[Measure of Devotion 01.0 - 03.0] Box Set

by Caethes Faron

  They’d spent the day on cliffs overlooking the beach. There was a place where the ocean jutted inward, forming a lagoon. The water was deep, and Kale had urged Jason to jump. It had to have been at least fifteen meters above the water. After much cajoling, Jason had held Kale’s hand, and they’d jumped together. It was exhilarating. Now, Kale was downstairs finding them a place to eat, and Jason was in their hotel room fiddling with the new camera they had purchased. He had just about figured out how to load the film when Kale returned.

  “Where’s it going to be tonight? Did you find a place with fresh shellfish?”

  “Jason.” Kale’s somber voice brought Jason’s head up from the camera. “I have some news.”

  Jason’s heart sank. Kale stood in the doorway, appearing dazed. Jason didn’t think he could bear any more bad news, not when they had survived so much recently. Surely their respite would last a little longer. “What is it?”

  “The Arinian king has signed the bill into law. Slaves can now be freed by their masters.” Kale continued to stand blankly, as if he didn’t believe the words he had uttered.

  Jason whooped and leapt into the air on his way to Kale. “That’s great news!” He kissed an unresponsive Kale. “Why aren’t you happy?”

  Kale’s head jerked to Jason as he finally focused his gaze. “Happy? I’m overwhelmed with joy.” Tears pooled in Kale’s eyes. “This means my brother’s going to be free.”

  “Yes, it does. Come on.” Jason dragged Kale to the closet. “We’ll eat on the train. We’re going back to the ranch.”

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  It took more than a week to reach Malar County. They traveled from the balmy coast back to Calea to pack appropriately for the inland chill and make a few preparations before heading into Arine. There was a nervous excitement in the air the entire way there. Kale could hardly believe that he was traveling to free his brother on the tracks he had once laid as a slave. Not only his brother, but himself. He would no longer have to worry about the precarious arrangement Jason had concocted in order to free him. There would be no question. In the eyes of the law, Kale would be a free man in the country of his birth.

  When Kale and Jason pulled up to the house, it was just after midnight, and the darkness had a cold bite. The top was up on the car, and as soon as they stepped out, their warm breath fogged in the air. Kale grabbed his valise, leaving everything else until morning, and they jogged up to the front door, not even bothering to knock.

  “Kale, Jason.” Thomas reached the front door as Jason closed it. He knocked Kale over with a giant hug and then treated Jason to the same. “Darlene left some dinner for you. Come on in. Let me take your coats.” Thomas hung their coats in the hall closet and led them to the kitchen.

  At the kitchen table, a young woman set out food. She turned as they entered, and Kale remembered seeing her there before, but never talking to her. He thought she was the same girl Thomas had been making eyes at.

  “This is Ellen.” Thomas strode to her side and put a proprietary arm around her waist.

  Kale quirked an eyebrow. “It’s nice to meet you, Ellen. I see a lot has happened since we were last here.”

  “Yeah, it has. I thought we might keep you two company while you ate.”

  Jason and Kale sat at the table. Steak and potatoes were laid out for each of them along with a glass of milk each. The familiarity was as comforting as the warmth. “So, Ellen, what lies has my brother told you to trick you into fancying him?”

  Ellen smiled—a big, beaming grin, not the shy, bashful smile some women were prone to. “He can’t lie to me. I can spot it a kilometer away. It’s a little charming how flustered he can get. It took me a while to realize that he didn’t have a stutter; he was trying to court me.”

  Thomas shifted in his seat, grimacing at the attention.

  Jason laughed. “Good to see he got his tongue back.”

  “That he did.”

  Kale made quick work of his food. He had a good idea that Thomas and Ellen weren’t awake just to greet them. “I had planned to wait until tomorrow, but there’s no sense in you going to bed a slave tonight. I have your title and registration here.” Kale pulled them out of his valise along with one of the dozens of writ of manumission forms they had printed when they stopped in Calea. “And this is a writ of manumission.” Kale laid the papers out on the table. “All we have to do is fill it out. We’ll have to file it with the county for there to be a legal record, but as soon as it’s signed, you’re free. I already filled out everything I knew.”

