Rebel Arms

Anne gathered her supplies and stood to leave. "I'll bring you some food and water. You can stay here in the cabin until tomorrow morning, but then I think you need to go." She walked to the door and turned to face him. "Stay out of sight," she said. "Nat is angry about Uncle and about the war. If he finds out you're a British soldier, he might kill you. I don't know. At the least, he will give you to Captain Carter and the militia."

She returned later in the day with water, food, and some of her uncle's pants and a shirt. Thomas was still lying in the bed to rest. "You can have these for now. I'll wash and mend your clothes," she said.

Thomas reached out to take her hand. "Thank you," he said. "I don't know how I could ever repay your kindness."

Anne let him hold her hand for a moment before she withdrew it. "It's nothing," she said. "I couldn't leave anyone lying in pain like that if I could help. Even a redcoat." She made ready to leave him again, but hesitated at the door. "You seem like a decent sort of young man. Why are you here fighting us?"

Thomas shrugged. "I'm just a soldier. It's my duty to fight were the King commands. I don't know why we're fighting here. It's not my problem to worry about."

"But don't you care anything for our rights and liberty?" Anne protested sharply. "We just want to be left alone by the Crown to manage our own affairs."

Thomas just shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about that. I've been in the King's army since I was a boy. I've never really had any sort of liberty. But my regiment is like my family. I guess I fight for them."

The answer seemed unsatisfactory to Anne and she went away. She came back unexpectedly clutching a pamphlet. "Here, read this. It's by Mr. Thomas Paine and it explains what this war is about."

"Um, I'm sorry, Anne," said Thomas, "but I can't read." Thomas looked up at Anne a little embarrassed. She stood regarding him for a moment, then sat down on the stool by his bed.

"Well then, I will just have to read it to you," she said with a huff. Anne started to recite the paper to him. At first, Thomas was bored, but he liked the company of a pretty girl, so he let her read and feigned interest. By the end of the pamphlet, Thomas had to admit that he there were some good points raised. He thought to the conduct of his army as it marched through this valley burning homes and searching for rebel arms.

"It's compelling," he said. "But I don't know." Anne would not be deterred.

"Well then, I'll come back tomorrow with more. Anyone with command of the facts has to see the right of our cause."

Thomas was savvy enough to realize that meant she was going to let him stay longer. "Okay, Anne. I'll listen." He smiled at her. She smiled, too. She must see that he was humoring her, but she clearly had a stubborn streak.

"You'll see," she said. "Maybe I can start to teach you your letters, too."

They continued this way for a fortnight. Anne would come to see him when she could take a break from her work around the farmstead. She would read another pamphlet to him and they would talk about it. She started to teach him his letters as well. Whenever she wasn't around, Thomas hobbled up and down in the cabin trying to strengthen his leg and practiced his letters. It hurt terribly at first to walk, but the wound was already closing up and seemed to be healing cleanly. Just as Anne predicted, Nat never disturbed Thomas in the cabin. Every day, Thomas spent most of his time longing for her to come back and keep him company again.

* * *

One afternoon, Anne came with cloud of worry on her face and sat next to Thomas on the bed. "I think you might have to go," she said. "Nat says there have been attacks on farms in the valley. He thinks its British raiders or deserters. He said he's going to start searching the property regularly. He can't find you here."

"Then I guess I have to go," said Thomas. "At least I can hobble a little better, and I am getting stronger thanks to you. I think I can manage."

Anne nodded looking down at her hands in her lap. "It's true, but I don't want you to go," she said in a voice barely more than a whisper. She lifted her face to look at Thomas with her eyes glistening like a doe's. "I was so lonely before you came here. We don't have visitors anymore and most of the young men have left for the fighting. Even Nat keeps to himself mostly." She threw her arms around him and sniffed into his shoulder.

Thomas returned the embrace. "I don't want to leave either," he said. "I think you might be the first person to care about me at all." He thought silently to himself that she was also easily the most beautiful woman he had ever spoken to.

Anne pulled away with a determined look on her face. "Maybe there's a way you don't have to go. Come with me to the house. I'll tell Nat that you came today looking for succor and work. Tell him that British raiders attacked you on the road and he'll think it's our duty to give you aid. It won't be hard to convince him to let you stay if you help on the farm where you can. We're short of help."

