Blues Along the River

by Sandra Robbins

  “Your uncle has sold his store.”

  The news almost sent Victoria reeling. “Sold your store? Who bought it?”

  “Henry Walton,” he said. “He’s one of Dante’s tenant farmers. His family used to have a store before the war, and he’s always wanted one. We got to talking the other day, and I told him how I would like to retire. The next day he came back and offered to buy me out.”

  Victoria struggled to overcome her surprise. “B–but how did he come up with the money on such short notice?”

  Her uncle chuckled. “Dante Rinaldi loaned it to him.”

  Victoria’s chin trembled as she thought of the difference between Dante and Marcus. “Yes, I can see Dante doing that. But what are you going to do now, Uncle Samuel?”

  He glanced at her mother and smiled. “Well, not only me, but your mother, too.”

  Victoria’s stomach roiled. She had a feeling that she was about to hear news that wouldn’t be good. “What are you going to do, Mama?”

  She reached out and grasped Victoria’s hand. “Oh, darling, the most wonderful thing has happened. Captain Mills has been calling on me whenever the Alabama Maiden docks, and we’ve become quite fond of each other. He’s asked me to marry him and go to Mobile with him. Your uncle is coming there to live, too.”

  Victoria’s eyes filled with tears, and she shrank from her mother. “But you can’t leave me. I’m going to have a baby.”

  “A baby?” Her mother’s high-pitched cry carried across the church yard, and several people turned to stare. She grabbed Victoria and hugged her. “That’s wonderful. Of course I’ll come back when the baby is born and stay with you for a few weeks. Is Marcus happy?”

  “He’s happy,” Victoria whispered. “When is the wedding?”

  “He’s arriving when the Montgomery Belle makes its upriver voyage next week. We’ll be married in Willow Bend and board the boat when it goes back downriver two weeks from now.”

  “Two weeks?” Victoria’s lips trembled. “That means you won’t be here for Christmas.”

  Her mother reached out and grasped Victoria’s hand. “No, but if we can have the wedding at Pembrook, we can combine it with an early Christmas celebration.”

  “Of course we’ll have the wedding at Pembrook, but Christmas won’t be the same without you there.”

  Her mother waved her hand in dismissal. “It may seem strange at first, but you’re going to Cottonwood on Christmas Day. You’ll have Savannah and Tave to spend the holiday with you.”

  Victoria swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. She’d have her friends, but if things didn’t change between her and Marcus, he might not even want to celebrate Christmas.

  “But I’ve never been away from you before. I don’t want you to leave me here.”

  Her mother put her arms around Victoria and pulled her close. “Please be happy for me, darling. When your father died, I was sure I’d never love again, but I have.” She released Victoria and stared into her eyes. “If I didn’t feel you were well cared for, I would never go back to Mobile. But you have a very rich husband and a beautiful home. And now you’re going to have a child. What more could you want?”

  Victoria bit her tongue to keep from unleashing the pent-up emotions that surged through her body. Ever since Victoria had been a child, her mother had talked about how she wanted her only daughter to marry well. And to many people it probably looked like Victoria had made a perfect match. In her heart, though, she knew better. Something was missing from her marriage, and she had to find out what it was. Right now, the big house at Pembrook was a desolate place.

  Ever since Sally had been sick, Victoria had risen early and fixed Marcus’s breakfast as well as something for the noon meal, but she left the house before he came from the barn. Neither of them talked during supper. As soon as he’d eaten, Marcus disappeared into his father’s room and didn’t come out until the next morning.

  Victoria had stopped at the closed door to her father-in-law’s old room several times, but she couldn’t bring herself to knock. Marcus didn’t appear to have any desire to talk with her, and she wouldn’t push herself on him.

  When her mother and uncle left for Mobile, she would be all alone at Pembrook. Now she sensed how alone Portia Chandler must have felt. Her hand touched her stomach. She wasn’t alone. By the summer she would have her child.

