dirty."

"That will be enough, Colonel Tavington!" Cornwallis abhorred Tavington's bluntness, yet knew all the same that he needed him to handle all the unpleasant matters he'd rather not deal with.

Tavington's face reddened in controlled fury, but he merely said, "Will that be all.....sir?"

"Yes, yes," Cornwallis said, exasperated. "But remember this, my patience has limits. I will only tolerate your extreme tactics just so long as you achieve the desired results. Not a moment longer." At this, he turned back to the window, effectively dismissing Tavington.

Later that afternoon, Anne sat alone on a bench in the garden. Mrs Sizemore's seamstress had measured her for three new gowns; two everyday dresses, and one formal gown in the latest fashion. During the fitting, while Anne was changing into a sample gown the seamstress had brought, she'd overheard the woman asking Mrs Sizemore who she was. Though the women conversed in low tones attempting to keep Anne from hearing them, Mrs Sizemore's reply, Colonel Tavington's whore, had made her ears burn in humiliation. The rest of the fitting had been uncomfortable and awkward for Anne and she'd been glad when it was finally over.

With all that had happened in the last few days, Anne hadn't had time to think about her parents' deaths. But now, as she sat watching the late afternoon sun casting long shadows over the Sizemore's large flower garden, she burst into tears as the cold realization that she'd never see her parents again finally sank in. She prayed that their deaths had been swift, that they hadn't suffered long; anything else was too horrible to contemplate. As unwanted mental pictures filled her mind, her tears turned into gulping sobs. Anne had never felt so alone in her life.

"Are you all right, Mrs Martin?"

Anne looked up to see Captain Bordon standing in front of her, his brow furrowed in concern. Wiping away her tears, she nodded. "I was just thinking about my p-parents..." she said, gulping again. "And my husband."

"I understand," he said, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. "I'm so sorry about what happened."

"It's not your fault," she assured him, putting a gentle hand on his arm. "You were not in command, nor did you give the orders." Indicating the empty space on the bench next to her, she said, "Please join me."

After seating himself beside her, Bordon said, "I want you to understand that if there had been anything I could have done to prevent it, I would have done so."

"I know that, Captain," she said.

"Please call me James," he said.

"James," Anne said. "And you must call me Anne."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful woman."

"Tell me about yourself, James," she said. "Where are you from?"

"Halifax," he said. "That's in Yorkshire."

"Are you married?"

"I was," he said, looking away from her for a moment. "My wife died in childbirth six years ago, along with our son."

"I'm so sorry," Anne said. "You must miss them very much."

"Every day of my life," he said heavily.

Anne took his hand, squeezing it gently. For a long moment they sat together in silence, gazing into one another's eyes.

"Ah, there you are." Anne and Bordon turned to see Tavington quickly striding over to them.

Bordon stood up quickly, hoping that Tavington hadn't noticed Anne holding his hand.

Tavington, however, had eyes only for Anne. Reaching out, he quickly pulled her to her feet. He took her hand and began to lead her urgently to the house.

Anne looked over her shoulder helplessly at Bordon as Tavington led her away.

Bordon gave her a sympathetic look, silently mouthing, "I'll talk to you later."

Tavington did not say a word to Anne as he hurried her into the house and to their bedroom. On their way up the stairs, they encountered Mrs Sizemore, who frowned in disapproval as they passed. Anne blushed, but Tavington completely ignored the older woman.

As soon as the bedroom door had closed behind them, Tavington let go of her hand. He quickly removed his jacket, followed by his cravat. "I need a drink," he said as he moved to pour himself some wine from a crystal decanter that sat on a table near the bed. "Would you like any?"

"No, thank you," Anne said primly.

He downed the wine in one gulp, setting the glass down with a loud clink. He turned to gaze out the window, looking at the Dragoon encampment, which was several hundred feet from the house. For several moments he stood silently brooding, almost forgetting that Anne was in the room.

"What's wrong?" she asked, unable to bear the silence any longer. She moved to stand behind him, following his gaze out the window.

Tavington did not answer, but abruptly turned and took Anne into his arms. His mouth descended to nip her neck as he pushed her back. As they both tumbled backwards onto the bed, his hands worked urgently to remove her clothing. She did likewise, her hands moving deftly to unbutton his breeches.

Soon, they were naked together under the covers. For a long interval, Tavington did nothing more than to hold Anne in his arms, kissing her softly, then with growing ardor. Anne caressed his back, reaching to loosen his hair. His lips began to trail down her neck, where he briefly paused to kiss and suckle each breast in turn. She sighed as diffuse sensations of pleasure began moving through her body. His lips moved inexorably downward, kissing her stomach, then her hips.

Anne was alarmed as she felt his lips move to her inner thighs. "What are you doing?" she said as she realized where he was going. He'd never done this before. She attempted to scoot away from his probing mouth, to no avail. "Please, you can't do this!"

Tavington roughly pried her legs apart to continue. "Lie still," he hissed. After Anne reluctantly obeyed him, he said in a gentler voice, "Trust me, you will enjoy this." Snorting in derision, he continued, "I take it that Martin never pleasured you in this manner. It is a good thing, then, that I am here to educate you." Without another word, he bent his head to continue what he'd started.

As Anne felt his warm breath on her sex, she stiffened as she prepared to endure this latest indignity. She felt him gently spread her apart with two fingers, then her hips twitched in surprise as a bolt of sudden pleasure emanated from her center as his tongue found its target. "Oh!" She hadn't expected this.

A low chuckle erupted from Tavington as he felt Anne jump. He continued with his ministrations, moving forward when he felt Anne's hand push his head further into her. Soon, Anne began to buck as his insistent tongue flicked relentlessly. Finally, she raised herself, pushing hard into Tavington's face. "William! William! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, sweet William!" Sated, she flopped back bonelessly onto the bed.

After a moment, she pulled Tavington up to recline upon her. "Please, William," she begged. "Now!"

He immediately responded, entering her swiftly. As he began to thrust, he was mildly surprised when she began answering his every thrust with one of her own. Tavington forgot all about the humiliating meeting with Cornwallis as he realized that Anne was freely giving her whole self to him for the first time.

Later, Tavington sat up in bed with Anne's head on his chest. He was at peace for the first time in a long time. "Thank you," he said softly as he brought Anne's hand to his mouth to kiss.

"For what?"

"For helping me to forget about this damned war for a little while," he said.

"I wish I could forget," she said, looking up at him. Moving to sit up next to him, she continued, "You know that I can never forgive you for what you did in Pembroke."

He met her intense gaze head on. "I don't expect you to understand," he said, reaching out to caress her face. "I did what I thought necessary to help end this war sooner rather than later and I will not apologize for my actions."

"I'll never understand," she said. Nevertheless, she allowed him to draw her back in to his arms.

"You do know that I will never be able to return to England after all this is over," he told her, as he gently rubbed her back. "I am the one who does Lord Cornwallis' dirty work for him, things he wants done but is too cowardly to accept responsibility for himself."

"Why do you do it?"

"It is my duty," he said simply. "But it would help if Cornwallis had some appreciation for what I've done for him. When the war is over, he will be able to go home a hero, his hands clean."

"I take it that your meeting with him didn't go well."

"You could say that," he said, with a harsh laugh. "He is just like my father was; nothing is ever good enough for him."

"Tell me about your father," Anne said.

"He gambled away our family fortune, then died of drink and left my mother and I with nothing," Tavington told her. "A wastrel -- that is the kindest thing I can say about him."

"I'm sorry," Anne said.

"Let's not talk about him any longer," Tavington said, as he eased Anne back down on the bed. "We have better things we could be doing."

Over the next several weeks, Anne slowly became accustomed to her new life at the Sizemore estate. She settled into life uneasily as Tavington's mistress, always aware of the sinister undercurrent of menace in her lover.

Every few days, Tavington would lead the Dragoons on raids and forays into the countryside, always on the lookout to confront and hopefully eliminate Benjamin Martin and his rebel militia. It was during these times that she missed Gabriel and her family the most. On the nights she slept alone, Anne would cry herself to sleep, her heart aching with loneliness.

Gradually, she found herself actually looking forward to Tavington's returns from battle, feeling relieved when he would come in during the middle of the night and slip into bed with her. Though he never spoke of the battles he'd participated in, she always sensed that their lovemaking served as a way for him to forget about the war for awhile.

And though he'd never admit it, Anne slowly had begun to mean more to William Tavington than merely a way to gain revenge on the Martins.

Between engagements with the enemy, the Dragoons would sometimes spend days in camp. She and Tavington would usually rise late on such days, spending the mornings in bed sport. Tavington would spend the afternoons occupied with administrative matters, meetings at headquarters, drilling the troops, or planning the next raids. During these same afternoons, James Bordon frequently sought Anne's company, and, as the weeks passed, their friendship was firmly cemented.

This routine went on, with rare variation, for a few months until it was hard for Anne to remember that she'd ever been married to Gabriel. Though Anne could never love William Tavington, she did feel a certain bond with him and, as time went on, felt she had some understanding of him.

Early one cool morning, Anne felt queasy when she woke up and decided to remain in bed for awhile. The idea of breakfast revolted her. Tavington had been gone for several days and Anne was glad not to have to detail with his attentions for a few days. And, this morning, she certainly didn't care to deal with Mrs Sizemore's disapproving glare facing her across the breakfast table.

