Wellington Cross (Wellington Cross Series)

by Lane, Cheryl

  I could also start an herb garden out there next to the laundry house. Some lavender would be good for adding to the clothes to make them smell fresh. I’d have to ask Clarissa for some of that, as well. Perhaps Jonas would go to the marketplace with me so that we could trade something for some other herbs and seeds. If I was successful, I could take it to market and sell it for profit. I didn’t think Jonas should have to take care of me, and I certainly wasn’t going to depend on Ethan to take care of me when he was married to Elizabeth. I needed to do something for myself. I could also make more cotton blankets if Clarissa could give me some of their cotton, and I could give them a portion of the profits I made.

  Jonas could use a housekeeper around here, too. I could clean the house for him and cook. I could learn a few things from Cora since she was close by. I had not cooked that much in the past, neither with my mother because we had slaves up until the war, nor at the Washington’s, for they had Cora. Instead I had cleaned house and worked outside in the gardens and fields. I did learn how to make corn cakes during the war, but man could not live on corn cakes alone.

  Jonas and I lost all our slaves during the war at Emancipation, which was after our mother died and Clarissa came here with Fanny. Rumor was that the slaves left and joined a commune of other ex-slaves down in the Great Dismal Swamp. Jonas had been back from the war for a year, and yet he still didn’t have anybody helping him out here on this plantation. No servants, no hired help. I didn’t know how he was making it on his own. Consequently, the house was not in as good shape as Wellington was, where there was more help.

  I asked him about it over breakfast. I produced some boiled eggs Cora had given me in a basket before leaving Wellington Cross, along with some Sally Lunn bread, a jar of strawberry jam, and some blackberries. The blackberries brought back memories of Ethan when he told me his decision to stay with Elizabeth, but I would have to get over that. I couldn’t avoid blackberries forever.

  “Well, now that you mention it,” Jonas said, after I’d asked him about getting help. “I was planning to hire some help. I normally have hired help during harvest time anyway. In fact, I had already planned to drive up to the Court House and put up a post for help wanted for the fall. We could probably use a housemaid, as well, huh? You don’t want to do all the housework around here, do you? You’ll be taking care of Lillie.”

  “I can manage myself for now. You can hire the help you need for the field work, and if we feel like we need a housemaid later on, we can hire one.” I also asked him about the grapes and about adding flowers and herbs.

  “There are a few grapes left, but nothing like what it used to be,” he said. “I haven’t had time for any of that. You’re certainly welcome to do those things. I did start a small garden of vegetables on the other side of the grapes, and I reinforced the root cellar over near the pump house to store vegetables and such. I haven’t had the resources for ice, so the ice house has been empty. There’s really nothing in the storage house, either, as I haven’t replaced what was destroyed during the war. What little bit of farm equipment I have left is out in the stable. I haven’t come by any pigs to use in the smokehouse, either. I honestly haven’t used half the buildings since coming back from the war, actually since you left home. I barely even eat or wash my clothes. I usually take my clothes down to the river rather than using that laundry house. I know it’s perhaps not the most decent way of cleaning them.”

  “No wonder you don’t have yourself a girl,” I teased. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of them for you from now on.”

  “That’s an awful lot to take on, Madeline. Are you sure you’re up to it?”

  “I have to have something to do around here, Jonas, or else I’ll go crazy thinking about Ethan.”

  “I understand. Speaking of Ethan, before you appeared on the doorstep last evening, I was going to ask you and Ethan if you wanted to go down to the Court House with me today so you could sign those papers declaring that you are indeed alive, like you had wanted me to. I know the reason for this has changed, but you still need to get that done.”

  “You’re right. I do need to get that done.” For myself, not for Ethan. “We won’t need Ethan to go to the Court House, too, will we?”

  “I’m afraid so, since he was the one who declared you dead.”

