Possession

Chapter 16

Friday evening arrived after two hectic days spent trying to settle the details of the party that had unexpectedly been thrust into Tavington's hands. Food preparation, music, and extra servants - all of it was arranged in time for the party; most of it was arranged solely by Juliana. By the time Friday evening rolled around, Juliana was running ragged trying to make sure everything was in place. She'd helped plan parties like this for Mr. Harris, but she'd never had the responsibility of planning one by herself. Fortunately for Tavington, everything fell into its proper place.

The night would be divided into two portions. The first, beginning at approximately 6:30, would be the intimate dinner part of the evening. Tavington would dine with eleven guests in the dining room. The actual party portion of the evening would begin after dinner had concluded, and would take place on the back lawn of the premises. Fifty additional guests were expected for this part of the occasion.

The dinner guests began to arrive at around six p.m. Tonight, Eugenia had Juliana's usual task of seeing to guests and making sure they were comfortable. Tonight, Juliana's place was in the kitchen and anywhere else she would need to be to coordinate this effort so that it ran smoothly.

The first course of the meal was taken out to the dinner guests promptly at 6:30 p.m. Twelve people sat around the table: Cornwallis, O'Hara, Bordon, Captain Robert Watts, Tavington, and Benjamin Smith, another colonel. Joining each of the men at the table was a female companion. Tavington sat at one end of the table, while Cornwallis occupied the other end.

"Colonel Tavington," Smith began, "I must commend you for you work on the field at Camden. It is certain that our victory would not have been possible were it not for your Dragoon unit." Smith was slightly shorter than the average officer and rounder, too. His appearance, however, was deceptive. The man could hold his own in combat. He was an excellent swordsman and an even better marksman.

Tavington smiled. Finally, he was getting the recognition he deserved. "Thank you, Colonel Smith," he said with pride. "It's appreciated."

"Colonel, you have such a lovely home here." It was Smith's wife, Bettie. She was a petite woman with dark, auburn hair and a pleasant face. "I'm so glad we're having this party here. How long has it been since you first moved into this house?"

"Only a couple of months," Tavington replied.

"You've done wonders with it in such a short time," Bettie marveled.

"It's quite easy when your home falls into your hands already decorated," O'Hara chimed in. "Colonel Tavington acquired this house during a raid."

Tavington glared at O'Hara. The man had a talent for jumping on the first opportunity to belittle Tavington.

"Gentlemen, must we speak of such unpleasant things tonight?" Sarah Davis asked. She was there as Watts's guest. "We're supposed to be enjoying ourselves tonight."

"Ms. Davis is right," Cornwallis agreed. "There'll be no more war talk this evening. That's an order, gentlemen." He looked around the table, his eyes connecting with those of every officer at the table.

Down in the kitchen, Juliana was doing everything she could to make sure this evening didn't fall apart on Tavington.

"Is the soup ready to go upstairs to the dining room, yet?" she eagerly asked Eugenia.

"Jenny's bringin' it out of the fire now," Eugenia said. She and Juliana looked over at the hearth in time to see Jenny thoroughly burn her arm as she was removing the soup pot from the fire. Juliana cringed when the girl screamed out in pain. She knew the girl hadn't screamed on purpose, but she also knew that the scream had been loud enough to be heard upstairs in the dining room.