Belle

by Beverly Jenkins

  Without thinking past his desire to comfort her, Daniel pulled her into his arms and held her tight. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’ve never had a birthday present before, Daniel, that’s all.”

  He hugged her tighter. He vowed right then and there to make the rest of her birthdays as memorable as he could.

  As they made the walk back to the spot where they’d left his family, Belle asked, “Did you and your father talk?”

  Daniel nodded.

  When he didn’t volunteer anything further, Belle asked, “Well, what did he say? Are you—we—still in trouble?”

  “No. Not unless we sneak out again. Papa fussed a bit, but he said he was young once, too.”

  Belle smiled. She was certainly glad there hadn’t been any serious repercussions. She was just about to ask Daniel where in Canada he and his father had gone fishing when she noticed people running. Daniel did, too. To Belle it seemed as if the entire gathering were in flight.

  A man ran past them. Daniel grabbed his arm. “Friend, what’s happening?”

  “Slave catchers!” the man related hastily, then hurried on.

  Belle’s eyes widened.

  Daniel grabbed her hand. “Come on!”

  Daniel knew that if slave catchers were indeed on the hunt, he had to get Belle back to his folks. They’d protect her with their lives if need be. Hand in hand they ran against the flow of people back to the spot where they’d left his parents. They arrived just as Mr. Best was pulling his long gun from beneath the tarp on the wagon. Adam and Jere were already armed. Their faces were angry.

  Mrs. Best cried, “Oh, thank goodness, you’re back.”

  Daniel asked, “What’s this about slave catchers?”

  His father answered tersely, “Watson’s trying to take some men back over the border.”

  “But his writ has no value here; this is Canada!”

  “Try telling him that,” his father returned.

  Mr. Best tossed Daniel a rifle. “Let’s go.”

  Mr. Best then turned to his wife, and said very seriously, “Lovey, you and Mrs. Morgan stay here with the girls.”

  Mrs. Best protested, “I can shoot as well as any man here, William.”

  “I know that, but stay put. We’ll be back.”

  And off they ran.

  Mrs. Best looked at her companions and said testily, “Well, I guess he told me. As if women all over the North haven’t been dispatching slave catchers, too!”

  When Jojo heard that, she said warningly, “Mama, you heard Papa.”

  Mrs. Best told her daughter, “Yes, I did, but your father knew I wasn’t an obedient wife when he married me. Let’s go. We may not have bullets but we can throw rocks.”

  Mrs. Morgan added, “And he can’t possibly believe I’m going to sit here and knit while that cur Watson steals another mother’s sons. I’m right behind you, Cecilia.”

  So the women hurried off in the direction the men had gone. Belle had to admit, she hadn’t wanted to wait around for the men to return and report either. Who knew how many catchers were involved and how much help the men might need.

  The ladies arrived on the outskirts of a crowd that numbered in the hundreds: men, women, children, all buzzing angrily. In the center was the mounted Watson and three of his men. Ringing them were at least two dozen abolitionist men, Black and White, all with guns drawn and pointed his way. Because there were so many people, Belle couldn’t see who Watson had in his clutches, but she wondered if the slave catcher had lost his mind. Did he really believe he’d be able to take someone back to slavery in the face of such armed resistance?

  Apparently, he did, because he barked, “Y’all back away before someone gets hurt!”

  Mr. Best’s voice rose over the crowd. “The only people hurt are going to be you and your men, Watson. Ride away. You’ve lost this one.”

  “The hell I have. I have a writ here from the sovereign state of Georgia.”

  “This ain’t Georgia!” someone reminded him.

  The tension rose. The catchers’ mounts began acting skittish and nervous. Watson’s men were having difficulty keeping the animals still.

  Mr. Best’s voice rose again. “Let them go!” The buzzing of the crowd took on an ominous tone. Belle still couldn’t see Mr. Best or Daniel. She did see many women, especially those with children, begin to hustle away. They were moving to safety. The air was thick with danger. Belle prayed Watson would come to his senses before bedlam erupted.

  Suddenly, a shot rang out in the distance and everyone turned to see three men riding hard toward the crowd. Folks began to cheer, but Belle didn’t know why.

