Possession

Chapter 11

"You must be absolutely relentless in your pursuit of the militia," Tavington counseled. "You cannot afford to show any leniency." He referred to the map on Hawking's desk. "When you meet militia here and here," he began, pointing to spots on the map, "they'll try to retreat to here, but you must cut them off and prevent them from doing so."

Hawking stroked his chin, wrapping his mind around Tavington's words. "Colonel, I understand your convictions, however, these men are militia. They're common men, not soldiers. They're farmers and blacksmiths and woodsmen."

"Those very same farmers, blacksmiths, and woodsmen will kill you just as effectively as any enlisted man," Tavington said. "Your persistence will ensure that the colonials know that you mean business. You can't spare the militia simply because they are militia. You do that, and they will only grow bolder because they don't think you'll take any action against them. Then, you really will have a problem on your hands. Don't give them any room to work with, Colonel. If you do, you will regret it."

xxx

Crisp, chilly air on a clear night. The cold didn't bother Juliana much. The temperature wasn't devastating, and Juliana had a shawl draped around her shoulders. Earlier they'd had dinner at Colonel Hawking's residence, which was where they were also staying while they were in Savannah. Instead of retiring for the night, however, Tavington had asked Juliana to accompany him on a short walk.

They walked the street that ran along the harbor. It was an awkward experience for the both of them, as they still hadn't discussed what had happened back at the river. They walked for nearly ten minutes, then Juliana spoke up.

"I wanted to apologize for interrupting you the other day during your bath," she said. "Honestly, I didn't realize you were there until ..."

"I should be the one apologizing to you," Tavington said. "I shouldn't have come at you with the knife like that."

The two of them made a right and stepped onto a bridge that crossed a small canal leading into the harbor. They stopped in the middle and were silent while they looked out at the water and the ships in the harbor.

"Juliana, I'm going to ask you something, and you have to give me your word that you'll reply truthfully," Tavington said, turning to her.

Juliana looked at Tavington, wondering what this question was supposed to be leading to. She nodded. "I promise," she said. "The truth."

Tavington looked back out at the harbor, phrasing his question in his mind. "When we first met, I asked if you were afraid of me. Do you remember?"

"I do, yes," Juliana replied.

"You know me better now than you did when we first met ... are you still afraid of me?"

Juliana was silent while she thought about her response. "I am, but for very different reasons than then."

Tavington looked back down at Juliana and caught her lovely dark gaze. "What reasons do you have to fear me?" he asked. The desire rose in him again, the very same that confronted him earlier, when he'd discovered Juliana in the stream. This time, though, there was no one to interrupt, no one to interfere.

He gave in and reached out to her. He caressed her face, and she didn't shirk from him or back away. She closed her eyes, relishing the sensation. Juliana hadn't anticipated that it would feel so good for him to touch her. She touched his hand on her face. She opened her eyes and looked up, finding his blue eyes on her. They drew her in to him.

Before he knew what he was doing, Tavington had leaned in close to Juliana and his lips were pressed against hers, gently at first, then more firmly and more eagerly. He was kissing her, and he liked it. From what he could tell, she liked it, too, because she kissed him back with the same intensity.