After awhile, a knock came at the door. Anne shrugged into her robe and padded over to the door to answer.

"Are you all right, miss?" Sally stood there, ready to change the linens on Anne's bed. "You're usually up early on the days that the colonel isn't here."

"I'm rather sick to my stomach," Anne said. "My stomach has been bothering me for several days now." Stepping aside, she said, "But don't let me keep you from your work. I should get up now, anyway." As the older woman walked into the room, Anne's hands suddenly flew to her mouth and she ran to grab the chamber pot. Holding it close to her mouth, she threw up in great heaving waves.

Sally looked down at the young woman with understanding. "Miss, when was the last time you had your monthlies?"

"It's been a couple of months," she admitted as she wiped her mouth with a handkerchief."

The black woman looked at Anne closely. "I think I know what it is," she said. "You're with child."

"How could this happen?" Anne wailed

"You and the colonel spend a good deal of time in here," Sally reminded her, raising an eyebrow at the young woman's naïve attitude. "I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner."

"Are you sure about this?" Anne sat down weakly.

"Pretty sure, but time will tell."

"Please keep this to yourself for now," Anne said. "I want to tell the colonel myself."

"Of course, miss," she said. "I'm sure he'll be delighted to find out he's to become a father."

Anne wasn't so sure about that, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

After Sally had changed the bed and left, Anne stood to gaze at her reflection in the mirror. She put her hands on her stomach, but could not yet feel much difference. Yet, Sally's words had the ring of truth to her. Anne had no doubt that she was indeed pregnant. And she knew that the baby was Tavington's; she'd been with him too long for there being any chance of her carrying Gabriel's child. Moving to the window, she opened the draperies to look out at the activity outside.

Tears came to her eyes as she digested the reality of her situation. What should have been the happiest day of her life was bittersweet. Anne knew that she could never return to Gabriel now; he'd never forgive her for this. And she had no idea how Tavington would react to the news. Nevertheless she wanted this baby more than anything.

The tears began in earnest when she imagined the things she and her mother would have done together to prepare for the baby; Anne missed her more than ever at this moment.

Three days later, Tavington returned with his men. Anne was sitting alone on the front porch as their horses came in through the gate. She was relieved to see that Tavington was a good mood, as she observed him and Bordon talking animatedly after they'd dismounted and were headed to the house.

"Were you waiting for me?" Tavington was pleased to see Anne on the porch as they reached the house.

Anne didn't answer, but gave him an uncertain smile. She still hadn't decided how she was going to break the news of his impending fatherhood. As Tavington and Bordon stepped onto the porch to join her, she was suddenly overcome with a wave of nausea. Pointing to the back yard, where the privy stood, she told them, "I'll be right back!". Without waiting for a response, Anne hurried away, hoping that she'd get to the privy before she threw up in front of them.

She barely made it; the vomit came as soon as she'd slammed the outhouse door shut. Anne hadn't had much for lunch that day, so there wasn't much to bring up. After she was finished, she lingered for a few minutes to collect herself, so that Tavington wouldn't see her red face.

".....going to do about it?" Two Dragoons were passing by behind the privy. Anne decided to stay where she was until they were gone.

"I don't know," the second Dragoon said. "I don't think it was fair of Tavington to make Sarah leave, now that she's with child."

"He's a cold bastard, that's for sure," the first Dragoon replied.

Anne couldn't hear any more of what the men were saying, as they'd walked out of her earshot. But she'd heard enough. She sat down weakly as she considered the import of the men's words. It seemed obvious to her that William had ejected one of the camp followers for getting pregnant. She couldn't tell him about her pregnancy now.

After a few more minutes, she finally left the outhouse and headed back to the porch, where she found Bordon standing alone waiting for her.

"I was about to give up on you," Bordon said as she stepped back onto the porch. "Colonel Tavington sends his regrets, but Colonel Tarleton needed to confer with him. He asked that you wait here for him and that he would return shortly."

"Will you stay here with me until he comes back?" Anne smiled shyly.

"I'd be delighted." He returned her smile.

The two chatted amiably for a few minutes before Anne was beset with another bout of nausea. She jumped up and said, "Please excuse me for a moment," as she ran back toward the privy yet again. This time, she wasn't quick enough and threw up before she'd gotten more than a dozen yards from the porch.

When she returned to the porch, Bordon was looking at her with concern and sudden understanding. "Are you all right?" he asked. "How long has this been going on?"

"About a week," she admitted.

"You know," he said as he looked away, his face crimson, "my wife had this same problem shortly after she discovered she was with child."

"How did you know?" Anne whispered, dismayed that Bordon had guessed her condition so quickly.

"I didn't know for sure," he said. "I just remembered what my wife had gone through." Turning to face her, he asked, "Have you told Colonel Tavington yet?"

"No," she replied. "I'm kind of afraid to tell him."

"I don't think you should be," Bordon said. "And he does deserve to know he's to become a father."

"I overheard some soldiers talking and they said that William made one of the camp followers leave because she is with child," Anne told him.

"That doesn't sound right," Bordon said. "There have been a few other camp followers who ended up with child and Colonel Tavington did not interfere with them."

"All I know is what I overheard."

"Did they say which woman it was?"

"They mentioned a woman named Sarah."

"Oh, I know what happened now!" Bordon said. "Sarah Bradley has been with us for quite some time and she's been a troublemaker from the first day. Several soldiers had been fighting over her and Colonel Tavington will not put up with such a lack of discipline. We are to work together as a single unit and anything that threatens this must be eliminated. And I've heard that she's had fights with several of the other women as well. Colonel Tavington had no doubt had enough of this woman disrupting our group and decided to put an end to it."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive," Bordon assured her.

"I'm glad to know that," Anne said. "But I'm still not looking forward to telling him."

"The sooner you get it over with, the better," Bordon said. "He'll have time to adjust to the idea before the baby is born." Pointing in the direction of the Dragoon encampment, he continued, "Here he comes now."

"Wish me luck," she said, still feeling apprehensive.

"You'll be fine," he said, giving her a slight smile.

As Tavington joined them, Bordon said, "If you will excuse me, I've got some things I need to do."

"Of course, Bordon," Tavington said. "Thank you for keeping Mrs Martin company for me."

After Bordon had left, Tavington turned to Anne, "Would you care to take a walk?"

"Yes," she said. "I'd like that."

Anne did not say anything as they walked toward the Sizemore's flower garden. Her heart was beating madly as she tried to summon the courage to tell him her news.

"What is it, Anne?" Tavington asked. "You usually aren't this quiet. What is bothering you?"

"Let's sit down," she said as they came upon a bench at the far end of the garden. Once they'd seated themselves, she continued, "I've got something to tell you."

"Yes?"

"I don't quite know how to tell you this...."

Tavington interrupted her with a sigh of exasperation.

"I'm with child!" she blurted out.

"Oh," Tavington said with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised." He sighed loudly again. "We haven't exactly been anything approaching chaste," he said dryly.

Anne turned away from him. "I was hoping you would have been happier about this."

"You have to give me time to get used to it," he said. "I've never considered fatherhood before. I'm not sure that I like it."

"Well, I'm going to have this baby, whether you like it or not," Anne snapped in a rare show of temper.

Tavington chuckled heartily, "Ah, you've got some spirit after all. I was beginning to wonder." Serious once again, he said, "Don't worry, Anne. Our child will be taken care of."

Anne gave him a hesitant smile, hoping he was sincere.

A few months later, Anne accompanied Tavington and his Dragoons to Cornwallis' headquarters for the Christmas holidays. Cornwallis was to host a large Christmas party for all British forces in the area and they would be staying there for several days. She hadn't left the Sizemore estate since Tavington had abducted her and was looking forward to seeing something different.

Because of Anne's advanced state of pregnancy, the Sizemore's slave, Sally, who was a midwife, was brought with them to act as maidservant and to be available in the unlikely chance that she went into premature labor. Anne was glad to have her along, because she'd been the only woman Anne had to talk to since arriving at the Sizemores. Tavington had not allowed her to associate with the camp followers and the Sizemore women considered Anne to be beneath them.

Shortly after they arrived, Tavington was called into a staff meeting with Cornwallis and several other officers. Anne was worn out from the journey from the Sizemore estate, so she retired immediately. The room Tavington had been assigned to was much smaller than what he had at the Sizemore mansion, but Anne didn't care. She was tired enough that she could have fallen asleep on a wooden bench.

Anne awoke several hours later when she felt Tavington ease into bed with her.

"Mmm, it shouldn't be too much longer now," he said as he wrapped his arms around her, his hands on her belly. He nestled closer to her, becoming instantly aroused as he did so. The weather had turned bitterly cold and he couldn't think of a better way to warm up than to lose himself in the heat of Anne's body.

She sighed as she felt him lift her nightgown. Normally she enjoyed their bed sport, but as the time drew closer for their child's birth, lovemaking had become awkward and tiring for her. "Can you please be quick about it? I'm not feeling all that well."

"You can lie still," he hissed, entering her from behind as they laid together spoon fashion. "I will do the work." Tavington was irritated with her recent lack of passion and took her more roughly than he had originally intended

Tears silently rolled down Anne's face as Tavington took his pleasure from her. Though he'd gradually come to be generally gentle and considerate with her in the months they'd been together, there were occasional hints of the brutality Anne knew Tavington was quite capable of.