Thomas agreed. In the back of his mind, was the worry that he needed to be finding his way back to the British army, but he put it off with the legitimate fact that he was still not up to the long journey. Thomas and Anne held each other again. Thomas marveled for a moment at the twists of fate that had led him into a rebel's arms, but he dismissed the thought and relished the feel of holding her body through her clothing.

That evening, when Nat returned from the fields, they did just as they had planned. Nat was gruff with Thomas as he interviewed him by the light of the lantern in the sitting room of the small farmhouse. He agreed Thomas could stay a while in the cabin. He had probed Thomas for his views on the war, but was satisfied when Thomas mentioned the persuasiveness of the writings of Thomas Paine. He also noted Thomas's accent, which sounded like Thomas had not grown up in the colonies. Thomas quickly suggested that he had come to America before the fighting broke out in search of work.

The next morning, Thomas went to work with Nat. That first day, and for several days after, he would become exhausted and his leg would hurt after only a few hours of work. Nat would send him back to the house to help Anne with lighter work. When Thomas came back to the house, Anne would continue reading to him and helping him learn to read and write. He was making great progress on his reading, although the writing came slower. In the evenings, Nat would retire early to his own room, leaving them to read and talk by candlelight. If Nat was concerned about the time that Anne and Thomas were spending together, he didn't mention it.

Now that he was free of the confines of the cabin during the day, Thomas had the chance to appreciate the beauty of the farm's setting. The house, barn, and a few other outbuildings were in a clearing surrounded on three sides by woods. There was a small barnyard between the house and he barn where some chickens picked at the ground. A road ran by the open side of the little settlement and the fields and pastures of the farm spread beyond that. The green mountains showed on the far horizon. On those summer mornings, when Nat and Thomas got up to work, fog lay think over the low places until the morning sun burned it away and the cicadas began their chorus. It was a slice of Eden to Thomas.

Thomas appreciated Anne's remarkable beauty, too. Sometimes she would catch him gazing at her and he would look away as if it had been a passing glance, though she would always blush and smile. One afternoon, Thomas was sitting working on his writing while Anne was baking at the table near the hearth. Thomas noticed that, as she was bending over the table to knead dough, he had a view down her bodice at her breasts. Thomas stopped writing to take in the view of her chest and the arch of her back as the lent over the table. He felt his manhood stir and shifted in the seat. Anne happened to glance up at him. Following his gaze, she must have known where has was looking. Thomas expected her to be offended or to stand up and shield herself, but she just giggled and kept working. If anything, she leant over further and smiled.

The next day, Nat asked Thomas to stay around the house and split wood rather than following Nat into the fields. Thomas suspected that Nat thought Thomas was still a burden and wanted to work by himself that morning. The chopping block was in the yard outside the front door of the house. Thomas was hopeful that he might get to see Anne as she went about her own work. In any event, by afternoon, Thomas was sure his leg would start to bother him again and he would go inside to sit by her.

Thomas worked in his shirtsleeves, but in the heat of the summer sun, the cloth was soon soaked. Looking around, he could see no one watching, so he pulled off his shirt and spread it to dry while he worked with a bare chest. His muscles were soon glistening with sweat and the sun was harsh on his back, but it was more comfortable than the sticky shirt. A little while later, Thomas found that Anne was watching him from the porch.

"I'm sorry, Anne," said Thomas and groped for his shirt. 'I didn't see you there."

"It's alright," she said. "If you consider, I've seen you without your shirt before. A lady could get used to the view, really." Thomas blushed, but he left his shirt where it was. She shrugged and went back into the house. Thomas kept an eye peeled toward the house after that and saw that she continued to watch him work occasionally from the window. Thomas found he didn't mind the attention.

That evening, Thomas sat at the table and practiced writing while Anne read a book by the fire. Nat emerged from his room and gruffly announced that he was leaving in the morning to take some animals to a market up the valley. He would be gone for a day. He told Thomas that he expected him to be on guard for trouble. Thomas assured him he would have everything in hand while Nat was gone.

