Daughter of the Revolution Ch. 09

"Well, there's something else too," she offered. "We have a milk cow with a yearling calf you're welcome to. We were just going to set her loose in the morning."

A tear ran down his rugged cheek and he knelt to kiss her hand. "Oh, you're such a blessing to this old man. I can never thank you enough for your kindness."

"You're the blessing, Mr Yates. We'd have had a rough go of it without the shelter of your cabin. I firmly believe it saved our lives."

The rest of the day they prepared to leave, and in the afternoon Alec and Abby showed the old man where the root cellar was. He was more than appreciative and swore he'd repay them somehow.

It was obvious to the foursome that the fellow had experienced a rough time in the last few months and their hearts went out to him. Abby pulled June aside and whispered an idea in her ear. June looked a bit surprised, but by the end of the conversation she was nodding eagerly.

Alec set about hauling water to heat on the stove and fireplace and when it was hot, Abby set her plan in motion. They moved the bathing tub out on the porch and filled it with piping hot water as the old man watched them curiously but remained silent. June opened a bottle of whiskey and filled a mug to the brim and set it near the tub, then she packed Alec's pipe and did the same with it. The old man was sitting at the kitchen table when Abby approached him and held out her hand.

"Will you do me a favor, Mr Yates?"

"Only if you call me, Duncan, Mistress."

"I like that, thank you, Duncan. And you may call me Abby, please. All my friends do." She gave him a beautiful smile that melted his crusty old heart.

"Come with me, please."

She tugged him outside where June met him with a washrag and soap in her more than capable hands.

"June offered to help you clean up and get you comfortable. It's just a small way that we can repay you," she offered.

His eyes widened in surprise. "Um, you mean for me to get in the tub? Naked?"

"Yes, Duncan. Please do. June is quite versed in matters like this, she's tended to me for years."

He eyed Abby askance for a few moments, taking in the confidence and authority in her blue eyes, then all resistance left him in a rush. His bony shoulders sagged and he almost wobbled on his feet. June steadied him and started peeling his filthy clothes from his sparse frame.

"Thank you, Mistress Abby. I'll never forget your kindness," he said softly.

"We'll be inside if you require anything, June," Abby ordered, then went inside and firmly closed the door.

June set her mind to doing her best for the old fellow. She gently scrubbed his hair, head and face while he sputtered and spit water everywhere. When it came time to stand him up, he protested vehemently but she was adamant and eventually he had no choice but to capitulate. He stood awkwardly while she soaped him up and scrubbed him briskly then rinsed him down. He continually covered himself with his hands and she had to talk him into letting her continue.

"Sweetheart, please let me take care of you. I don't want to embarrass you, I just want to make you feel good and clean. Besides, I think you've seen a bit more of me than I've seen you," she teased.

He looked at her and saw her beautiful smile and he let loose with a huge laugh. "Now that's the honest truth, Miss June. Fair's fair I reckon!"

He shyly dropped his hands and she took his cock in her own small ones.

"Well my stars! Mr Duncan, where ever did you hide such a large member! I've never seen the like!" she complimented with a convincing smile. His chest puffed out and he gave her a huge grin.

"I've been known to satisfy a few lasses over the years you know."

"I'm sure you have, my word, what a cannon!"

He smiled proudly as she gently soaped and rinsed him clean. He did grow a bit in her hands and sported a decent six inches of cock. Quite impressive for an older gentleman she thought. He never got more than semi-hard and she chalked it up to his shyness and old age. Not offended in the least, she finished rinsing him off, then bailed some old dirty water from the tub and called to Alec for a refill. He promptly topped the tub off with piping hot water and June returned Duncan to it's depths. She handed him the mug of whiskey and lit his pipe for him.

He watched her with wide eyes as she tended to his needs. He'd never been so pampered in his long life. As he settled back to soak in the heat she leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

"Are you doing ok, Mr Yates? Can I do anything else for you?" she asked gently.

"No, Miss June. I'm in heaven right now thanks to you. You're truly a remarkable woman," he stated with a contented smile.

"I'll leave you to enjoy yourself. It was my pleasure to serve you, sir."

She gave him a wink and wandered inside to see what her companions were up to. Abby had washed Duncan's filthy clothes along with a few pair he'd left behind in the house and was drying them in front of the fireplace.