To Anne's relief, he finished fairly quickly and fell almost immediately asleep, still inside her. She followed suit a few minutes later, still exhausted from the day's events.

The next afternoon Anne and Tavington joined Bordon and several others in front of the fireplace in the common room after the noon meal. Anne enjoyed the rare times when they joined these informal gatherings, as she was usually rather lonesome for conversation. Today was a special treat because quite a few of the men had their wives, girlfriends, or mistresses with them. The mood was festive, with Christmas gifts being exchanged all around.

Anne enjoyed watching the pleased expressions on the faces of others as they opened their gifts. She was surprised when Tavington set a large box in front of her. She opened it eagerly to find an elegant full length velvet cape, hunter green with black trim.

"Oh, it's beautiful," Anne said. "Thank you!"

"Colonel Tavington?" Captain Wilkins stood in the doorway hesitantly. "Might I have a word with you."

Tavington looked up in irritation at Wilkins. "Make it brief," he said. Turning to the group, he said, "Please excuse me for a few minutes."

Once he and Wilkins were out in the hall, he said, "What is it?"

"I thought you might like to know that several of Benjamin Martin's men were captured and just brought here," Wilkins told him. "They're in the holding pen now."

"That is good news," Tavington said. "Did they get Martin himself?"

"No, unfortunately," Wilkins said. "But Gabriel Martin is one of the prisoners."

"Very interesting," Tavington said, a smile slowly spreading across his face. "I think I'll go pay Mr Martin a visit."

After telling Anne that he had some unexpected business to attend to and that he would return soon, he hurried over to the prisoner holding area. Several men were milling about inside the enclosure as Tavington approached. He spotted Gabriel Martin leaning against a tree near the enclosure's gate.

Martin noticed him at almost the same time.

"Tavington!" Martin called out. "What have you done with my wife?"

"Your wife?" he said, feigning ignorance."

"Don't pretend you don't know who I mean," Gabriel insisted. "You were seen leaving Pembroke with her on your horse.

"Ah, Pembroke," the other man said. "Was that woman your wife?"

Gabriel's heart sunk when he heard Tavington refer to Anne in the past tense. Almost desperately, he begged, "Please, can't you at least tell me where you buried her so I can put up a headstone?"

"Don't carry on so," Tavington said harshly. "You won't get anywhere with me acting like that." Turning away from Martin, he addressed the entire group, "Anyone who can give me reliable information as to the whereabouts of Benjamin Martin will be released."

"You really expect us to tell you that?" a rawboned man named Sykes said. "My wife and daughter were in that church you burned in Pembroke." Moving to stand in front of Tavington, he said, "Go to hell, you miserable son of a bitch," then spat a wad of chewing tobacco through the bars into his face.

Without a moment's hesitation, Tavington drew his pistol and shot him point blank in the head. Sykes crumpled, dead before he hit the ground. "Who's next?" Tavington demanded.

The other men turned away, not wanting to get involved.

"I can see I'm wasting my time here," Tavington said, turning to walk away. "So be it."

As Gabriel Martin kneeled before the slumped form of Jonas Sykes and watched the haughty British officer stride away, he lost all hope that Anne might still be alive.

Tavington rejoined Anne a few minutes later. After a short time, he turned to her and casually asked, "Would you like to take a walk? It's getting a little stuffy in here."

"Yes, I could use the air," she said. "I think I'll wear my new cape."

As they walked along the fort's perimeter, Tavington took her hand. Anne looked sideways at him, as they rarely held hands, but did not pull away. The afternoon had been so pleasant and she did not want to break the spell.

Within a few minutes, they approached the prisoner holding area. Anne stopped dead in her tracks as she began to recognize some of the men inside the enclosure.

"Oh, my God!" Her hands flew up to her mouth as she spied Gabriel among the group. She turned back to Tavington with a questioning look.

"Merry Christmas, my dear," he said softly. "Go ahead, I brought you out here so you could have a visit with him."

After giving him a grateful look, Anne half walked, half ran to the pen. Tavington followed her at a leisurely pace.

"Gabriel!" Anne stood at the bars, her hands reaching through to her husband.

Gabriel Martin's head jerked up, not quite able to believe what he saw. He rushed over to Anne, grabbing her hands and holding on as if for dear life. "I thought you were dead!" he said, tears coming into his eyes. Kissing her hands urgently, "I never thought I'd see you again!"

"Nor I you." Anne was crying freely now. "I waited so long for you to rescue me, but you never came."

"We searched for you," Gabriel said simply. "Everywhere I've been, I've looked for you."

"I've missed you so much," she said as she reached to touch his face though the bars. "Thoughts of you have kept me going all these months."

Gabriel looked beyond Anne to see Tavington standing, his arms folded, a short distance away. "Has he hurt you?" Gabriel demanded.

Anne looked away, her face reddening. "I don't want to talk about it," she whispered. "I don't want to talk about him."

"That's all for today." Tavington had walked up to stand behind Anne. Bending down to kiss the side of her neck, he said, "Time to go, my sweet. You can see him again tomorrow."

"You bastard!" Gabriel thundered. "Take your hands off my wife!"

"It's a bit late for you to be telling me that, don't you think?" Tavington said with a smirk as he drew Anne's cloak away from her body to reveal her advanced state of pregnancy. Placing his hands on Anne's stomach possessively, he continued, "Kind of like closing the barn door after the horse has gotten out, hmm?"

"Before this war is over, I'm going to kill you, " Gabriel vowed. "If it's the last thing I do."

Bringing his face close to the bars, Tavington said softly, "Why wait?" With a harsh laugh, he grabbed Anne's hand and led her away. Looking over his shoulder, he said in parting, "Oh. By the way, Martin, Merry Christmas."

As soon as they were out of sight of the prisoner enclosure, Anne broke away from Tavington, whirling around to face him.

"How could you humiliate me like that in front of my husband and those men?"

Tavington gripped Anne's shoulders, looking at her intently. "Part of my job is to harass and confound the enemy by any means possible," he told her. "And that is precisely what I intend to do at every given opportunity."

"I thought you had grown to care for me," Anne said in a small voice. "Especially now that I am carrying your child."

"All is fair in love and war," he said dismissively. "The sooner you learn that, the better off you will be, my dear." Taking her hand again, he led her back in the direction of their quarters. "It's nearly time for you to get ready for the Christmas party. Let us have no more talk of this for now."

Anne did not reply. After seeing Gabriel, she had no desire to go to the party, but she knew it would be useless to object.

Three hours later, Tavington escorted Anne to the party. She wore a green velvet gown that matched her new cape. As they entered the ballroom, Anne was overwhelmed by the number of people in attendance. Officers from many different British units were attired in formal dress uniforms, some accompanied by elegantly dressed women of all ages. Beset by a sudden attack of vertigo, Anne said, "I think I'll go sit down for awhile. It's awfully warm in here."

"All right," Tavington said. "I'll go get you some punch." After getting Anne settled in a comfortable chair on the enclosed terrace, he set off in search of the punch bowl.

He located the punch bowl and buffet table on the opposite end of the ballroom from where he'd left Anne. As he sidled up to the table, he found Bordon there by himself.

"Why don't you find a pretty young woman and dance?" Tavington said to Bordon, indicating several couples on the dance floor. "You certainly aren't going to have any fun standing here by yourself." He filled two glasses from the punch bowl as he spoke.

"I'm fine, sir," Bordon said. "I'd much rather watch."

"Suit yourself," Tavington replied, shrugging. As he turned from the punch bowl, his eyes came to rest on a tall, buxom woman with raven hair who had just entered the ballroom alone. He froze, unable to take his eyes from her. As he continued to stare at her with frank desire, her eyes suddenly met his. An enigmatic hint of a smile appeared on her face.

"Good Lord!" Tavington said under his breath. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen a woman so enchanting. Making a half turn, he pushed the drinks into Bordon's hands. "Go find Mrs Martin and keep her company. Make up some sort of an excuse and tell her I will see her later." Not waiting for Bordon to respond, he quickly strode across the room in pursuit of the raven haired woman.

Bordon sighed loudly as he watched Tavington introduce himself to the woman, who appeared to be close to Tavington's age. Disgusted by, but not surprised by, his commander's behavior, he turned away to go find Anne Martin.

A few moments later, he found her sitting alone near a window, gazing out at the night sky. She looked up as she sensed Bordon's presence.

"May I join you?" he asked. "Colonel Tavington sends his regrets, but he was unfortunately called away to attend to some business. He asked me to tell you that he would see you later." Bordon got an uncomfortable lump in his throat at having to lie so blatantly to Anne. She deserved better.

"Please do," she said with a genuine smile. "But I'm not feeling all that well, so I'm afraid I won't be a very lively companion for you." Gazing down at herself, she continued, "And I'm afraid I wouldn't make a graceful dancing partner for you in my condition, either."

"I can't think of anyone's company I'd enjoy more tonight," Bordon told her. "And I'm not a very good dancer in any condition."

Anne giggled softly. "I'm sure you're a fine dancer."

"No, really, I've got two left feet."