  “What else do you need?” Thomas vibrated with either excitement or nervousness. Probably both.

  “What last name do you want to go by?”

  “I’d like to go by the same last name you do, since you’re my brother. If that’s all right. If you don’t—”

  “No, we were hoping you’d want to. I want my father’s name passed on.” Jason patted his hand.

  “Thank you.”

  Kale filled out the last name then signed and dated it. “All right. Now you just have to sign it here.” Kale pushed the paper and pen toward his brother, pointing to the signature line.

  Thomas took the pen in his hand and inhaled deeply. With a quick flourish, he signed his name.

  “Congratulations, Thomas. You’re free. How does it feel?”

  “Amazing. I’m really free?” Thomas looked bewildered.

  “Yes, you’re really free.” Kale squeezed his brother’s shoulder, remembering his own journey to freedom.

  Jason pulled another writ of manumission from the case and began filling it out. “Ellen, what last name would you like me to put on yours?”

  Thomas spoke before Ellen could. “Wadsworth.”

  Ellen looked to Thomas.

  “You’ll be taking the name Wadsworth anyway, if you’ll have me.”

  Ellen narrowed her eyes “Are you proposing to me, Thomas Wadsworth?”

  Thomas nodded. “I believe I am.”

  Ellen’s broad smile returned even brighter than before. “Then you’d better put Wadsworth on the form, sir.”

  Thomas took Ellen’s face in his hands and kissed her. Kale observed the scene in silence. His first instinct was to caution his brother against making such a serious decision when he had just been freed. However, the sheer joy in Thomas’s face was breathtaking. What sealed Kale’s happiness, though, was the fact that Ellen’s apparent joy mirrored his brother’s. There was no use counseling his brother to take his time to experience the world when what he wanted was already right in front of him. Kale would have scoffed at anyone who told him to explore freedom before making the choice to spend his life with Jason.

  Jason grinned and signed the writ. The only slave Kale had owned was his brother. It was up to Jason to free the others. “You’ll just need to put your mark there.” Jason indicated the spot.

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “You’d better make it Jason now that you’re going to be part of the family.”

  Ellen nodded. “Thank you, Jason.” She carefully wrote her name, her tongue peeking out in concentration. From the way Thomas leaned over her, it was clear they had been practicing so Ellen would have the dignity of signing her name instead of an X. When she finished, she placed the pen down, and Thomas pulled her into a hug.

  “Well, we should get to bed and leave you two to celebrate. We’ll see you in the morning.” Kale rose with a yawn. It had been a long day.

  “Thank you, Kale. Sleep in. We’ll have a late breakfast.” Thomas had pulled away enough to address his brother, but he still had both arms wrapped around Ellen.

  Kale chuckled. “I’m sure we will.”

  * * *

  Despite his earlier drowsiness, Kale sat in bed looking at his own writ of manumission. To avoid the strange appearance of having Kale sign his own writ in both places, they’d had Jason sign it as a designated representative of P and C Enterprises. Kale was really and truly free. His brother was free. His brother’s fian
cée was free. He’d be able to return for their wedding as a free man without any fear of it being taken away from him. Never again would he have to endure the stress of guarding his title as he traveled. He could live in Perdana or in Calea or anywhere he wanted. A chuckle escaped his lips.

  “What is it?” Jason craned his neck to look at the paper.

  “Nothing. I just realized why it’s named P and C. It’s for Perdana and Calea, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is. You didn’t know that?”

  “Don’t give me that look. I never thought about it before. When a man gives you a company and then tells you that company holds your title, you don’t stop to analyze the name.”

  Jason shook his head and kissed Kale’s lips. “We need to get some sleep. We have a big day ahead of us.”

  Kale placed the writ on the bedside table and turned off the lamp. Many more would join his by the end of the day.

