Chapter 182

Valley Forge, 1777

“It simply isn’t right! Here we are, freezing our asses off while those bastards back at the capitol sit in their warm homes, drinking brandy and talking about how grand it shall all be once this war is over and we’ve won the day!”
Alexander Hamilton was an odd fellow, but one that Christian liked. To a degree. He didn’t really care for much of anyone, if he was honest with himself. But he and Hamilton had much in common. The other patriot was also a Guardian. At twenty-two, he was younger and less experienced in all things than Christian, but the pair had enough in common that, while they shared a room as aide-de-camps to General Washington, Christian could put up with his lengthy, elaborate, overly-flowery speeches, such as the one he’d been shouting for the last fifteen minutes.
He wasn’t wrong, of course. The men were in a poor state. Their thin clothes and awful housing had caused many of them to lose limbs from the freezing temperatures. There simply wasn’t enough food to go around, and diseases swept through the encampment, killing men by the hundreds.
None of that could affect either of them, however, so Christian didn’t let it bother him the way that Hamilton clearly did. He was often writing letters, calling upon acquaintances to help, to send aid. At the same time, he spent a great deal of time talking about what the new government should be like, speaking about concerns Christian thought should be put off until they had at least won the war. With the fall of Philadelphia and other major losses, he saw no reason to believe this endeavor would be successful.
Thus, he tuned Hamilton out most of the time. Christian still did his work as efficiently as possible, better than anyone, in his opinion, including Hamilton, and Washington still smiled upon him, but he couldn’t push himself to worry about what might happen if they won the war when, at the moment, the chances of that seemed slim. As far as the soldiers were concerned, well, lots of them would probably die. He didn’t wish it upon them, but what could he do to change it?
“I’m going out,” Christian stated, halfway through another of Hamilton’s speeches.
“Out?” he repeated. “Out where? It’s snowing.”
“I’m oblivious to the weather,” Christian reminded him. He knew that, of course. “Just for a walk.”
“Perhaps you can go into the woods and scare up a deer for the men.”
“Perhaps.” Christian remembered to put on his coat under the pretense of being cold and stepped outside into the swirling snow. He would most certainly not go scare up a deer for the men. First of all, one deer wasn’t likely to help more than twenty men, and second of all, if he was going to spend his energy fighting something, it wouldn’t be a deer. If only there were Vampires out there to fight. Most of them had moved on, away from the humans warring with one another. His parents were out west now, in uncharted territory, hunting down Vampires who’d gone that way to get away from the war. It was also said that many had gone south. Somedays, Christian wished he hadn’t enlisted so that he could go hunt them himself. Then, perhaps the pent up energy stirring inside of him could finally be released.
His walk did not help. In fact, it made matters worse. Far, far worse.
A number of the officers’ wives had joined them in this hellhole. Why, he had no idea, though it was a help in many ways. The women knew how to cook, how to clean, how to care for the men and keep the illnesses from spreading. They brought their servants and enslaved people with them, which was also a help. Even among the enlisted men, several had their families with them, including wives and children. It was all a little ludicrous to Christian, but then, he was glad that at least one of the officers had given in to this ridiculous request from his wife.
And there she was. Catharine Greene. Standing behind the Potts House, Washington’s headquarters, speaking to another woman, both of them bundled up against the cold. She was a beautiful woman, one that paid him far too much attention any time she had the opportunity to do so. Washington’s warning from months ago stayed with him, and Christian made the correct decision, turning and heading for the barn.
Trigger Finger neighed at him as soon as he came into the stallion’s sight. He didn’t like being cooped up here anymore than Christian did. At least it was warm in the stables, where the officers’ horses were kept. They’d lost more horses than men, thanks to the terrible weather. A few enlisted men and servants were working now, making sure the hay was clean and the water wasn’t frozen. Christian stopped to pat his horse on the nose, wishing he could just take the steed and ride out of here.
Then, the scent of perfume caught his astute nose, and his head whipped around toward the entrance to the barn.
Catharine. What in the world was she doing? Without a word, she gazed at him for just a moment and then began to climb the ladder up to the loft.
Confused, Christian looked around. The others working in the barn hadn’t even seemed to notice her. It was odd behavior for a woman of her stature. What could she possibly want with a hayloft? She was liable to get her gown dirty, perhaps even find a rat or two.
Maybe that was it. Perhaps she was looking for something to prepare for the men and was willing to take anything that had meat on its bones. Deciding this strange behavior had to have some sort of explanation, Christian followed her up the ladder, his boots making no noise as he flew up quickly, still at near human speed.