Anne laughed again, beginning to enjoy herself, in spite of it all.

"You looked so deep in thought when I first walked up," Bordon said a few minutes later. "If it's not too presumptuous of me to ask, what were you thinking of?"

"My husband, Gabriel," she told him. "I don't know if you are aware of this, but he's being held prisoner at the fort right now."

"No, I didn't know," he told her. "How did you find out?"

"William took me out there to see him."

Bordon raised an eyebrow at this, waiting for her to continue.

"At first, I couldn't figure out why he let me see Gabriel," she said. "For the briefest of moments, I actually thought he was going to finally let me go and return to him." Sighing loudly, she continued, "But after he humiliated me in front of Gabriel and the other men, I knew that was a silly notion."

"What did he do?"

"He called attention to my.....condition," she said, blushing deeply. "He pulled my cape to the side and put his hands on my stomach." Looking away, she said, "He flaunted the fact that he'd cuckolded Gabriel."

"Bastard," Bordon said in a low voice.

"I was so embarrassed," she said. "And the look on Gabriel's face when he did this broke my heart."

"I'm so sorry," he said.

Anne sighed again. "Why don't we talk about something more cheerful for awhile," she said. "After all, it is nearly Christmas."

And, so, for the next hour or so, the two engaged in friendly conversation, each telling stories of happy Christmases past. Eventually, however, Anne began looking up expectantly every so often as the time dragged by and Tavington did not appear.

"I wonder what's keeping him?" she wondered out loud.

"I couldn't say," Bordon said.

"I'm afraid I can't wait for him much longer," she said. "I'm exhausted and I need to get some rest."

"I can escort you back to your quarters, if you like," he said. "And I will inform the colonel that you've retired when he returns."

"I'd appreciate that," she said, squeezing his hand gratefully.

A few moments later, they arrived at the door of the quarters Anne shared with Tavington. She turned to Bordon, taking both his hands in hers. "I want to thank you for staying with me tonight," she said. "You are such a gentleman."

"I enjoyed being with you," he said shyly. "I was lucky to get to share this evening with you."

"Well, I'll say goodnight now," she told him as she moved to open the door.

As soon as the door was ajar, Anne froze in the doorway, unable to speak.

"What is it?" Bordon was puzzled.

Still speechless, Anne merely pointed at the bed, where Tavington was intently making love to the raven haired woman Bordon had seen earlier at the party. The woman's head was thrown back in ecstasy, her legs wrapped tightly around Tavington's waist, their long ebony locks intertwined on the pillow.

Close to the height of their shared passion, neither Tavington nor the woman took any notice of Anne or Bordon in the doorway.

Seeing the devastated expression on Anne's face, Bordon pulled her back into the hall, firmly shutting the door behind them.

Bordon took her into his arms as she began to cry softly. "Come on, now," he said, as he gently stroked her hair. "We can't stay here in the hall. Come along with me."

Anne followed Bordon numbly. A few moments later, they stood in front of the door to his room.

"You can stay here tonight," he told her. "No one needs to know what happened."

After closing the door behind them, Bordon led her to a small couch, where Anne sank down gratefully.

"I'm so sorry to put you out like this," Anne said, after he'd sat down beside her. "I'm keeping you from the party."

"It isn't any trouble at all," he assured her. "I couldn't just leave you to sleep out in the hall now, could I?"

"I don't know why you've been so good to me," she said, taking his hand.

"Oh, I would think you should know why by now," he said quietly. Clearing his throat, he continued, "I love you, Anne. I think I've loved you since I first saw you."

Anne looked up in surprise. She'd had no idea. But as she gazed at him, it was now obvious to her. "James..."

Bordon took her into his arms and kissed her gently. For a long moment they did not speak, but just held one another.

"You don't know how much it has driven me crazy these last few months to have to stand by while Tavington took advantage of you."

"Why didn't you speak up sooner?"

"You're a married woman," he said. "I knew my feelings for you were hopeless; that your heart belongs to another."

"Oh, you're such a good, decent man," Anne told him. "It is such a shame that we did not meet years ago."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" He did not dare hope.

"Shh. Let's not talk," she said. "Just hold me."

Bordon continued to hold her, gently rubbing her back. They occasionally shared tender kisses, but he made no move to deepen their intimacy. Anne soon fell asleep in his arms, with Bordon following a short time later. They slept together this way for the rest of the night.

Late the next morning, Bordon awakened first when bright rays of sunlight shone through the window into his eyes. He smiled when he saw Anne's head on his chest, eyes still closed in sleep. Though his back was stiff from sleeping half sitting up, he did not move, wanting to enjoy the sight of Anne lying in his arms for as long as possible. All too soon, however, Anne's eyelids fluttered open.

"Good morning," he said, giving her a kiss. "Did you sleep well?"

"Not too badly," she said, smiling.

After stretching the kinks out of his back, Bordon stood up and went over to the window. Looking out, he said, "I think we've missed breakfast; it must be nearly ten o'clock." Looking down into the courtyard, he saw Tavington heading in the direction of Cornwallis' office. Noting that Anne had moved to stand by him, he said, "He's alone. It should be safe for you to return to your room now."

Anne frowned at the sight of her lover, completely disgusted with him. "Well, at least I can go back and change my clothes," she said.

"I think I'll go have a word with him while you do that," Bordon said. "I will meet you later for the noon meal."

After parting with Anne at the door to Tavington's quarters, Bordon hurried outside in search of his commanding officer. He found him returning from Cornwallis' office, striding angrily back across the compound.

"Bordon!" Tavington called out. "There you are! Where have you been?" Not waiting for a reply, he plunged on, "I cannot believe how stupid Cornwallis is! You simply will not believe what he's done now!"

Knowing that Tavington was wound up, Bordon remained silent, waiting for his commanding officer to continue.

"Ban Tarleton does me the favor of capturing several of Benjamin Martin's men, including his son, and what does that pompous ass Cornwallis do? He turns the entire lot of them loose! And before we can conduct any intense interrogations!" Stabbing the air with his index finger for emphasis, Tavington continued, "When I went to ask him why he'd done this, he told me it was a Christmas amnesty gesture." Tavington spat scornfully at this notion. "We'll never win this war with that kind of soft headed sentiment!"

Having spent his ire, Tavington looked at Bordon for the first time, noticing his rumpled uniform. "What's the matter, Bordon? Did you sleep in your clothes?" With a wicked grin, thinking of the night of passion he'd had the night before, he continued, "I can assure you that I most certainly did not spend the night in my clothes. That woman from the party was as extraordinarily talented in bed as she was beautiful."

Noting Bordon's baleful stare, he asked, "What is it, Bordon?"

"Have you not even given a thought as to how Mrs Martin spent last night?" he demanded. "She discovered you in bed with that woman when I escorted her back from the party."

"I can't see how this is any of your business," Tavington snapped. "Or Anne's, for that matter. It's not as if I'm married to her."

"My God, man, she's about to give birth to your child!" Bordon exclaimed. "Or have you forgotten that?"

"Actually, I have given the matter some thought," Tavington said casually. "It's time to send Mrs Martin back to her husband, I think. I've adequately made my point to the Martins, so it's time to move on. It was quite pleasurable to......educate....her, but it's gotten tiresome. She is awfully young, after all, and she's beginning to bore me."

Bordon was speechless with disgust. Tavington's cavalier attitude about Anne sickened him.

"She's within weeks of giving birth!" Bordon had finally found his voice. "You just can't turn her out at the gates of the fort!"

Tavington rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I have no intention of doing any such thing," he said. "In fact, considering that you are so concerned about the fate of Mrs Martin, why don't you escort her home?"

"You would allow that?" Bordon asked.

"Of course," Tavington said offhandedly. "I don't hate the woman, nor do I wish her any harm." After a pause, he added, "And there is the little matter of her carrying my child, which makes her safety that much more important to me."

"When can I take her?"

"Right away," Tavington said. "She won't be able to travel much longer."

"I'll go tell her." Bordon said.

"No," Tavington said. "It is my place to tell her." As almost an afterthought, he said softly, "And I want to say goodbye to her in private."

Bordon looked at Tavington closely. Obviously, the man cared more than he was willing to admit.

"You may take five men along with you," Tavington told him. "Plus, the slave woman, Sally, will accompany you to see to any personal needs Anne might have."

"Yes, sir."

"You have two hours to make preparations," he said. "We will meet you back here then." Tavington was already walking off in the direction of his quarters.

Five minutes later, he opened the door to his room and found Anne sitting by the window, facing away from him. She did not acknowledge Tavington's presence in any way. As he walked over to her, he noted her tear-stained cheeks.

"Anne," he said softly as he put his hands on her shoulders, then reached up to brush a tear from her face.

She remained silent, but continued to twist the handkerchief she held in her lap.

"I've got some good news for you," he said.

She looked up at him for the first time, waiting for him to continue.

"Come over here and sit by me and I'll tell you," he said, taking her hand and leading her over to the bed.

"I've decided to let you go back to your husband," he said after they'd seated themselves at the end of the bed. Leaning over to kiss her tenderly, he said, "Merry Christmas, Anne."

"Just like that?" Anne asked, not quite believing him. Looking at him with narrowed eyes, she said, "Oh, I think I understand now. It would be rather awkward for you take a new mistress when your old one is still around, great with child."