  * * *

  Excitement had made breakfast difficult to swallow. Kale hadn’t expected his stomach to be in knots over their day’s plans. Jason must have felt the same, because he ate just as little and finished just as fast as Kale. As soon as the plates were cleared away, John joined them at the table to discuss how the day would unfold.

  “We’re going to bring the slaves in one by one and talk to them. Any slave who wants it will be granted freedom. Any freed slave will have the option to remain in their current position either for a wage or for a stake in the business,” Jason explained to John.

  “A stake in the business?”

  “Yes. They’ve put more into this place than I have. For years, they’ve labored here without compensation to make this ranch what it is. If they’re willing to continue to throw their lot in with ours, they’ll reap the benefits of it. The shares given to freed slaves will come from mine. If they decide they want to leave, they’ll be paid a sum from my personal accounts.”

  “Fair enough.” John nodded.

  Jason pulled out the writs of manumission and set the stack on the table. He slid one to John. “I’d like you to fill them out while I talk to each slave and then pass it to me to sign. It’s pretty straightforward. You just have to write in their name and then the last name they’re adopting. I’m offering all of them the Wadsworth name if they want it. Of course they’re free to choose whatever they like, but they’re responsible for building what the Wadsworth name stands for and may lay claim to it.”

  Jason had discussed it with Kale. For some reason, he’d thought Kale would mind sharing their name with so many people. Nothing could be further from the truth. Kale was honored, not only by the name, but by the incredible man he shared it with.

  “Do you have any questions?”

  “Nope. Let’s get started.”

  Kale opened the door to the dining room. A line had formed outside, and he admitted the first person to be freed.

  * * *

  “Billy, do you understand what all this means? Even if you choose to be free, you’ll still have a place here. We’re not going to turn you out.”

  “Yes, Master.”

  “Do you want to be free?”

  Billy nodded.

  “All right then. What do you want your last name to be? You can pick anything you like, even Wadsworth.”

  “Like you?”

  “Yes, Billy, just like me.”

  “That’s what I want, Master.”

  “I’m not your master anymore.”

  “Yes, Ma—Mr. Wadsworth.”

  * * *

  “Darlene, do you want to keep working here? We’d love to have you.”

  “Child, if I left, the lot of you would starve within a week. What have I ever done to make you think I’d let people starve as long as there is breath in my body? Don’t tell me you thought you were going to let anyone else in my kitchen without me there. And I’ll be taking the last name Wadsworth as well.”

  * * *

  “Demetri?”

  “I’ll take my freedom, sir.”

  “Are you going to stay here?”

  “With all due respect, I think it’s time I make my own way. It’s too hard being here. This was always the master’s dream, not mine. There’s too many memories. Everywhere I turn, I see him. I need to move forward.”

  “Do you know what you want to do?”

  “Honestly, no. I tried not to think about it too much. I didn’t want to get my hopes up if the law didn’t pass.”

  “Well, you’re welcome to stay here as long as you need.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

  “Do you know what last name you want?”

  “Roberts. Demetri Roberts.”

  * * *

  They’d freed every single Wadsworth slave by lunchtime. It was the best day’s work Kale had ever done.

  They gathered in the study with John, Thomas, Ellen, and Demetri after lunch to enjoy a glass of champagne to celebrate their freedom. Soon, they would be going out to the family plot to unveil the monuments to Robert and Adele. They had arrived months ago, but Kale and Jason had decided to hold off returning until matters with the law were settled one way or the other.

  “Jason, I have something I want to give you before we unveil the memorials.”

  “Why do I get a present?” Jason’s bewilderment was so adorable that Kale couldn’t resist kissing the tip of his nose.

  “Because I want to give you one.” Kale’d had John bring it into the study earlier, so it would be ready. He’d shipped it to the ranch before they left on their vacation. Kale opened the crate and withdrew the painting. He removed the packing material and examined it before turning it around so Jason could see. “And for making me and your father proud.”

