by Every, Donna
When the house slaves heard that they were to move out of their huts and into the house there was much rejoicing, never mind that the rooms that were to be given to them were by no means large and would have to be cleaned out. Just to be under a roof that was not made of plantain leaves and to have a floor under their feet that was not dirt was pure luxury for them.
Sarah and Deborah were to share a room at the end of the hallway that was being used as a store room, while the others were to share a larger room near to the door that led to the kitchen. When Sarah had lived inside the house, she had a room just off the nursery, before the mistress ordered her to move into a hut in the yard when she was no longer needed as a nanny. She had never complained to the master and he didn’t seem to realize that she was no longer in the house. The only time he saw her was in his room anyway.
The room they were to occupy was not as big or as nice as the one upstairs but it was an improvement on the hut they lived in and it had a sizeable window which overlooked the drying yard and was breezy.
“Isn’t it strange that we are to move back into the house after all these years?” Deborah remarked to her mother. “I wonder if it has anything to do with Master Richard’s visit to our hut?” she mused.
“You think he said something to shame the master about how we were living?”
“If he said anything, I don’t think he would have said it in a way to shame the master, but he may have pointed out the benefits of having us under the same roof.”
“All I know is that I am glad to be living in the big house again so that we won’t have to run through the rain to do our work and I won’t have to leave you in the hut alone at night when the master calls for me.”
Deborah didn’t even realize that her mother had worried about that since she had never felt unsafe in the hut. Nevertheless she much preferred to be living in the house, even if it put her in closer proximity to Master Richard.
Jethro was given orders to make simple cots for them and Sarah was to make mattresses to fit them which she would stuff with cotton that was not good enough to sell. Although far from luxurious, the beds would be a welcome change from the pallets that they slept on.
Deborah reflected on how Richard’s presence was changing their lives, and she had to admit for the better. She had no idea how much more hers was about to change because of him.
Richard’s conversation with his uncle about buying Deborah dug in like a stubborn mule and refused to leave his head. Questions kept him awake at night. Should he buy Deborah? Would she resent him if he did? She had told him more than once that she did not want to be owned by anyone, especially him. Did he really need to buy her to get her into his bed? Would it be worth it? She might turn out to be as cold as she acted sometimes. Although in spite of her coldness he sensed that she was not as immune to him as she pretended.
He remembered the last time he had found her by the grove and buried his fingers in her hair. She had pulled back with a look of panic on her face but he had sensed that it wasn’t fear of him as such, so perhaps it was more fear of the feelings he had stirred in her. He hoped so.
If he was staying longer in Barbados he could take his time and break down her resistance but he barely had two months left and he wanted her badly. He wasn’t even interested in calling Hattie to his room anymore, he only wanted Deborah.
He had to get this girl out of his system. Thoughts of Carolina, his fiancée and Anise were far from his mind. All he could think of was Deborah. Every time he closed his eyes before he went to sleep, the picture of long wavy brown hair and green eyes seemed to be stamped on the inside of his eyelids and the image of her as he untied her from the whipping post was implanted firmly in his mind.
So if his uncle was willing to sell her to him, and he seemed on the verge of doing so, then she would be his. But that did not mean she would come to him willingly and he wanted her to be willing. What would be an incentive to her? What did she want more than anything? Her freedom. He knew that he couldn’t take her back to Carolina with him so he would agree to free her when he left. That would probably be the worse business decision he had ever made.
The girl must have totally bewitched him for him to even consider that. His uncle would probably think he was crazy and if his father found out he would surely be convinced that he was right not to let him have the full run of the business or to buy a plantation. Richard smiled. He didn’t care. Right now he couldn’t think of anything he could buy that would give him as much pleasure as owning Deborah.
Thomas lay back against pillows replete as he watched Sarah put back on her plain skirt and blouse that were by no means attractive. He wondered at that. His wife wore the latest fashions from England but he was unmoved by her. Sarah wore cheap, drab clothes and she stirred his blood. How was he to let her go? Who could he sell her to and be assured that they would treat her well? He didn’t see how he could ever sell Sarah. And did it make sense to sell Deborah to Richard when he was going back soon? Not only that but it wouldn’t really appease Elizabeth.
As if she read his thoughts Sarah said: “Master, I’m afraid for Deborah. After what happened this week I don’t know what else the mistress will try to do.”
“Don’t worry about Deborah. She will be fine. I have spoken to the mistress.”
“What about Master Richard? He seem to have his eyes on her. I don’t want anything happening to her again like what happened with Master William.”
“Richard is not like William, Sarah.” Sarah knew that but she also knew that lust could sometimes drive men to do things that they would not normally do.
Sarah took a breath to give herself courage. It was now or never. She went and sat on the bed resting her thigh against his. “Master Thomas, would you ever think about freeing Deborah and me?”
“I have thought about freeing you in my will and leaving you a little money to buy some property.” Even as he said it, he knew that he should amend his will to make sure that happened even if he sold Deborah to Richard.
