“Nothing. I’m sorry.” Kate wiped the tears from her face with the hem of her gray cotton dress. “What do you need?”
“I don’t need a thing. I was looking for you. Now tell me why you’ve been crying.”
Father had purchased Kate from a traveling salesman a couple of years prior. Kate never talked of her past, and Prudence wasn’t sure she wanted to hear about it either. Servants weren’t always treated well, and slaves were treated worse. Kate wasn’t a slave, but Father paid her no wages, and she had no freedom to up and leave. Father called her a bond servant, saying that once she worked off the price of her bond, she would be free to go. But he’d never said what that debt was—not that he ever had a mind to discuss private financial matters with the women in the family. Mother preferred it that way. Prudence, on the other hand, wanted to know. She’d listen in the shadows, overhearing Father’s business deals. Many times he’d make a profit. But Prudence knew her interest was foolishness. No woman was allowed a place in business, no matter how quickly she could calculate the figures.
She’d snuck into her father’s office more than once to try to find the papers regarding Kate, but she never came up with any. If only there was something she could do for this poor woman.
“No, Miss Prudence. Pay me no never mind.”
Prudence reached out and held her friend. “Please tell me.”
“Your father is thinking of selling my bond.”
“No. You’ll never pay off your bond if he sells you.”
“I know, but I don’t care. I’ve nothing to live for. I’m useless to anyone but to fix their meals and clean their house. I’ll never be free to marry. I’ve been beaten since I was ten and my brother ran away. Mother used to beat him. Once he was gone, she started on me. Then one day she came home and said she’d sold me to a man, and I was to keep my mouth shut and do what the man asked and not say a word about it.”
“I’m so sorry.” Prudence didn’t have to ask what Kate would have been forced to do.
“Ain’t your fault. This be the best house I’ve been in, in six years.”
“I’ve got to do something. Father can’t sell your bond to another. Perhaps he’ll let me pay for it.”
Kate’s freckled face looked straight at her. “You have money?”
“No, but I know where I can get some. I’d have to disguise myself as a man, but I think I could pull it off. I know how men deal with business.”
“Miss Prudence, that be too dangerous, and your pa wouldn’t permit it.”
It was true. He wouldn’t. But she’d have to do something. God, help me to help Kate. She needs to know she has value. It isn’t her fault she’s been thrown into a life of servitude.
“Trust me, Kate. God will help me and help you.”
“God doesn’t like someone like me.”
“Oh, fiddlesticks. He likes you just fine. You’re a good woman, Kate. You’ve been my friend and confidant for two years. I’m indebted to you. I promise with all that I am, I’ll do whatever it takes to release you from this bondage.”
Prudence wrapped the frail woman in her arms. Kate ate little and she slept even less. Her pale skin seemed a tinge gray in recent days. If God didn’t do something soon, she’d probably spend her whole life in bondage—and that wasn’t a way for anyone to live or die. “I love you, Kate.”
Fresh sobs raked over the worn and weak body of her friend. Kate was only seventeen years old, but she looked closer to thirty. Prudence shuddered to think what had happened to her before coming to live here. Kate would flinch at the slightest movement back then, nearly jumping a couple inches off the floor when anyone spoke to her. She’d clearly been abused by someone who’d owned her bond.
“You said you have a brother?” Perhaps she could try to find him.
Kate nodded and smiled. “He’s four years older than me. He left home a year after Pa died. Ma beat him bad … broke his arm and jaw one night. After he healed, he ran. He told me I’d be fine because Ma liked me and had never struck me. But he didn’t know I’d be the closest target.”
“I’m sorry. What’s his name? Perhaps I could find him.”
“Urias. But I think he’s dead.” Kate turned and held her knees to her chest once again.
Prudence’s hopes for finding Kate’s brother were quickly dashed. It was up to her. Kate had no one else in this world. Father God, how can I help? she prayed.
