“I didn’t know you had to have them,” Leatrisha said. “I thought you were a man of your word. My father always told me that a man’s word is binding, if he is an honorable man! Apparently you are not an honorable man!”
Her eyes struck against him, causing his mouth to purse, at her words and glare.
“We will talk about this later. Theodore has already been sold,” he muttered.
“No!” Leatrisha shrieked, and began pounding him on his chest. “You can’t sell him! Buy him back!”
“If it is going to cause trouble,” the man said, “I will return him to you.”
“It’s not causing trouble,” Rand said quietly, as he grabbed Leatrisha’s wrists. “The sale is final.”
“I hate you!” Leatrisha cried, yanking her wrists free. “I hate you and I never want to see you again!”
She grabbed onto Black Magic’s mane and swung back up on his back. Her heels dug into the horse’s side, and even though she knew Black Magic was tired, she pushed him forward.
“Lettie! You come back here!” Rand called. Damn the girl was unmanageable!
Leatrisha rode blindly down the road, not even knowing where she was going, or what she would do. All she wanted was to be as far away from Rand as she could get. After awhile, though, she turned her horse back to Ravenswood, because there was no other place to go. But she wouldn’t stay there. She would pack her clothes, and have Rand send her back to England. She had had enough of the American way of life, she told herself.
When she got back, Black Magic was covered in a white lather, and she turned him over to the groom to cool down. She would miss the horse, but her father had plenty of horses in his stable for her to ride. She ran to Theodore’s house and knocked on the door. His mother answered, and Leatrisha threw her arms around her neck.
“Rand sold Theodore! I tried to get him back, but Rand wouldn’t reverse the sale. I’m so sorry. It was all my fault! But I won’t stand by to see human beings treated as though they have no feelings. I will miss all of you. I’m going back to England.”
“No!” Sissy cried throwing her arms around Leatrisha’s legs. “Theodore is gone. You can’t go too!”
“I can’t stay here with a man like that,” Leatrisha moaned. “He gave Theodore to me, and then he took him and sold him. It wasn’t right. All I did was try to teach Theodore how to read!”
“We will all miss you, missus,” Mable, who was sissy’s mother, murmured.
“I will miss you too, but I can’t stand to stay here and watch the injustice of slavery. It is too painful, and there is nothing I can do about it, in order to change it.”
“It’s our plight in life,” Mable murmured. “I thought when you took on Theodore, that he had an angel saving him from hard labor. He told us hows you were learning him how to read and all. I thought maybe he would have a better chance in life than the rest of us, working up at the big house and knowing hows to read.”
“And Rand put a stop to that!” Leatrisha groaned. “That is why I can’t remain here!”
Leatrisha peeled Sissy’s arms from around her legs, gave her a kiss on the head, and turned to the door. Leaving was as hard as staying, she thought.
Leatrisha sat on her trunk, as she waited for Rand to come home. She did not know when he would be home, but she was not going to leave her room until she told him what she thought of him. She knew he had to come to her room sometime, once he returned, and she had her speech all prepared and ready.
Just as her eyes were drooping, and she was thinking of laying down on the bed, there was a tap at her door, and Rand put his head in.
“Going somewhere?” he asked, as he looked at her perched on the trunk.
“I want you to send me back to England, first thing in the morning,” she stated.
“You do? I thought you would miss all your slaves,” he said quietly.
“They are not my slaves, they are yours,” she murmured.
“I think they have pretty much turned into your slaves,” he smiled. “But if you insist on leaving, before you go, I need you to sign a release paper.”
“To release me from your indenture?” she asked.
“Not exactly,” he smiled. “It is releasing me from the ownership of one small slave by the name of Theodore, and putting him into your ownership. You could take him with you, if you choose, or you could give him his freedom, he’s your’s to do with as you please.”
“You got him back?” she asked, as she started to tremble.
“I was wrong taking him away from you, Lettie. Will you forgive me?”
“Can I teach him to read?” she murmured, as she looked up at him from under her lashes, that were damp from a new onslaught of tears.
“He’s your’s to do with as you please, but if you teach him to read, you had better not let the authorities find out.”
“Rand!” She stood up and put her arms around his neck, as the tears continued to cascade over her cheeks. “Thank you, thank you, Rand.”
“There is no daunting you, Lettie. It seems if I don’t bend, you rip my very heart out. Just don’t push it too far, or we will all have hell to pay. I’m letting you have your way this time, so next time you can allow me some say in the way I run my own plantation. I can’t always let you run things, Lettie. I hope you know that.”
“I’ll be good. I promise,” Leatrisha whispered, kissing him on the cheek.
“You better. Your slave is waiting for you, just outside the door.”
Leatrisha, ran to the door, to find Theodoree, standing in the hall, a huge smile on his face.
“Oh Theodore!” Leatrisha cried, as she threw her arms around him. “You are mine now, all legal! Come in and help me unpack my clothes!”
Rand shook his head. He had lost all of his resistance the moment that girl walked into his life. She had him wound up so tight, he could barely breath, for worry of what she would do next! Seeing her sitting on her trunk made him glad he had decided to reverse the sale of Theodore.
