Shifted By The Winds

by Ginny Dye

  “Perfectly safe,” Felicia confirmed. “Everyone lay down on your blankets. You’ll get the best view that way!” She hurried over to lay down with Moses, Rose, John and Hope.

  Carrie smiled as she watched Moses pull his daughter close, wrapping a quilt around her snuggly. It seemed as if Felicia had always been their daughter. It was hard to remember the terrified, thin-faced girl who had arrived on the plantation after her parents were murdered. As she gazed at them she had a sudden thought that if Robert couldn’t have children, surely there were scores of children in need of a home. She had heard of orphanages, even if she knew nothing about them.

  “There’s another one!” a child yelled.

  “And another!”

  Carrie laid back as the skies erupted into a display so magnificent it took her breath away. As soon as one fireball faded away, another one seemed to take its place, streaking across the sky in a blaze of glory before it was swallowed by the darkness. In the beginning, there was a steady stream of meteors lighting up the night, but she knew they weren’t yet seeing what Felicia had described. She glanced toward the horizon, relieved to see nothing but clear sky.

  No one moved through the long night. Every person there knew they were seeing something so special there were no words to adequately express it. The older ones knew they would probably not live long enough to see a repeat. The younger ones were simply mesmerized by the beauty. Carrie completely forgot about being cold.

  “I never dreamed of seeing something like this,” Robert said quietly.

  “Nor I,” Carrie murmured as she squeezed his hand.

  It was past midnight when it happened. Carrie gasped with awe as the skies seemed to open up. A veritable rain of meteors blazed across the sky. It looked as if the entire heavens had exploded into the most amazing fireworks display she had ever seen.

  “The entire sky is falling!” a woman screamed, clearly on the verge of panic.

  “It’s the shower!” Felicia cried out as she sprang up from the blanket, raised her arms and began to dance under the bright light. “Look at it! I’ve never seen anything so beautiful! Just look at it!”

  Carrie laughed and jumped up to join her, holding her head back to watch the meteors as she danced. “It’s beautiful!” she yelled. “Absolutely beautiful!” She was so glad she had learned the truth of the meteor shower from Felicia. Otherwise, she would have been terrified. As it was, she knew this was a moment she would remember her entire life.

  Suddenly people were throwing their blankets aside, joining in the dance as the skies opened to pour an endless treasure of gleaming diamonds toward them.

  Carrie knew it was a night she would never forget.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Abby shivered, not from the cold buffeting her as a brisk wind assaulted the carriage, but from sheer excitement. After being on her own for so long, she could hardly believe she was part of such a big, vibrant family.

  “Are you cold?” Thomas asked solicitously, reaching for another blanket to tuck around her. “It’s brutal out here,” he muttered.

  “It’s wonderful!” Abby cried. “I’m not cold at all. I can hardly believe Jeremy and Marietta are getting married next week. And it’s almost Christmas. And we’re going to the plantation.”

  Thomas grinned. “You sound like you are about four years old.”

  Abby stuck her tongue out at him.

  Thomas laughed harder. “Now you are acting exactly like your daughter!”

  Abby bounced on the seat, grinning up at Spencer as he turned back to look at her, his broad face spread in a wide grin.

  “Sure does a heart good to see you so happy,” Spencer drawled.

  “I could say the same thing for you,” Abby answered. “Carrie was insistent in her letter a couple weeks ago that you would stay on the plantation for Christmas. I have a feeling, though, that she’ll understand your desire to get back to your new bride.”

  Spencer ducked his head with embarrassment, but his smile still beamed. “I can’t believe May agreed to marry me,” he said, his voice thick with wonder. “She’s something, that woman is.”

  “Both of you are,” Abby replied warmly. “I could not be happier for both of you.”

  “You’re certainly going to eat better,” Thomas joked.

  Spencer threw his head back with a loud laugh. “Yes, sir. That be right for certain!” He patted his stomach. “I think I’m already gaining weight.”

  Abby settled back against the carriage cushion as she laid her head on Thomas’ shoulder. She suspected it was just a lull before the storm, but she was determined to simply relish the last four weeks of peace that had covered Richmond. Perhaps it was just because the cold had snuffed out any fires of passion, but she didn’t care—she was simply going to enjoy it. They had experienced such a successful year in the factory that they had decided to simply pay everyone their full wages and shut it down for the two weeks they would be gone. Their employees had gaped at them with disbelief when they had made the announcement the night before, and then had erupted into excited talk before they disappeared into the night toward their homes to create their own celebrations.

  “I know we promised no business talk once we got to the plantation, but we’re not there yet,” Thomas observed. “May I ask you a question?”

  Abby nodded. “Ask away, my dear.”

  “I saw you reading a letter after we got home last night, but we were too busy with last minute packing for me to ask you about it.”