Five days later, Urias rode into Hardshell, Kentucky, and up to the only church in thirty miles. It was the same church where he and his family had attended the Association gathering three years before when he’d heard Katherine’s name. The church was a log building covered with boards. He stepped inside onto the puncheon floor, the split logs smooth from use. At the moment, only the parson occupied the rectangular space where fence rails substituted for seats. It wasn’t much compared to the church he and his family attended back in Jamestown, but it would stand the test of time, Urias reasoned.
“Parson Duff.” Urias extended his hand.
The older man reached out his beefy hands, grasped Urias by his upper arms, and held them as though Urias were an old friend. “And how do I know you, son?”
“My family and I came to the Association back in ’37. I don’t reckon you would remember me. My name’s Urias O’Leary. My parents are Mr. and Mrs. Nash MacKenneth from Jamestown,” he said as Parson Duff released Urias’s arms, then took his right hand.
The parson stood a couple inches shorter than Urias, but his presence seemed larger. A far-off look gathered in the man’s eye, and a smile spread across his broad lips. “There were several folk out to the Association. Grand time, grand time. The Lord be praised.” Parson Duff released Urias’s hand and looked him straight in the eye. “What is it I can do for you, son?”
“I’m looking for my sister. I’ve spent the past three years searching these hills, with no luck.”
“And who might your sister be?”
“Her name is Katherine. Katherine O’Leary, unless she married. She’s only seventeen, but in the hills—”
“The girls can be married at thirteen.” Parson Duff finished his sentence.
Urias nodded. If Katherine was happily married, he’d stop worrying. But the growing sense of urgency to find her this year had made him wonder if she might actually be in danger.
“Come with me outside, son.” Parson Duff led him out the front door of the church. “Can you describe her for me?”
“Apart from her having hair the same color as mine, we share the same green eyes. I don’t know what she looks like beyond that. I left home seven years ago when I was fourteen. She was ten at the time.”
The parson walked him over to his horse. “Fine animal.”
“Thank you.”
“Urias, there’s a family over toward that there hollow whose son came for a good, long visit. Fine young man by the name of Shelton Greene. His father is a bit concerned about him. Now it ain’t my place to say what Shelton is sufferin’ from, but he did mention a gal named Kate with red hair and green eyes. I reckon if you go and see him, he could tell you if this Kate is your sister.”
Urias’s heart leapt for joy. Could it be this easy? Could he have found her on his first day? Every time in the past when he’d come to the church, the parson had not been around. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” Urias jumped up on his horse and grasped the reins. He stopped for a moment. “Where can I find this man?”
Parson Duff chuckled and gave him simple directions. An hour later, he’d met up with Shelton Greene.
“You say you’re Kate’s brother?” Shelton asked.
“I don’t know. But I’d like to meet her. Is she here?”
The young man—all of sixteen he’d guess—looked down at his feet. “No. Kate is a bond servant to my father.”
“A bond servant?”
“My father bought her two years ago. She has to work for him until her debt is paid in full.”
“And how much does she owe your
father?” Urias couldn’t believe his sister had become a bond servant.
“Don’t know. Father keeps his business dealings close to his chest. If you don’t mind me asking, can you afford to buy her bond?”
No matter what the price, if it was his sister, he’d pay it. How could this have happened? Poor Katherine. He should have tried harder to find her years ago. Dad would have helped him. “I’ll find a way.”
Shelton gave him directions to Hazel Green and the Greene plantation. “Thank you. I’m much obliged.”
Urias mounted his horse. Had Mother been worse on Katherine? Dear God, please let this woman be her. And enable me to negotiate with her owner.
He could spend the winter trapping. Perhaps that would bring in enough. Urias gave the horse a gentle prod with his heels. “Yah!” he ordered.
The winter would mean more months his sister would have to remain in another person’s possession. Urias shuddered at the thought. No man should own another. Urias set his jaw. His nostrils flared. He couldn’t get to Hazel Green fast enough. “Yah!” He snapped his whip above the horse’s head.
