Brave New World   von Sarah_von_Krolock
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           Kapitel 2: 02. Send my greetings to your almighty General
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“How is she?”
“Well, she has an appealing appearance.” It takes a moment for the
Lieutenant to recognise the expression of the Major and he jumps shortly. “Oh!
Well, I mean, she hasn’t complained for the last two hours, she is calm as
long as she has her tea I guess… We tried to be as careful as possible as we
saw that it was indeed no loyalist General but well… just a woman… I guess
she is… well.”
“Good, the General wouldn’t be pleased to hear something different.” The
young Major gives the bridles of his horse to a soldier, following the
Lieutenant through the camp.
“We put her into one of the officers’ barracks. It seemed to be the best
idea because of the weather. I ordered also two soldiers standing always guard,
of course.”
“Good,” the young Major nods, taking a few papers, letters, that are given
to him and overflows these before reaching the barrack and entering it. By doing
so he takes off his hat, surprised by the comfortable warmth that lingers in the
building through a burning oven. He hasn’t felt so much warmth in weeks since
the winter started to crawl over this country.
“And you are?...”
“I am sorry, Miss,” he replies immediately at the woman sitting at the table
with a cup in her hands and looking up to him. “I am Major Benjamin Tallmadge;
I hope the circumstances aren’t that uncomfortable for you? I can assure you
that we will try our best to make it as comfortable as possible for you.”
“Well… it’s no St. James Palace…” She eyes him over the edge of the
cup while taking a sip, how he takes off his cape and puts it over the only
remaining chair in the one-roomed barrack, placing his hat on the table and
sitting down.
A crooked smile grows on his lips. “No, sadly it’s not. Despite our
difference I wouldn’t mind rather being now there than here concerning the
weather and season.”
“Winter in a heated Palace is much more tolerable than in the wilderness,
right?”
“I never spent a winter in a Palace but I imagine it way more comfortable,
yes.”
“I can tell you: it is. So, you are the Major send by the almighty General to
interrogate me?”
“It seems so, yes. Miss…”
“To spare us both time, Mister Tallmadge, I know nothing what can be of any
use for you. And I doubt that a recipe for a hair cures that’ll keep your hair
soft and silky even in the wet-cold wind of winter is really helpful in a
war.”
He looks at her for a short moment before clearing his voice. “I agree, that
wouldn’t be helpful. But maybe you can answer me a few questions, Miss…”
“I already answered your rude Lieutenant questions. Ask him, Mister
Tallmadge.”
“Well, I would rather like to ask a beautiful young Lady than a grumpy bitter
Lieutenant,” he smiles.
“Too bad for you.” She takes another sip of the tea in her cup and turns her
gaze away.
Thank the Lord that the Royalists send men into war and not women… “Maybe…
you can accept my deepest apologies that it was just a terrible accident that
the carriage was hijacked with you. Our men had false information. They thought
that maybe a carriage with the regalia of General Cornwallis there would be
someone inside with importance to said General. And not the daughter of an
Admiral of the Navy.”
“My father is good friends with the General. He lends him the carriage to
escort me from the New York harbour to Philadelphia to attend his promotion. I
hope I am not going to miss it.”
“Don’t worry, my Lady, an exchange is already settled within a week. After
hearing our men captured a woman the General didn’t spare any effort to
arrange a prisoner exchange as fast as possible.”
“How generous…” She looks up as the door opens again and two men carry a
wooden tub into the barrack. Immediately she puts the cup down to the table and
claps her hands with glee. “My bath!”
A bath? Seriously? Is she commanding these men around here? She is, he thinks
after he sees buckets of steaming water are carried in.
“If you excuse me now, Mister Tallmadge? We can continue our chat another time
over a wonderful cup of tea, but for now there lies a more urgent matter for me
ahead.” She rises from her chair, walking around the table. Taking hat and
cape she pushes both into the Major hands and shoves him towards the door. “It
was a pleasure to meet you, Mister Tallmadge and send my greetings to your
almighty General, goodnight.”
He turns around and looks in disbelief at the door as she literally shoved him
out and shuts the door in his back. Maybe they should rethink the idea of women
working for the military…

She takes a deep breath and sighs as she leans against the door. Finally she is
alone again. She feels uncomfortable through and through in this camp,
surrounded only by men who haven’t seen a women in ages possibly. With that
thought, she takes one of the chairs and blockades with the backrest the
doorknob, barricading the door. Why did she only send her maid ahead… why was
she only persistent that she is a grown up girl and can for sure take the travel
to Philadelphia on her own? If she would have kept her maid at her side… She
had enough time by now to study this place; the door and a small window are the
only ways to get out. Sadly she won’t be able to fit through the window…
even nude it would be too small for her. And as if she would with a freezing
wind outside… She can only hope that her father won’t wait the whole week
and organises a raid of this camp on his own as fast as possible.

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