  Victoria smiled and hugged her mother. “Then we’d better get busy planning your wedding.”

  Twelve

  Victoria had never experienced a Christmas like the one she spent at Cottonwood. A tall spruce tree stood in the parlor, its branches decorated with strings of dried fruit, popcorn, and pinecones. Snowflakes that had been fashioned from white paper dangled from the top of the tree to the bottom. Vance had made a great show of pointing out the ones he had cut and those his sister had created.

  Victoria settled back in a chair near the parlor fireplace and moaned with happiness as she recalled the holiday meal they’d just devoured. “Christmas dinner was delicious, Savannah, even though I’m sure all of you tired of hearing me talk about my mother’s wedding.”

  Tave shook her head. “I thought it was a beautiful wedding. They looked so happy.”

  Savannah turned from stirring the logs in the fireplace and smiled. “I was go glad you invited us. Your mother was beautiful, and her new husband couldn’t take his eyes off her.”

  “She did look happy,” Victoria said. “I was upset when she first told me she was getting married, but I want her to have a good life like she thinks I have with Marcus.”

  Savannah’s eyes grew wide. “Is there a problem between you and Marcus?”

  Victoria fought back the tears in her eyes. “It seems we don’t think alike on a lot of things, and I can’t do anything to please him. Right now he’s angry with me because I’ve taken care of Sally since she’s been sick.”

  Tave scooted to the edge of the sofa. “What kind of problem has Sally’s illness caused between you and Marcus?”

  For the next few minutes Victoria told her friends how strained her relationship with Marcus was. “Now I’m going to have a baby, and my mother is gone. I feel so alone.”

  Savannah and Tave glanced at each other before Savannah spoke up. “We thought there was a problem. You seem to think that Marcus is the one at fault, and I’m sure he bears responsibility for some of your problems. But you must remember that there are always two sides to every story. Perhaps you’ve been so determined to have your own way that you haven’t thought about his feelings.”

  “His feelings? I don’t even know how to understand him. He thinks himself so superior to all the people who live on Pembrook land. He can’t stand it because I like Sally and James, and he gets so angry if I visit any of the tenant farmers’ homes. I’ve tried to tell him that they are part of the Pembrook family and we need to treat them with respect. He won’t listen to that, though. He just says that’s not what his father thought.”

  “My father and his father knew each other,” Savannah said. “I can’t say they were friends because Marcus’s father didn’t seem to want friends. He ruled Pembrook and its people with an iron hand. I imagine Marcus had a hard time growing up with a demanding father and no mother. Have you ever thought that he might just want to be loved by someone?”

  Victoria’s face grew warm. “Well, he has told me that I’m the only person who’s ever loved him.”

  Tave reached over and touched Victoria’s arm. “Do you love him?”

  She thought about the first days of their marriage and how happy they’d been. “Yes, I want us to be happy, but we look at life so differently.”

  Savannah and Tave exchanged quick glances before Savannah spoke. “Victoria, I know you attend church every Sunday, but was there a time in your life when you accepted Christ as your Savior?”

  Victoria clenched her fists in her lap and thought back to the day when she was twelve years old and sat in church, listening to a sermon about how God gave His Son
for our sins. That day she had asked Christ into her heart and had promised to live for Him. But had she? Her thoughts had centered on herself instead of what she had vowed that day.

  “I did accept Christ years ago, but I suppose I haven’t really placed a lot of importance on it in my life.”

  Savannah knelt in front of Victoria. “Then you need to read your Bible and pray. You need to ask God to turn you into a vessel full of His love and help you show it to others, especially Marcus.”

  Tave nodded. “Marcus hasn’t been taught about God’s love. Until he understands it and you recognize the importance of it in your life, the two of you are going to see things differently. If you truly are one of God’s children, you have the task of bringing your husband to Christ, Victoria, and you can’t do it by doing things that make him angry. You have to approach him in love.”

  “How can I do that when he treats Sally or James or any other worker at Pembrook with a total disregard for their feelings? Am I supposed to smile and bow down to him?” Victoria’s nails dug into her palms from her clenched fists.

