Cotton on Trial

Williams watched Maggie and Cotton for a few moments, then smiled wryly to himself. There were times when being a friend was all the reward you got. Eventually, he would escort her back to the camp, and leave her with Cotton's company.

He just wished there had been something he could have done to help avoid it coming to this.

"Oh, Maggie. I'm sorry, so very sorry." And she was clinging to him and that nearly undid him.

Sharpe appeared to understand his position, Edrington thought. Not a good position, perhaps, and one he would have been happy to avoid or postpone, but it had happened and would be dealt with. "A full regimental parade. Your men as well, of course. So that justice is seen to be done." His mouth twisted. "But you will also be required if - when, I suppose - one of the 62nd is punished."

Maggie felt confused - what was wrong with her sluggish mind? - but she said, "Me too, Gabe. I'm sorry too. Private Williams says you'll be all right. Don't worry, Gabe. I'm sorry. It will be all right."

"I... You'll find someone else, Maggie. Someone better'n me."

After all, why would she want to keep courting him, if he was a flogged soldier?

"No, no, no, no," she said vehemently. Everything else might be a confusing blur in her muddled mind, but that was one thing she was sure about. "Not if you still want me. Oh it's not fair. It should be me. Just like it should have been me... oh I'm sorry Gabe." She stopped talking and was content to hold him and be held.

"Let's hope that ain't too soon, then, Colonel," Sharpe said. "I reckon I ought to go and break the bad news to Captain Vickery, about his men doing the flogging." He sighed. At least Edrington wasn't like some officers he'd known. He seemed to be reasonable, and Sharpe suddenly felt that maybe it would be possible to work together, rather than pulling in separate directions.

"Don't you see, Maggie? Jem was a Corporal, and I ain't goin' to be anythin' but another flogged soldier, and you can do better'n that, maybe even get a Sergeant if'n you wanted, and I'm sorry."

And he felt drained, and tired and miserable and just glad to be held.

And he had to tell her.

"Don't say it should be you, Maggie, lass. I'd take it twice over if it meant you didn't get whipped. And you should leave and get yourself a better man, but I don't want you to. An' I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Why did he keep saying that she should leave? Why wouldn't he stop saying that? He was about to say more when she stood taller on her toes and kissed his mouth, just a small moment, to make him stop talking like that. She forgot that there were people around, and she wouldn't have cared anyway.

"There!"

"If you would. It is not an additional punishment for the Riflemen - please explain that to him. And let us hope that this is not the way things are going to be." Edrington looked at Sharpe and warned: "There is some mild resentment in the 62nd, and then there is Lieutenant Waldegrave. I think he has not forgiven you and Dr Maturin. Has he approached you at all?"

"Oh." He blinked at her. "You..." He tried to take it in, but so much had happened in the last two hours or so. "You... want to stay with me? Oh, Maggie."

And suddenly he felt he could cope with two hundred lashes because Maggie wasn't going to leave him and go with anyone else.

She nodded. "If you still want me. I wish I hadn't brought you so much trouble but I don't want to... give you up." Was that selfish? Maggie didn't even know anymore.

"I will tell him that, sir. And no, Lieutenant Waldegrave has not approached me, though he seems to have scared the hell out of one of my men, though I have yet to find out exactly what happened."

He hadn't forgotten the conversation with Edrington following that particular meeting, and nor had he forgotten the contents of the written warning he'd received.

"Of course I want you, Maggie. I was fair frit that you wouldn't want me any more after.... after... after all this." He was holding her as though he were a drowning man. He never wanted to let her go.

"To... tomorrow, lass. I don't want you to watch. I don't think I could bear it," he said, wondering if he was being too selfish in asking that of her. Maybe watching it would be better for her than imagining it?

Edrington sighed. "I am sure he will use the proper procedures, and if your man does not break the rules he should be safe. I suspect he will want to get a reaction from you, not your men." He stood up and smiled. "Thank you for your frankness, Mr Sharpe. I am sure that we can make this work. We must at least try."

"Thank you for listenin' to me, Colonel," Sharpe said. "I think this will work, but as you say, we must put some effort into it. Now, if I may be excused, I have to break the bad news to Captain Vickery."

(Phew, all great! )

It was finally all over. He still could not believe that the very same man that he met a day ago was now the criminal who was tried for theft. He had waited in the background, for he had arrived just before the whole thing started. Seated on the floor he hadn't minded that his view was most obstructed nor that within the distance he had sometimes to strain his ears to hear all that was sad.

Unable to pass judgement he could trust only the words spoken in the man's defence, and those against him and make a lawyer's opinion of it. But as he was no lawyer, nor he had ever desired to be it was as good as watching a play, with no known result.. till the very end. As the judgement was passed he felt sympathy with the rifleman. Had he deserved it, or hadn't he? Again it was a mere feeling that he could trust to say, no.But a hunch was as good for a man as if he was guessing a number on the hidden card. But much harder to proove to be right.

He slowly stood and dusted his trousers, leaning his weight to his left leg.

With Maggie's head on Cotton's chest she could feel and almost hear his heart beating. She squeezed him tighter to suppress the aching pain in her own heart, a physical pain like crushing. The reality still hadn't sunken in that he was going to be flogged in the morning, two hundred lashes, in front of the whole regiment like a wretched thief.

"But I have to be there, Gabe," she said simply. "I have to." She peered up at his face with concern. "Will it be easier for you if I'm not there?"

He couldn't bear it if she was there. But that wasn't the point, was it?

"I don't want you to see it, lass," he said simply. "But if you want to, I won't stop you. I just... don't want to hurt you, and it'll hurt, watchin' it."

Talking about it like this, it didn't seem real, that tomorrow he'd be stripped to the waist, tied to a triangle and flogged. And all for a stupid mistake, something he hadn't done.

She didn't answer but pressed him harder against her heart which felt like it was invading her stomach and her throat and would soon burst out of her body. She took a deep breath, but before she could speak they were interrupted.

"All right, Maggie, you both need your sleep for the morning. You'll look after him properly, but you need to get some rest if you're going to be strong enough to help him." He sighed. He really didn't want to do this, but he had to, or they'd be awake all night, talking and worrying.

"Cotton, I can't order you to get some sleep, but you should try. She'll be waiting for you, and you need some rest at least."

And he hadn't been too happy that punishment would be dealt by his own men, but then, that might be a good thing. They would not necessarily be so hard on him as the 62nd would. Not that they would treat him easy, but there were no rivalries between Cotton and the rest of the Company as there were between the greenjackets and the redcoats. Edrington was fair, anyway.

Maggie nodded and squeezed Cotton's hands. "I'll be there. Afterwards."

He didn't mind if she did want to watch; he just didn't want to know she had.

He nodded and squeezed her hand back. "I know you will, lass," he said, thinking that he did know that, now, and hadn't known it such a short time ago.

"Thanks, sir," he said to Vickery, wondering where he was going to be put for the night.

Maggie reluctantly pulled herself away and rejoined Williams, who had been waiting patiently. She looked over her shoulder to give Cotton one last smile before he was taken away.

"Private Williams, thank you. For everything."


[ooc - and thank you all! Good night. I'm off before my heart explodes.]

Williams raised a hand to Cotton as he was led away, so that he would know that Maggie had not been left alone. "Do you want to go back to the 60th, Maggie? Have you friends there?" No point asking is she wanted to come back to the 27th - it was clear, from everything he had seen, that she had no intention of relinquishing her Gabe Cotton, flogging or no flogging.