He was more confused now than he’d been when he arrived at Cottonwood.
❧
The oil lamp on the table beside her chair cast a yellow glow across the shirt that Victoria was mending. She tried to concentrate on her stitches, but her gaze kept darting to Marcus, who sat in the chair next to her. He’d been reading a book ever since they’d settled in the parlor after supper. He hadn’t said much during their meal or in the hour since they’d left the dining room.
She sighed and directed her attention back to her sewing. Her mind drifted back to her life in Mobile and how happy she’d been working at the boardinghouse during the day and spending her evenings with her mother. At the time, she’d thought her life very dreary, but now she remembered it with a longing that brought tears to her eyes.
Marcus glanced up from his book and frowned. “What was that?”
Startled, she looked up. “What?”
“You were humming.”
Victoria frowned. “I was? I didn’t realize it. What was I humming?”
“I don’t know. It had a sad sound to it, sort of gloomy.”
She gave a nervous laugh. “Then it was probably one of James’s songs. They’re all very melancholy and sad sounding. Sally says it’s the kind of music the slaves used to sing when they thought about their lost lives after being brought to this country. They made up the songs they sang, and now James does, too. He says they used to call it blue music; now it’s called the blues because of the way it makes you feel.”
His gaze searched her eyes. “Is that how you feel here at Pembrook? Blue? Sad? Do you want to run away like Portia Chandler did?”
She gasped. “How did you know about Portia?”
“I overheard you telling Sally.”
She frowned. “But I didn’t think you came home today.”
“I did, but I didn’t stay. I had a lot of work to do.”
She laid the shirt aside and stared at him. “I have to admit that my beginning here hasn’t been what I thought it would be and that sometimes I’m sad because I don’t think you love me. But I have never thought about running away like Portia did.”
He closed the book he held and laid it on the table. “Victoria, I do love you. It’s just that we have very different ways of looking at things. I’ll try to be more understanding of your need to help the people on Pembrook land if you will make an effort to understand my feelings about keeping ourselves separate from them. I’ve never had anyone who said they loved me before, and I want to build a life here for just the two of us.”
She shook her head. “That’s impossible, Marcus. This house isn’t a refuge for you to escape to at the end of the day and expect me to be waiting to offer comfort and love. Try to understand that I am not your mother, and I’m not going to leave you like she did. I want us to build a life together that includes everybody who lives on our land. I want us to be like Savannah and Dante.”
“I want that, too.”
She smiled. “Then we have a common goal.”
He stood, pulled her to her feet, and wrapped his arms around her. Her heart pounded when he stared down into her eyes. “I love you, Victoria.”
“I love you, too, Marcus,” she whispered.
As their lips touched, she prayed this would be the new beginning she’d been wanting. Only time would tell.
Eleven
The rooster’s crowing woke Victoria from a sound sleep on a cold December morning. She didn’t have to glance at the pillow beside her to know that Marcus was already up and at the barn. Every morning he arose early to do his chores and then returned to the house to have breakfast with her. This arrangement had come about after their uneasy truce months ago when they’d decided to try to build a life together.
Marcus still didn’t understand her friendship with Sally and James, but he didn’t argue with her as he had done at first. He also had not accompanied her to church again, even though Daniel had visited several times and Dante had also encouraged him. She could only hope that would change in time.
On this cold morning, she snuggled underneath the covers for an extra few minutes before she went downstairs to help Sally with breakfast. Thoughts of Christmas drifted through her mind, and she smiled at the plans she was already making for their first Christmas together. Along with her mother and uncle, they had been invited to spend Christmas Day at Cottonwood with Savannah and Dante. The Lucketts and Tave’s father, Dr. Spencer, would also be guests that day. She was secretly glad they had been invited to Cottonwood because Marcus wouldn’t expect Sally to be at the big house that day. She would be free to celebrate with her own family.
She smiled when she thought of how close she and Sally had become since her wedding. Victoria had never had a friend like her, and she couldn’t wait each morning to see her. By this time, Sally would have the big stove fired up and biscuits ready to go in the oven. Usually the smell of coffee drifted up the stairs, but not this morning.
The clock in the downstairs hallway chimed the hour, and Victoria sat up, a frown on her face. Something didn’t seem right. She threw back the covers, jumped out of bed, and dressed quickly. When she entered the dark kitchen, her heart lurched. Sally hadn’t arrived, and the stove’s embers had burned down during the night.
Marcus would be back for breakfast soon, and there was nothing to eat. After lighting the lamps in the kitchen, she set about to rebuild the fire in the big cast-iron cookstove. Within minutes a fire blazed, and she had ham sizzling in a skillet and biscuits ready to go in the oven. By the time Marcus stopped at the back door to take off his boots, she had breakfast nearly ready.
A surprised expression flashed across his face when he stepped into the kitchen. “Victoria,” he said. “I didn’t expect you to be up.”
“Sally’s not here yet, and I’ve cooked breakfast for us.”
He glanced at the food and back to her. A slow smile covered his face. “I do remember you telling me you worked in a boardinghouse. It looks good.”
She waved her hand in dismissal. “Anybody can cook breakfast, but I’m worried about Sally. She’s always here by this time.”
