“I hate school,” Hattie mumbled. “And church, too.”
Hattie’s favorite thing to do was wade in the river and fish. She didn’t have to work in the cotton fields like the other slave children. She had the same luxuries as I, although school for Hattie didn’t seem like a luxury. Some of the other children on the plantation were envious of her and often teased her. They tormented her incessantly, to the point where she would often run off to be alone. I felt sorry for Hattie and when she returned with red, cried-out eyes, I would throw my arms over her shoulders and bring her close and tell her that I was her best friend, that she shouldn’t mind their taunting, and that she should remember that being special sometimes comes with a heavy price.
That’s what Daddy had often told me in my most weary nights, when I felt displaced and gloomy because I didn’t have a mummy of my own, and the children at school would ridicule me.
“They aren’t taunting and teasing you for not having a mum; the children are envious and jealous of your beauty. They know how exceptional you are, that you stand out amongst them. That, unfortunately, is a small affliction you have to live with, for your own mum felt the same burden when she was a young girl.”
It surprised me that the beauty I had acquired without asking for it would keep the children at school from wanting to play with me, from being my friend, and from sharing anything at all with me. Hattie and I were outcasts; we were shunned and mocked, and through all the torment, we grew close and formed a bond that would forever go unbroken.
Typically, school days for Hattie and me were long and exhausting, and they grew especially worse when a new schoolmaster came to replace our aging teacher, Mr. Bolls. He had taught for all the years that I attended the school, before he became too ill to teach and then Mr. Giles was hired. When he stepped into the hot, stuffy schoolhouse, the hairs on the back of my neck immediately stood on edge. Hattie looked at me with unease, as the other children sat up straight - we all felt uncomfortable in the schoolmaster’s austere presence.
There was one troublesome boy in class - John Mason. He was the oldest son of the plantation owner nearest to Sutton Hall. John was thirteen, but stood as tall as any grown man and had a way of behaving like an ill-mannered fool. He was always contemptuous and disrespectful of Mr. Bolls. He played tricks on him, mocked his lessons, and aged Mr. Bolls years before his time. The other children were more mindful, especially Hattie and I. John hated that about us. John hated everything about us.
When Mr. Giles stood, his cold, steel-gray eyes scanned the class. Then, he cleared his throat and said with an ice-cold tone, “Good day. My name is Mr. Giles, and I am here to serve as your new schoolmaster.”
He then sat down at his desk, opened his ledger and proceeded to call out each of our names for attendance. I was the first, Hattie second. When he gazed up at Hattie, his eyes narrowed onto her, and he appeared somewhat perplexed. Then, he looked back down at his book and continued until John Mason reached from behind and around our bench and gave Hattie a painful pinch.
“Ouch!” Hattie yelped.
Mr. Giles stood abruptly, his face red with fury.
I bit my lower lip and sucked in my breath as the schoolmaster extended his long arm and pointed his thin finger at Hattie. “You there, come here.”
John snickered and the others giggled.
“SILENCE!” Mr. Giles hollered.
Everyone, even John, went still. Mr. Giles pulled out a switch and demanded that Hattie approach him. Hattie’s eyes grew wide, and she grabbed hold of my hand and squeezed it tight.
Without a thought, I stood to protect Hattie. I couldn’t bear to see her in trouble; I could never tolerate the sight of Hattie being punished.
“Sir, it was John Mason who pinched Hattie, and that caused her to cry out,” I explained. I kept my head high as I challenged his judgment. Hattie tugged my hand, indicating I should sit down.
“Is that so, Miss Arrington?” he said in a dry, cool manner. He slowly walked over to me, tapping the switch continuously in the palm of his hand, while Hattie continued to try to get me to sit.
“I see we have some rebels, some disrespectful pupils in my schoolhouse,” he began as he stopped before my bench. I sat back down and looked down to the floor, now very afraid.
“It was the Negro who shouted out,” John called out from where he sat behind us. “She ain’t even supposed to be in school. She is a slave!” The other children nodded in agreement.
