Verbena glanced at Hannah. “I’m glad Tobias brought her down. I’d hate to think you sat here bored waiting for me.”
Tobias wheeled Hannah’s chair in. “Here you go, Miss Hannah.”
“I’m glad you brought that down as soon as you brought my niece, Tobias. She’s more comfortable in her wheelchair than she in on the settee.”
Hannah noticed that Tobias glanced at Jarrett, but he only muttered, “Yes, ma’am.” He pushed the chair close to the table, then quickly left.
“Well, my goodness. He didn’t even help her into the chair.” She moved to the door. “I’ll call him back.”
“Oh, don’t bother, Verbena. I’ll put her in her chair.”
Before Verbena could protest, Jarrett swept Hannah up in his arms and moved to the wheelchair. He sat her down, and with his back turned to Verbena, he smiled and winked at Hannah.
She tried not to blush, but she couldn’t stop it. “Thank you,” she managed to mutter.
Minerva appeared at the door. “Dinner is ready, Miz Wedington.”
“Good. I’m guessing that Mr. MacMichael is hungry.”
“You’re so right.” He moved to her and offered his arm. “May I escort you, dear lady?”
She took his arm and almost giggled. “I’d be delighted.”
Hannah looked at Minerva and whispered, “I guess that means you get to push me to the dining room.”
Minerva chuckled and moved behind the chair. “I ’pose you’re right, Miss Hannah.”
They followed Jarrett and Verbena into the dining room without saying anything else.
♥♥♥
After Jarrett left the house and Hannah had been taken to her room, Verbena sat at the desk in what used to be Hector Wedington’s office and wondered when she’d decided she’d waited long enough to get Hannah married off to Calvin Sawyer. It had happened the moment she began to suspect her niece was having impure thoughts about Jarrett as they sat right there at the dining room table eating Sunday dinner. She guessed she’d first started suspecting her niece of having more than a casual interest in Jarrett when she saw the way the girl couldn’t seem to keep her eyes from wandering to the handsome man’s face. She also remembered that she would sneak glances at him the other time he’d visited. Verbena knew she was no expert on romance, but today she had no doubt Hannah was having these indecent thoughts about Jarrett MacMichael. This was something Verbena couldn’t abide. If he found out, it not only would make her niece look foolish, it’d be a bad reflection on her, as well. Therefore, she had to put a stop to it before it went any further. The solution couldn’t wait, and the best way she knew to solve the problem was to get Hannah married. And married in the next few days. That way, as a married women, the silly girl wouldn’t dare have another man on her mind. Especially a virile and handsome man like Jarrett MacMichael. He’d never be interested in a cripple.
I don’t know how or why the mindless little fool got such a notion in her head in the first place. I don’t care how much she admires him; she should realize there’s no way a man like Jarrett would ever be interested in a crippled girl like her, even if she was pretty. If he found out she was swooning over him, he’d be so embarrassed he’d never come around again. He could never return such feelings to a woman like Hannah. He needed a woman who could walk at his side and go dancing with him so he could show her off. He needed one who’d be able to provide a lovely home and give him children. Hannah should be smart enough to realize she isn’t capable of any of this. When it comes to a man, she is much more suited to Calvin than she is to Jarrett. That’s why I intend for her to become Mrs. Calvin Sawyer in the next few days. Now, all I have to do is recruit Hilda and maybe Reginald to help me make this happen before the little idiot can make a fool of herself and ruin all our reputations. Or before she can refuse to do what I tell her she has to do, in case she realizes she can make her own decisions when she reaches her eighteenth birthday.
Chapter 12
On Wednesday, Reginald Phillips was expected to come visit Verbena and stay for supper. Of course, Hannah was banned to her room. Tobias carried her up about five, and told her Minerva would make sure she had a good plate of food for her meal.
“Tell Minerva not to rush. I’m used to being sent up here, Tobias. I’ll be fine.”
