The Underground Railroad Brides Collection: 9 Couples Navigate the Road to Freedom Before the Civil War
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Cyrus’s kind eyes stared at the audience. “The Lord wants us to do all we can to abolish slavery. We’ve already helped so many slaves to escape, but we must help more.” He bowed his head, and Ruth lowered hers and closed her eyes. She focused on Cyrus’s words. “Dear Lord Jesus, please be with us tonight as we try our best to abolish slavery. Please let Your Holy Spirit be with us during this meeting.” He paused for so long that Ruth peeked at the front of the room and spotted Cyrus wiping his eyes. She pressed her hands together and closed her eyes again. “Please be with all of the slaves who are on the run right now, Lord. Help them to find freedom. Amen.”
“Amen,” Ruth whispered.
Cyrus opened his mouth and his deep voice boomed throughout the church. The words of “Amazing Grace” rippled through the church as others joined in with the song. Ruth smiled, camaraderie and familiarity sweeping through her being. She sang along with the crowd, glad to hear her voice blended in well with the others. Joseph’s strong voice also filled the room, and she stole another peek at him. They shared a smile when the song ended.
He touched her hand and liquid warmth spread through her. “Amazing Grace” was her favorite Christian song. Her master had allowed the slaves one hour of worship every Sunday. During that time, they sang hymns to the Lord. A few times, a traveling preacher had spoken to them.
Cyrus cleared his throat. “If it’s the Lord’s will, we’re expecting some slaves to come through within the next two weeks.”
Murmurs filled the room. Cyrus waited until the people had quieted before he continued to speak. “For those of you who are new to the movement, we have to provide meals, a bath, clothes, and shelter to the runaways.” Ruth focused on Pastor Cyrus’s words as he spoke about the movement, giving a summary of all the duties that were involved to keep the movement going. “We also need volunteers to provide encouragement, and we need to be sure we have plenty of supplies…” Ruth kept eyeing Joseph. He focused on Cyrus, leaning forward. He appeared spellbound by Cyrus’s speech, and she realized Joseph seemed happier here, in church, then he’d ever appeared at the bakery.
She sniffed. Joseph smelled nice, like freshly baked bread and spices. The delicious scents of the bakery clung to him, making him that much more appealing.
“I also want to announce that I’ll be stepping down as pastor. I’m getting old, and I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to pastor this church.”
Murmurs again rustled throughout the church. Cyrus closed the meeting with a word of prayer. Joseph then looked directly at her. “Ruth, would you excuse me for a minute?”
When Cyrus dismissed the meeting, Joseph raced toward the podium.
Chapter 4
Joseph approached Cyrus. His brown, bald head shone under the light from the lanterns. Several people came toward Cyrus, but Joseph pulled the pastor aside. What he had to say could not wait. “Reverend Brown, I’d like to be considered as a pastor for this church.” As soon as Cyrus had made his announcement, excitement slipped through Joseph like a raging fire. Since he’d started coming to this new church, the sermons had moved him. He’d taken to reading the scriptures more often, and he’d also started memorizing passages.
He’d also been talking about scripture to the street beggars he fed each week. He often worried about the vagrants and had asked for Cyrus’s advice when ministering to the homeless men.
“Joseph, I’m not surprised. I was hoping you’d say something.”
His conversations with Cyrus about scripture, ministering, and the abolitionist movement were like nourishment to his parched soul. He craved being in this church the way a thirsty man craved water. He suddenly wondered if Cyrus had been secretly guiding him toward pastoring the church. But was he qualified? After all, he’d never even given a sermon.
Cyrus clapped him on the shoulder. “Prepare a sermon for the church service in two weeks. I’ll let the deacons know you are interested. We may need you to preach for a few weeks before they decide to allow you to be pastor.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll still be around to guide you if you’re chosen as pastor.”