“You boy . . . rise,” Mr. Giles commanded. John rose, kept his head straight, and refused to meet the teacher’s cold stare.
“I see what she is. And perhaps, since you are so fond of reaching out and touching the Negro girl, you should take her in your hand, proceed to the corner, and face the wall, FOR THE REST OF THE DAY!”
John didn’t flinch, his jaw tightened, and his hands clenched into fists. He gave Mr. Giles a sly smirk and said, “I ain’t touchin’ no Negro.”
In an instant, the schoolmaster cracked John across the face with the switch, sending him reeling back down into his place on the bench. Mr. Giles did an about face, sat back down at his desk, and continued taking the attendance as if he hadn’t an interruption.
Hattie remained shaken and ashamed, as she always was when the kids would say awful things to her. Hattie indeed was a Negro, but she lived exactly the same way as I did. We wore the same clothes and slept under the same roof. She even went by Daddy’s last name. Daddy, more than anything, wanted me to be happy, and if that meant giving me the closest thing to a sister by taking in Hattie as his own, he was willing to do so. Daddy’s unconventional ways, however, had a tendency to creep into his fine, structured world and to create more problems than he was sometimes ready to deal with.
Daddy received news of what happened at school from John Mason’s father. He was a distinguished but arrogant man, who had no fondness for Daddy. Hattie and I were just about to dress for bed when Daddy knocked on the door. Mammy had excused herself to see to lighting the lamps throughout the mansion.
“Girls, I need to have a word with you,” he said, standing near the tall windows. He briefly gazed outside before he drew the drapes in for the night.
Hattie and I sat on the edge of the bed and waited anxiously to hear Daddy’s predictable remarks about his unhappiness and concern over the unpleasant incident at school that very day.
“Mr. Mason informed me that you girls were disobedient to the schoolmaster.” Daddy’s tone was deep, and I could hear the doubt in his voice. He turned around, and we could see right away that he wasn’t looking for an explanation. Daddy came and knelt down on his knees before us, took hold of each of our hands, and with pleading eyes asked us to please do our best to overlook the tribulations that came with his agreement to allow Hattie and Mammy to become like members of our own family.
It became obvious as the years passed that what Daddy was doing was considered improper, and it was only a matter of time before things were due for a change. Life would soon begin to transform right before our very eyes.
~ ~ ~
~ Two ~
It was on a fine, mild December morning, right after Christmas services, that I noticed for the first time that Mammy was with child. Mammy had been in a corner, discreetly adjusting her skirt, when I noticed her protruding belly. She saw me staring and quickly adjusted the dress and gave Daddy a fleeting glance.
We were sitting in the parlor, waiting for Cordelia to bring in our afternoon tea and sandwiches. Hattie was not able to attend services, but was hurried up to bed as she was sick once again.
Daddy stood from his chair and excused himself for a moment and I watched him motion for Mammy to come take his place in the chair. With wide eyes, I stared at my mammy in wonder.
“I see you looking at me. You know I’m having a baby,” she began, taking hold of my hand and putting it on her belly.
I wasn’t certain if I wanted Mammy to have a baby. Hattie and I were her children, and if a new one came, sh
e wouldn’t have any time left for us. Mammy seemed to sense my worry and didn’t waste a moment to put my mind at ease. With affection and tenderness, she opened her arms for me to come into her embrace, and she hugged me close. “I will always love you, child.”
She placed a warm kiss on my cheek and looked over at Daddy. He stood tall and proud, his handsome face was flushed, and his joyful smile filled every corner of the enormous room.
I wasn’t certain Hattie was aware of the new baby due to come into our close family. If she did know, was she keeping it a secret from me, I wondered. Hattie and I swore never, ever, to keep secrets from one another. But if she believed it was for my own sake, would she do such a thing? Did Hattie sense how jealous I was and how much the thought of Mammy loving another child, other than her two best girls, left my heart aching? I asked myself.
That night, Hattie wasn’t well enough to return to our bedroom and was kept away. Without her to talk to, I was overwhelmed with the burden of worrying about the future and the evening before me.