  Jason gasped. “I don’t know what to say. It’s beautiful. I can’t believe you could do something like this.” Jason stood to get a closer look. Kale had painted a portrait of Jason as a man with his mother and father.

  “It was simple. I know what you look like well enough, and I had a fresh memory of Robert. I used the painting you brought home of your mother as a model.”

  “No, you don’t get to belittle your talent this time. This is really amazing, Kale.”

  “It is. I didn’t know when you said you were an artist you meant like this. I thought you just did those sketches. We’ll have to have you do our wedding portrait.” Thomas wrapped his arm around a glowing Ellen.

  “It’s a perfect likeness of him.”

  “Thank you, Demetri. That means a lot coming from you.” Demetri didn’t speak much since Robert passed. Kale suspected Robert’s death had hit him harder than any of them could imagine. Jason had told him that they had been lovers for a time.

  “Thank you, Kale.” Jason had misty eyes when he kissed him, but there was a smile on his face. Kale was amazed at how well Jason had recovered from his father’s death. He had kept expecting him to break down, but he hadn’t. Looking at him now, Kale saw a strength he didn’t think Jason had been aware he possessed.

  At four o’clock, Jason entwined his fingers with Kale’s and walked with him outside to the family plot with the others following. They had bundled up in coats and scarves against the chill. Clouds threatened to obscure the sun, but there was still light for a while. Once everyone was gathered, John removed the canvas tarps that covered the monuments.

  Kale stepped forward to run his hand along the granite of his mother’s memorial, barely registering Jason’s awestruck exclamation. Jason had let him choose anything. The only image he could remember clearly enough of his mother to replicate was her hands. They were vivid in his mind, so worn and yet so gentle. They were a perfect representation of the woman he had known. He had drawn detailed pictures of them cupped together, palms up, giving, open and supplied them to the mason. Before him was a perfect recreation of those hands, and under them was his mother’s name, Adele, etched in stone, never to wear away or be forgotten.

  “Thank you, Jason.” Kale choked on the words.

  “It’s an honor to
have her memory here.” Jason placed a hand on Kale’s shoulder.

  Kale collected himself and wiped the tears from his eyes before he stood. Robert’s memorial was a bust of him as he appeared in the family portrait painted when Jason was a toddler. “It looks just like him.” Jason marveled. Demetri murmured his agreement.

  John cleared his throat. “I took the liberty of having something else installed as well.” He walked over to a large oak tree, and Kale saw another tarp. John lifted it to reveal a wooden bench with wrought iron arms and legs. “I thought it’d be nice for people to have a place to sit when they come to pay their respects or just to think.”

  “It’s wonderful, John. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Jason took Kale’s hand and led him to the bench. Together, they sat as everyone else made their way back inside. They were each wrapped in their own thoughts, letting the silence go undisturbed. Little snowflakes began to fall, resting for a moment on the granite statues before melting. Kale didn’t mind the cold. He could feel the warmth of Jason’s hand through his glove. Kale gazed at Jason, admiring his profile. He was so damn lucky.

  This was love. It wasn’t the sex, or the good times laughing with friends. It was weathering the storms. Love wasn’t passionate; it was peaceful. It was the peace of knowing at the end of the day, there was another man who understood him, who knew him, who would let him stand by himself and catch him if he stumbled and fell, someone with whom the word wrong had no meaning. Wrong would only be being apart. Whatever storm raged around them, they stood together in the eye, the peaceful center. Love wasn’t freedom. Kale had no desire for freedom. He was bound to Jason, as surely as Jason was bound to him. Love was the peace of knowing that he was all right, the security that no matter how dark the world around him grew, Jason would always see him. It was the peace of knowing that, no matter how ludicrous and illogical, Kale was as perfect for Jason as Jason was for him. It was the peace of two flawed men, joining their lives together, to create their own joy. Kale had known lust, happiness, and passion with Jason. Now he knew peace, and it was the sweetest of all.