After Nat retired again, Anne invited Thomas to join her by the hearth to read from one of her pamphlets. Thomas found the nearness of her body distracting and the reading went poorly. Anne looked up from the tract to find Thomas staring at her face. In the warm glow of the fire, they regarded each other. Anne's big brown eyes held Thomas's gaze. She dropped the pamphlet and their hands entwined. Thomas leaned forward to kiss her soft and inviting lips. Anne's breath caught for a moment and they broke to kiss to look at each other again. Anne's fair cheeks were flushed and she was breathing deeply. Thomas's groin ached from his growing desire for her body. Thomas leaned in to kiss her again. This time, he brought a hand up to caress her breast through her gown and felt a hard nipple under his palm. Anne's gasped at his touch, but did not push him off immediately. After a moment, she pulled back from him.

"I think I must be off to bed," stammered Anne. She stood up quickly and rushed from the room without another word. Thomas sat startled for a moment and hurt. Had he done something wrong? Frustrated, he slipped out of the house and returned to his cabin. Thomas feared that he had offended her and his anxiety and lust kept him up late into the night.

The next morning, Nat left early with the cows as he had said. Thomas heard their bells clanking down the road well before he rose with the sun to get to work in the fields. Feeling well, he worked a full day. The distant hills glowed orange with the late afternoon sun before he slung his tools on his shoulder and trudged back to the farm. He washed up and went into the farmhouse to join Anne for dinner. Walking into the common area of the house, he could tell that something was still off between them. Anne avoided his gaze and only stammered one-word answers when he tried to engage her in conversation.

After the meal, they cleaned up the plates in silence together and Anne retreated to her private room shortly after. Thomas tried to practice his reading by the fire by himself, but his heart wasn't in it. He decided to turn in early himself. Thomas fretted as he paced back to the cabin for the night. She had come to mean so much to him and he feared he had damaged their relationship irreparably.

She came to him in the night, sliding through the door of the cabin wearing only her thin linen shift. Her long brown hair hung down and framed her face. Her round eyes glittered in the reflected light of the lantern she carried. The thin material of her shift clung to her body and Thomas could perceive outline of her breasts and the curve of her hips in the warm, flickering light. She set the lantern on the table as he sat up in the bed. Wordlessly, she bent over the bed to kiss him. Thomas reached up eagerly to feel the curves of her body in his hands as her soft lips met his. He marveled at this first feel of her unencumbered by skirts, corset, or short gown. She let him explore her body as they kissed.

Thomas slid over to make room for her in the bed. Anne pulled her shift over her head in one motion and stood before him nude. Her fair skin glowed golden in the yellow light of the lantern. Thomas drank in the sight of her form, lingering on her round breasts and the curve of her hips. As she slid into the bed with him, Thomas pulled his own nightshirt over his head.

Anne lay flat on her back with her legs spread while Thomas knelt between them. While Thomas had been with a woman before, that quick and impersonal encounter in a soldier's brothel had been nothing like this. A little uncertainly, he explored her sex with his finger. Anne gasped and lifted her hips at his touch. As Thomas explored, he noted the places that were sensitive. Anne was soon writhing with pleasure as he massaged her groin. She was breathing in a sharp rasp and encouraging him with soft moans. Thomas's hard manhood seemed to throb with a need for her.

Thomas knelt with his hardness poised to enter her. He could feel the heat of her desire radiating from her sex. Anne reached forward to grasp him and stroke him. Thomas grunted at the exquisite first touch of her soft hands on his manhood and a drop of his seed glistened at the tip. Thomas allowed her to guide him to her. He groaned in delight as the head of his penis was enveloped in her warmth and wetness. Anne moaned and lifted her hips to meet him. Her hand released his shaft and she wrapped her arms around his body.

The air was full of the smell of their sweat, her sex, and whisps of smoke from the guttering lantern. The flickering candle cast fleeting shadows in the dim orange light. Anne's dark brown hair was splayed across the pillow and her doe eyes flashed with her desire for Thomas to push deeper. With every stroke, she bucked her own hips and moaned with pleasure. She closed her eyes and her right hand slid down his side until it gripped his buttocks to pull him closer. Thomas delighted in the feel of her lips swallowing his shaft and the warmth of her sex pressing tightly around his cock as it slid deeper. With grunts and a few more thrusts, he was fully enveloped by her.