Rose and Alec were working on a celebration dinner in honor of Mr Duncan and his cabin that had become such an important part of their lives.

Venison, smoked ham, steamed vegetables and fresh bread with butter were on the menu tonight, along with Abby's favorite vintage of wine she'd squirreled away.

When dinner was ready, June went out to rouse Duncan from the tub. She dried him off and helped him dress in his freshly washed clothes. She then took him inside and they all sat at the table, although it was somewhat tight seating. Alec led them in saying grace, then Abby served Duncan first as a sign of respect for the older gentleman. By the time dinner was over, poor Duncan's eyelids were drooping and he almost slid off his chair when he nearly fell asleep. June helped him to the huge bed where he halfheartedly protested her, but she insisted and stripped him naked, then tucked him in, and in just a handful of seconds he was snoring deeply. Abby giggled and made a sigh of happiness.

"Thank you so much, June. He'll never forget today as long as he lives."

"I didn't mind, he's such a sweet old man. I think he'd make an excellent husband for some lucky lady."

The foursome made short order of cleaning up after dinner, then they settled in, sipping wine. Abby perched on Alec's lap and snuggled into his warmth with a contented sigh while Rose and June reclined on the rug.

"I'm gonna hate leaving this place in the morning, but on the other hand I'm so excited to see Papa and William. It sounds like they may not be so far away, just a few days ride," Abby said, with a bit of melancholy.

Everyone nodded in agreement and the group became silent as they all thought of the good and bad times they'd shared among themselves.

Soon, Alec stirred. "I'm plumb tired," he stated. "Where's everyone gonna sleep at?"

"I'm sleeping with Mr Yates," June stated, surprising everyone. "He's such a sweet fellow and I think he deserves to sleep with a woman every now and then. Everyone needs some good in their lives and I know he'll appreciate it."

Rose stared at June, thoughts churning in her mind and Abby watched with interest to see how her friend would respond. Just then Duncan let out a pained cry and writhed in his bed, apparently fighting an otherworldly opponent. June quickly rose to her feet and went to him. She soothed his brow with a soft hand and sang a little lullaby until he relaxed and resumed his light snoring. Abby watched her face as she comforted the old man and really saw what a sweet and gentle person June was, deep in her heart.

Rose must have noticed the same, because she got up and joined her at Duncan's side. Together, they undressed and slid into bed on both sides of him, snuggling in close to his slim frame.

Alec helped Abby off his lap and made a nest of blankets on the bear rug for them to sleep in. Abby went to the girls and leaned in to kiss each one tenderly on the lips.

"Thank you, I'm blessed to have friends such as you," she whispered softly with a sweet smile, then returned to her man's side and blew out the oil lamp, plunging the cabin to darkness.

Abby was first up in the morning and wearing one of Alec's shirts, stoked up the stove and made coffee. She served Alec and they sat in his armchair with her snuggled on his lap. Together, they watched with interest as Duncan sniffed and snorted while waking up fully. Abby covered her mouth in mirth at his expression when he realized he was surrounded by beautiful naked women. Both girls had their arms and legs thrown over him as they slumbered on, unaware. He looked helplessly at Abby who shrugged and winked playfully at him, not helping a bit with his predicament.

"Just enjoy, my friend," Alec rumbled in a low voice and gave him a nod of encouragement. Duncan sighed and lowered his head back to the pillow, then closed his eyes. Slowly, a happy smile split his rugged old face and he softly kissed each forehead that lay on his shoulders.

"Thank you, Lord." he whispered. Soon, the smell of fresh coffee stirred the two girls and they gently untangled themselves from their fortunate bedmate. Naked, they each bent over him and kissed his cheeks, then dressed and started in on making breakfast. Abby went to help out, and Duncan shyly slid out of bed and quickly got dressed.

He sat next to Alec and peppered him with quiet questions.

"So, you've lived here for months with these young ladies?"

"Yes sir."

"Sleeping in that big bed?"

"Yes sir."

"With all three of them?"

"Yes sir."

"My word, man. You're my absolute hero! I've never in my life heard of such a thing. Doesn't it cause angst among them? It's quite apparent you belong to Miss Abby."

"Well sir, it's a mite complicated but we get by. I've yet to meet Mr Durham so we'll see how that goes soon enough I reckon."