  We got ready and drove the carriage down to Wellington to see if Ethan would be able to join us. Jonas went inside while I waited in the carriage. Clarissa came out with Lillie to say hello. Seeing Lillie’s cherub face again was soothing to my soul. I held her and told Clarissa what I was going to be doing, that I may not be able to take Lillie today because of having to travel to the Court House.

  Ethan was dressed as though he had been out in the fields, no stock and no waist coat. I tried not to look at his bare neck at the open collar of his thin white shirt or think about kissing it, but failed. His eyes were on me in a heartbeat, and I felt my heart beat faster, despite my determination not to reveal that I was actually happy to see him.

  He agreed to go with us to the Court House and quickly went inside to change. I continued to hold Lillie and talk to Clarissa and Jonas while waiting. Clarissa said she was happy that Jonas was finally getting some needed help at the plantation, after we told her our other plans for the morning.

  “You’ve been over there by yourself for too long, Jonas,” Clarissa said.

  “Yes, ma’am, you’re right. I’m happy to have Madeline with me to help get it all organized and fixed up.”

  Ethan came out shortly looking as handsome as ever, and I handed Lillie back to Clarissa as the three of us headed out. Ethan sat in the back seat with me while Jonas sat in the front and drove the horses. I was hesitant about sitting next to Ethan and wished he had chosen to sit up front with Jonas or that I had, but since I had already been sitting in the back when Ethan sat next to me, it would have been rude for me to move to the front seat.

  It felt awkward to be so close to him after all we’d been through yesterday. It felt too soon, my heart felt raw and vulnerable, but I didn’t have a choice. Getting declared that I was alive needed to be done, and Ethan had to be there. I was lucky Elizabeth didn’t invent a reason for him not to go today.

  I thought I may as well try to make amends with him, so I was the first to break the silence. “I’m sorry I was so harsh yesterday before leaving. I didn’t mean what I said about Jefferson. He means nothing to me. It was a childish thing to say in anger.”

  I knew Jonas would probably hear our whole conversation, as he was right in front of us, but that couldn’t be helped. I needed to talk to Ethan.

  Ethan smiled lightly. “I accept your apology. I do admit it perplexed me for quite some time after you left, as to whether you meant it or not. I understand your anger and disappointment.”

  “Thank you. I promise to try and be more civil,” I said, returning his smile. I turned away from him to look out the window. The less I looked at him, the less it would hurt, I thought. Although, I had noticed that he had dark circles under his eyes and looked tired. I wondered if he slept much last night and almost felt guilty that I was able to sleep, that I had come to some resolve about our situation, enough to be able to sleep, when obviously he hadn’t.

  We were silent for a moment. I told him about wanting to redo the grapes on the arbor as well as plant some flowers. “Would it possible for me to have some cuttings of the roses and lilies from Wellington?”

  “Flowers are really mother’s area of expertise, but I shall be happy to ask her. I’m sure she won’t mind sharing with you.”

  “I want to teach Lillie Rose how to garden and about nature so we can spend time out there. Remember how we used to play under the grape arbor? I think she would enjoy that, as well.”

  “Yes, I remember. It was beautiful. That all sounds nice.” He looked at me longingly. I wondered if he remembered our first kiss was there under the grape arbor. If not, surely he’d remember that he proposed to me there. I had to look away again.r />
  We were silent again. I was having a hard time keeping my eyes off of him. We’d only been apart for half a day, but it felt like forever since I was in his arms. I had to stop thinking about him in that way. He wasn’t mine anymore.

  In a short time, we were at Charles City County Court House where we all signed some papers, and I was declared being alive and well again. That’s when I realized, and the judge made clear, that our marriage had already ended when I was first declared dead, and since Ethan was married to Elizabeth, my marriage to him was null and void. It was like going to a funeral. My heart felt dead inside.

  While Ethan was there, he had the papers torn up of his annulment process that he had begun with Elizabeth since he was staying married to her. If Elizabeth knew he was going to do that at the Court House today, then perhaps that was the reason she approved of him accompanying us.