Marcus nodded. “James is at the barn. He said Sally has been sick all night.”
Victoria set the platter of ham on the kitchen table and gasped. “What’s wrong with her?”
“He didn’t say. Just said that she wouldn’t be here for a few days.” He glanced down at his hands. “I’ll go wash up and then come back to eat with you.”
“All right. I thought we might eat in the kitchen this morning instead of at that long dining room table. Is that all right with you?”
“That’s fine.”
She watched him step out to the back porch where they kept the bucket of water with its dipper and wash pan, but her mind was on Sally.
She couldn’t concentrate on her food all through the meal, but Marcus ate like he hadn’t had anything in days. When he finished, he wiped his mouth and smiled. “With Sally out, I may get to see some of your talents I haven’t experienced yet. I can hardly wait to see what you’ll fix for the noon meal.”
She smiled. “I’ll try to surprise you.”
He rose and kissed her on the cheek. “You always do. I’ll see you later.”
Victoria sat at the table after he left and glanced around the kitchen. It seemed so empty without Sally. She pushed up from the table but grabbed its edge as a wave of dizziness swept over her. Her legs trembled, and nausea welled up in her throat. She dropped back into the chair, folded her arms on the table, and laid her head on them. She lay there until the nausea and dizziness had passed. Then she stood.
She would wash the dishes, change clothes, and go check on Sally. Maybe there was something she could do to make her feel more comfortable. As Victoria took a step toward the dry sink, the dizziness returned, and she wobbled. Maybe she should ask James to drive her to the Moses home instead of walking. She would check on Sally and be back in time to fix Marcus’s noon meal.
An hour
later, though, as Victoria sat by Sally’s bed, she knew her friend needed more medical attention than she was able to give. Sally’s body burned with fever, and the pupils of her eyes had no spark in them. Her breathing was shallow, and hacking coughs rattled in her chest.
Victoria tried to recall if Sally had seemed sick the day before and remembered that she had coughed for several days. She had also seemed tired, but she hadn’t complained.
Victoria glanced up at James, who hovered nearby. “How long has she been this sick?”
“Ever since she come home yes’tidy. She was real hot and went right to bed.”
“Why didn’t you come get me, James?”
“I wanted to, Miz Raines, but Mama say I cain’t go up to the big house and talk to you whilst Mistuh Mahcus there.”
Victoria pushed to her feet. “That’s ridiculous. Marcus wouldn’t want your mother to suffer.” She thought for a moment before she faced James. “We have to take her to the doctor. Can you pick her up?”
James’s eyes grew large. “You mean go see the doctor in town?”
“Yes. We need to get her to Dr. Spencer’s office right away.”
James backed away. “I doan think Mistuh Mahcus gonna like me drivin’ his buggy to take Mama to town.”
Victoria glared at him. “It’s my buggy, too, James, and I’m telling you to pick your mother up and put her in that buggy now, or I’ll do it myself. Do you understand?”
James gulped. “Yes’m. I’ll do it, Miz Raines.”
Victoria grabbed two quilts from the bed and wrapped one around Sally when James scooped her up in his arms. She folded the other one and carried it to the buggy as she followed James outside. She climbed in the backseat and scooted to the far side. “Put your mother beside me, and I’ll cover her up with this other quilt. I’ll hold her while you drive.”
James lifted his mother onto the seat and watched as Victoria tucked the quilt around her. Victoria glanced up. Tears stood in James’s eyes. “Thank you, Miz Raines.”
She pulled Sally closer to her. “Sally is my friend, James. I want to see that she’s taken care of.”
He took a deep breath. “I don’t reckon there be many white folks ’round here would feel that way.”
“You’re wrong, James. Savannah and Dante Rinaldi would, and so would Daniel and Tave Luckett.”
He nodded. “Yes’m, I ’spect they would, but not many more.”
James jumped into the front seat of the buggy, grabbed the reins, and flicked them across the horse’s back. Victoria thought about what James had said as they pulled away from the Moses house. She wondered how many people would have ignored Sally and her family’s need because of the color of their skin.
She gasped and sat up straighter as a sudden thought flashed through her mind. In naming the people who would have cared, she realized she hadn’t mentioned one name—her husband’s. Her heart sank at the thought that she didn’t know what Marcus would have done.
❧
Marcus had been so surprised when he walked into the kitchen at breakfast and saw Victoria cooking. He had to admit he enjoyed the quiet time spent with her at the big kitchen table as they ate. He could hardly wait to get back home and see what she had cooked for the noon meal.
But when he walked in the back door, the kitchen was dark and the cookstove was cold. Where could she be? “Victoria,” he called out. There was no answer.
He climbed the stairs and checked the bedroom. The dress that she had worn at breakfast lay on the bed, and the door to the armoire stood ajar. Why would she have changed clothes in the morning? Maybe James knew.
When he strode into the barn, another surprise awaited him. James wasn’t there, and neither was the buggy. With Victoria and James gone and the buggy as well, Marcus realized there was only one place to look for them—at Ben Moses’s house.