  “It’s the local lawmen,” Mrs. Best explained. “Someone must’ve ridden for them at the outset. Now we’ll see what Watson has to say.”

  Watson had panic on his face. Yanking his reins around, he attempted to flee, but a dark hand grabbed the bit and held on. Other hands, Black and White, shot out to detain his men by similar means. Chaos erupted. The catchers were determined to get away. The abolitionists were equally as determined to make them stay.

  Then a series of shots rang out overhead and everyone stilled. The Canadian lawmen had arrived on the scene and it had been their guns firing. The crowd parted to let the men into the circle. Following Mrs. Best’s lead, Belle tried to move closer to the front. Her view of who Watson was trying to take back was still blocked, but she could see the happenings on horseback.

  The Canadians had evidently run into Watson before because one man said, “Well, well, if it isn’t our old friend, Mr. Watson.”

  Watson sneered.

  The lawman tossed back a menacing smile. “Sneer all you want, but you were warned last year not to bring your evil pursuits to the Queen’s shores again, yet here you are.”

  “I’ve a writ,” snarled Watson.

  “Let’s see it.”

  Seemingly pleased that the lawman appeared to be entertaining his side of the argument, Watson flashed the crowd a triumphant, black-toothed grin. They responded with catcalls as he reached inside his filthy coat and extracted a folded sheaf of papers wrapped in oilcloth and tied with a string. As the catcalls continued to rain down, Watson calmly untied the package and handed the Canadian the writ.

  The lawman spent a scant ten seconds perusing the document, then before God and everybody tore the paper to shreds and let the pieces blow away in the wind.

  A joyous roar erupted from the crowd. Watson’s eyes bulged with fury. Belle’s grin met that of Jojo.

  The Canadian then told Watson, “You and your men are under arrest for trespassing, mayhem and threatening the lives of Canadian citizens. You can come willingly or I can deputize every man here and they can help us subdue you.”

  Watson scoffed. “We’re citizens of the United States—you can’t arrest us.”

  “If you were on American soil, you’d be right, but this land belongs to Her Majesty Queen Victoria, and by the authority vested in me through her, you’ll be lucky if you see America ever again. You were warned, Watson.”

  Another roar went up. Watson was livid but he knew he had no choice. He could either cooperate of his own free will or the lawmen, with the assistance of the crowd, would make him cooperate. In the end he tossed down his gun, and his men followed suit.

  The lawmen made the slave catchers dismount, tied their hands with thick rope, and marched them back the way they’d come. Applause filled the air. The now happy assemblage began to disperse and the faces of the men Watson had been threatening were finally revealed. Belle took one look, went stone still, and then screamed happily, “Papa! Papa!” And she took off at a run.

  eighteen

  At the sound of her voice, James Palmer turned. The sight of his daughter bearing down on him filled his dark face with first shock and then joy.

  Running so fast she couldn’t even see the surprise on the faces of her friends, Belle was already crying as she launched herself into her father’s outstretched arms.

&nbs
p; “Oh, Papa! Papa! You’re all right!”

  James Palmer cried, too. In a voice thick with emotion, he whispered, “I thought I’d never find you again.”

  They held on to each other, rocking and crying. The Bests and Morgans looked on with tears in their own eyes.

  A very moved Daniel studied the man and realized that Belle resembled her papa quite a bit. Both were tall and dark. Belle had his bright black eyes, but his face was sharper, his jaw more pronounced. Belle was thin, but her father was muscular, as big and strong-looking as the bricks he laid for a living.

  A sobbing Belle held on to her father for all she was worth for fear of losing him again. After a good long while, she stepped back and wiped away her tears. Taking her father by the hand, she led him over to the people she’d come to love just as much.

  “Papa, I want you to meet Mr. and Mrs. Best. I’ve been living with them since we were separated, and they’ve treated me just like their own. Mr. and Mrs. Best, my papa, James Palmer.”

  Mrs. Best was still crying, so her husband stepped up and firmly shook the outstretched hand. “Glad to meet you, Mr. Palmer—real glad to meet you. You’ve quite a girl there. We’ve enjoyed her.”