He thought about those words as he headed back to the kitchen. Poor child. I wish there was something me and Minerva could do to make things easier for her. It just ain’t right, the way Miz Wedington treats her.
When he entered the kitchen, Minerva turned from checking the chicken and dumplings Verbena had requested. “Did you get Miss Hannah settled?”
“I did. I told her you’d send some good food up to her later.”
“I will, too.” She shook her head. “I don’t understand it Tobias. Why can’t the girl eat with her aunt when this man comes? She eat down here on Sunday when Mr. MacMichael was here.”
“I don’t know why she can’t come down this time, but we’ll see she don’t miss getting something good to eat. Why don’t you go ahead and fix her a plate and I’ll slip it up to her?”
“At least I can do that.” Minerva reached for the dishes and began filling them.
“I guess you better hold up on fixing it now. I hear the door knocker. I guess I have to go let Miz Wedington’s guest in.”
“See if she wants me to bring some of that tea she keeps back for special times. I already made it ’cause I’s sure she’d want it. While I’m serving her, you can run this up to Miss Hannah.”
“That, I’ll do.” He reached over and patted her shoulder.
Minerva grinned, but didn’t say anything else.
After showing Reginald Phillips into the formal parlor, Tobias informed Minerva that, yes, Miz Wedington did want the tea. He then slipped up the back stairs with the tray holding Hannah’s food. He grinned when he saw the extra-large piece of pie Minerva had sent the girl for dessert.
When he returned to the kitchen, Minerva wasn’t there. With nothing else to do, he went into the dining room and began taking the good dishes from the china cabinet. He was almost finished setting the table when Minerva walked through the door.
She smiled at him. “I appreciate your help.”
“Don’t have nothing else to do. By the way, Miss Hannah said to thank you for the food. She begun eating it right away.”
“She’s always so polite and thankful. She shore didn’t get that from her aunt.”
He placed the last fork beside the fine china plate and followed his wife into the kitchen. “You look upset about something, woman. What’s wrong?”
“I guess it ain’t nothing, but I heard Miz Wedington say something about finding a husband.”
“Lord, don’t tell me she planning on getting married.”
“I don’t think the husband she was talking about was for her.”
Tobias frowned. “Then who was it for?”
“I swear I thought I heard her say something about Miss Hannah, but she quit talking as soon as I got in there with the teapot.”
“Lord, woman. You don’t think she’s a trying to marry off that sweet girl, do you?”
“I don’t know, Tobias, but I think we better try to hear some of what they say when they come in the dining room to eat. If’n we stay close to the door, we can understand them and they’ll never know we’re listening.”
He nodded. “You’re right. We’ll have to be careful, but we’ll do that.”
♥♥♥
Standing behind the dining room door, Tobias almost felt Minerva’s cringe when Reginald reached for Verbena’s hand and said, “I’m delighted that you decided to make one of my very favorite dishes for supper, my dear.”
“I would have done something more fancy, but I remembered once hearing you say that you’d love to have some good chicken and dumplings.”
“I’m impressed you remembered, and they look wonderful.”
“I hope they’ll be to your liking.”
&n
bsp; Hearing Minerva heading for the door, Tobias stepped back. He knew she’d be frustrated, and he didn’t want her slamming the door against his nose.
“Did you hear what they said?” she whispered as the door closed behind her. “She almost said she cooked the meal. I’m the one who stood over the hot stove to make shore them dumplings was just right. It’s almost like we’s still slaves.”
“I know how you feel, Minerva, but that’s how things is,” he whispered back.
“I know you’s right, but it still galls me sometimes. If it weren’t for Miss Hannah, I’d jest wish we could work somewhere else instead of for that woman.”
“We’ve talked about this before, but it probably wouldn’t make no difference. I think anybody who can afford to pay us would be as bad or maybe even worse than she is. Besides, most of them think we’s still slaves.”
She sighed. “I guess you’s right, but it gets hard to take sometimes.”
