Chapter 27: The Major's Daughter

"I'm cold," she said, dragging her heavy skirt to my bed roll, "make room." She climbed in beside me, a small warm body, and pulled her expensive, make-do blanket across both of us. She squirmed nearer, getting her knees behind mine. "You're nice and warm. I thought you'd be." She smelled good; I knew I did not.

"You know better than this," I whispered. "You can't sleep with me. Your father would skin me."

"I won't tell him," she whispered back, shrugging her shoulders, "will you?"

"Go to sleep," I mumbled, feeling myself becoming aroused against my will. I knew how young and lovely she was, the belle of every ball, the focus of every man with eyes, probably the whole regiment's object of carnal desire.

It was the second visit of the major's wife and daughter to our camp and they arrived, unfortunately, as all was in chaos. The girl and I had become separated from the main body of our retreating army and had hidden in a roadside ditch as dragoons thundered by, me mostly on top of her. Then I led her deep into the woods and, some hours later, found a burrow some sort of animals had used, bears perhaps or badgers. It would do for the night, I was sure, so we bedded down cold and hungry.

Both of us were fully clothed, she in a riding outfit of wide skirt and tight jacket, except that she had removed her skirt and spread it over her. Now her breasts and belly were pressed to my back and her arm was about my ribs, her hand burrowing under my shirt.

"What are you doing, girl?" I hissed.

"You're awful hairy," she giggled as her fingers slid up my stomach to my chest. "Why do men have nipples?"

"Decoration," I said. "Go to sleep." My post was now at least half-riled and getting very uncomfortable.

"Um," she said, squirming some more. "I've never slept with a man."

"If you keep wiggling, you'll still be able to say that in the morning."

"You're mean," she said. "And I'm scared. Turn over." She sounded like a child, but she surely did not feel like one. I remained as I was, and her exploring hand began working on my waist buttons. I pulled it away, and she sniffed.

"Be quiet," I whispered after hearing what might have been footsteps nearby. I hope the bear was not coming home for a snooze.

Whatever it was, probably a possum or two, went on by and we both relaxed, except for one part of me. She breathing seemed slow and regular; I hoped she was asleep, but then she said, "Have you ever slept with a girl?"

"None of your business?" I said, pulling my blanket higher on my shoulder.

"Poo," she said, and then, somehow, we did sleep, her hand on my hairy belly.

I awoke very early, iron rigid and piss hard, but also sore from our bed of dirt and leaves. Leaving the girl softly snoring, I wriggled out of the deadfall and into the softly glowing woods and relieved myself, admiring the length and breadth of my massive member as I did so, such vanity. When I turned to put it away, I found her on her knees looking at me, amazement on her young face. I suppose she saw me stroking the thing, and I felt myself flush with embarrassment.

"Sorry," I said to her.

She nodded and emerged to tiptoe off to make her morning ablutions in the wilderness. We wandered westward, me in the lead and the girl complaining about the pace and her hunger. British patrols were on the roads and at every ford. I decided we were trapped behind their lines and would just have to wait it out. We found an abandoned shed of some sort with half a roof and sat side by side, knees raised. I wished I had some tobacco. She wanted food. Sex was, for a change, not highest on my list of needs, but it was, of course, there.

"Why can't we go to the tavern we saw? It looked quiet and nice." She tugged my elbow. "I'm really hungry."

"Too many Redcoats around," I said.

"You could go fetch us something," she said brightly. "Or maybe I could."

"I'll go look," I said. I got my pistol out of my belt and checked its priming. "You know how this thing works?"

She nodded and put it on half-cock, hefting it with both hands and smiling at me. I set my musket aside and set off, trotting. It was about a mile I suppose and when I got there, the place did look quiet but a trickle of smoke came from the chimney. I quickly got a loaf of bread and hunk of cheese and a bottle of homemade wine, bought some jerky as an after thought and hustled back to our tumbled-down shed.

No girl, no musket, no pistol, nothing.

The sounds of thrashing and grunting roused me from my puzzlement. I dropped the food, drew my big bayonet and ran toward the noise just as the young woman cried out. Three Redcoats had her, and she lay unconscious on the ground as one who was freeing his member knelt between her inert legs. The other two were setting their muskets aside and watching, grins on their rough faces.

The nearest one died on my blade in an instant, and I pulled the knife loose, kicked at the man crouched over the girl and took on the other soldier who charged at me with his spike bayonet in his hand. I clanged it aside with my blade and slashed him across the face. He screamed and gurgled. The would-be rapist had scrambled to his feet and retrieved his musket by then. I fell to the ground as he fired and felt the ball whiz by. Then I was on him, drove him back to a big tree and disemboweled him. I checked the bodies; one still quivered so I cut his throat. Then I took purses and cartridges and used one of the dead men's canteens to revive the lovely girl who had a nasty lump on his forehead.

She sat up and looked around at the sprawled bodies and then up at me. I helped her to her feet and led her back to our shelter. Again we sat and she drank some water and then grabbed me and held tight while she sobbed and shuddered. I enjoyed holding her. She was not very big, but she was very choice. She was wearing stays, unfortunately.

Eventually we ate, and she told me the story of being surprised by that trio of stragglers. "My fault, I suppose," she said. "I was poking around and not on the lookout."

I patted her back, and she kissed my cheek in a sisterly manner. Neither of us had yet mentioned the morning surprise.

"What do we do now?" she asked timidly.

"Wait," I said.

"Out here?"

"The tavern owner told me he thought the main body had gone on by."

She nodded. "I'm willing to risk it."

"Don't want to sleep with me again?" I asked.

She looked at me big-eyed, licked her lips and smiled.

So off toward the tavern we went. We stayed back in the woods until sundown and saw absolutely no one enter or leave. Business was awful poor when armies were on the move. When the inn-keeper came out to use his privy, we moved in and made him jump when he came out, still buttoning himself.

"Got room for us?" I asked.

She smiled at the lovely girl. "For her," he said. "You can bunk out in the stable."

He and his wife fed us well, sat and talked with us and then left us after blowing out the lanterns and barring the doors.

I looked into her eyes where I could see the dying fire reflected. "Well?" I said, very hopeful I'm sure.

"This morning," she began and then stopped. She took a breath, swallowed and licked her lips. "I think you'd better sleep out there." She pointed.

I lifted an eyebrow.

"I mean," she said, "I saw it you know."

I waited, holding her slim hand.

"I've had relations, you know what I mean, those kinds of relations, with a few boys, men, officers, lovers, whatever you want to call them."