Tavington sighed in irritation. He despised jealous women. However, he wanted to end it with Anne with as little fuss as possible.

Leaning his forehead against hers, he put his arms around her. "You know it cannot work out between us in the long run," he said earnestly. Kissing her again, he continued, ""You aren't in love with me; that's just your pride talking."

"You're right," she admitted. "You know, all this time I've been with you, I've dreamed of this day, when I'd finally get to go home to Gabriel. But now that it's going to happen, I'm scared. I'm afraid he won't want me back because I'm carrying your child."

"If he doesn't, then perhaps he doesn't love you as much as you thought he did," Tavington said. "Do you doubt his love for you?"

"No. Not really." Anne wasn't sure about anything any more.

"Let's not talk any more," Tavington said, easing Anne back onto the bed. "Let's say goodbye properly....something for you to remember me by."

"I think you've given me quite enough to remember you by," Anne said with a cynical laugh as she placed his hand on her stomach at the precise moment the baby chose to kick.

"Oh!" he said, the barest hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "He's an active little fellow, isn't he?"

"You could say that," she said. "The kicking keeps me awake most nights."

"Just like his father, hmm?"

"Oh, yes." Anne said, finally giving him a smile. "No doubt about that."

With his arms still around Anne, Tavington kissed her hungrily as he began to slowly undress her.

As the familiar feelings of pleasure began washing over her, Anne's anger at him melted away like snow in the morning sun. She clung desperately to Tavington as he started making love to her, urging him on. Their lovemaking was hard and furious, their passion spent quickly. Afterwards, they lay side by side, both panting raggedly.

A few minutes later, Tavington got out of bed and walked to the window, still naked. Several mounted Dragoons were milling about near a waiting carriage in the courtyard. Captain Bordon stood talking to the carriage's driver, while Anne's maidservant, Sally was placing packages inside the carriage.

"It looks as if Bordon is nearly ready to leave," Tavington said. Looking back at Anne who was sitting on the side of the bed, he continued, "Time to get ready to go, my sweet."

"I suppose you're right," she said hesitantly.

A short time later, Tavington helped Anne up into the carriage, where Sally already sat waiting for her. Standing outside the open carriage door, he handed her a large sum of money and said, "If you need anything at all for the baby or yourself, have word sent and I will see to it. If you need my protection, never hesitate to ask for it." Taking her hands, he leaned forward and gave her a last, tender kiss. "Remember me," he whispered in her ear. After Anne gave him a long, penetrating gaze, he stepped back suddenly, turned and hurried away without looking back.

As soon as Tavington had left, Bordon came over to the carriage. "We're ready to leave, Anne," he said softly. "Where do you want me to take you?"

"Pembroke," she said resolutely. "That is, if my parent's home was not burned."

"It's still there," he assured her. "It is just as it was when you last saw it."

"Let's go, then," Anne told him.

Bordon nodded, giving a signal to the waiting men. After quickly mounting his horse, he slowly led the group out of the fort.

Late the next night, they quietly slipped into Pembroke. Just before reaching town, the Dragoons veered off, following the carriage from a distance in the case that any rebels might observe their approach. Bordon dismounted, handing his horse's reins to one of the men. He got into the carriage with Anne to ride the rest of the way into town.

"I'm going to miss you," Anne said to Bordon as the carriage slowly rumbled into Pembroke. "More than you know." Sighing loudly, she said, "I wish things could be different between us."

"No more than I wish it," he said, taking her hands into his own. "You do know that I'll always be here for you if you need me. I would do anything for you."

"I know," she said, smiling.

As the carriage came to a halt in front of her parent's home. Anne was surprised to see a candle burning in the window of the front room.

"Somebody's there!" she said, alarmed. At that moment, the door opened and a small, middle aged woman stepped out cautiously.

"That's my mother's sister, Mary Ellis," Anne told Bordon, relieved. "I was afraid strangers had moved into the house."

"Who is it?" Mary Ellis called out, still standing in the doorway. She wasn't expecting anyone.

Turning to Sally, Bordon said, "You get out first so Mrs Martin's aunt isn't startled." After the slave woman obeyed, Anne slowly climbed out next, taking Sally's hand as she did so.

"Oh, dear Lord, it's Anne!" Mary exclaimed, as she hurried over to the carriage. "Gabriel told me that you'd been kidnapped by the Green Dragoons, by that horrible man, Tavington."

"It's so good to see you, Aunt Mary," Anne said, rushing to hug her. As the women enjoyed an emotional reunion, Bordon stepped from the carriage after noticing his men had taken up strategic positions in the shadows.

Mrs Ellis stepped back fearfully when she noticed Bordon.

"Don't be scared," Anne told her. "Captain Bordon brought me home. He's been a perfect gentleman."

"Obviously, someone has not been, though," Mary observed, not unkindly. She'd noticed Anne's pregnancy when she'd hugged her.

"I'd really rather not talk about that now," Anne said, frowning. "We'll talk later."

Bordon had stepped to the front of the carriage, directing the carriage driver to help Sally bring Anne's things into the house, telling him to be quick about it.

Later, once all of Anne's belongings had been brought into the house and Bordon saw that she would be safe, he stood at the door with Anne to say goodbye. Mary, sensing the feelings between them, had gone into the kitchen to allow them to part in private.

"I will always love you, you know," Bordon told her as he took her into his arms.

"I know," she said, leaning her head against his shoulder. "And I will likewise hold you in my heart, always wondering how it might have been for us."

Bordon did not reply, but bent his head to give her a lingering goodbye kiss. After a long interval, he broke away reluctantly.

"I'd better go," he said, turning to the door.

"I love you!" Anne said quickly as he stepped through the door.

He paused for a moment, looked back at Anne with a slight smile, then continued on.

Anne stood at the window watching him until he was gone.

As she turned away from the window, Mary was standing behind her. "Do you want to talk now?" she asked. "I've made us some tea."

The younger woman nodded, following her aunt into the kitchen.

A few minutes later, the women were seated in front of the fire, each holding a steaming cup of tea. "Why did the British let you go?" her aunt asked.

"I don't really know," Anne said. "Perhaps because of Christmas. They never really told me why."

"I guess it doesn't matter why," Mary said. "You're home and that's all that matters.

"How long have you been staying here?" Anne asked her aunt, changing the subject.

"Quite a while," Mary said. "Gabriel asked me to stay here until you could come home. He was afraid squatters would take the house over unless someone lived here."

"Have you seen Gabriel?"

"Well, the British had captured him, but they let him go," Mary said. "He'd just gotten back home yesterday and he visited me then."

"He was here?"

"Yes, but he left to go find his father," the older woman said. "He'll be back within a few days, though. He comes to Pembroke fairly often, as many of his father's men have moved into the empty houses after that awful fire."

"He'll be surprised to find me home," Anne said, smiling.

"That's not the only thing he'll be surprised by," Mary said, looking pointedly at Anne's stomach. "I assume that the man who brought you here is responsible for your condition?"

"No, actually he isn't," Anne said, clearly uncomfortable to be discussing the matter. "And Gabriel already knows. I saw him when he was in British custody."

"He didn't mention seeing you," Mary said. "I wonder why?"

Anne hung her head. She knew why.

Mary did not notice Anne's red face. "Who is the father of your child, then?" she asked again. "Could it possibly be Gabriel?"

"If only it could be!" Anne said fervently. "But there's almost no chance of that."

"Who, then?"

Looking away in embarrassment, she said in a low voice, "Colonel Tavington."

"Oh, my." Mary Ellis knew of Tavington's reputation as "Bloody Tavington the Butcher" and immediately visualized Anne being subject to frequent harsh, brutal violations. "You poor dear."

"It's getting late, Aunt Mary," Anne said. "I really need to get some rest." She didn't want to discuss her life with William with her aunt any longer.

"Of course, dear," she said. "Your bedroom is just as you left it."

"Thank you," the younger woman said. "I'll see you in the morning then."

Anne had trouble sleeping that night; she'd gotten used to sharing a bed with Tavington and it was odd to be sleeping alone again after so long. After tossing and turning for several hours, she finally fell into a fitful slumber.

She rose early the next morning, but by the time she'd gone downstairs, Mary had already finished cooking breakfast.

"Did you sleep well, dear," Mary asked when she saw Anne in the doorway.

"The baby kicked quite a bit," Anne said, unwilling to tell her the real reason for her sleeplessness.

"Well, you can take a nap later if you get sleepy," her aunt said. "Your time is drawing near and you'll need all the rest you can get before the baby is born."

As the women were eating breakfast a few minutes later, they heard a couple of horses approaching at the back of the house. A moment later, Gabriel and his father, Benjamin, came in through the back door.

"Gabriel!" She got up as quickly as she could in her condition. Her pregnancy was obvious to all as she staggered over to embrace her husband.

"Oh, my God." Anne was the last person Gabriel expected to see. Feeling distinctly uncomfortable, he disengaged himself from her embrace. "I've got to go tend to the horses," he muttered, then slammed out the back door.

Anne was stunned, looking around in embarrassment.

Benjamin Martin cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about that," he said. "I think I'll go out there and help him. We'll be back shortly."

"Come on dear," Mary said as Anne stared, dumbfounded, at the back door.

After a moment, she burst into tears.