Chapter 2
Prudence spent the better part of the night working on possible ways to purchase Kate’s bond. The greater problem would be to convince Father to let her buy it. His way of thinking, that women do not belong in business, was totally without merit in Prudence’s opinion. But alas, the entire world seemed to feel that way. Prudence had never fit. Today was no exception.
She tapped on the oak door to his office. “Father,” she called.
“Prudence.” He beamed as he opened the door.
That’s a good sign. Prudence took a step into the inner sanctum of his domain. “I wish to speak with you on a matter of importance, if you can spare a moment.”
“For you, my darling, anything.”
Her heart beat wildly. “I’d like to speak with you on a business matter.”
Hiram Greene instantly sobered. “Daughter, when are you going to accept the fact that business is not a matter to worry your precious little head over?”
“This is precious to me. It regards Kate. I wish to purchase her bond.”
“Nonsense. She works for us presently. There is no need for you to purchase her.”
“But Father, I want to give Kate her freedom.”
“Child, she’ll have her freedom when she pays off her bond.”
“When will that be?”
He looked down at his desk and started to fiddle with some papers. “These matters are hard to understand. Trust me; I shall deal fairly with her debt.”
“Is selling her, when her debt is nearly paid off, fair to her?” Prudence challenged.
Her father’s face brightened with a shade of red she’d rarely seen. “I will not have you questioning my decisions. You must stop this meddling in men’s affairs. I’ll never find an appropriate suitor for you if you keep this up. Now, go discuss this with your mother. Perhaps she can put some common sense into you.”
Prudence stomped out of her father’s office, balling her hands into fists. If she didn’t hold her tongue, Kate’s debt could be worsened. She probably should have talked with her mother to begin with. Mother could persuade Father to do some things. Precious few, Prudence admitted. “Mother,” she called.
“In my sewing room, Pru,” she answered.
Their thirty-minute conversation proved fruitless as well. Why couldn’t she get her parents to see reason in this matter? And how could Kate know when her debt was paid if she didn’t know how much it was? Father had been less than honest in some of his business deals. Prudence had seen the paperwork. But challenging him on this had been a huge mistake.
She left her mother’s sewing room and sat on the front porch. The deep golds, yellows, and reds of the autumn leaves painted a gay feeling—unlike her own frustration.
A rider came up the road to the house. He sat tall in his saddle. Without getting off of his horse, he stopped and asked, “Would this be Hiram Greene’s home?”
“Yes sir. May I help you?”
“I need to speak with him on a business matter.”
The tall stranger dismounted. Prudence got her first glimpse of the man. He had red hair, freckles … “May I say who’s calling?”
Kate was walking toward the front porch, her head down.
“Urias O’Leary.”
“Urias?” Kate squealed and Prudence questioned.
Urias turned to the voice behind him. “Katherine?” He ran to her and swept her into his arms. “It is you.” A lump the size of the Kentucky hills stuck in his throat. Tears filled Katherine’s green eyes. He held her close, hugging her tightly. “I’ve been looking for you for years. I’m so sorry. How are you? Are you all right? Where have you been?”
Katherine pushed herself from his arms and looked down at the ground. “I’m a servant of Mr. Greene’s.”
“I’ve come to get you, Katherine. I won’t take no for an answer.” He could feel the heat of his temper begin to rise. He slowly counted his blessings. One, I’ve found Katherine. Thank You, Lord. Two, she’s alive and safe. Thank You, Lord. Three … “I can’t believe I’ve found you.”
“Nor I,” Katherine replied through a halfhearted smile.
He thought she’d be more excited to see him. He turned back to the lady of the house. “May I speak with Mr. Greene?” he asked.
“I’ll let him know you are here.”
The brown-haired, petite lady scurried into the house. Urias turned his attention back to his sister and asked, “Did Mother sell you?”
