TD - 15th Hussars HQ

The corner of Willoughby's mouth twitched upwards. For a moment he sat silent believing Hunter to lead him on with such a story. Seeing him perhaps indeed grinning, but serious with what he had said, the youth chuckled.

" A man came for a kitten.. and you need to write that you.." He grinned and shook his head, amused. "You can't be serious, sir!"

'Oh, I am serious. I can understand your reaction, though. At first I thought Wellesley lost his mind! But I think he just likes cruel and unusual punishments!' George chuckled. 'I was standing there thinking: 'How about I fetch you an elephant too?'

Willoughby didn't dare make a joke of the general, though he found himself chuckling more at the unusual punishment the captain had suffered. "Have you started at all, on fulfilling it?" He asked. He couldn't phantom how luck and fortune had played with him. On one side it had brought him joy, on the other despair. And at that precise moment it was again, amusement.

'No, I clean forgot about it. I'll do it later. I just hope I do not write ninety nine lines instead of a hundred, or he'll make me do it again. Though, I wonder... Do you think he is actually going to count?' George flopped back onto the bed, laughing. 'Can you imagine Hill or Beresford coming to see him and he tells them' George made a serious face here and tried to look haughty 'Not now! I am counting if my ADC has written all of his lines!'

Timothy smiled:" Sir.. I would not dare doubt that he would count.. or have another do so for him. He has enough officers as his staff that it would be undoubtedly so, that one.. perhaps a most junior of them, would be assigned to such a task."

With a small shift on the bed he continued: " Or ..perhaps your punishment would be another's punishment as well. Be it you writing, and the man on the other hand.. counting."

'Hmm, I have a feeling that I am the junior staff officer! Oh, no, I don't want to recount my own lines' George slapped a hand over his eyes dramatically.

Willoughby laughed at the captain's antics. " Sir, I do not think he would appoint yo to count them, for fear that you may not count them at all." He shook his head amused. "Why though, may i ask, have you taken upon yourself to keep the young cat when you did?"

'Fernao thought it was abandoned, so he took it. I would not have taken the cat from him, but he just could not deal with it: it bit and scratched him, so I rode all the way from Pombal to Coimbra with a kitten crawling all over my person. I thank God, that he did no relieve himself on me!'

"And a man came, all the way from Pombal.. .to retrieve someone's feline? I would have thought such a thing possible for a horse or something.. that in size perhaps excuses such a long journey... yet a mere kitten?" He did feel surprised that the Portuguese cherished their pets to this extent and wondered how then they dealt with small thefts of their livestock here and there.

"Had there been something special about this cat, sir?.. perhaps a golden belt about her neck, or so?"

'No, apparently the kitten belonged to a small girl who would not stop crying when she could not find her kitty, so her uncle came to fetch him, apparently he saw me with the kitten'. George looked dreamy. 'It would have been nice if it had a golden belt, though. With some diamonds and rubies. Though I think silver would have suited it's fur colour better'.

"Yet, you would have to return it, would you not, sir? Even the golden.. or silver belt?" Though he did doubt that an officer would be too much pressed. Speaking of lost things, he thought back of his purse.

"..Atleast.. what was lost was at last found. I myself seem to have misplaced a purse ..and I cannot recollect where." A man who carried only French weapons and no money at all. Somehow that was ironic.

George looked sharply at the lad.
'Did you go drinking last night?'

Willoughby stiffened.

"...We went to celebrate. Sir."

George cocked his head to the side.
'I suppose it got a little out of hand? That's when you lost your purse, I would assume'.

"..Oh, I don't usually drink, sir." He vaguely remembered a beautiful girl that sat in his lap and urged him to take a few sips. Good wine she had said. Good wine. And then there was a sergeant who had tipped him over, a redcoat. Then... then things became fuzzier.

"And...could have been. Though I do not remember but a rather tame time at the tavern. Well behaved, sir. " He smiled.

George was still frowning, despite Timothy's reassurances.
'You should be careful of drink' he said queitly.

"Yes, sir. I've learned that lesson well." Colour came to his cheeks and his bowed his head in embarrassment.

'I'm glad you did', said George, his voice a little lighter. He squeezed Willoughby's shoulder again. 'Come now, don't brood. I'm sorry for being such a beast'. George fell silent then suddenly exclaimed. 'Aha! Shall we play something? Cards? Chess?'

"Oh no, sir." He was about to say something more when Hunter exclaimed loud enough that he near had the horseman stand to attention, stiff and fast and might have possibly toppled as well if he did so.

"Ah..If it shall not bore you to remain in the presence of a trooper, sir. And I would ask that it is you who chooses."

'Chess it is then! Would not want to corrupt you, now would we?' George grinned and summoned the guard to go and find them a chessboard.

When the guard reappeared, he was carrying not only a board but also a note from Pierce to Hunter. George read it and smirked, hiding it in his jacket. Setting the board on the bed he sat at one end, cross-legged.

Willoughby looked at Hunter curiously at what he had received. Though smartly he sat down without inquiring about the note or it's contents. He looked at the board and began placing the pieces onto it, one after another, first the black and then the white, leaving Hunter to decide which he wanted to play.

'Are you good at this game, then?' asked George, trying not to chuckle over the note.

"..I know the pieces, yet little more." He smiled apologetically: "Good.. is certainly not something I would call myself."

'Well, then you can have the white' he turned the board so that the white pieces would be closest to Willoughby.

"Thank you, sir." Being that he were to start first, he glanced at the board and moved a pawn two paces forward before placing it down on the board lightly.