"Let it out," her aunt urged as she held Anne in her arms.

"H-he knows!" Anne said a short time later as she was able to collect herself to some degree.

"Knows what?"

"That the baby is Tavington's"

"Why on Earth did you tell him that for," her aunt said. "You'd have been better off letting him think that the child was his."

"I didn't tell him," she said. "Tavington did, when he let me see Gabriel at the fort. He made sure to let Gabriel and all his men know that he'd gotten me with child"

"What a despicable man!" Mary said. "It would seem that all I've heard about him is true, then."

"It's a bit more complicated than that, Auntie," Anne said. "But you're right, he usually was not very much of a gentleman."

"Gabriel will come around," Mary said. "He has to realize that you had no choice about what happened. Once he sees that darling little baby, his heart will melt."

"I hope you're right," Anne said doubtfully.

Benjamin Martin found his son leaning against a tree near where they'd tied up the horses.

"Want to talk about it, son?" the elder Martin said. "You haven't said much since the British released you." Scratching his head, he said, "I would have expected that you would have been glad to see Anne home at last."

"You saw her condition?"

"Yes, I did."

"She's carrying Tavington's bastard!"

"You don't know that," Ben noted.

"Tavington told me so himself when I was locked up."

"I would hardly take the word of that man," his father said. "I'd advise you just to wait until the baby is born. Then you'll know." Putting a hand on Gabriel's arm, he continued, "And if it turns out that Tavington told you the truth, well, you must remember that Anne didn't have any choice in the matter. I'm sure he had to have forced himself on her."

"Maybe." Gabriel said, unconvinced. "I don't know what to think anymore."

Inside the house, Anne turned to her aunt and said, "I'm going to go upstairs and unpack my things. If Gabriel decides he wants to talk to me, he can come up there."

Anne had acquired quite a few belongings during her time with Tavington. He'd turned out to be quite generous, usually bringing her something when returning to the Sizemore's from forays into the countryside. Though Anne suspected that much of it was plunder, she never asked him and he'd never told her. She'd also accumulated a decent wardrobe, as Tavington had enjoyed dressing her nicely.

After hanging up a few dresses, Anne hid the money Tavington had given her in a concealed drawer in her desk. The desk had belonged to her father, who'd given it to her when he'd gotten a new one for himself. Anne wanted to keep this money to use for the baby and she was afraid Gabriel might take it to use to buy more guns and other supplies with. Though she hated to deceive him, she was determined that the baby would come first and would want for nothing.

She walked to the window after she'd secured the money and looked out at the ruins of the burned church . Tears came to her eyes as she remembered that horrible day. Deep in thought, she did not hear Gabriel open the door.

"What are you thinking about," he demanded. "Are you longing for him?"

Anne jumped, startled. "What?"

With a snort, he continued, "Did he get tired of you? Is that why he finally let you go?"

"Why are you acting like this?" Anne whined. "You don't have any idea how awful these last months have been for me!"

"Not too awful, it would seem," Gabriel observed as he picked up a gold bracelet, a ruby ring, and a solid silver hairbrush from a small table near her bed. Holding the items up with one hand, he demanded. "What are all this things? Payment for services rendered?"

She was speechless, not quite believing that it was her beloved Gabriel speaking so spitefully to her.

"You know that all this stuff is stolen, no doubt from Patriot women," he said. "How does it feel to wear jewelry that belonged to women who were most likely murdered by your lover? Or didn't you ever think about where it came from?" Throwing the jewelry down contemptuously, he said, "You've changed! You're not the same girl I married!" He threw open her bedroom door, slamming it behind him as he left.

Ben Martin was sitting in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee with Mary when Gabriel came stamping down the stairs.

When she saw the look of rage on Gabriel's face, Mary looked at Ben in dismay. "I have some chores to do, so I think I'll leave you two to talk."

After she'd left the room, Ben turned to Gabriel. "Have a seat, son. Let's talk for awhile."

The younger man obeyed, but remained silent.

"It seems that your reunion with Anne didn't go well," Ben said.

"You could say that," Gabriel said with a snort. "I went up there to apologize for the way I'd acted when we first got here..."

"And did you?" his father interrupted.

"No," Gabriel said. "When I opened the door, I saw that Anne had several fancy new dresses hanging up, and a few pieces of expensive jewelry on a table by her bed; jewelry I couldn't afford to buy her. Things that Tavington had to have given her." Clenching and unclenching his hands in anger, he continued, "Everything became clear to me then. She's been Tavington's mistress. I've lost her; she doesn't love me any more."

"And you're going to let it go at that?" Ben asked. "You're going to let that bastard win? If you love her, you have to fight for her." Putting a gentle hand on his son's shoulder, he said, "You still love her, I know you do. And she's still the same woman you married; she loves you. Don't let Tavington ruin your marriage."

"It may be too late to save it," he said, still hurt and confused.

"Only if you don't try, son," Ben said.

"It won't be easy."

"Nobody said it would," his father agreed. "Lord knows, marriage isn't easy even under the best circumstances." Rising to his feet, he said, "Why don't you go take those supplies we got up to Billings? I think I'm going to have a little talk with Anne while you're gone."

"All right," Gabriel agreed. "I'll take care of it."

A short while later, Ben Martin knocked on the door to Anne's room.

"Come in!"

Ben found Anne staring out the window as he came into the room.

"Oh, Mr Martin," Anne said. "I thought Gabriel might have come back."

"I sent him over to Billings on an errand," Ben explained. "I thought it would give us a chance to talk." He looked around the room and quietly noted the fancy clothing and expensive jewelry that Gabriel had spoken of.

"Yes, I'd like that."

"I've got something for you," he said, reaching into his pocket to pull out the pendant he'd originally given her on the day she'd married Gabriel. "I've been carrying it around all this time, saving it for when you could finally come home."

Anne's eyes lit up at the sight of the pendant. "Oh, I thought I'd never see that again. I had no idea where I'd lost it."

"I found it outside the remains of the church that day," Ben said quietly, as he stood behind her fastening it back on her neck. "That's the first inkling we had that you'd escaped the fire."

She turned away, tears welling as she thought of that dark day.

"How did you find out what happened to me?"

"Little Betsy Greene saw Tavington take you out of town on his horse," he said. "She hid in her parents' root cellar when the Green Dragoons put everyone in the church."

"Gabriel is acting as if I went off with Tavington willingly," Anne said, turning away. "I don't think he loves me any more."

"You know, he said the same thing about you," Ben told her. "You were with Tavington for a long time and you came home with child. Deep down, Gabriel is afraid that you fell in love with Tavington and forgot all about him."

"I could never love Tavington!" Anne cried. "How could I, after what he did to my parents?" Her voice dwindling to a whisper, she said, "But I did what I had to do to survive. Dreaming of finally coming home to Gabriel is what kept me going all these months."

"Did you tell him that?"

"I tried to, but he wouldn't listen!" she said. "I don't know what to do!"

"You can't give up," Ben said firmly. "You married Gabriel for better or worse, and right now you're having some of the worse. Who knows where Gabriel's mother and I would have ended up if we'd given up every time things got bad." Leaning closer to Anne, he continued, "There's a very good reason why there were four years between Gabriel and Thomas. I won't go into a lot of detail, but suffice it to say that I did something to cause my wife to turn her back on me for those years. It was a bad time for both of us, but we eventually reconciled and realized that we still loved one another very much. We stayed the course, and that is what you and Gabriel must do as well."

"I'll try if Gabriel does," Anne said.

"Have faith," he said. "I know the two of you can find your way back to one another."

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'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 church. "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 name to 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 clearer, 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.

Several weeks later, the Green Dragoons were patrolling in the Pembroke vicinity and had made camp for the night late one evening. As the men gathered around a campfire to share their suppers and to relax, Tavington walked off by himself, deep in thought. A short time later, Bordon found him sitting on a fallen log staring off into the distance in the general direction of Pembroke.

"You know, she has to have given birth by now," Bordon said quietly.

Tavington turned around to look at his second in command. "How did you know I was thinking about Anne?"

"Just a good guess, I suppose," he said. "You've been keeping to yourself more since you sent her back to her husband."

"I wonder if she had a boy or a girl."

"We're not that far from Pembroke," Bordon pointed out. "Go to her. See your child. You won't be able to rest until you do."

"You're right, Bordon," Tavington admitted, rising to his feet. "I think I'll go now."

Bordon walked with him to his horse. "Please give Anne my best wishes."

"Yes, of course." After Tavington had swung himself up into the saddle, he said, "I shouldn't be gone more than a few hours"

"Be careful," Bordon warned.

"I always am."

Nearly a hour later, Anne heard a horse ride up at the back of the house. She sighed to herself, not ready to deal with Gabriel again so soon. He'd been gone for almost a week this time and she wasn't expecting him back now. Ever since the baby had been born, they had maintained a chilly distance and Anne had given up hope that they'd ever rekindle the love they'd once known.

A knock on the back door startled her. Walking to answer it, she wondered who could be visiting at this hour of the night.

"William!" Anne was shocked to see Tavington on her doorstep. Opening the door wider, she said, "Come in."

"I've come to see the baby," he said, once she had shut the door behind them. "Are you alone?"

