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Piety and Infamy	By : MarianTheBlackadder Category: M through R > Patriot, The Views: 2093 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own The Patriot, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
The next following weeks seemed endless. Countless reports from British
officers and their subordinates came one fight after another into Cornwallis�s
headquarters. Each report seemed even worse then the one that proceeded it. The
General did his absolute best to keep them from her ears, but it was no use.
News of any kind that held gossip in it�s nature, spread like wild fire
through the ranks of the British Military. If she didn�t here it from one
person, she heard it from another. The rumors were inescapable and were waiting
for her around every corner. The walls were thin as paper and all of them had
ears.


Scornful and glances filled with pity seemed to accompany those who
spread these lies like an infectious disease each time she passed. She even
heard one say when they thought they could not hear her, �Is that the Lady
Tavington? My, she certainly must have preformed an unforgivable atrocity to be
condemned to being tethered to one such as Colonel Tavington.� It wasn�t the
first in the line of rude comments born of pity or just plain catty behavior.


Finally, Heather thought she would go mad from all of this and couldn�t
stand it anymore. She had to get away from all of these things, and be free of
the misguided ridicule that haunted her every step even if it was just for a
short while. Opening her closet, she began to dig through her wardrobe looking
for something other then these elegant dresses that she wore on a daily basis.
She found a very simple and casual dress that would pass for something to ride
in. Walking behind the screen, she changed her clothes quickly putting the
others away.


Closing her door behind her, she headed out of the house to the stables
where the horses were kept and tended to. Looking about, she recognized one of
the horses as the one she had rode in on the day Tavington brought her here.
They had been caring for it and keeping it as if it had been hers. Perhaps it
was, her husband was the leader of the dragoons and he may have given
instruction that it belonged to her.


Heading for the tack room, she found a saddle, bridle and bit and slipped
into the horses stall. Once everything was in place as it should be, she synched
the leather belly strap down tight around the horse�s middle. Pushing the door
open she began to lead him out to the main door where she could see clearly into
the courtyard and had a good view of the front gate. She had to wait a little
while before a solider gave a call that a supply wagon was approaching and to
open the gates to let them in.


Heather didn�t want anyone to stop her, or for anyone to go with her.
She needed some time alone to clear her thoughts and she certainly couldn�t do
that surrounded by recoats. She also knew they wouldn�t open the gates for her
if she begged and pleaded for days on days. Moving back she climbed up onto the
horse, waiting until the gates had been completely opened, and kicked the doors
of the stable open wide. Within seconds she had ridden through the courtyard at
a fast run, and out the gates before anyone could realize what was going on much
less attempt anything to stop her.


Heather didn�t look back or slow down for even a moment, even though
she cold hear shouting, and orders being barked out from the wall, and one
trigger-happy solider actually fired a shot at her. The consequences of that
action would be extreme. Still, she didn�t stop ad continued to ride hard and
fast. �I�ll be back soon enough, just not yet.� She said allowed to
herself, knowing this wasn�t the most intelligent idea or action she had
taken.


It had been weeks and weeks since she had been outside the fort walls.
She had been trapped inside that house constantly being bombarded with
disheartening words and evil glances. Hateful behaviors and evil accusations all
because she shared Tavington�s name was to much for her to take day after day.
They were located well behind British lines, how much danger could she be in
just going out for a little while? If the lines had changed she was sure she
would have heard about it. She certainly heard about everything else.


She had ridden quite a distance on the dusty road until she found herself
entering into the forest area she had seen from her windows. There had always
been a wide-open grass filled field that took the space between the fort and the
forest that spanned a few Acers. Once inside and under the cover of trees, she
rode off of the main road into the woods as far as she could before she had to
dismount hiding both herself and her horse. Moving back behind some trees were
she could see the main road without being seen, she heard the sound of
thundering hooves as a unit of soldiers had been sent out after her from the
fort rode past.

Heather had been running from
British soldiers for years since she left Cornwallis�s presence, this was far
from a new game to her. Once the soldiers could no longer be seen or heard, she
took the reigns of her horse and came out of their hiding place. Giving a sigh
she mounted once more, and headed down a path that lead to the river.


Everything out here was so quiet and peaceful, it was so easy to forget
that you were not the only person in the world or that there was a war that
raged on all around. She rode slowly through the trees, until she heard the
sound of running water not far up head. Dismounting once again, she walked up to
the riverbank releasing the horse�s reign and sitting down by the waters edge.
Looking down, she could see her refection since this part of the river always
ran smooth, slow, and steady. Things began to run through her mind as she looked
at herself. What if any of those rumors were true? What if he had really earned
that nickname, �the butcher� by doing all of those things he had been
accused of? Not that it mattered very much: She loved to and nothing could every
change that. She loved him to much to believe any of the things that were said.