“Do you want me to help you serve anything?”
“I got ever thing in there for the time being. Just watch and make sure she has her glass and he has his cup full. She’s drinking tea, but he wanted coffee.”
“Shh.”
“What is it?”
“He said something about Miss Hannah.”
Minerva moved to the door.
The voices coming from the dining room were clear. Verbena said, “Don’t worry, Reginald. The servants won’t hear a word we say. They’re probably in the kitchen gobbling down some of the food. They think I don’t know they help themselves to what belongs to me.”
Tobias shook his head, but said nothing. He wanted to hear everything their boss and her guest said about Hannah.
“I suppose you’re right. I’ve found that most of the freed Negroes in Savannah don’t understand much of what white people are talking about most of the time, anyway.”
“That’s true. Even if they happened to hear a word here and there, they’d never figure out what it’s all about.”
Minerva made a face at Tobias. He wanted to laugh, but he knew he better not.
Reginald’s voice went on. “So, you think you know a man who will be willing to marry your niece?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Do you think he’ll refuse when he finds out she’s a cripple?”
“Not at all. If he doesn’t realize Hannah is his only chance to marry, his sister will point it out to him.” She laughed. “When I tell you who he is, you’re going to agree with me.”
“Then don’t keep me in any further suspense, Verbena. Tell me who the intended is.”
“Calvin Sawyer.”
The pair in the kitchen heard an eating utensil clatter to the table and Tobias wondered if one of the diners dropped it or threw it.
“You must be kidding, Verbena. Calvin Sawyer may be a grown man, but he has the mind of a little boy.”
“Think about it, Reginald. I admit Calvin is slow, but where are we going to find a normal man who’d be willing to marry a cripple? I don’t know one, do you?”
”No, I don’t, but will Calvin’s sister let him get married?”
“I think she’d be delighted, because she’d think he was getting out of her house. Stacy Wilson asked Hilda to marry him last year, but he found out her brother came along with the deal and he refused to marry her as long as Calvin was living with her. At the time, she refused to put him in an institution because her parents’ will says all their assets go to his caregiver. She fills that role now, but if she sent him away, the assets would go with him. I understand it’s quite a large sum.”
“I see why she’d want to keep him with her.”
“But if he marries, his wife would have to look after him. Then maybe she can rekindle the romance with Stacy.”
“But where would they live?”
“They’d have to live with her so she could still get the money.”
“Then Mr. Wilson would still refuse to marry her.”
“I said he’d have to live with her, but I didn’t say she couldn’t believe he’d be leaving.”
“I don’t know what you’re saying, Verbena.”
“I’m saying I’ll let her think they’ll be living here with me. Only when they’re married will I let her know she’ll lose the money if they move out of her house.”
Reginald laughed. “My dear, you are devious. I see what you’re getting at. This will solve all of your problems, too. By marrying her off, you won’t have the responsibility of your niece any longer. Then, you could concentrate on your own life.”
“I would love to be able to do that. Don’t you think I’ve come up with a good plan to accomplish it?” Her voice sounded whiney and Tobias made a face at Minerva.
“It’s a wonderful plan, my dear, Verbena. Now, it seems like we’ve got to get your niece to agree to marry this boy. Do you think she’ll balk at the idea?”
“Why should she? She has to do everything I say until she turns eighteen. Besides, I think she’s smart enough to know no other man will ever want her.”
“But does she want to get married?”
“Doesn’t every woman?”
“Yes, but if she refuses…”
“I guarantee she won’t refuse. She’ll be married before she ever knows what’s happening.”
“How are you going to pull that off?”
“Don’t let it bother you, Reginald. I have my ways to make people close to me do what I want them to do.” She let out a little laugh. “Now, let’s talk about something else. I’m sure Minerva will be in here soon with dessert, and even if she’d too dumb to understand, I don’t want her to hear me talking about Hannah. She and Tobias think a lot of the girl.”
“I understand.”