"Gabriel and Mr Martin aren't home, if that's what you mean," she said. "My Aunt Mary is staying with me, though, but she's already in bed for the night."

"Good." Noting her once-again slim figure, he asked, "Was it a boy or girl?"

"A boy," she told him. Taking his hand, she said, "Come on upstairs, he's taking a nap."

Tavington followed her into her bedroom where the baby was sleeping peacefully in a cradle near his mother's bed. Anne bent down and gathered the little boy into her arms.

"Your son," she said, handing him the baby

Anne was amazed at the change in Tavington as soon as he was holding his son. The arrogant expression melted, replaced by the wide smile of a proud father. "Oh, he's perfect, Anne," he said softly, brushing one hand over the baby's face. "What's his name?"

"William," she said in a soft voice.

Tavington raised an eyebrow at this. "I must say that I'm surprised, though not displeased," he said. "I can't imagine that your husband was happy with that choice."

"Gabriel was the one who named him," she said. After noting his shocked expression, Anne continued, "When the baby was born, it was obvious right away that he was yours. Gabriel ran off and got drunk, then went to the reverend and had him listed in the church records as William Tavington. He said he wouldn't give his name to a child that wasn't his."

"I don't know what to say," he said. After an awkward pause, he turned back to little William, putting out his index finger for the baby to grab. "He's a good sized boy," Tavington noted. "And he's got a good grip."

"Just like his father," Anne said with a shy grin. As she reached out to take the baby's other hand, Tavington put his hand over hers. "We made a beautiful child together, Anne."

"Oh, yes," she said quietly. "And I love him more and more every time I look at him."

A moment later, they both looked up in surprise as the bedroom door flew open and banged against the wall.

"Tavington!" Gabriel stood in the doorway, eyes narrowed in utter loathing. "What are you doing here?"

After quickly handing the baby back to Anne, Tavington turned to face Gabriel. His hand casually rested on the hilt of his dagger. "I came to see my son, if it's any of your business," he said with a contemptuous sneer.

"Everything that involves my wife is my business."

"Not everything, it would seem," the older man said with a low chuckle. "I don't seem to recall you being in the room any of the many times that I took your wife to my bed."

"You filthy bastard!"

His eyes flicking to Anne wildly, Gabriel accused, "You've been seeing him all along, haven't you?" He grabbed her arm hard enough to bruise it. "Haven't you?" he repeated, shaking her. "You dirty whore!"

"Let me go!" Anne begged. "You're hurting me!"

"Let her go," Tavington said, his voice a menacing growl. Turning to Anne, he said, "Take William into the other room. Your husband and I have a few things to settle here."

"She's not going anywhere!" Gabriel shoved Anne, who was still holding the baby, against the wall. The baby boy began wailing in pain, awakened when his leg was roughly wrenched back after Anne lost her balance and fell.

Tavington reacted instinctively. He swiftly unsheathed his dagger and plunged it deep into Gabriel's stomach, twisting it viciously. He yanked it out, then savagely stabbed him in the heart, driving the blade to the hilt.

With an expression of shock on his face, Gabriel fell, his hands clawing uselessly as he struggled in vain to breathe.

As soon as Tavington was satisfied that he was dead, he pulled the knife out and wiped it on Gabriel's shirt before replacing it in its sheath.

Anne was soothing the baby, still sitting on the floor. Her sole concern was the welfare of her son; she could not deal with Gabriel's death just yet.

"Oh, my God!" Mary Ellis stood in the doorway. The baby's cry had awakened her and she'd reached Anne's room just in time to see Tavington pull his knife from Gabriel's chest. She stared down in disbelief at Gabriel, whose eyes had already glazed over in death. A large puddle of blood was pooled beneath his body.

Tavington spun around to face Mary after hearing her voice. She shrunk away from him in terror, fearful that she was going to be next. Afraid that she might alert the neighbors, he reached out and pulled her into the room. "Sit down and shut up," he hissed, pointing to the bed.

After Mary had obeyed, he turned to Anne. Kneeling down beside her, he asked, "Is William all right?"

"Y-yes, I think so," Anne said as he helped her to her feet. She looked down at Gabriel sprawled dead on the floor and burst into tears.

Tavington gathered her into his arms, murmuring gently as she let her emotions out. Anne leaned her head on his chest. allowing him to comfort her. He tangled one hand into her hair as she cried, with the other resting protectively on the baby.

Mary still sat on the bed, hiccuping and whimpering, too afraid to speak. As she watched the new parents with their son, she realized then that Gabriel had spoken the truth about Anne's divided loyalties.

A moment later, they all heard someone come in the back door downstairs. Releasing Anne, Tavington unholstered his pistol as he inched to the bedroom door.

"Colonel Tavington?" James Bordon was standing at the bottom of the stairs.

Reholstering the weapon, Tavington called, "Up here, Bordon."

"What is it, Bordon?" Tavington asked as soon as the other man entered the room. "Why are you here?"

"I've got a report that Ben Martin's men are heading back to Pembroke," Bordon explained. "I thought I'd come warn you so you could leave before they arrive." Pointing to Gabriel's body, he asked, "What happened here?"

"He came in on Anne and I unexpectedly," Tavington said. "Things got out of hand rather quickly." After a pause, he added almost casually, "He hurt my son."

Bordon looked over at Anne, who smiled hesitantly at him as she held up little William for him to see.

"He's gorgeous, Anne," he said, reaching out to give her arm a squeeze.

Tavington was standing by the window looking out. "Let's go, Bordon," he said, pacing impatiently. "We need to get the men back here in time to engage the rebels." Turning to Anne, he said, "Pack some things for you and the baby; you're coming with us."

Anne nodded, knowing that she no longer belonged here. After putting little William down in his cradle, she quickly snatched up a few things and stuffed them into a carpet bag she dragged out from under the bed.

"What about me?" Mary Ellis asked timidly.

Tavington turned and regarded her carefully. Gesturing to Bordon he said, "Tie her to the bed and gag her. Martin will find her soon enough and let her go."

"I'd better go down first and make sure the way is clear," Bordon said after he'd secured Mary to the bed.

"That's a good idea," Tavington said. "Anne and I will follow you in a few minutes."

Anne turned to Mary to say goodbye. "Please tell Mr Martin that I'm terribly sorry and for him not to try to find me or worry about me." After Mary nodded, unable to speak because of the gag, she said, "I love you," then followed Tavington out the door without another word, knowing she could never again live in Pembroke.

Tavington handed Anne the reins to Gabriel's horse once they were outside. "Here, you might as well take his horse," he said as he rummaged through Gabriel's pack on the back of the saddle. "Your husband won't be needing him any more." He took Anne's carpet bag and secured it on top of Gabriel's pack.

"I suppose you're right," Anne said.

"Let me carry the baby," Bordon said. "You'll need both hands to control the horse."

"Thank you." Anne handed William over to him with the hint of a smile.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Tavington urged. "I don't want to have to fight anyone while we've got a baby with us."

Bordon nodded in agreement. He helped Anne to mount up before going to his own horse.

As they rode away, Anne paused and took one last look at the village that had been her home since childhood.

"Are you coming, Anne," Bordon asked softly.

"Yes, let's go," she said, encouraging her horse. It was time to leave her old life behind.

As soon as they'd arrived back at the Dragoon camp, Tavington was all business once more. "Bordon, I need for you get Anne safely back to the fort with the baby," Tavington told him. "I am going to take the men back to Pembroke and see if we can't give Martin and his men a nasty surprise."

"Yes, sir."

Riding his horse alongside Bordon's, Tavington reached his arms out for the baby. After Bordon had handed him over, the new father held him close for several minutes. Several Dragoons sitting at the nearby campfire started whispering among themselves, amazed at the sight of their hard-nosed commander cuddling a baby, but correctly surmising that the child was his.

"Take good care of him, Bordon, " he said as he kissed his son's forehead before handing him back. Without another word, he rode off in search of Wilkins to plan the raid.

"We should start back for the fort right away," Bordon told Anne. "I won't be able to rest until you and the baby are safe."

"I'm ready," she said.

Ben Martin split up from his men as they entered Pembroke early the next morning, heading to Anne's house. He was worried about Gabriel who'd been feeling sick and had come home earlier than the rest of the group. As he dismounted and led his horse into the barn, he was puzzled that he didn't see Gabriel's horse. Ben felt vaguely uneasy as he walked to the house.

"Gabriel! Anne! Mary!" he called, alarmed when all remained quiet. He quickly mounted the stairs and heard a muffled moaning sound coming from Anne's room as he reached the top.

"Nooooooooooo!" As he stood in the doorway, he immediately saw Gabriel lying in a pool of blood on the floor in front of the bed that Mary was tied to. Even as he rushed to kneel down by his son, he knew it was too late. He quickly stood and went over to the bed to release Mary.

"Who did this?" he demanded as soon as he'd removed the gag from Mary's mouth. "And where are Anne and the baby?" Ben suspected he already knew the answer to these questions, but he had to ask.

"Tavington," Mary said, gulping nervously. "I was in bed asleep. I heard the baby cry out, so I came to see what was the matter." She paused, overcome by the memory of what she'd seen. "When I came in here, that horrible man was standing over Gabriel yanking his knife out of him. I was so scared!" She shuddered, then began crying again, as she remembered the sight of the blade dripping with blood.