“Thank you, Master but suppose Master William don’t carry out your wishes?”
“Sarah, you worry too much,” he dismissed her fears but Thomas knew that she had real cause to worry about William.
Should he consider freeing them before he died? He could count the number of slaves who had been freed in wills on one hand, far less while their masters were still alive. That was just not done. That didn’t mean it could not be done. He would have to give it some more thought.
Maybe if he freed Sarah, he could set her up in Town and see her whenever he went to town. That way he would still have her and not have to put up with Elizabeth’s nagging. He would not see her as often, but if he needed relief in between his visits he could always call Cassie or Hattie.
“I will think on it, Sarah.”
“Thank you Master Thomas.” Impulsively she grabbed his hand and rested it against her cheek.
“Good night, Sarah.” He smiled at the gesture.
“Good night, Master Thomas.” Sarah let herself out of the room quietly with a hopeful smile on her face. At least he had not said no.
Elizabeth heard the door of Thomas’ room closing and gritted her teeth. The slave woman was leaving her husband’s bed which she had not been invited to share in years. The pain of rejection surprised her for surely it should have diminished by now.
She wondered what she could do to hurt him as he hurt her. Although he had never struck her, as some husbands were known to do, that didn’t make her pain any less real. Even though she knew that the slaves he had bedded over the years were just for physical relief and to show that he was lord of all he owned, she still resented it, especially his relationship with Sarah. Was it more than physical? Could he possibly love the slave?
She hated the fact that Thomas had the freedom to do whatever he wanted while she had no control over her own life. She was just as much a chattel as the slaves that he owned. First William had been sent away and she had no say in the matte
r. Then Richard had stopped Jethro from whipping Deborah when she had ordered him to do so. He even had Richard as his ally rather than hers, even though he was her nephew.
The two of them were growing very close, spending hours shut away in Thomas’ study, discussing who knew what, and she could see that Thomas had become very fond of Richard. Would he take William’s place in Thomas’ affections? Would Thomas try to persuade him to stay in Barbados and help run the plantation? What would that mean for William?
Now Thomas was bringing the slaves into the house after all these years and she felt certain that it might be due to Richard’s influence. Her title as mistress was a farce, for even the house slaves defied her and did what they wanted. Well Sarah and Deborah anyway. That was why she had to get rid of them.
Thomas had said he would give some thought to it but she wondered if he was to be believed or if he was just pacifying her. Well she would make his life unbearable if he didn’t get rid of them soon. For when they were gone, she would regain control of her household and maybe even win her husband’s affections once again.
Sarah hurried out to her hut, thankful that she would not have to leave the house in the darkness for much longer. She hoped that Deborah was still awake because she was eager to tell her what the master has said.
He had not actually promised to free them right away but at least he had said he would think about it and he had already planned to free them in his will. She didn’t trust William though so she could not afford to rely on that.
She pushed open the door excitedly and latched it behind her before she rushed into the back room. The moonlight was streaming through the small window and she could see that Deborah was lying awake waiting for her.
“Deborah, girl, I have good news. The master said that he plans to put in his will that we are to be freed when he dies, but I told him that we don’t know if William will do that, so it would be better to free us now.”
“What did he say to that?” Deborah asked sitting up.
“He said that he would think about it.”
Deborah did not want to get her hopes up. She would have to see it before she would believe it. She could see no benefit to the master if he freed them, especially when he could sell them, make some money and keep the mistress quiet at the same time. Could he really be trusted to free them or was he just telling her mother what she wanted to hear?
Chapter 16
Richard and his uncle retired to the office after dinner as they had become accustomed to doing. His uncle poured brandies for them which they enjoyed in contemplative silence.
They had come to enjoy this time together when they talked about the workings of the plantation, the issues facing the colonies and plans for the future or sometimes just sat in silence as they did now. For Richard it was what he would have liked to have with his father while Thomas felt the same with respect to William so without the two even being conscious of it, they were becoming as close as father and son.
The sound of crickets in the yard hardly penetrated their consciousness until it stopped, probably at the passing of the stable boy or one of the house slaves.
“You become so accustomed to the crickets that you don't notice them unless you really listen carefully or unless they fall silent for some reason," Richard commented breaking the silence. His uncle nodded.
"It’s almost like a wife," joked Thomas. "Their constant harping can become like background noise until you're forced to really listen to them. That whipping Deborah had has forced me to listen to Elizabeth. She is adamant that I sell Deborah and Sarah and to tell the truth her constant nagging is beginning to wear me down.”
“As I said, I would be happy to buy Deborah if you decide to sell her, although I’m sure that is not what Aunt Elizabeth has in mind.” His uncle agreed.
“What would you do with her when you go back to Carolina? Take her with you?”
Richard thought for a moment. He couldn’t take her back to Carolina with him; that would cause too much of a furor from his mother, not to mention his fiancée.