Joseph opened his mouth, about to ask another question, but Cyrus shook his head. “Joseph, I have to get home. It’s past my early bedtime and my knees hurt. We can talk about this some more later, but for now, that’s what you need to do.”
Joseph nodded as Cyrus leaned on his cane and made his way through the crowd. Several tried to stop him to speak, but he waved them away, apparently exhausted. Eager to share his news, he glanced at the pews and found Ruth in the back, patiently waiting. Ruth was easily the kindest, most patient woman he’d ever met. Any woman who could work with Mother and not lose her temper deserved a reward.
He quickly made his way over to her. “Thank you for waiting. Can I escort you home?”
He was rewarded by her bright smile. She quickly nodded. They exited the church and started down the cobblestone street. A horse-drawn carriage passed by as street lanterns spilled light into the semidark night. He eyed Ruth as they strolled down the street. Her bonnet was neatly tied, covering her dark curls. He ached to remove it and see her hair.
She’d kept her head covered with her bonnet while working in the bakery. They’d been so busy he’d not had a moment alone with her. Longing to see her outside of the confines of the bakery, without Mother’s hovering, resonated within him. They could always use help with the movement, and he figured she might be willing to help him tomorrow.
“Ruth, tomorrow I have to go to the printers to pick up the pamphlets to distribute with some of the volunteers. Would you like to come with me? We could meet up with the rest of the volunteers and hand out the literature to people on the street, asking for their support for the movement.”
Her pretty brow furrowed, as if she were worried. She chewed on her lower lip. “I be glad to do that, Joseph.”
“Wonderful. We can go after I close the bakery tomorrow. Mother will be leaving right before closing because she has an errand to run. So she won’t bother us.”
“Your ma don’t know about your involvement in the Underground Railroad?”
He swallowed and shook his head. Ruth was a nice, honest woman, and he sensed he could trust her. “No, she doesn’t.” He sighed. “If she knew, she’d be extremely upset.”
Ruth stopped walking and looked directly into his eyes. Her brown eyes sparkled beneath the lit lanterns. She clutched her reticule as if she were nervous. “Joseph, you should tell your ma about your involvement. Don’t be scared of her. Besides, won’t she eventually find out if you’re passing out literature on the street?”
Not only was Ruth beautiful and honest, she was courageous. He figured she wouldn’t keep something like this from Mother if she were in his position. “Philadelphia is a big city. I could probably do this for a long time before she found out.”
“Why wait? Tell her now. Won’t she be even angrier if she finds out on her own?”
Ruth had a point, but he didn’t want to tell Mother about his involvement yet. The time just wasn’t right. He didn’t want to hear her objections while he worked in the bakery every day. She already complained enough as it was. They continued walking, and he squeezed his hand into a fist. He ached to hold Ruth’s hand, but he didn’t know if it was a good idea. Sure, he thought about Ruth every night before going to bed, and he loved seeing her in the bakery. But he figured it was too soon to let her know of his attraction to her.
“Joseph, I thinks you making a big mistake, not telling your ma about your abolitionist involvement.”
He didn’t want to talk about Mother anymore. Just talking about his mother was ruining a perfect spring evening. It was time to change the topic. “So, Ruth, where did you learn to bake bread?”
Her pretty eyes widened for a second, and she hesitated. It almost appeared as if she didn’t want to share this information with him. “I worked in the kitchen on a big farm for a long time. The owner died. I’s then decided to work in a bakery instead.”
She nodded. “I’ll do that.”
Thoughts of kissing her pretty lips rushed through his mind. He took a step back. He couldn’t risk kissing her. He didn’t know if it was the right thing to do, and he honestly didn’t know if she’d welcome his attention. Instead, he touched her cheek. “Good night, Ruth.”
“Good night, Joseph.”
He stayed on the steps until she unlocked the door and entered the house.