Ben took her into his arms, patting her back to comfort her. For a few long moments, they grieved together. "What about Anne and the baby," Ben finally said. "Where are they?"

"She went with Tavington!" Mary told him. "Willingly."

"You must be mistaken!"

"I'm afraid not," she said in a tired voice. "Before she left, she gave me a message for you. She said to tell you that she was sorry and for you not to try to find her. It seems as if Gabriel was right about her, after all."

Martin turned away, stunned. After a minute or so, he stood up straighter, resolute. He knew what he had to do now. Taking Mary's hands, he said, "I've got something I need to do right away. I'm going to stop by and let Reverend Oliver know what happened here so he can prepare Gabriel for burial. I'll be back as soon as I can for the funeral."

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I'm going after Tavington."

"Please, don't go!" she begged. "He'll kill you, too!"

"Not if I kill him first," he vowed. "I have to do this. For Gabriel...and Thomas."

Mary nodded in understanding.

"I'll have Reverend Oliver send someone down here to stay with you until I get back."

"Be careful."

"Don't worry, I will."

A half hour later, Ben Martin left the church after seeing Oliver, heading in the opposite direction from where Colonel William Tavington and his Dragoons approached Pembroke.

"Why don't we stop and rest for a few hours," Bordon said after several hours in the saddle.

"Good idea," Anne said. "I need to feed the baby and I'm so tired that I'm about to fall off this horse." She followed Bordon as he turned his horse toward a clearing bordered by several large bushes.

A short time later, Anne sat on a blanket she'd found in Gabriel's pack. She'd just finished feeding the baby, who was asleep contentedly on a second blanket near her. Bordon had tied the horses to a nearby tree and was now building a small fire.

"How's the baby?" Bordon had finished with the fire and had sat down next to Anne.

"He's fine," she said. "He'll sleep for a couple of hours, at least."

"I've missed you terribly," he said, taking her hands.

"I've missed you, too," she said, leaning against his chest.

"I'm so sorry about what happened to your husband."

"Thank you," she said. She sighed loudly. "It's going to be very hard for me now, without a husband. I don't know how little William and I are going to manage."

"I know how you can manage," he said quietly. "Anne, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

"Do you mean it?" she asked.

"With all my heart," he said. "I love you, Anne. I thought you knew that."

"You'd be willing to raise another man's child?" Anne had to make sure.

"I'll love any child of yours," he said. "Never doubt that."

"Then yes, James," Anne said quietly. "I will marry you."

He took her into his arms, giving her a lingering kiss. "You've made me the happiest of men. I cannot believe my good fortune!"

"I'm the lucky one," Anne said. "Truly."

"We'll get married as soon as we reach the fort, then, " Bordon said. "Unless that is too soon for you."

"The sooner the better," she said. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him down on the blanket on top of her. "Isn't it about time we got better acquainted?"

"I couldn't agree more," he said. He bent his head to kiss her more urgently as his hands began exploring her body for the first time. After a few minutes of this, both were impatient for more.

Though already hard, his erection stiffened even more as he felt her urgent hands rushing to unbutton his breeches. Its insistent throbbing was almost more than he could bear.

"Hurry, James," she whispered raggedly. "I've waited so long to become yours."

Bordon gladly obliged her, reaching down with one hand to throw her skirts up to her waist. They both understood that time was of the essence, as a rebel patrol could come upon them at any time.

"Take me now," she said, reaching out to guide him inside of her.

He quickly positioned himself between her legs and entered her swiftly.

Anne gave a small sigh of satisfaction as he completely filled her for the first time.

Their first time together was fast and furious, both too eager for the other to savor the experience.

"I love you so much," he said as cuddled close to her afterwards He reached out to gently stroke her hair as both experienced the afterglow of their lovemaking. "And I promise to make love to you properly once we're safely behind closed doors."

"I love you, too," Anne said, kissing him gently. "And I'll hold you to that promise."

"A promise I fully intend to keep," he said. "We won't come out of my quarters for a week!"

"I can hardly wait."

Ben Martin rode aimlessly for several hours, never seeing any sign of Tavington and his Dragoons. He eventually turned his horse back to Pembroke, knowing that he needed to be present when Gabriel was laid to rest.

As he approached the village, he saw black plumes of smoke rising above the treetops. He urged the horse on, fearing the worst. He found half the houses in Pembroke burned to the ground, Anne's among them. He hurried to Reverend Oliver's house, which remained unharmed, along with the new church.

Mary Ellis caught sight of him as he rode up and hurried over. "Tavington and his men rode into town no more than a half hour after you left," she said grimly. Pointing to the church, she said. "The wounded are in there." Turning to indicate the cemetery where several men were busy digging graves, she continued, "Gabriel won't be the only one buried today. Eight of your men were killed."

Ben noticed a large purple bruise on the right side of Mary's face. "What happened?"

"Tavington wanted to know why you weren't with your men and demanded to know where you were," she said. "He wasn't satisfied with the answers I gave him, it would seem."

"Bastard!"

Mary shrugged, knowing she was lucky not to end up as Gabriel had.

Later, as he stood with the other mourners at the mass funeral, Benjamin Martin came to a decision. He'd had enough. He wasn't going to fight any more and risk losing what was left of his family. As the funeral concluded, he sought out Mary Ellis.

"I'm leaving," he told her. "I'm going to find Charlotte and marry her. We'll wait out the rest of the war together with my remaining children at the Gullah village. I have run my course and will fight no more."

Mary looked at him in shock and saw the broken man he'd suddenly become. She didn't try to talk him out of it because she understood all too well.

"Godspeed, Ben," she said, hugging him. "May the Lord go with you."

"What will you do now?" he asked her.

"Reverend Oliver has asked me to marry him and I've consented," she told him. "I'm staying here to help rebuild the town."

"I'm so happy for you," he said sincerely. Turning away, he said in parting, "Until we meet again."

William Tavington was curious as he rode through the gates of the fort with the Dragoons. "What's going on Wilkins?" he said, pointing to several men in dress uniforms entering the dining hall, some accompanied by formally dressed women.

"I don't know sir," Wilkins replied. "But I imagine we'll find out fairly quickly."

"What's going on?" Tavington repeated his question to the slave who took his horse after he dismounted.

"Wedding reception, sir," the slave told him.

"A wedding?" Tavington said, confused. "I hadn't heard about anyone here being engaged. Who got married?"

"It was a last minute thing," the slave said. "Captain Bordon, sir."

"Bordon! Are you sure?"

"Yes sir," the slave said.

Tavington looked at Wilkins. "Did you know anything about this, Wilkins?"

"No sir," he said. "I'm just as surprised as you are."

"Well, let's go find Mr Bordon and see what this is all about."

"Right behind you," Wilkins said.

A few moments later, they entered the dining hall where the reception was being held. Tavington and Wilkins looked at one another in shock when they saw Bordon and Anne sitting together at the head table. A hush fell over the room as the wedding guests waited to see how Tavington would react.

Tavington walked slowly up to them. "Anne?"

The happy couple looked up to see Tavington standing in front of them with a perplexed expression. "William," she said in a low voice. She hadn't been looking forward to this moment.

"When, or shall I say, how, did this come about?" he asked.

"We decided to get married on the ride back here," Anne said.

"Kind of sudden, wasn't it?" He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, his unasked question, "Why Bordon?"

"No, sir, it wasn't" Bordon said. "I fell in love with Anne months ago."

"I see," Tavington said through clenched teeth. Leaning closer, he said, "Of course, Anne is free to marry whomever she pleases, but if I ever find that you've mistreated my son, Bordon, I will kill you with my bare hands. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly, sir," Bordon said, unruffled. "And I would feel the same way if he were my son. Your child is safe with me, sir."

Anne reached out and took Tavington's hand. "You'll always be William's father. I will never keep you from him."

"I appreciate that," he said. All business once more, he said, "I suppose congratulations are in order, then." He leaned forward and gave Anne a gentle kiss on the cheek, "Take good care of William." Turning to Bordon, he said, "Be good to Anne."

"Always, sir."

Tavington turned away quickly and left without another word. Alone again, naturally.

Shortly after his marriage to Anne Howard Martin, Captain James Bordon asked for a transfer to Banastre Tarleton's unit, which was granted. He remained with Tarleton until the end of the war, serving with distinction and honor.

Colonel William Tavington served out the rest of the war leading Tavington's Legion. He continued to live up to his feared reputation as "Bloody Tavington" until peace was declared. At war's end, he was quietly married to the widow, Julia Cunningham, the raven-haired beauty from Cornwallis' Christmas party.

Anne Howard Martin Bordon and James Bordon were happily married for fifty years, ultimately adding four children to their family. Five years after the end of the war, Julia Cunningham Tavington died giving birth to the couple's only child, who was stillborn. William Tavington never remarried, but lived with a series of mistresses until his death at the age of 85. William Tavington, Jr went to sea in his late teens, eventually becoming a clipper ship captain. He remained close to both his parents and his stepfather, ultimately giving them six grandchildren.

Benjamin Martin married Charlotte Selton shortly after Gabriel's death. They left South Carolina not long after the war, settling in Kentucky. Never completely recovering from the deaths of his sons, he died one year before the turn of the century.

End

Send feedback to the author.