The old man nodded sagely. "I don't pity your position, but I do envy you greatly, I can only imagine..." he said wistfully.

"One never knows, my friend. Strange things happen in life," Alec said encouragingly.

Just then Abby beckoned them to the table to eat, where she reminded them of her mother's maiden name of Winston, in case they needed it to identify themselves to the militia. They all swore they remembered it but she wanted to make absolutely sure. After breakfast, the companions were finally ready to depart and Alex noted that one horse was loaded rather lightly.

"Why don't we spread the loads more evenly," he suggested to Abby.

"You'll see shortly, sweetheart," she said mysteriously.

They all bid goodby to Duncan and June told him that if possible that she'd come back to visit him sometime, and he stood on his porch waving as they departed. Merely a hundred yards down the trail, Abby stopped them and led the lightly loaded horse off the trail. The girls grinned conspiratorially but said nothing to Alec. He followed Abby to an outcropping of limestone that sheltered a small cave entrance. Abby crawled in and gestured him to follow.

He nearly fainted at the sight before him. The regimental payroll Abby had liberated from the British months ago was revealed to his startled eyes. Thousands of pounds in English gold and silver coin was contained in two, iron bound wooden chests.

"Holy Moses, Abby! Where in the hell did you get all this money?" he managed to croak out. She laughed gaily at his expression.

"Oh, we girls killed a squad of redcoats and stole it from them. A lot of it is also from other troops I killed before I met you."

He shook his head in complete amazement at the sheer audacity of this slip of a girl before him. She produced a small leather bag and counted out two hundred pounds in gold, then stuffed it in her coat pocket. Alec dragged the boxes out of the cave, and together they secured the chests to the pack horse, then met back up with the girls on the main trail.

"I'll be right back," Abby stated and swiftly returned to the cabin. Duncan was in the yard admiring his two new cows when she rode up to him.

"Did you forget something, Mistress?"

"No, Duncan. I rarely do. I just wanted to give you a gift for the use of your cabin." She slid off her mare and handed him the bag of gold. His eyes widened when he opened it up and peeked inside.

"Oh, Mistress Abby, I can't accept this!" he cried in consternation.

"Yes you can, dear Duncan. Please, on behalf of us and my father. I beg you to take it."

Tears ran down his face and he wept openly in front of her.

"Oh, Mistress. You're so kind! I'll never forget how well you and your family has treated me. You truly are an angel!" he sobbed.

She gathered him in a tight hug and kissed both his cheeks. "We'll meet again, my friend. I promise you that. Take care of yourself, dear Duncan."

She quickly mounted her mare and spurred away before he could see her own tears running down her face. The companions finally headed down the trail under Abby's guidance and they spent the remainder of the day feeling their way north. Abby wanted to stay somewhat close to the road system without revealing themselves. From the way Duncan had talked, the redcoat's presence was deteriorating rapidly and she hoped to use the main thoroughfare north if at all possible. Towards evening, she and Alec left the girls at their chosen campsite and crept into view of the main road. Abby consulted a map she'd taken from a long dead redcoat and confirmed their position using prominent hills as landmarks.

Apparently, there was a bridge to the north of them a few miles and she wanted to check it out the following morning. Alec just shook his head in wonder. Even as they searched for her father, she never let up looking for opportunities to cause damage to the enemy.

They made a cold camp because they were so close to the road and Alec insisted they have a guard on duty through the long night. They split the duty into two hour shifts and settled in for the evening.

Thankfully, it passed uneventfully and they continued on their way in the morning, grumbling as they worked the cold night from their stiff muscles.

They paralleled the main road staying west of it a quarter mile or so, dead reckoning as to how close they might be to the bridge. The sound of hammering and the shouting of men attracted their attention. Once again, leaving the two girls to care for the horses, Alec and Abby sneaked in close to see what the hubbub was all about. Sure enough, the bridge was where they thought it would be, however it was in a state of disrepair. Two cannon lay in the creek bottom below the bridge along with their teams of horses, dead in the traces.

Apparently, part of the bridge had given way under the weight of cannon and the heavy loads had plunged thirty feet to the rocky creek bed.