Ruth removed her apron and eyed Joseph as he moved the ashes with a wooden stick, putting out the fire in the beehive-shaped oven. Gray smoke curled up from the baking hole as the flames died. She wiped the sweat from her brow. It’d been a long workday, and they’d sold many loaves of bread, just as they’d done the previous days. Her bread continued to be popular at the bakery, and she’d overheard customers asking Joseph questions about her.
When he’d walked her home the previous evening, her heart had skipped. When he dropped her off at the door, she wondered if he’d kiss her.
She was glad he hadn’t. When she’d gone to bed last night, she’d dreamed about Thomas. Although she enjoyed the time she’d spent with Joseph, she doubted she’d ever get married. Thomas’s death still haunted her. She still thought about the conversation she’d had with Miss Tilley. She found that her desire to help with the movement had grown in just a few days’ time.
She wanted to help as many people as she could to find freedom. She also wanted to tell them about Jesus. She felt that was her calling in life. She honestly didn’t think she was strong enough to fall in love again. She sensed just helping others in the movement was what she wanted to focus on. Being courted by a man was not something she wanted to do right now.
She sensed Joseph wanted to ask her questions about her background to find out more about her.
Once, his ma had caught him staring at her, and he’d looked away as if he were embarrassed. During the day Elizabeth hovered, her eyes narrowed like a hawk. Whenever Joseph was about to speak to her, Elizabeth would appear, almost as if she suspected Joseph’s interest in Ruth. Well, the woman should learn to calm down and not spy on her son. Even though Joseph seemed as if he were interested in getting to know her better, she knew once he found out she was an illiterate former slave, he’d avoid her like the plague.
His mother had such a strong hold on him that Ruth wondered about them. She treated Joseph as if he were a child instead of a grown man—a handsome grown man with light brown skin and amazing eyes. She’d overheard some of the young, female patrons flirting with him when they came into the bakery. He’d always rebuffed their advances.
Another thing about Joseph that proved troubling. Except for yesterday evening, she never saw him smile. He was always frowning, and he bristled whenever his mother came around, as if he resented her presence. He baked bread almost mechanically, as if he had no choice.
He removed his apron and came toward her. “Are you ready, Ruth?”
She nodded. His ma had left about thirty minutes earlier, and it was time to go to the printers to fetch the literature. She was still eager to learn to read. It was kind of sad she was passing out literature and she didn’t even know what it said. Miss Tilley promised they could start their lessons right before bed that evening. She squeezed her hands together, eagerly wanting to learn to read and possibly write. Imagine that, writing her own name!
Joseph held the door open and they stepped outside onto the sidewalk. The hot sun beat down on them as they started walking along the cobblestone street. Joseph reached for her hand.
She shook her head and took a few steps away from him. She wanted him to hold her hand, but didn’t think it was a good idea to allow herself to become smitten with Joseph, not until he knew all of her secrets. His attention would never grow into a fruitful relationship, so it was probably best if she didn’t encourage his attention.
“You don’t want me to hold your hand?” The disappointment in his voice made her pause.
“We don’t know each other very well, and…”
He shook his head. “We can discuss this later, Ruth. I’m sorry if I offended you.” He took quick steps, and as sweat poured down Ruth’s brow, she forced herself to quicken her pace to keep up with him. She struggled to walk so fast, and her foot caught on a loose brick and she stumbled. She cried out, and Joseph turned around and caught her. “Ruth, I’m so sorry.”
His deep voice washed over her like cool water on a hot day. His strong arms wrapped around her like a glove, and he smelled nice, like freshly baked bread. She looked into his hazel eyes and couldn’t think of what to say. Her tongue seemed glued to the roof of her mouth. She took a deep breath—she couldn’t let Joseph make her feel so unsettled. She cleared her throat and finally found her voice as she stood upright. “You sure do walk fast. You wasn’t walking this fast last night.”
“I want to get to the printers before they close, and I’m eager to start handing out the literature. I didn’t remember you probably would not be able to keep up with me.” He shook his head for a few seconds. “Accept my apologies, please. I should have been more considerate.”