He suddenly realized he could never let the imp go. He was going to have to marry her before the six years were out, he realized. The thought of it comforted him. By that time she would be over her childish wayward ways, and perhaps by then he would have figured out a way to manage her.
CHAPTER TEN
“Do you think Theodore will be able to get along without you?” Rand asked Leatrisha, as she sat next to him in his carriage, that rumbled along the road to Huntsville for her birthday celebration.
Leatrisha giggled. “He will have to. I’m so excited, Rand. It has been forever since I dressed up to go into the theater and just enjoy myself.”
“I am sure it is nothing like what London has to offer, or even the town where you lived in England. However, I hope you enjoy it just the same. Remember, that you will be acting as my intended bride, so watch your manners, please,” he reminded.
Leatrisha, looked up at him, envisioning him as her future husband. She had gotten to know him a lot better, since she had been at the plantation, and there were many sides of him that she loved, while there were other things about him that made her wonder if she could ever be contented being married to a man like him. He could be strict, especially with his slaves, and unreasonable, though she had learned how to get around his unacceptable ways. Each time was a little harder though, and there were many times she had to back off. She wondered what life would have been like if she had run off and married James? She realized she missed James, and Theodore, even though he was younger than James, seemed to take his place a bit, as a constant companion.
She would never dream of asking Rand to be her constant companion. He was always all business and was more like a guardian to her, than a companion, though she did enjoy playing chess with him, especially when she beat him. She often wondered if he allowed her to beat him, though?
“And what is going through that little imp head of yours?” Rand asked after a moment.
“Nothing,” Leatrisha lied. “I was
just thinking of all the fun things we will get to do while we are in town.”
“Anything your little heart desires, Lettie. It is your day, for how ever long we remain. I have something for you,” he whispered, after a moment. “I got it the day I took Theodore into Huntsville.”
“What?” Leatrisha turned her head up to him.
“Since we have to present you as my intended, I thought it only proper that I got you a ring.” Rand removed a ring from his pocket, and held it out to her.
It was a green emerald surrounded by diamonds, and the light caught against it, as he held it between his finger and his thumb for her to examine. “When I saw this ring, it reminded of your eyes, so I had no choice but to buy it. But I want you to know, it is not a pretend ring. I mean it belongs to you, so you do not have to give it back to me when you finally leave my service.”
He decided as long as she continued to believe herself to be an indentured servant, she would be a lot easier to handle. Once she settled down and started acting like the kind of lady he could present as his wife, he would offer for her with a real proposal, but there was plenty of time before he would ever do that, he decided.
“It is beautiful, Rand,” Leatrisha breathed. “James had questioned me about not wearing a ring when I told him that I was going to marry you,” she mentioned.
“Well no more concern about that. Luckily you were wearing gloves, when Monica was introduced to you. But this will make it look official,” he pushed the ring onto her finger.
It fit perfectly, and she wondered how he had known what size to purchase. “It matches your emerald eyes, perfectly,” he murmured, looking down into her eyes.
Rand couldn’t help himself. The look in her eyes drew him to her, and he leaned his head down to give her a kiss. Leatrisha’s mouth met his, with the same passion, that had been building up in his chest, the moment he removed the ring from his pocket. On some subtle level, she seemed to desire him, as much as he desired her, which meant he needed to be careful until the right moment presented itself. But kissing her was the only small reprieve he could afford himself, as long as he didn’t let it get out of hand, he cautioned.
Leatrisha melted into his kiss. It was times like this that she believed she could never leave Rand’s service, but eventually he had to marry someone, and it certainly wouldn’t be her. He had made that perfectly clear several times. He just enjoyed kissing her, the same way he enjoyed having his quadroon in his bed. He was a man, and men enjoyed using women’s bodies to satisfy their needs. The only reason Rand never used her body, was because she was a virgin, and there was something sacred about being a virgin, that held him at a distance.
Maybe if she wasn’t a virgin, he would relent, she thought. She just wasn’t sure about how to change that condition. Rand certainly would never change it for her. It made her think about when she saw Sam making love to the woman in the stall, and the blood rose to her face, just remembering it. Somehow she knew that was the only way to stop being a virgin, and she wasn’t sure she ever wanted that to happen to her, after seeing how large the black man was, in spite of the way the woman cried out with pleasure. It couldn’t possibly feel comfortable, she reasoned.
The very thought of it, caused her to tremble, and the kiss that she was sharing with Rand, felt more exciting than it ever had before, and timidly she pushed her tongue against his lips to see what he would do. When he accepted her tongue, her whole body responded by pressing harder against him, remembering how his hands had felt on her, that night in the hotel.
“Rand,” she whispered, as she pulled away from the kiss. “Do you know what I want for my birthday?”
“I thought Theodore was what you wanted,” he chuckled.
“I mean, while we are in Huntsville,” she whispered.
“What?” he asked, chuckling.
“I want you to touch me like you did that one night in the hotel. Everything you did, felt so marvelous. I want to experience it again.”