  Savannah frowned. “Of course not. Just remember what Jesus said about turning the other cheek. Without being angry, tell him that you’re sorry he doesn’t understand how his words can hurt someone. Tell him you love him and that you’re going to pray that God will give him a new awareness of how to treat others. Then you have to pray for him.”

  Tave arched an eyebrow. “Do you pray for Marcus, Victoria?”

  She dropped her gaze. “No.”

  Savannah leaned forward. “Marcus has a big responsibility at Pembrook. Try to look through his eyes and see what his life is like. Examine the way you treat him, and then try to ease the burdens he must feel at times.”

  Victoria straightened her shoulders and stared at her two friends. “You make it sound like the success of my marriage depends on me.”

  Tave and Savannah exchanged smiles before they looked back at her. “That may be true,” Tave said. “Are you willing to make the effort and see if you can be happy, or are you going to continue the way you have been and remain miserable?”

  She didn’t move for a minute. Her gaze flicked back and forth between the two women. Tears flooded her eyes. “I want us to be happy.”

  Tave nodded. “Good. Then renew your relationship with God, read your Bible about what is expected of a wife, and begin to fulfill that role in your home. No more acting like the impulsive child that Marcus married. Be the woman he wants in a wife.”

  Victoria thought of the Bible that lay on the table next to her bed. It hadn’t been opened in months. Her heart pricked as she realized that she had work to do if she ever expected to be happy at Pembrook.

  She reached over and grasped the hands of her two friends. “Thank you. This is the best Christmas gift you could have given me.”

  They squeezed her fingers. Savannah leaned closer to her. “We’ll be praying for you, too, Victoria. Your mother may be gone from Willow Bend, but you’re not alone.”

  A new resolve flowed into her heart as she stared at Tave and Savannah. Both of them appeared to have happy marriages, and they wanted the same for her. For the first time she realized that many of Marcus’s problems stemmed from the fact that she had neglected her relationship with God. That was something she needed to remedy first. From now on, she would let Marcus see God’s love in her actions.

  ❧

  After the meal he’d just eaten, Marcus drifted on the edge of sleep in Dante’s office. The drone of Dante’s voice as well as Daniel’s and Dr. Spencer’s floated around in his mind as if he inhabited the most tranquil place he’d ever visited. His head nodded forward, and he jerked upright. Had someone spoken to him? He glanced around at the three men, who grinned back at him.

  “Having trouble staying awake?” Dante’s eyes sparkled as he asked the question.

  Marcus straightened in his chair and gave a nervous laugh. “Please forgive me. After the good meal your wife served, I couldn’t stay awake.”

  Dr. Spencer rubbed his stomach. “I know what you mean. Christmas at Cottonwood is always a special event. Tave and I have been coming for years, even before she and Daniel married.”

  Daniel nodded and groaned. “And I always feel like I can’t move after dinner. Savannah and Mamie always make everything extra special.”

  Dr. Spencer turned to Marcus. “Speaking of Mamie makes me think of Sally. How is she doing?”

  Marcus shrugged. “All right, I guess. She came back to work this week. I want to apologize to you, Dr. Spencer, for Victoria bringing her to your office.”

  A look of surprise flashed across Dr. Spencer’s face. “Why would you apologize?”

  “Because Sally is the wife of one of my tenant farmers.”

  Anger flashed in Dr. Spencer’s eyes. “Haven’t you learned anything in the years since the war? I thought I was through dealing with that kind of attitude around here, but maybe I’m not. I treat every sick person who comes to me no matter what color their skin is. You need to take a lesson from your wife and act like you care for the workers at Pembrook. Sally and her family have worked hard to make life good for you. You need to repay them by at least seeing that they get medical attention when they need it.”

  Daniel reached out and laid his hand on Dr. Spencer’s arm. “My father-in-law gets carried away sometimes, Marcus, but he’s right. We’re all equal in God’s sight.”