She was standing between mounds of hay, her back to him, as he came to standing. Slowly, she turned and looked at him. In her eyes, he saw the same burning expression he’d seen back in Philadelphia, the day she’d first spoken to him. She moved toward him, flowing like liquid across the uneven surface of the barn loft, taking him by the shoulders. He opened his arms because it seemed natural to do so, and then her mouth was on his, and it suddenly became apparent to him why this officer’s wife had decided to climb into the hayloft.
Kissing Catharine was everything he expected it to be. Her lips were sweet and smooth, warm on a frigid day. She smelled of flowers and sunshine, and when her hands were on him, nothing else in the world seemed to matter, not even the fact that her husband was a commanding officer and getting caught with her would likely end his career.
Her hands traced down the front of his shirt, beneath his coat, and lower. He responded to her touch, as any man would. She let out a deep moan when her hand discovered what he had disclosed beneath his pantaloons, and closed her eyes, tipping her head back.
He wanted her. That was for certain. Chances were, if he was quick, no one would even know. The men downstairs, taking care of the horses, had a reserve of hay they would draw from instead of coming up here. It was snowing outside, so there wasn’t much chance of anyone coming into the barn looking for their horse. If he was speedy--though not too speedy; he knew that wasn’t what a woman wanted--he could take her and no one would ever be the wiser.
The decision was made. It needed no more thought, which was good because Christian no longer had blood in the head capable of thinking. In the back of his mind, he heard his father’s voice telling him this was wrong, that she was a married woman, and there would be consequences for his behavior. In the front of his pants, he heard a different message entirely, and that was the one his brain decided to process.
Mrs. Greene pulled him into the hay, murmuring his name as he freed himself and found his way beneath her skirts, grateful that she was wearing the type of undergarments that gave him easy access. It was all over much quicker than he had anticipated, and by the sounds of it, the same could be said for what she had hoped for. He did satisfy her to some degree, he thought, but when he was finished, a look at her face let him know he had, once again, managed to embarrass himself. Thoughts of the small child standing in a pool of his own urine came to mind. It wasn’t quite that bad, he didn’t think, but something told him Mrs. Greene may not be sneaking off away from her husband to pursue him again anytime soon.
He pulled himself off of her and then placed his member back into his trousers, helping her stand and put her skirts back in place. It was important that every stray strand of hay be found and removed from her outfit and her hair, or else they may be discovered. Once he’d looked her over carefully, Christian found himself face to face with her.
“That was….” She shook her head, not bothering to say more. “I shall go down first to make sure that no one is nearby. You should wait before you descend.”
It was almost as if she had done this before. Perhaps she had. What sort of woman solicited sexual encounters from just anyone when she was married? A harlot, that’s what kind. “Very well,” he said quietly.
“And you needn’t be concerned about the fact that we did not use a lambskin. My monthlies have just finished.”
Assuming she meant there was no way she could become pregnant, though he wasn’t sure because he wasn’t too horribly familiar with a woman’s monthly cycle, he only repeated his previous assurance. Then, Catharine Greene headed for the ladder, making her way down carefully, slowly. He waited, seeing no reason to rush back into camp anyway.
Indulging himself had been a fool’s error. He should’ve known better. It hadn’t been worth it, in the end, and if anyone should find out, he would possibly endanger his standing with General Washington and the others. Certainly, General Greene couldn’t find out. He might’ve even earned himself a case of the clap or the pox, or some other itchy mess if he was able to get such a thing. While he was capable of becoming ill, his body would heal so much more quickly than a human body, and they had Healers who could take care of most anything quickly. Not that he fancied a trip to a Healer to tell him he had an itchy nether region….
Once he was sure Catharine had to be gone, and anyone who had noticed her would’ve moved on, Christian glanced down below. Seeing no one, he descended the ladder. The same men who’d been working with the horses earlier were still there, huddled on the other side of the barn chatting as they worked. He didn’t pay them any mind, deciding they hadn’t noticed him either.
Stepping outside, Christian took a look around. No one seemed to be out and about. He sighed with relief, thankful he hadn’t been caught, and turned to head toward his quarters. It was then that a quick movement off to his left caught his attention. He paused, zoning in on the area. He saw nothing now, but he was certain someone had been there, someone capable of moving quickly. It couldn’t have been a human. Perhaps he’d just imagined it. Vampires caused a tightness in his stomach he wasn’t experiencing now whenever they got within a hundred yards of him. It couldn’t be a bloodsucker. If it was another of his kind, then he should be safe. Keeping his eyes in the spot where he’d seen the movement, he headed on his way, hoping no one had been spying on him.