“No. As you can imagine that would cause all kinds of trouble. Once I satisfy this hunger that I have for her and get her out of my system, I would set her free before I go back Carolina.”
“I wouldn’t put money on getting her out of your system,” warned his uncle. “I still haven’t got Sarah out of mine after nearly eighteen years and I’m having a hard time contemplating selling her. I don’t know what it is about these slave women but they just seem to get into your blood. I will go ahead and get my lawyer to prepare the papers to sell Deborah to you for, shall we say, £20?”
“That is very generous of you, since I know that you could get three times as much for her if you wanted to.”
“Not at all my boy. Besides she can continue to work in the house while you’re here so we’ll have the benefit of her services but she will be under your protection and looking after your needs will be her first priority.”
“I like the sound of that,” Richard smiled in anticipation. “Shall I tell her?”
“I will do it. After all she is my property as well as my blood. Be good to her,” warned Thomas.
This was the first time Richard heard Thomas acknowledge that Deborah was his blood and it was totally unexpected. Such things were never mentioned or acknowledged, although they were commonly known.
“On my oath, sir,” Richard replied solemnly. Thomas nodded satisfied.
A few days later Cassie came to the kitchen to report that the master’s lawyer was meeting with him in his office and she had heard them through the door talking about selling a house slave but she didn’t hear who it was.
Her words struck fear into everyone as they knew that in spite of the mistress’ verbal abuse from time to time, The Acreage was one of the best plantations to work at and no-one wanted to be sold into a situation that was worse.
“I hope you heard wrong, Cassie ‘cause ‘better the devil you know than the devil you don’t’,” said Sarah. She loved all the house slaves, even Hattie was growing on her, and she wouldn’t want any of them to be sold. She knew it wouldn’t be her or Deborah. After all, the master was thinking about freeing them.
“That’s not always true,” Cassie corrected her. “Don’t forget what I came from. I was so happy when I come here. You wouldn’t understand because you have it good here.”
“Well a devil is still a devil,” Deborah contended. She had a bad feeling about this. She wondered if the mistress had finally convinced Master Thomas to sell her. Fear started in her belly and became full blown panic when a message came a little later that the master wanted to see her in his office. Immediately she started to shake. Sarah hurriedly got up and came to hold her.
“Don’t worry; you know that the master would never sell you.” Deborah wasn’t convinced but she nodded as calmly as she could.
Shaking legs took her to the master’s office where she stood outside the door for a minute before she gathered her courage and knocked.
“Come in,” he invited. It was the last thing she wanted to do.
Pushing open the door she said, “You wanted to see me, Master Thomas?”
It appeared that the lawyer had left because he was alone, sitting behind his desk with papers in a neat pile in front of him. His hair looked as if he had been running his hands through it and his unaccustomed disheveled appearance caused her further panic. He was going to sell her. She knew it as certainly as if he had said it already. The mistress had finally got her wish.
“Yes Deborah. After your whipping, which Richard thankfully stopped, I realize that I need to do something to keep the peace in the house so I have decided that the best option is to sell you.” At the stricken look on her face, he hurriedly held up his hand.
“Don’t worry. It is not as bad as it sounds. I’m selling you to Richard and you will continue to live here and look after his needs while he is in Barbados so you won’t be separated from your mother.”
Deborah har
dly heard what he was saying. A myriad of emotions began to chase around her mind. Disbelief that the master was selling her, hurt that she was nothing more to him than property, anger that Richard had gotten what he wanted, fear of what it would mean for her and then contradictorily, relief that it was Richard and not one of the lecherous old planters.
“You’re selling me to Master Richard? How will that help to keep the peace? Will he take me with him when he goes back to Carolina?”
“He will let you know about that. I’ve had the papers drawn up and it’s only for him to sign now. He wants to talk to you before he signs them though so I’ll leave him to do that.” She was in a daze, numb at the thought that the master would sell her.
“I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think he would be good to you. I would trust him with my life and I trust him with yours.”
Deborah was shocked at the betrayal that she felt in spite of his words. She never thought the master would sell her; after all she was his flesh and blood. She had fooled herself into thinking that it meant something to him. She almost laughed at herself; she had thought she was special. Now she knew that she was just another slave even though his blood ran in her veins. Tears sprang to her eyes and she quickly turned away lest he saw them. So much for his promise to think about freeing them; she should have known better.
“You might not think so now, but this is the best thing for you,” he consoled. Deborah didn’t see how so she said nothing.
“OK, you may go now. Richard will talk to you later.” She blindly turned away and practically ran to her grove, not caring that it was the middle of the day and she had chores to do. What more could they do to her now? She was just exchanging one master for another. She remembered Richard’s words when she told him that he would never own her. He had said “Don’t be too sure about that!” And he was right. He owned her, or he would soon enough. Freedom was as far away as it ever was. She buried her face in her hands and wept.