He jumped on his horse and galloped down the road toward the spot where the Moses family lived. He knew Victoria enjoyed walking and had often walked Sally home after her day at the big house. Why hadn’t she walked today if she went to check on Sally?
Marcus spied the horse and buggy outside the Moses house before he even pulled to a stop. Gritting his teeth, he climbed down and strode across the barren front yard to the door of the house. He raised his fist and pounded on the door. “James, are you in there?”
The doorknob turned, and Victoria opened the door. She smiled when she saw him. “Oh, Marcus, I’m so glad you’re here. Come in.”
He shook his head and backed away. “Come outside and tell me what you’re doing here, Victoria.”
She glanced over her shoulder and grabbed her shawl that lay on the back of a chair. Pulling it around her, she stepped onto the porch. “Sally is very ill. James and I took her to see Dr. Spencer. He says she has pneumonia.”
Marcus’s mouth gaped open. “You took her to Dr. Spencer? Whatever were you thinking?”
Her eyes narrowed, and she tilted her head to one side. “I was thinking that she needed to see a doctor. I was right. Dr. Spencer said she was very ill when we got there. He wanted her to stay at his office, but she refused. He let her come home if she would have someone with her at all times for the next few days.”
“How do they think they’re going to do that? Ben and James both have work to do. They can’t stay here and take care of her.”
Victoria pulled her shawl tighter and straightened her back. “I know. I told them I would stay during the day, and they could take care of her at night.”
Marcus felt like he’d been kicked in the stomach. “You? Oh no. You’re not going to stay here and take care of that—”
“Stop it!” she yelled. “Don’t you dare say anything vile against Sally or call her any names that I’ve heard from others since I’ve been in Willow Bend. She’s been good to me. At times she’s been the only one good to me at Pembrook, and I intend to take care of her.”
“You’re defying me?” he shouted.
“I’m only doing what I know is right. I. . .” She stopped and swallowed before she touched her hand to her forehead. “I—I don’t feel well.”
Before Marcus could say anything, Victoria slumped. He caught her in his arms before she hit the porch. He sat down and cradled her close to his body. “Victoria, Victoria,” he whispered.
James rushed onto the front porch and stared down at the two of them. “What happened to Miz Raines?”
“She fainted. One minute she was fine, and the next she was falling.”
“I’ll get some water.”
James rushed inside and returned with a cup of water. Marcus held it to her lips, but most of it ran down her cheek. “Was she all right when you went to town?”
James backed away. “I thinks so.”
“What do you mean you think so? Did she say anything?” When James didn’t answer, Marcus yelled, “Tell me!”
“I heered her talkin’ to the doctor ’bout how she been feelin’ bad, but I doan know what he say.”
Victoria stirred and opened her eyes. She frowned and stared up at Marcus. “Wh–what happened?”
“You fainted.” She tried to rise, but he held her tight. “James said you talked to the doctor. Are you ill, Victoria?”
She shook her head and pulled free of him. “No.”
“I’s glad you fellin’ better, Miz Raines. I better go check on Mama.”
Marcus waited for James to go inside before he stood and helped Victoria to rise. When she faced him, he took her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. “Tell me what Dr. Spencer said.”
She blinked back tears but didn’t waver under his piercing gaze. “I’m going to have a baby, Marcus.”
He gasped and let his hands drop to his sides. “A baby? When?”
“In June.”
He waited for her to tell him how happy she was, but she clamped her lips together. When she didn’t speak, he took a deep breath. “And how do you feel about that?”
She pushed a strand of hair out of her ey
es and pursed her lips. “How do you feel about having a child by a wife who you think defies you, Marcus?”
He tried to identify the emotion he saw in her eyes, but it was no use. He didn’t know if it was hate, loathing, or anger she felt. He reached out to her, but she backed away.
His hand drifted back to his side, and he turned away. It was no use. There was nothing he could say that would make her forgive him for the things he’d just said.
As he rode away from the house, he glanced back once, and Victoria still stood on the porch, watching him. His chest felt like his heart had been hacked into pieces. Victoria was carrying his child, and she had looked at him like she hated him the same way his mother must have when she left him.
His father had warned him, and he’d been right. From what had just happened between him and Victoria, it looked like they might be on the same course that his parents had traveled. However, he knew there would be one difference. Victoria would never allow him to keep his child if she left.
❧
On Sunday morning, Victoria hurried from the church and headed to the buggy where James waited for her. She’d almost reached him when she heard her mother call her name.
“Victoria, wait. I want to talk to you.”
She stopped and forced a smile to her face as her mother came toward her. “Hello, Mama. How are you?”
“I’m fine, but I wanted to check on Sally. Dr. Spencer told me that you brought her to his office this week.”
“That’s right. She has pneumonia, but she’s better today. I’ve stayed with her for the last three days, but she insisted I come to church today.”
Her mother’s forehead wrinkled. “What did Marcus think about that?”
Victoria glanced over her mother’s shoulder and spied her uncle coming toward them. “Hello, Uncle Samuel. How are you?”
“I’m fine. Has your mother told you the news?” he asked.
Victoria’s eyebrows arched, and she turned back to her mother. “What news?”
Blues Along the River Page 11