She nodded yes.
“Katherine.” He lifted her chin with his forefinger. “I’m sorry I took so long. I went back the following year, but you and Mother had moved. I’ve been looking for you ever since. What happened?”
“My daughter says you are Kate’s brother.” Hiram Greene stood all of five feet five inches, if Urias was any judge of a man’s height. At six feet, he would easily tower over the older gentleman, but Mr. Greene stood on the top step and Urias remained on the ground with a half dozen steps between them.
“Yes sir. May I take her home with me?”
“Now, Mister …?”
“O’Leary,” Urias supplied.
“Mr. O’Leary, I’m a businessman, and I can’t be letting my help run off with any man that comes along. How can you prove to me she is your sister?”
Is the man blind? We both have the same hair and eye color and obviously have similar features. “You have my word.”
Hiram Greene chuckled. “Come into my office, son. Let’s see what we can work out.”
Urias gave a parting glance to his sister, then followed the man into his two-story mansion. The front room opened into an entryway larger than the living room in his parents’ spacious farmhouse. Urias wondered how long he’d have to work before he could earn enough to purchase his sister’s freedom. It was apparent, without Hiram Greene saying a word, he would not simply hand her over. And he would be far less likely to release her with nothing more than Urias’s promise to pay off her debt. But Urias determined to plead his case.
“Mr. Greene,” Urias began upon entering the gentleman’s office.
“Mr. O’Leary,” Hiram Greene interrupted. “Please take a seat. May I call you Urias?”
Urias nodded.
“Fine, fine. Urias, I’m not above selling Kate’s bond.”
“Sir, if I may be so bold, I have little funds with me. But I can give you my word I will return to my home and come back with the appropriate funds. How much is my sister’s bond?”
“Now, now, before we talk figures, I would need to calculate how much it is. As to the matter of your leaving and returning, that will be fine. But your sister will remain with us until the debt is paid.”
Urias thought for a moment. If she’d been with the family for two years, what would be the problem?
“However, I must tell you, I’ve had another offer to purchase Kate’s bond.”
“What? Y
ou can’t sell her. She’s my sister.” Urias knew he should keep his anger in check, but there were some things a man just couldn’t stomach, and ever since hearing of his sister being sold into servitude, it had been souring something terrible.
“I’m a reasonable man, Mr. O’Leary, but the hour is late, and I’d need something more than your word of your return to consider your offer over that of another.”
Urias suspected the man was just trying to up his price. “How much?”
Prudence leaned closer to the back wall of the coat closet. Sequestered in her hiding place, she could hear just about everything that went on in her father’s business negotiations. Urias O’Leary was not pleased to see his sister in such a condition and, for that matter, neither was Prudence. Something had changed over the past couple of months with Kate—she seemed more despondent. At this time last year, she had sported a healthy tan. Now Kate’s coloring was pasty, at best.
“Five hundred dollars,” her father replied to Urias’s third request to know just exactly how much would be needed to meet his sister’s bond.
“Five hundred dollars?” Urias reached into his pocket. “I have twenty.”
Her father let out a wicked laugh.
“A hundred and a fine steed. Would you take it and let me return with the rest?” Urias pushed.
She could just see her father rubbing his chin as he always did, sitting back in his chair behind the desk. “If I take your horse, how long would it take you to return?”
“It was five days on horseback, so possibly a month.”
“Fine, a month and five hundred dollars, and you’ll be able to purchase your sister’s indebtedness. The horse stays here as collateral. The sun is setting, Urias. Have dinner with us, and you may spend the night in the barn.”
“Thank you, but I won’t impose.”
Prudence leaned against the back wall. Five hundred dollars! No wonder Father wouldn’t let me pay the debt.
“May I visit with my sister?”
“After her chores are finished, which will be after our dinner is served and she’s cleaned up the dishes. You’re welcome to have dinner with us.”
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