“You know I can’t, Lettie. I told you I would do it only that once. It is too easy to make a mistake,” he groaned.
“You didn’t make any mistakes then, did you?” she asked.
“I didn’t know you as well as I know you now.”
I wasn’t in love with her then, he thought to himself. Now it would be much too hard to resist showing her how much he loved her.
“No, Lettie, I am going to have to turn you down.”
“Then let me touch you,” she whispered. “James seemed to like how I was touching him.”
“Shhh. Lettie. Stop talking about it! I only have so much self restraint. Just don’t ask me again,” he scolded.
“You would let Mazy do it,” she complained.
“Mazy is not you, Lettie. She is a slave. What I do with her doesn’t matter, the way it would if I did the same thing to you. Eventually you will have a husband who will want a virgin on his wedding night. Me touching you, or you touching me, makes it too tempting to just disregard that fact. So don’t tempt me in such a way. Even holding you and kissing you in my bed, is more than I should be doing with you, which is why I can’t make a habit of it.”
“But you like kissing me,” she pointed out.
“Yes, Lettie, I like kissing you. That much is a fact,” he chuckled. “We are here, now, so sit up and start acting like a lady, instead of the inappropriate minx that you are.
“Fine,” Lettie pouted. “It’s hard to pretend like I am going to marry you, when you keep reminding me I am not the kind of woman you would ever want for a wife. Maybe you should just propose to Monica and be done with it. Then I will be free of having to pretend, she will be happy, and you will have a proper wife!”
“Stop pouting, Lettie. I am not going to pay attention to your ramblings. Now don’t spoil your birthday trip. We need to check into the hotel, with separate rooms, so don’t even suggest anything other than that.”
“What ever you say love,” Leatrisha, simpered, batting her eyes at him exaggeratingly, and Rand laughed at her antics.
“Yes, love, that is much better,” he grinned at her.
“Well, we meet again,” Monica said as they started to enter the hotel. “You have been keeping yourself all cooped up at your plantation, Rand. Everyone has missed you.”
“It is Leatrisha’s birthday, and we are in town to celebrate. Otherwise I have been busy,” he told her.
“I heard the strangest story, Rand. I was just wondering if it was true?” she said touching his arm to detain him from entering the hotel.
“And what would that be?” he asked, looking into her smoldering grey eyes.
“The other day, it is rumored that you brought a slave in to sell, and then a girl dressed in boy’s clothes, galloped up on a black horse, jumped down and started beating you on the chest, demanding you give her back her slave! Have you been stealing slaves? They said you reversed the sale, so I can only assume it was not quite on the up and up,” she smiled knowingly, looking from Leatrisha to Rand.
“There are always unusual stories floating around on the air. You can’t believe them all,” Rand chuckled.
“I heard it from the man who bought the slave. He is a friend of my father’s.”
“By the way, how is your father?” Rand said, changing the subject. “Has he talked your mother into returning yet?”
“They will be returning soon,” Monica murmured. “When they do, we plan on throwing a small dinner, for our closest friends. I do hope you and your young bride to be, will come join us. Just make sure she is wearing a dress and not trousers, will you?” she said, and then started to laugh, as she turned and continued down the walk.
“Marvelous! Now the whole town is humming of your little escapade. They think I am going to marry a disorderly rascal who rides a horse in britches, and berates me in front of the public!”
“Lucky you, that you really aren’t going to marry me, then,” she smiled.
“But everyone believes I am,” he insisted.
“Don’t tempt me,” he growled, as he took her arm and led her up to the reservation desk with him.
Just when he was trying to enjoy her company, she always managed to find a way to get under his skin, he thought. He turned and gave her the key to her room.
“Go up to your room, darling. I am going to go check the time of the play and purchase tickets. I will be back presently.”
Leatrisha took the key. Everything had been ruined by Monica, she thought, as she turned and headed up the stairs, looking over her shoulder at Rand, going out the front doors. She knew he needed to get away from her, so his temper could cool. It seemed that is how it was most of the time around him, which made her want to spend more time riding Black Magic than remaining in his company.
“James, where did you come from?” Leatrisha asked, when she saw James coming down the hall towards her.
“Lettie!” James smiled. “You are in Huntsville!” He came up and took both of her hands in his, and then looked down at the ring on her finger. “Still planning to marry the man, I see.”
“I am on the edge of throwing him over,” she laughed to sooth her temper.
“Not the wonderful lovers any longer?”
She realized they had never been the wonderful lovers. It had always been stony exchanges with Rand, which made it lucky she wasn’t going to marry him, she thought.
“We came in for my birthday,” she told him, to change the subject. “Rand is out buying tickets for the play tonight. How have you been, James? What have you been doing?”
“I work at a livery stable in town. I saw the driver bring your carriage in. I heard about some girl riding into town on a black horse, and yelling at her man about stealing her slave. What was that all about? It is the talk all over town, and even your driver was discussing it with someone, when he brought the carriage in, so I knew you were in town. It wasn’t hard to come to the conclusion that you were the girl in britches riding a horse bareback, and yelling at the man you are supposed to marry.”
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