  “Thank you for looking after her. I’ll always owe you.”

  Belle then introduced the Morgan brothers and their mother. They greeted Mr. Palmer warmly. Adam said with great sincerity, “We’ve learned what it means to be free from your daughter, sir. Welcome home.”

  Jojo came next and Belle said, “Papa, if I ever have a sister, I want her to be just like Jo. This is Josephine Best. She’s helped me an awful lot since I’ve been here.”

  “Hello, Josephine.”

  Jojo nodded. Her tears of joy were evident in her brown eyes. “Hello, Mr. Palmer. I’m so glad you’re finally here.”

  Then it was Daniel’s turn. Belle said, “And this is Daniel Best. Jo’s brother, and their son. He was the one who found me, Papa. He’s also helped me learn to read.”

  Her father stared at Belle and his grin was wide. “Really?”

  Belle nodded.

  James Palmer shook Daniel’s hand with a firmness that relayed his gratitude. “Thanks, son. Thanks very much.”

  Belle couldn’t believe her papa was actually by her side. She no longer had to worry if he was safe or wonder where he was, or if he was alive. She now had the answers to all of those questions and she wouldn’t have to worry about him ever again.

  When it was time to return home, the wagons were loaded and the Morgans and the Bests joined the long line of buggies, wagons and carriages snaking their way back to the docks where the ferries waited to transport them back to America. Jojo, seated next to her brother in the crowded wagon bed, was slumped against his shoulder asleep even before they got to the docks. They were all tired but filled with the excitement of finding James Palmer.

  On the night ride home, James answered as many questions as he could about his ordeal since seeing Belle last. Initially, he had been captured in Michigan by Watson’s men, and yes, he did escape from Watson’s friend Boyle.

  He explained further, “Once me and the others found a safe house, we slept by day and moved North by night. We never would’ve made it, though, if we hadn’t had those conductors with us. They fed us, clothed us, kept us safe. They kept telling us we’d be free at the end of the journey, but there were days when I didn’t think the journey would ever end.”

  Belle said, “But you knew I was still here in Michigan.”

  He smiled. “Yes. The brother of the lady conductor in Dayton told me he knew where you were and that you were still in Michigan, and safe. I knew then that if I persevered, I’d see you again. That kept me going.”

  Daniel asked, “So how did Watson become involved today?”

  “He knew my face. He’d seen me in Michigan when I was first taken. The conductor who brought us to Canada planned to slip me and the others across the border when the celebration ended. They said it would be easy to do with so many folks traveling that way, but Watson and his men were riding by while we were eating and, as I said, he recognized me. I was awful glad to see everybody come to our aid though, and then to find my Belle—” Emotion seemed to fill him again, because he didn’t say anything more. He simply gazed down at his daughter seated by his side, hugged her shoulders and kissed her forehead. “I’m so glad to see you.”

  Tears filled Belle’s eyes again. The arm he had draped around her shoulder was real; he was real. She still found it hard to believe they’d been reunited or that when she got up in the morning his smile would be there to greet her. Belle looked over at Daniel seated on the other side of the wagon. She had his love and his locket around her neck, and now she had her papa back in her life. This August first would be a birthday she’d never forget. Never.

  Daniel carried his sleeping sister up to Belle’s room. Mrs. Best had decided Mr. Palmer would have Jo’s room for now.

  James Palmer began to protest. “Mrs. Best, don’t you have a barn or something? I’ll be perfectly fine out there. Josephine shouldn’t have to give up her bed for me.”

  Cecilia Best looked him in the eyes and said, “I’d think you’d be tired of sleeping in cold, damp barns, James Palmer.”

  Mrs. Best turned to Belle and said, “Belle, dear, show your father upstairs.”

  Mr. Palmer opened his mouth to further protest, but William Best said with a chuckle, “Mr. Palmer, you’ll learn it’s best to just follow along. Save yourself a lot of grief that way.”

  James asked, “You sure?”

  “Positive. Been married to her over twenty years.”