More then once, she had seen his heart that was well hidden from the rest
of the word and no man who showed as much love as he did could possibly be
capable of doing all of these things that they were trying to accuse him of.
Even if she saw it with her own eyes, she was not sure she could believe it.
Picking up a rock in her hand she threw it in the water skipping it across its
surface a few times before it finally sunk into the river. Besides, it was a
war, and things happen sometimes that wouldn�t happen in peacetime that
couldn�t be helped. These people who kept anxiously bringing these reports to
Lord Cornwallis could easily be misinterpreting the situation.


Her hand continued to pick up one rock after another and she skipped each
one into the water until there were no more to be found. Wiping her hands she
gave a sigh, knowing full well the sort of scolding she was going to be in for
when she returned, but it was worth it just to get away to find a quiet place to
think for a little while. Leaning forward, she looked down into the water at her
image once more. She froze, as her face was not the only one looking back at her
in the reflection. Heather jumped up spinning about taking a few steps backwards
away from the stranger.


A man stood there, and she could tell by the clothes he wore and the
weapons he carried that he was Colonial Militia. The man quickly put his hand
up, �Woh, it�s alright Miss. I wasn�t tryin� to scare ya.� Her eyes
wondered around looking frantically for some sort of escape, but he stood
between her and her horse. This was not her first meeting with the militia, and
her last encounter with them, they killed the servants of Cornwallis house,
burned the manor to the ground, and burned a mark of shame into her skin. She
had no desire in her heart to repeat this incident again. Reaching down she
picked up a good size branch, holding it ready to swing if he came near her.


�You won�t take me again, not this time!� She said shaking her head
taking a step back. The man cocked his head looking at her for a moment, not
entirely sure why she would say something like that.


�You�ve been captured miss? Miss, may I ask who it was that you were
captured by?� He asked, wondering if she could tell the difference between
British and colonial soldiers.


�IT DOSEN�T MATTER!!! I will not be taken again!� She said swinging
the branch at him as hard ash she could, causing him to duck out of the way.
Throwing the branch away she ran past him, taking off as fast as her feet could
carry her. Her eyes stayed on the ground, having to watch her footing as she
jumped over fallen trees and large rocks and boulders that were in her path. She
thought that she might have escaped him, when her foot was suddenly caught in a
patch of weeds that wrapped around her ankle and she fell hard to the ground.


Turning over she started to kick her foot free, trying as hard as she
could to get herself untangled. A few seconds later the man whom she had been
fleeing from fell on her right when she had gotten her foot loose and started to
scramble to her feet to continue to run. However he wrapped his arms around her
not letting her go. �LET GO OF ME!!!� She fought him as hard as she could
but it wasn�t working. The man continued to wrestle with her for a little
while longer before trying to reason with her, pushing her arms down and pinning
them next to her head. �Miss, please calm down! Now, what are you doing all
the way out here by yourself? Don�t you know there�s a war on and it�s not
safe?�


Heather took a deep breath and struggled once again, �Of COURSE I know
that! Do you think I�m completely daft? Get off of me!!� He leaned harder on
her arms keeping her pinned against the ground.


�No Miss, I just think you might be along way off from home.�


�I�ll get back alright, just let me go!� The man shook his head and
continued to hold her in place.


�I can�t really do that, there�s Red Coats everywhere. I saw a
bunch of them riding off in that direction not to long ago. Heather began
struggling again and they wrestled around for a few more minutes. He had to keep
readjusting himself to keep her from slipping away, leaving himself wide open
for a brutal attack. As soon as she saw her chance, she took it and brought her
knee up between his legs hitting her mark as hard as she could.


He was stunned at the sudden unbearable pain as his eyes nearly rolled
back into his head. She pushed him off of her and got to her feet to start
running off again, however she was stopped when she ran straight into another
mind. She hit him so hard that it knocked her back down to the ground. Sitting
up she shook her head in a slight daze putting her hand to the side of her head.
At once, she stopped moving almost afraid to move her eyes frozen on the ground
and she didn�t dare look up.


There were more then just the two eyes of the man she had just
discouraged from holding her against her will. Instead there were 15 maybe 20
pairs of eyes that looked at her, and she was completely surrounded by men.
There was no escaping this time, and she knew it.
To Be Continued .
. .
- 6
- 7
- 8
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Piety and Infamy