Adding to my dismay, Mrs. Eugenia Norton arrived with her brother, Niles Montgomery and his wife, Catherine, along with Perry and Myrna Montgomery for our Christmas ball. Daddy invited the slaves to attend along with the guests at this formal party every year. Daddy gave every slave a gift, and the atmosphere was always jovial. However, this year, there was something about Mrs. Norton that left me less than cheerful. In fact, I was utterly miserable.
Daddy proceeded to greet her with a warm embrace, and his rosy lips lingered on her cheek an extra long time. She smiled, looking pleased, and slipped her arm through Daddy’s as they made their way into the grand ballroom. Mammy was up with Hattie; her fever had spiked, and was continuously pressing cool cloths on her head to keep her comfortable. Helen stayed near, just in case I was in need of anything. Abraham, Daddy’s personal servant and Helen’s husband, waited in the wings for the moment when Daddy should need his services.
The celebration was as grand as in any year past, and the slaves came dressed in their finest hand-sewn dresses and suits. Christmas was the only day they dressed near the same as Hattie and me and Daddy and Mammy. They were jolly and ebullient and filled very part of our grand ballroom.
I was gloomy because Hattie couldn’t join the party; I was lonely when she wasn’t beside me, to be my better half, to lift my spirits. And I was especially miserable because Daddy devoted all of his attention to Mrs. Norton.
I sat sulking away on one of the settees way back in the corner of the ballroom, watching them dance. Daddy was a fine dancer, and he gracefully twirled her around as if they were floating on clouds. With a delighted expression, he gently guided her across the gleaming marble floors and kept his strong hand pressed against the middle of her back, as her white-gloved hand rested in the other. Her lovely pale blue silk-overlaid ball gown flowed beneath her, and her eyes, which typically were icy and distant, sparkled with enchantment. Most woman seemed enchanted when they danced with my daddy.
As I watched them, perplexed as to how Daddy could want to give such undivided attention to such an unattractive woman as Mrs. Norton, Perry Montgomery came over to me, looked down with a pleasant smile, and extended his hand. “Young lady, will you give me the honor of this dance?”
I hesitated at first, and then as I gazed up at him it occurred to me that he was the only one who wanted to dance with me - Daddy had no interest.
“Certainly, Mr. Montgomery,” I replied, and allowed him to lift me off the settee and into his cordial embrace.
I was the same age as one of his four daughters. The girls stayed close by their mother as she sat looking huge and uncomfortable, her new baby due at any moment. I wondered why Perry Montgomery was interested in dancing with me instead of his own girls.
He whirled me around as we danced amongst the hundred or so guests. I had always thought Perry Montgomery was one of the most handsome men in Georgia, besides Daddy, of course. His hair was black, and his eyes almost the same color. His skin was always tinted brown from the hot Savannah sun. He had high cheekbones and a firm jaw, covered with a thick beard. From the moment I met him, I remembered being enamored of his handsome looks and profuse southern charm.
“Thank you, Miss Arrington. It was a pleasure to dance with you,” he said after the music had ended and after placing a lingering kiss on the back of my hand.
I could feel the heat of my blush cover my neck and face, and as I flicked my eyes away he continued staring at me. Then, before he left to return to where his homely wife sat, he leaned down and whispered into my ear, “You are indeed the most beautiful thing I have ever laid eyes on,” and walked away.
I hurried past the crowds of people, flew up the grand staircase and ran all the way to my room. I couldn’t get to my armoire fast enough to pull out my personal book I always kept hidden. It was where I wrote down all of my intimate secrets, things I couldn’t even begin to reveal to Hattie. I wrote of passion and desire, the things that made my heart race, and the feelings that reminded me how I wanted nothing more than to someday marry a man just as handsome and divine as Perry Montgomery.
Not long after, Helen came looking for me. I had fallen asleep in my bed, with my book in hand.
“Miss Amelia, your daddy gone lookin’ for you,” she said, as she gently shook me awake. “Come now, you best git downstairs.”
Helen adjusted my skirt, quickly fixed the long ringlets in my hair, and hurried me back to the ball. I had only been asleep for an hour, but Daddy was not pleased.