  Once we were all done inside, Jonas posted his notice outside about needing help at Magnolia Grove, and we headed back up the road.

  Since the Court House jaunt only took up the morning, once we got close to Wellington, I asked Ethan if I could take Lillie to my house for the afternoon. He agreed, and so we went to Wellington, and Clarissa brought Lillie out to me along with her favorite noise maker, and a bag of essentials. Ethan asked if he could come later to get Lillie.

  “No, please don’t,” I said, not looking at him. It had been nice to spend time with him that morning, but I didn’t think my heart could take much more. I knew I couldn’t take looking at him every day without my heart breaking again and again. “Have your mother come.” I looked up to his pained expression, but he nodded in agreement.

  Jonas and I took Lillie to Magnolia Grove, and I sat in the rocker with her on the porch overlooking the river for a while. The afternoon was warming up quickly, so when beads of sweat soaked Lillie’s little dress, I took her over to the kitchen house and got some leftover ham, strawberries and bread. I then found a blanket to take outside under the cool tall 200-year-old willow oak tree to have a picnic with Lillie using a flat-topped boulder as a table. I’d had many picnics here when I was younger, even with Ethan. It was located close to the water, so there was an occasional nice breeze.

  After our picnic, I carried Lillie around the plantation, over behind the laundry house to find the grape arbor. The arbor was almost non-existent, fallen down, and there were only a few grape vines growing across the weeds on the ground. There were weeds everywhere, including honeysuckle. Its heady scent was intoxicating, but I would have to cut that down or else plant it somewhere else to enjoy the scent. It would take a lot of time to get the grapes back in order. That was something I had a lot of…time.

  I put the blanket on top of the grass and let Lillie crawl around on that while I began planning how to restore the arbor as well as where to plant flowers and herbs. Lillie was very curious about the grass, bugs, and acorns she saw. I had to watch that she didn’t stick any of it into her mouth. A bunny scurried across our path, and Lillie squealed in delight, unfortunately scaring the fuzzy animal off. She tried to follow it, but I distracted her with a grasshopper instead. Ethan and I used to pick up grasshoppers and put them in a jar to watch them rub their legs together and make noises. We would always let them go. Fireflies were another fun thing to catch at dusk, and we’d have a jar full of glowing lights before we released them. It was a beautiful site to see, letting all those lights fly up into the night together.

  There I went, thinking about Ethan again. I guessed it would be hard to put him out of my mind for quite some time, since we grew up together and had so much history together.

  As the temperature rose further, we went inside, and I carried her upstairs, wondering where she could take naps while she stayed with me in the afternoons. I needed a baby bed for her in one corner of my room, and then I could watch her while I sewed or knitted. I would have to search the house for baby beds; I couldn’t remember mother keeping any, but I could always check the cellar. I knew there was none in the attic, since I’d been up there already to get my birth record.

  Lillie was getting sleepy, and I raised all the windows up in my bedchamber and opened the balcony door, feeling a warm breeze circulating. With no baby bed to lay her in, I took her to my bed and lay on it with her, making sure to stay awake and watch that she did not fall off the bed. I really needed a baby bed. I gathered pillows and blankets all around her. She nestled up next to me and slept while I read Wuthering Heights, another book I had saved from the war that didn’t get burned up for firewood.

  After her nap, I took her downstairs to the cellar to look for a baby bed. I was unsuccessful, but I did find some old toys, including a baby doll that Lillie liked. I would have to clean that up a bit before she stuck her mouth on it.

  We played and had “afternoon tea” in the back parlor until Clarissa came to get her. It was sad to see her go; she had been great company to me and successful in keeping my mind off of Ethan, for the most part. I asked Clarissa if they had an extra baby bed, and she promised to look. I didn’t have too much hope, though, since we had to burn so many things during the war, and we’d had just the one baby bed when Lillie was born. Pretty soon, they would be looking for another bed over there anyway, for Elizabeth’s newest addition.