She didn’t trust herself to speak. Her attraction to Joseph was as real as the sun shining from the blue sky. She figured her attraction would go away. She’d just been irritable from the heat, and she’d been afraid of falling on the street. Flustered, that was the way she’d been feeling, and Joseph’s rescue had made her feel a bit better. “I’s okay.” He really did seem to feel bad about his mishap.
He slowed his pace, and soon she was strolling beside him. She almost stumbled again, but he quickly touched the small of her back, breaking her fall. “They need to replace some of these cobblestones.”
Finally, they walked at a leisurely pace. The late afternoon sun shone on them with warmth. Ruth wiped her brow. “Sure is hot out here.”
“Yes, it is hotter than normal today.” He continued walking slowly, his feet clomping against the street. She had a lot of questions she wanted to ask him, but she wasn’t sure if her curiosity would encourage him to ask more questions about her background.
“Ruth?” His deep, sultry voice interrupted their silent walk.
“Yes?” Looked like he had something he wanted to ask her too.
“You said we don’t know each other very well. That’s true. We haven’t really had time to get to know one another since Mother is always watching us.”
That was an understatement. She figured since they were working together every day, it’d make sense to know something about one another. She gulped as they turned a corner. A horse-drawn carriage clomped down the street as folks rushed by. Hopefully, he didn’t want to get too personal. She wasn’t ready to tell him everything about herself. She figured it might be best to focus on him. “You mind talking about your pa?”
He frowned.
She touched his arm. “I sorry. I understand if you don’t wants to talk about him.”
He patted her shoulder. “I don’t mind telling you about him. I was close to Father. He taught me so many things. I enjoyed working with him, more so than Mother. My father was the most honorable man I’ve ever known. I miss him.”
She squeezed his arm. “Thanks for telling me.” She wasn’t sure why she wanted to know more about Joseph’s relationship with his father. Perhaps she wanted to understand his relationship to his kin because she’d never had contact with many of her blood relatives.
The printers was just down the street. She wanted to ask her question before they arrived. “I have another question for you, Joseph.”
He focused on her with his amazing eyes. “Really? What’s that?”
“Why you so unhappy at the bakery? You seem happier when you’re not there.”
“If I had to explain, it would take me all day.” He took a deep breath and looked directly into her eyes. “I hate working in the bakery.”
Her eyes widened at his blunt statement. “Do your ma know?”
He shook his head, the tortured look returning to his handsome face. “I’m sure she suspects. A mother should know her own child, right?”
She shrugged. She’d never known her own mother, so it was hard for her to comment. “Why do you stay? Can you work someplace else?”
He dropped onto a nearby bench, and she sat beside him. She wanted to be Joseph’s friend, and she hoped he’d feel comfortable confiding in her eventually. She honestly did not know what else to say. Just to be able to work and get paid was a new experience for her. She couldn’t imagine not liking any job if you were paid.
He took a deep breath. “My family has been free for two generations. This bakery has been in my family for a long time. It’s just expected that I work there and make my living, but I’m miserable. Mother’s attitude makes it worse.”
Ruth couldn’t understand. After all, she loved baking bread. She felt at home in the kitchen and couldn’t imagine doing anything else for a living. “Well, what would you do if you’s could choose?”
“I have plans to do something else, Lord willing.” He paused and peered directly into her eyes. “Ruth, I didn’t get a chance to tell you last night. You know I went to talk to Cyrus after he announced his retirement?”
She nodded.
“I want to be considered for the position.”
“You’s leaving the bakery?” She couldn’t keep the shocked tone out of her voice. If his ma found out, she’d have a huge fit. Ruth imagined his ma would make her life even more miserable if Joseph were not around. If Joseph became pastor of the church, Ruth figured she might have to find another bakery to hire her. She sure didn’t want to endure Mrs. Adams’s sour treatment if she could find the same wages elsewhere.