He was waiting for my return, and took me aside into a dark corner so no one would overhear his reprimand. No one, that is, except Mrs. Norton. Daddy took a long breath after glancing her way and receiving a sharp nod from her.
“You shouldn’t go off without my permission, Amelia.”
Daddy stood towering over me, and I strained my neck to stare up at him. His tone was harsh and I cringed at his unhappy expression. Daddy had rarely been displeased with me, and never before did I have to ask permission to do as I pleased. I didn’t understand.
“But, Daddy, I just went up to my room for a while,” I said in a whiney voice, laced with a comfortable southern accent.
“Why does she speak like that? She is English!” Mrs. Norton spat from where she stood with her lean arms folded over her large bosom.
“Speak like what?” I asked.
“Go back to the ball,” Daddy ordered uncomfortably. “And next time, make certain to ask permission before you retreat to your room.”
A discreet, contemptuous smile came to Mrs. Norton.
“Yes, Daddy,” I replied, and after being excused, I sulked back into the ballroom.
I found my place back on the settee. My eyes followed Daddy as he and Mrs. Norton politely conversed with our guests. I would have sought out Mr. Montgomery, but he had taken his wife home, where I learned the next day she had given birth to another daughter.
As the evening wore on, I grew bored and sleepy. Helen came to escort me off to bed. Daddy noticed us slipping out of the ballroom and sauntered over.
Daddy’s eyes had a familiar sparkle in them that I instantly noticed, and my heart skipped a beat as he took hold of me. “I’ll see Amelia to bed,” he told Helen, and he whisked off with me.
When he had me tucked in, Daddy knelt beside my bed and took hold of my hands. I believed he was there to apologize for being so harsh with me, for scolding me. I anticipated him confessing that he had lost his senses, and that the wicked Mrs. Norton must have cast an evil spell upon him to make him dislike me for even one moment.
“Amelia, my sweet girl…” he began in a soft, lighthearted voice.” I have some wonderful news for you.”
I slid closer to him and grasped his hands and waited with wide-eyed anticipation, holding my breath for the wonderful news he was about to divulge. Instead of a simple apology, he had something wonderful to share with me.
“After so long, after so many years, I have found love again. You will no long
er be without a mummy.”
“Found love? What do you mean? Have you not loved Mammy all along? Does this mean you will marry her and make her my mummy?” I sat up and cried with delight. Oh, just the thought of having Mammy as my real mother made me so happy. It was a Christmas wish come true.
“And Hattie will be a real sister to me! I am so happy!” I threw myself into Daddy’s arms and began to smother him with dozens of kisses until I sensed his uneasiness. His subtle shudder made me pull away and stare into his troubled blue eyes.
“It is not Mammy whom I plan to marry. It is Mrs. Norton I have fallen in love with,” he confessed and almost shamefully swung his eyes away.
With a heavy lump forming in my throat, I cupped his face in my hands and made him look at me. “Tell me you are playing an awful joke on me, Daddy,” I implored.
He lowered my hands and smiled. It was a weary smile.
“We are leaving for England tomorrow. We will marry there and return by spring. She has two girls who will be your sisters - Beatrice and Violet.”
Daddy spoke matter-of-factly and turned away.
“I thought you loved Mammy. If you truly loved me, you wouldn’t marry Mrs. Norton. You told me I would always come first, that you would never do anything to hurt me!”
“You must try and understand,” he pleaded.
“I don’t understand!”
He came and brought me into his embrace.
“I don’t love Mrs. Norton the way I love you. You are my daughter and will always have a special place in my heart. Mrs. Norton is one who will make a suitable wife for me.”
I lifted my face and peeked up at him. Daddy was crying, and his eyes were pleading with me to understand his plight.
“You don’t love me!” I huffed and pulled away from him.
He went to reach for me, to pull me back and shower me with the kind of love and affection only he could give me, when suddenly he stood up awkwardly. Mrs. Norton stood in the doorway.
Box Set: The ArringtonTrilogy Page 2