  Marcus stared at the two men and then at Dante. “I’m sorry if I’ve upset you, but I wasn’t brought up to feel that way.”

  Dante leaned forward in his chair and propped his arms on his knees. “I know you weren’t. Your father and I had conversations similar to this several times while he was alive, but he never would listen to what I said.” He stared at Marcus for a moment. “Do you remember the warning I gave you last summer at the church picnic about the grumbling I’d heard from your tenant farmers?”

  “Yes.”

  “They talk to the men who live at Cottonwood, and they love and respect Victoria very much because she cares about them. They don’t respect you, Marcus, because they say you’re trying to run the plantation with the same stern manner your father used. It’s a new day in the South, and all they want is to be treated fairly and appreciated for what they do for you.” Dante took a deep breath. “The same way that Victoria needs to be appreciated.”

  Marcus jumped to his feet. “You don’t know anything about what goes on between my wife and me. I’ve given her everything a woman could want—a home, more clothes than she can ever wear, freedom to visit her friends anytime she wants. And what does she do? Defy me at every turn.”

  Daniel and Dante both rose. Daniel sighed. “We’re not condemning you. We want to help you. The two of you seemed so in love when you married.”

  “I do love her.”

  Dante studied him a moment. “I think you do, Marcus, in your own way, but not in the way Christ meant for men to love their wives. Do you want to have a good marriage?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then you have to come to understand several things,” Daniel said. “First of all, you have to realize that God loves you and wants to give you peace and happiness, but you have to come to know Him. When you do, you’ll begin to see people differently than how you view them now, and you’ll understand how God wants you to be a better husband to Victoria.”

  “Dante, you’ve talked to me about accepting Christ before, but I’ve never seen a need for it.” Marcus struggled to control his anger. “Do you think I’m a bad husband?”

  Dante shook his head. “I don’t think you’re a bad person, Marcus. I believe you want to do what’s right, but you don’t know how. When you come to the point that you recognize the need for Christ in your life and ask to be forgiven for your sins, you’ll see a whole new world open up to you.”

  “But I don’t know how to do that.”

  Daniel smiled. “I have a Christmas present for you, Marcus.” He walked over to Dante’s desk and picked up
a Bible. “I brought this for you today. I’ve marked passages that I want you to read. They’ll help you understand how Christ loved you so much that He died on the cross for you.”

  Marcus chuckled. “You make it sound like He died just for me.”

  Daniel nodded. “He did. The Bible tells us to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and He’ll come into our hearts and never forsake us.” He handed the Bible to Marcus. “Read the passages I’ve marked, over and over until you understand that kind of love. Then read the places I’ve marked about how husbands should love their wives. It will all become clear to you. Will you do that?”

  Marcus hesitated a moment before he reached for the Bible Daniel held. “I will.”

  Dante smiled. “Good. And one more thing. When you feel like Victoria doesn’t understand your point of view, don’t get angry. Be patient and tell her that you love her and try to explain why you feel the way you do. Communication is so important in marriage.”

  “Marriage is difficult under the best of circumstances,” Daniel said. “It takes a lot of work and a lot of compromise to understand how the other person feels. Now that you’re going to be a father, you’re adding new responsibilities. You want your child to have a happier childhood than you did, don’t you?”

  For the first time it struck Marcus how his life was about to change. He would have a child who would look to him for all his needs. He thought of Dante and how Gabby and Vance adored their father. He wanted that, too, with his son or daughter. He didn’t want his child to experience what he had growing up.

  “Yes, I want my child to be happy.”

  Dante pointed to the Bible in Marcus’s hand. “You have the guide right there that can help you solve every problem you encounter. It’s not always easy, but once you turn your life over to God, He’ll be there with you.”

  Marcus stared at the Bible. He’d never had one before. What would his father think of his reading the book? It didn’t matter. He had to do something to repair the damage he and Victoria had done to their marriage. And they had to try to make Pembrook a happy place for the child they were going to have.