Love and Loyalty

~2~

William awoke but not to sunshine, it was dark, the skies were full of thunderheads. He let out a long groan before falling back against his pillows, if he had known it would rain, he would've bid farewell to the mistress and her son and left the previous night.

"Quite a groan that was" He sharply turned his head to the side to see Eliza walk into the room. She was smiling at him, practically beaming, he dared to say that there wasn't need for the sun to be shining. William quickly covered himself in the coverlet and shrank away to the other side of the bed, it was inappropriate for her to see him in a state of undress! "Omari tells me a storm is coming, you're welcome to stay for as long as you need"

She leant against the doorframe and looked towards the window, but all he could bring himself to do was stare. Her chestnut locks were tied back into a neat ponytail, she was indeed beautiful. He wondered once again how a woman such as herself didn't have any suitors even after being widowed. Then once again he found himself enraged by the fact that he was accepting help from a colonial woman.

I'm nothing but a drunken fool...an old drunken fool...

Then he came to realise that he did not belong there, this woman didn't know him and nor did he know her "I shall stay until the storm has passed if I'm not a burden to you"

Eliza turned at those words, giving him a quizzical look and crossing her arms "What makes you think that you are a burden?" Then once again, he was lost for words. He gave no reply. A few moments later, her gaze softened and her smile appeared once again "I may not be the richest woman in America but I'm more than capable of housing a guest for more than a few hours" She ended her sentence with a gentle laugh and, once again, William found himself silently cursing at enjoying her company "At least stay until the storm is well and truly over, I do not want to send you on your way only for it to start raining once again"

"alright, only if it's not a problem"

"Non at all"

"Then I shall stay"

"Excellent, well, breakfast will be prepared soon enough, I'll have Omari send for you"

"thank you Miss Matthews, It's rare to find a hospitable host such as yourself"

"well I shall leave you to dress, I'll see you in around an hour" She smiled before tapping the wooden door frame and exiting. Once again, he was left alone with his thoughts, he hated himself for enjoying her company. What if she discovered his true identity? Or if she looked through his personal items? With that thought, he walked over to the chest ay the end of the bed and opened it, picked up his snap sack and sat on the edge of his bed.

For the first time in a while, He looked through his belongings. It was mostly things from the war like his coatee and helmet, but he also kept his sabre and flintlocks. No one ever asked what he carried and no one actually cared. But he knew himself that children can get curious and the mistresses child might not be an acceptation. The first thing he picked up was the bundle of letters that his wife had sent him before she died. All of them were addressed to either Lieutenant Colonel, or Colonel Tavington. He remembered how proud Emily was when he got promoted and given his own regiment of dragoons. William untied the string holding the bundle together and picked the first one off the top to read. The parchment had yellowed with age, the corners were bent and the writing was faded.

His heart ached as he read the sentence that stood out the most,

'My love, I'm at last with child'

If he knew that giving her a child would have killed her, he would've refused. Both his wife and daughter died that night all because they he wanted a family to call his own. Now he was alone in the world. Before he upset himself further, he bundled the letters and tied the string around it once again, throwing it back into the snap sack before he could upset himself farther. Then he picked up his sabre and drew it once again for the first time in years. He ran his fingers over the edge of it before hearing a woman's cry in the back of his mind. With a shake of his head, he sheathed the blade once again and threw it back in its previous home. No matter how much he tried, William couldn't seem to silence the cries or voices. The only real medicine he had was drinking.

After a few moments, William stood up and put the snap sack back in the chest before picking up his pile of freshly washed clothes. As he pushed one arm through the sleeve, he sighed. This was no life for him, he hated being unable to provide for himself. He accepted help from a woman, A colonial woman!

~~~

Around a half hour later, the slave he recognised to be Omari, told him that breakfast was ready. William nodded and placed the book he had found in the wardrobe on the bedside table before making his way down to the dining room. Eliza was sat at the head of the table and little Arthur was sat to her left, William decided to distance himself and sit two chairs away from them both. Almost instantly, Arthur jumped out of his seat and rushed to his side "you're still here?!" he beamed and sat in the chair next to him.

"Arthur leave the man alone-" Eliza let out a rather long sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose "I'm sorry about that"

"it's quite alright, he's just a lad" William smiled weakly before gently nudging Arthur's shoulder "aren't you"

"No, I'm a man!" He protested before pouting slightly "I'm stronger than you!" William saw a bit of himself In in him although he wasn't of his bloodline. He even had his shade of eye colour and hair, although he clearly got it from his mother "See" Arthur raised his little fist and punched William's upper arm.

As a reaction, William pretended to wince and held his arm "Ahh that hurt!" he lied before letting out a hearty chuckle. Eliza couldn't help but smile at the sight of her son being that happy. When he noticed, her smile William leant his arm on the table so he could catch a glance of it "Come on then, eat your breakfast so you can grow up big and tall"

They carried on with their morning meal in pleasant silence, well William was silent and he tuned out any other noises in the dining room. He finished his breakfast, thanked Eliza and walked back up to his room to pack up his belongings. He knew that he didn't belong there. In a few days time, he would be facing the trials of life once again and Eliza would be living hers. But his plans came to a halt when he heard a thunderous clap of thunder, it made even him jump. He walked towards the window only to see droplets of water hitting the glass, not even the best of travellers could best this weather, hell, he didn't even have an overcoat. With a groan, he threw his worn tricorn hat onto the bed and laid his snap sack next to it.

Although the sound of the rain hitting the room was relaxing, he was annoyed that he had to wait it out. He wanted to leave even though the mistress had shown him kindness. He knew that he didn't deserve it after what he had done a decade back, especially in South Carolina.

~~~

"I thank you for your hospitality, it's been a long time since I received such kindness"

he bowed and turned to face the door but before he could exit the plantation, Eliza said "Wait, take this" she picked up a brown overcoat and gave it to him "Just incase it rains again" admittedly, it was sad to see him go, it was nice having a new face "Actually, do you need work?"

"Pardon?" he turned on his heel to face her

"Well, I need a labourer to work the fields and keep the house in good condition" She spoke before toying with the small silver ring on her little finger "I would pay you of course, five dollars a week, you could keep the room you are in if you wish" William took it into consideration. He'd have a place to stay, he'd have at least one warm meal a day and he wouldn't have to practically bed on the streets to survive "I promise to make it worth your while, I know you were once a soldier but I see potential in you" The honesty was surprisingly potent in her voice and once again, William couldn't form a full sentence. Just as he was about to speak, thunder rolled in the distance and water started to fall from the sky.

He sighed deeply through his nose before nodding "what days will I be working?"

Eliza let out a soft, pleased puff of air before smiling "Monday to Friday, you'd have weekends to yourself and you'd be paid on Sundays"

"How long are my hours?"

"eight in the morning until four in the afternoon" She spoke as he moved away from the open door "you wouldn't need to pay for food or board"

He half-smiled before nodding "Then I accept your offer"

"brilliant, you can have the rest of the week off as we only have three days left, you can start on Monday"