Redcoat soldiers numbering twenty or so had stripped to their trousers and were trying to repair the bridge. It appeared to handle foot traffic in single file, but no more than that. North of the bridge was a burned out tobacco field that held a half dozen cannon and ammunition wagons awaiting for the bridge to be repaired. All the traffic they could see was southbound. Old Duncan was right, Abby mused, the British were being routed by the militia and were retreating south.

By now, Alec was used to her ways and he waited patiently as she assessed the situation. Her blue eyes were locked on the bridge and he knew she was hatching a plot in her golden head. They watched in silence throughout the day until Abby was satisfied with what she was seeing. By her reckoning, the British should have their repairs complete by the following evening, or close to it. They returned to their now highly worried companions and were swamped by their hugs and kisses.

"You scared the hell out of us!" Rose complained mightily. Abby was apologetic but unmoved.

"We do it again tomorrow as well. I'm working on a plan." she stated. While they again cold camped, Abby consulted her maps and huddled with the group to formulate her ideas. "As I see it, our side needs those cannon as well as a solid bridge to chase down the retreating redcoats. I say we let them fix the bridge for us, then take their cannon and ammunition wagons for our own use. What do ya think?"

As usual, they were all amazed at the outright gall of their petite mistress whom never seemed to tire of killing the enemy.

"What happened to avoiding roads at all costs and heading north safely?" Rose asked tentatively.

"Well, things have changed. The enemy is in full retreat and father and William are only a day or so ride from here. We can help them out greatly if my plan works out," Abby reasoned.

"What's your idea to get the cannon?" asked Alec.

"I'll know more tomorrow when we see how much progress they make with the repairs. Until then we can't get too particular with the details," Abby said. "Let's get some rest, tomorrow will be a long day."

They ate a cold dinner and set a guard duty schedule, then Alec made a bed of pine boughs for them and they made a snug nest with their thick blankets. Abby slept fitfully like she always did before action, tossing and turning until Alec finished his guard duty. When he returned to her side, he enveloped her in his brawny arms and rocked her gently until she finally nodded off to sleep.

The couple spent the following day observing how many redcoats were heading on foot south across the bridge and continuing down the road. The core group of twenty soldiers stayed in place making repairs while the others fled further south. By late afternoon the flow of southbound soldiers had slowed to a trickle, almost convincing Abby that they were all that remained north of the bridge, and the cannon left in the field now numbered over two dozen.

As evening approached, the men finally quit their labors and went to the camp on the south side and ate dinner. When they finished, it was nearly dark and they only had time to roll one ammunition wagon across the newly repaired causeway before darkness fell completely. They left three men on the north side to guard the cannon and remaining wagons, a mistake Abby was more than willing to take advantage of. Abby pulled Alec back a comfortable distance and outlined her plan.

"You and I go in about three in the morning and quietly kill the men guarding the cannon, then we load a few of them with grapeshot and aim them across the bridge towards the redcoat camp. I cross the bridge and drop my mini bombs on their fires and hurry back to you and man the cannon. We'll blast any survivors or anyone cocky enough to try to take the bridge. The girls can help us reload the cannon if needed. They're good hands at that sort of stuff."

"Damn it woman, you have balls of brass. What if they have a guard out in the camp?"

She patted her rapier at her side. "She's drank redcoat blood before, sweetheart. She can do it again," she smiled confidently.

"How about I handle the bombs and you man the cannon?"

"Not gonna happen. You're too large and noisy to slip in the camp. No offense, big man," she giggled. "Besides, there's no way I'd let you risk yourself like that, I love you too much," she reasoned, and stuck her little pink tongue out at him. He snatched her up and she squealed in delight as he drew her close to him and kissed her deeply.

"How come I can never win an argument with you, Angel. You destroy me every time."

"Like Rose said, get used to it, Heavy!" she teased and returned his bruising kiss with one of her own. "Let's get crackin' and tell the girls what we're gonna do."

In the wee hours the group sneaked in close to the three guards and leaving June and Rose under cover, Alec and Abby slid in to do their deadly duty.

Alec crouched behind a wagon and when his assigned target appeared, caught him around the neck from behind. His huge shoulder and arm muscles bunched together like a steel vice and silently squeezed the life from the unfortunate man. Alec lowered him quietly to the ground and turned to find Abby wiping her sword on a bloody sleeve.