They both caught their breath for a moment. Anne opened her eyes and they gazed at each other in wonder. Thomas knew what to do and Anne followed his lead by instinct. He pulled his hips back so that his hard cock withdrew partially from her sweet grip. He pushed forward again and buried himself back inside her. She moaned at the sensation of him moving in her. The feel of her wet flesh slipping over his sensitive head and shaft sent a shiver through him and he grunted from the pleasure of it. Anne struggled for a breath, but Thomas continued to thrust his cock in her tight hold. Now he was going faster and harder. Their bodies slapped together with each thrust and their chests heaved in deep breaths from the effort and from the pleasure.

Suddenly, Anne's eyes opened wide in surprise and delight and she gasped. She moaned and wrapped her legs around Thomas to rock herself against him. She breathed harder and faster until she shuddered and cried out loud her ecstasy and writhed beneath him. Thomas felt his cock aching with the rising and uncontrollable tide of approaching release. He surrendered himself to it and grunted and groaned as he drove himself hard. His body shivered and he shouted his delight as he felt his seed erupt from his throbbing cock inside her. He thrust until the sensation was over, then kissed her deeply as fire of the moment faded to glowing embers. They rolled onto their sides and continued to hug each other closely.

"I love you," whispered Anne. "I never want you to leave." Her eyes were glowing with the intensity of her feelings.

"I love you too," he said.

The future was uncertain and they were unmarried, but they were bound to each other now. As they lay in the bed in the soft dying light of the candle, Thomas pondered how to make a life together. Maybe she would come with him? The colonel might give him permission to marry. But he knew she would never agree to follow the British army. Perhaps he could stay on the farm? It was the obvious choice, but if the British army were to prevail would be a hunted deserter. He would also have to turn his back on the only life he had known before this and betray his country. Thomas did not sleep until close to dawn. He had found true happiness and love, but probably destined to be short lived and at a high price. The only way for them truly to be together was if the colonial patriots prevailed against the mighty British army.

Patriots? Thomas was surprised to find himself using that term even in his thoughts. Surely, they were rebels and not patriots at all, right? He wasn't so sure what he believed anymore.

* * *

When Nat returned to the farm the next afternoon, he betrayed no sign of detecting the change that had come between Thomas and Anne. That evening, instead of sidelong glances, they exchanged knowing looks across the room by the light of the fire.

In the morning, Nat and Thomas went out to the fields in the predawn light to work. By mid-afternoon, Thomas made his excuses and went back to the farm. He found Anne leaning over the table kneading bread in the kitchen.

Thomas again admired the sight of her bent over at the waist. This time, he stood behind her and bent forward to kiss the back of neck. Anne straightened to offer her neck to him. Thomas continued to kiss her neck while he lifted her long skirts. Anne braced herself against the table with one hand and bent forward slightly again. With the other, she reached behind her to rub Thomas's stiffening cock through his trousers. Thomas held her skirts up while he fumbled with his trouser buttons. Finally, his cock was released from he pants and he guided it to her waiting sex with his thumb.

He pushed himself into her with only one smooth thrust. Anne arched her back and pushed back. Thomas worked his cock in and out of her tight womanhood swiftly. The other night, their lovemaking had been tender, a physical expression of their love. Now, after that sweet night, it was something they could enjoy for thrill of it together. Thomas rammed her hard and fast so that her buttocks slapped against his thighs to a steady beat. She begged him to give her his seed again and he obeyed, pumping it into her while he grunted with every pulse of his loins. He pulled out of her and she turned to embrace him. They kissed each other deeply.

* * *

Later that week, Thomas was chopping wood, when Nat came storming out of the house and crossed the yard to where he was working. Nat's fists were balled at his side as he strode toward Thomas with fury on his face.

"You son of bitch!" Nat roared. Thomas chopped the axe in the block and turned toward Nat, unable to account for this sudden outburst. Before he could ask what was the matter, Nat closed the distance between them and slammed a fist at Thomas's face. The blow caught Thomas off-guard and he dropped to the ground. Nat followed up with a swift kick to Thomas's body. "Bastard!" he shouted.