Tobias leaned over and whispered to Minerva, “I’d like to murder that woman.”
“So would I, but what can we do?”
“Don’t worry. Now we know what’s going on, we can do something about it.”
“Do you have any idea what we can do?”
“We’ll talk about it later. Now, why don’t I go clean off that table for you and then you can serve dessert before she starts yelling for you?”
Minerva stared at Tobias for a second, then nodded and turned to the kitchen table and started cutting slices of the apple pie she’d made.
He couldn’t help noticing the slices were much smaller than the one she sent to Hannah. He smiled and watched her to be sure she was going to be all right to serve the food without giving away the fact they’d eavesdropped. When he saw she was fine, he went into the dining room and began clearing the table. He had the urge to throw the bowl containing the remaining dumplings on Verbena’s head, but he moved methodically and didn’t let her see any of the emotion he felt.
She chatted away about something going on at their church and ignored him. Her actions didn’t surprise him. Though it made him angry inside, he was used to being ignored in this household by his mistress unless she wanted him to do something extra for her. He knew his wife felt the same way.
♥♥♥
The next day, Jarrett had lunch in the hotel dining room, then returned to his hotel room. He now sat at the small table in the corner and picked up the half-glass of bourbon sitting at his elbow. He took a gulp, set it down, and turned to the notes he’d made after his second visit to the newspaper and the trip this morning to the courthouse. His suspicious nature had made him go back and search through old papers again yesterday, and his intuition sent him to the courthouse today. Now, he was glad he did both. Not only did he suspect that there was a question about the way Hector Wedington died, but he was now suspicious about what had happened to Hannah’s father after his wife died.
Newspaper accounts portrayed Burl Hamilton as a prosperous farmer at one time. Then, when he lost his wife, the man was arrested several times for different crimes–public drunkenness, fighting, and once for stealing a bottle of whiskey. Every time his bail was paid by Verbena Wedington. The latest arrest was only six months ag
o. This time, he’d grabbed a woman on the street and tried to kiss her. Again, Verbena paid his bail, and according to what she told the judge, Hamilton was not only a little touched in the head, but he was so drunk he didn’t know what he was doing. She insisted when he sobered up, he wouldn’t even remember what he’d done. Jarrett figured this incident happened after Drina moved to Arizona to marry Aaron Wilcox, but he couldn’t help wondering why Lydia wasn’t informed of the arrest, or if she was, why hadn’t she said something about it when he was questioning her about her father. She obviously disliked the man, so he didn’t think it would be like her to hide any of her father’s disreputable actions.
But most puzzling of all was the connection between Verbena Wedington and Burl Hamilton. They were as different as any two people Jarrett had ever known. He couldn’t fathom the two of them having any sort of relationship, yet they must have. Why else would she always pay his bail when he was in trouble? If he was a close relative, he might somehow understand, but they had no actual blood ties. It was her sister who was married to him, not her. Not many sisters-in-law would support him the way he had led his life for years. A life even his daughters couldn’t contend with. And certainly, a life entirely different from the one Verbena Wedington led. Yet, there had to be some reason why she’d support him the way she had through the years.
Turning to his notes on the Hamilton farm, Jarrett saw Burl had inherited it from his father upon the elder Hamilton’s death. It seemed that when he brought his bride to the homestead, it was a prosperous place. Even after their daughter, Lydia, was born, the Hamiltons seemed to be a respected and productive part of the community. It was when Drina came into the world that things began to slide. Burl Hamilton had his first run-in with the law when his wife was still bedridden, but somehow, she managed to pay his bail and things went smoothly for a while.
Then, Hannah was born with the withered foot. Her father couldn’t accept a child with such a deformity, and decided she had to start walking someday or he would get rid of her. When she didn’t learn to walk, he started drinking and gambling. His wife died when Hannah was almost two years old, and he quit caring about anything except his drink, and at times, gambling. The three Hamilton sisters were pretty much on their own.
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