28th May - Camp, after the trial

There were not many places for a young woman to hide and stay hidden in a marching army, not if there were provosts or officers wanting her found and quite possibly flogged. Staying physically hidden was almost impossible; it depended a great deal on others' willingness and discretion, and it restricted freedom of movement. Hiding in plain sight with some sort of disguise worked well enough for a time, but it was a short-term solution that offered little protection in the case of discovery.

Confined hiding with heavy reliance on others, or unconfined hiding with no reliance on others. The third alternative was not hiding at all, with full reliance on others for protection. This was not at all Jenny's natural inclination, but she was not above compromise. Mere soldiers and their women offered little protection, so she must look elsewhere.

The batman knew her, of course, and was a decent fellow, though not so decent as to be self-righteous. He, like she, was one who lived to serve others more fortunate than himself while reaping all the advantages allowed to his position, as well as some that were not. And so she made herself comfortable inside the tent, safe in the knowledge that he was on guard outside, polishing off boots and a bottle of wine. She was clean now and dressed as herself, her hair spread out shining on the pillow while she enjoyed the comfort of a real bed, even if it was only a campaign cot.

After receiving a thorough tongue-lashing from Colonel Trevor, Woodmarsh returned to his tent in a decidedly less than pleased mood. He saw his batman, Christian, outside, polishing his boots as he had been told earlier. Since he was doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing, Woodmarsh paid him little heed--until Christian suddenly spoke up.

"There's someone come t' see you, sir," he said.

"Someone to see me?" Woodmarsh was not in a mood to mince words. "Well, who is it? Tell me, damn it!"

"She's waitin' inside fer you, sir."

Even though he had no idea who "she" might be, the fact that a woman was waiting inside his tent for him automatically put Woodmarsh into a slightly better mood. He proceeded into the tent, putting on a smile and an abundance of charm. But the sight which greeted him inside the tent was not at all what he had been expecting. He was so surprised that it took a moment for him to recover himself; when he did, his smile was a little less broad than it had been a moment ago.

"Well well, Miss Ross, to what do I owe the...pleasure...of your company?"

Jenny had almost fallen asleep, having waited for what seemed an eternity. She had not minded waiting. She had enjoyed it, in fact, a rare spell of quiet and solitude. But she was glad that Christian stalled the lieutenant for a brief moment, as it gave her a chance to sit up and smooth her hair.

"Lieutenant Woodmarsh," she said, rising from his bed with a gently rebuking smile. "You don't sound pleased to see me. Not very gallant, I must say. Sit down and let me pour you some wine. I took the liberty of asking Christian to open a bottle." And of drinking a glass during the long wait.

Ordinarily, the idea of a bottle of wine and female company would have delighted Woodmarsh immensely. But after what had previously transpired between himself and Jenny Ross, he was not quite enthusiastic about sitting down to chat with her. However, he was not about to refuse a glass of wine, even if she was the one offering it. It was his own wine, after all.

"I see you've already made yourself at home, my dear," he remarked dryly as he seated himself and removed his hat, "You haven't changed much, have you? Though I can't help but wonder why you've decided to join me, of all people, this evening."

How much did he know? She had seen him enter the tent where the trial was taking place, but had they mentioned her name at all? Even if they had, she knew Woodmarsh, and she was skeptical that he had been paying much attention.

"Do I need a reason?" she asked, caressing his arm as she passed him a glass. "I've missed you, that's all. No one appreciates me the way you do, Woodmarsh. You do appreciate me, don't you, Woodmarsh? Or should I go? Would you like me to go?"

"Hmm." Woodmarsh cocked an eyebrow. Her attentions had already distracted him enough to make him tempted not to pry further. He could easily have contented himself with thinking that she really had missed him. But, being as he had never expected to see her again, he knew there had to be an ulterior motive to her sudden appearance, and he wanted to know what it was before things went any further.

"No, you don't need a reason, but I'm certain that you have one." He took a sip of the wine, watching her over the rim of the glass. "And whether I would wish you to leave or not depends on what that reason might be."

She lowered her gaze. "The truth of the matter is..." She hesitated. "I'm in trouble, Woodmarsh. I'm frightened, and I need someone to protect me." She looked up again, with hope and pleading now in her eyes.

He knew there had to have been something, though that was not quite what he had been expecting. She was in trouble, and she was asking him for protection. Woodmarsh frowned.

"What sort of trouble? Has someone threatened you?" If so, he was certainly not going to stand for that.

She nodded, lowering her eyes again. "More than that. Look." She showed him a bruise on her arm and the red marks around her wrists. She sniffed. "I just - I've tried to hide from them, but they keep coming after me and I don't know what to do anymore and I'm frightened." Her voice was edged with the threat of tears now.

The thought that someone would have injured her quickly inflamed Woodmarsh's anger. Regardless of their past issues, he felt obliged to help her. He was a gentleman, after all, and would not turn away a woman in need of aid.

"Who did that to you, Jenny? What cad has dared to harm you?"

Dear old Woodmarsh. She had forgotten how predictably easy he was. She threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, please don't ask me! It would only make it worse. I'll be safe now that you know. Next time they come for me in the baggage train, well I can tell them - I have a friend who's an officer."

Woodmarsh could not help smiling as she embraced him. Though he was angered that those fools--whoever they were--had harassed her, he found he was rather glad that they had, for it had sent her running back to him. Right where she belonged.

"Very well, I won't ask, if it upsets you too much," he said, stroking her hair, "Don't worry Jenny dear, I won't allow them to harm you again."

She sniffed and leaned back to look up at him. "You promise?" she asked anxiously.

"Of course, dear. Would I lie to you?" Woodmarsh said, giving her one of his most charming smiles as well.

She gave him a tentative smile. "No. Of course not. I knew I could trust you. Thank you, darling." She left her hand lingering on his arm. "But you'll be wanting to send me away now, I expect, so you can have your supper and go to bed."

"Send you away? I wouldn't dream of it. I would love to have your company for the evening." He paused to finish off his glass of wine. "Unless of course you wish to leave me?"

"Never!" She threw her arms around him again. Poor man. This was too easy! She could scarcely remember why she had been so reluctant. "I've missed you, Gareth."

"I've missed you too, Jenny." He held her close, stroking her back gently.

He could not resist smiling to himself at how desperately she was flinging herself at him. It swelled his ego quite a bit to think that she had missed him so badly, and now wished for his protection to boot. Which he would give her, of course, but that did not mean he could not reap the benefits of having her with him again either...

Her eyes began to regain a touch of their usual merry gleam as she smiled up at him. "I'm ever so grateful, darling. How can I ever repay you?"

"Oh, no payment is necessary, dear," Woodmarsh said, though he could not keep from giving her a knowing smile as he added, "Though I'm sure you can think of some way to thank me, if you insist on doing so."