  Chapter 19

  The Tenant Farmer

  Jonas had spent the afternoon working on repairing the stables and grooming the horses after the morning jaunt. He was still out there as I began preparing the evening meal in the kitchen house. The day had warmed up, and the kitchen house was hot from the ongoing fire for cooking, so I opened all the windows and doors. While washing vegetables in a bowl of water by one of the windows, I looked out and saw a man off in the distance walking by the corn plants towards the manor. Who would be coming from that direction? My first thought was of Ethan, though I knew it wouldn’t be him.

  My next thought was of Jefferson, and I felt a sudden dread. I hadn’t seen him since the day he tried to shoot me. He did come here with Ethan the night we escaped the Yankees and went to Edgewood, so he knew where I lived. That was very disturbing. I did not want to see him again. I was still very angry at him for all the lies he told. Of course, he did still have my wedding ring, which I would love to have back. I’d have to think of something I could give him in exchange for the ring, but what? I began drying the vegetables and trying to think of how I could get that ring back, when I saw the man walk past the kitchen house and approach the carriage-front door of the manor. Moments later, I heard a series of knocks on the front kitchen door.

  I slowly walked to the door, braced myself, and looked outside the open door. There stood a tall handsome man with brown hair, long sideburns, and a long scruffy beard. It was not Jefferson, for which I was relieved. He quickly took his hat off and bowed politely to me, revealing deep blue eyes. I was embarrassed to be wearing an old dirty work dress and no crinoline. I tried to dust off my dress a bit.

  “Begging your pardon, miss. I was looking for work and stumbled upon this manor. Would the master of the house be available?” He looked a little disheveled but was fully dressed like a gentleman, wearing a frock coat and trousers that looked old and worn, as well as boots. He was carrying a beat-up haversack, so he must’ve been in the war.

  “Of course,” I answered him. “My brother is in the stable over yonder,” I said pointing to my left, on the other side of the store house and smoke house. I walked him over there.

  “Jonas, this gentleman is looking for work.”

  The men shook hands, and the gentleman introduced himself as William Brown.

  “Come on in the house, and we will discuss things,” Jonas said, laying his hammer down and wiping his brow of perspiration. I followed them to the manor, where Jonas led Mr. Brown into his study. I lingered outside the room, remembering how Ethan had allowed me to sit in the interview with Cyrus. Before I could wonder what Jonas wanted me to do, he walked over to the sideboard where he began to pour two glasses of Madeira, and then addressed
me. “Could you bring us some sustenance, please, Madeline?”

  I nodded and left the manor to find something for them to eat from the kitchen. I was a little perturbed, feeling that he was treating me like a scullery maid, but being the lady of the manor now, I supposed it was my duty to be hospitable and serve guests with a little nourishment, especially for one who had been traveling on foot for possibly a great distance. So many souls wandered here and there after the war, looking for a new lot in life.

  I placed some hard cheese and bread on a platter, and carried them back over to the manor. As I reentered the room, the two men were seated facing each other, a large round table between them, talking quietly. I placed the platter in the middle of the table, as Mr. Brown looked up at me and smiled.

  “Thank you,” he said. I returned his smile and then looked at Jonas for further instructions.

  “Yes, thank you,” he said absently; then he continued addressing Mr. Brown, ignoring me altogether. I was once again perturbed and left the room, marching back out in the hot sun to the kitchen to finish my preparations for dinner.

  Jonas came by the kitchen an hour later and asked me to clean a room in the bachelor’s quarters for the gentleman. “I’m going to hire him as a tenant farmer instead of just helping out around harvest. He’ll be started on a trial basis, see how it works out. Eventually, I will let him live on a small piece of land, but until he can build himself a cabin, he needs a place to sleep away from the manor.”

  I agreed to clean a room, but I addressed him concerning the way he treated me earlier. “I don’t appreciate being treated as a housemaid, and next time I would like to be properly introduced.”