Stars

Chapter Twelve

Just thinking about Ben was enough to make Isabella giddy. Her head was so stuck in the clouds thinking about their kiss last night that she didn't hear somebody calling out to her.

"Miss? Miss!"

She turned to see a young man about her age with a torn waist coat in his hand.

"Yes?" She asked pleasantly.

"Would you happen to be one of the women who do the mending? I am afraid my waist coat has gone to hell and back."

Isabella knew she couldn't sew worth a shite, but she was determined to try for this poor soldier. "Yes, I'll fix that right up. What is your name and where might I find you so that I may deliver this once it is finished?"

"My name is Private Nathaniel Williams and my tent is on the very outskirts of the south quadrant."

"I shall have this finished and returned to you shortly," Isabella said, trying to reassure herself as well.

"Thank you, Miss." He exclaimed.

"It is no problem," she said.

After he left, Isabella went to find a needle and thread and then she took a seat. She could see exactly where it needed stitched but couldn't figure out how to fix it exactly. She was regretting not paying attention when her mother tried to teach her.

Isabella tried doing what she remembered as a back stitch after flipping the waist coat inside out to make the seam invisible. It didn't work. "Ugh." She groaned, nearly giving up on the cursed waist coat. She could always give it to Anne, at least her work would be quality.

"Are you having some trouble there?" A voice said in front of her.

She looked up to see Ben smiling down at her and her horrible sewing job. "Depends on how you look at it." She answered.

"Can't you sew?" He inquired.

"Not well. I never paid attention when my mother tried to teach me because I didn't think these wifely duties would ever come in handy." She explained, earning a laugh from Ben.

"Why don't you see if Anne or one of the other women can fix it? We wouldn't want you ruining the poor man's waist coat..." He was cut off by his own chuckle.

They walked around the camp to find Anne wrapping some bandages. "Hello, Anne," Isabella chirped.

"Isabella!" She engulfed the younger girl in a hug. "What brings you out of the infirmary..." she seemed to have just noticed Ben. "And with Major Tallmadge?" She gave Isabella a wink.

"I was just wondering if you would be willing to fix this waist coat? A soldier asked me to fix it and uhhh... umm." She trailed off, realizing she exposed herself.

"Well, spit it out," Anne nagged.

"She can't sew," Ben said for her. "I have witnessed it firsthand." He couldn't hide the smile growing on his features.

"You can't sew?" Anne practically shouted.

"No, I can't. And I'd prefer it if the whole camp didn't know," Isabella said in a whisper.

"Sorry, I was just shocked... how will you ever become a wife?" Anne inquired, glancing slightly at Ben.

"I'll cross that bridge when I get there." Isabella responded curtly.

"I can fix it. Come retrieve it after dinner," Anne informed them.

"Thank you!"