  Belle chimed in. “He’s right, Papa. No one wins many arguments with her.”

  James smiled and shook his head. “Okay, Mrs. Best, upstairs it will be.”

  Cecilia looked pleased. “Good. Belle will show you the way.”

  Once Belle and her papa were alone in the room, they shared another long hug of greeting. He said softly above her hair, “Wish your mother was here.”

  “I know. Maybe once we get you settled in, we can ask Mr. Best and the Vigilance Committee if they can find out where she is.”

  “You think they can?”

  “I’m sure they’d try if we asked.”

  “Then we’ll do that.”

  He drew back and looked at Belle. “So, tell me everything that’s happened since I saw you last, and how long you’ve been sweet on Mr. Daniel Best.”

  Belle’s eyes widened with surprise. “Papa! How’d you know?”

  “I wasn’t sure till just now.”

  Belle’s mouth opened as wide as her eyes. “Papa?!”

  He laughed. “Heard it in your voice when you introduced him. Saw it in the shine in your eyes.”

  A smiling and embarrassed Belle dropped her head. “Is it that obvious?”

  “A blind pig could see it,” he teased.

  So he and Belle sat. They talked well into the night and long after everyone else had gone to sleep.

  The next few days were spent getting James Palmer acclimated to his new surroundings. Mrs. Best let him sleep as much as he needed to in order to regain his strength, and Belle spent most of his waking hours just marveling at his presence. When she wasn’t making sure he was all right, she and Jojo spent the rest of the time working on a very special surprise Belle planned to reveal when the time was right.

  On Saturday, Mr. Best took Mr. Palmer to the weekly Vigilance Committee meeting. Mrs. Best and Jojo were inside the house finishing the hem on a dress Belle had recently made for Jojo, and Daniel and Belle were seated on the porch.

  Daniel said, “Your father seems to be getting along okay.”

  “He is, isn’t he? I’m still pinching myself to make sure I’m not dreaming and that he’s truly, truly here.”

  Daniel was about to say more, but the sight of Francine’s distinctive black coach pulling to a stop in front of the house made him go quiet. Belle recognized the coach right off, too.

  Daniel said,
“I wonder what she wants.”

  Belle cracked, “She probably wants you back, but she can’t have you.”

  He grinned.

  Francine swept up the walk in a voluminous ivory-colored cape. “Good evening, Daniel,” she said frostily. She looked over at Belle, then baldly dismissed her before turning her attention back to Daniel.

  Daniel recognized the slight for what it was, and it didn’t improve his mood. “What do you want?”

  “For both of us to come to our senses.”

  “I didn’t realize mine had left me.”

  “Oh, darling, I know we’ve had our differences in the past, but—”

  “Go home, Francine.”

  “But you don’t understand—”

  “Go home, Francine!”

  Belle thought that any woman in her right mind would hear the finality in Daniel’s voice, but not Francine the Queen. Nope, she had the nerve to get mad. “Daniel, I will not be shouted at.”

  He lowered his voice to a soft, sinister level. “How’s this? Go. Home.”

  “I can’t,” she snapped angrily.

  “Why not?”

  She clawed open her cape. “This is why!”

  Belle saw the small but distinctive swelling in Francine’s belly and almost fell off the steps. Jojo and Trudy had been right. Francine was breeding!

  Daniel looked stunned, as well.

  Francine explained in a clipped voice. “Papa says I either find a husband or he’ll ship me to his sister in Peoria.”

  “So what do you want from me?”

  She looked at him as if he were addle-headed. “I want you to marry me, Daniel Best. You promised Mama you’d take care of me. Remember?”

  Belle could feel anger stiffening her limbs.

  Suddenly, the screen door opened. Mrs. Best stepped out. Belle moved aside to let her pass.

  Cecilia said coolly, “Evening, Francine. I couldn’t help but hear all this shouting. Is something wrong?”

  It pleased Belle to see a tiny trace of fear creep into Francine’s eyes.

  “Oh, hello, Mrs. Best. No, nothing’s wrong. Daniel and I—”

  “Is my son the father of your child?”

  Francine’s gaze darted away. She didn’t speak.