  Abby nodded. If it was possible to be any happier, the letter she had received had made her that way. “It was from our plant manager in Philadelphia.” In spite of the brutal cold, they had decided to move forward with preparing the Moyamensing building for production. “Things are going smoothly. There have been some delays because of weather, but the people of Moyamensing have kept the streets amazingly clear of snow around the building, and they keep the workers provided with hot food. Biddy is providing the money for the food, but the residents are cooking it.”

  Thomas nodded his approval. “So you still believe it will open in April?”

  “Definitely,” Abby said with a grin. It thrilled her heart to have so much to grin about. “We may even have it ready in March. We’ll start small, but we should be up to full production by the end of April, expanding the workforce during the summer.” She shook her head. “I knew Biddy was a powerful woman, but I didn’t realize she has so many connections. Things that should have taken weeks to accomplish are happening in mere days. Our decision to put the factory in Moyamensing has already garnered interest from other factory owners.”

  “Of course it has,” Thomas replied. “When the most successful businesswoman in Philadelphia does something so radical, it was sure to make them take notice. They also don’t want to miss out on a good thing,” he said dryly.

  Abby supposed she should respond modestly, but she was too thrilled with what was happening. “That’s true,” she agreed tartly.

  Thomas laughed and pulled her closer. “I have had a lot of wonderful Christmases on the plantation, but I am quite sure none of them will hold a candle to the one we are about to experience.”

  Carrie beamed with delight as Moses and Robert wrestled the towering cedar tree across the porch and into the house. It had taken ten of them, all on horseback, to find the right tree. Their laughter had echoed through the woods for hours as they discussed, and eliminated, all the trees they examined. It wasn’t until Amber came cantering up with news of the perfect tree tucked into the woods beside a hidden pond that the search had ended.

  Amber jumped up and down and clapped her hands as the cedar entered the foyer. “My tree is perfect!” she cried.

  “If we raise the ceiling,” Robert muttered as he and Moses finished pushing it into the parlor.

  “It will fit, Robert,” Felicia said. “I measured it.”

  Robert eyed her. “You measured it from a shadow.”

  Rose laughed. “You haven’t yet
learned not to question our resident genius?” she asked.

  Robert smiled, but still looked unconvinced as he gazed up at the twelve-foot ceiling. “I only want to put this thing up once.”

  Felicia looked at with something like disdain, but her eyes sparkled with fun. “It’s really quite simple,” she said, her tone indicating she was speaking slowly because she doubted his ability to understand her. “The secret is in the sun’s rays. They fall on both me and the tree from the same direction. That means the rays are parallel. Both me and the tree are straight, so that means we are parallel too. Since the ground was flat around the tree that made both of our shadows parallel.” Excited now, she pulled out a sheet of paper and drew a quick picture. “See, the shadows the tree and I cast look like a triangle. The top of the tree is joined to the shadow of the top of the tree by a line that points back up to the sun.” She drew a straight line connecting the two to demonstrate. “My shadow can be drawn the same way.”

  “So?” Robert asked, his face saying he was already confused as he stared down at the drawing.

  “So even though the triangles are different sizes, they are the exact same proportion,” Felicia said earnestly.

  Carrie hid her smile. Robert, exhausted from his struggle with the tree was clearly not understanding Felicia’s explanation, but he was at least trying to listen. She loved him for it.

  “It was easy to figure out my shadow,” Felicia continued. “I’m five feet tall. My shadow is two and a half feet long, or half as long as my height. The ceiling is twelve feet tall. That meant our tree had to have a shadow no longer than six feet. When Amber found this tree I was able to calculate its height.”

  Moses chuckled when he looked at Robert’s face. “It’s best not to question her,” he advised as he finished hammering the stand onto the bottom of the luxuriant tree. “When it comes to things like this, she is always right.”

  John, standing close to his daddy, nodded wisely. “Fe-Fe is real smart,” he said solemnly.

  Dwane nodded too. “Fe-Fe be real smart,” he echoed, his eyes shining as he stared at the tree with complete wonder.

  Robert chuckled, stared at Felicia with admiration, and then helped Moses hoist the tree. He knew this was the first time Dwane had ever seen a Christmas tree. The resilient little boy seemed to have completely forgotten the beaten that had taken his little sister, and almost killed him. Morah and Dwane had moved into the room Perry and Louisa had occupied as soon as they had left for Cromwell Plantation. Dwane had erased John’s sadness at seeing Jasper ride away in the carriage. Morah was helping Annie in the kitchen, and devouring every book she could get her hands on. Felicia spent time helping her every night.

  As Felicia had predicted, the tree fit perfectly, its top within two inches of the ceiling.

  “Well done,” Carrie exclaimed as she applauded. “All of you!” She inhaled deeply as the aroma of the cedar filled the room, her skin tingling with the wonder of another Christmas on the plantation.

  Annie appeared with a platter heaped tall with cookies. Polly and Morah were right behind her, their hands full of trays of coffee and hot chocolate. Just as they set them down on the table, the door opened and allowed in a rush of cold air. Clint and Gabe stomped in, their arms full of cedar boughs to decorate the mantels and doorways.

  Clint sniffed appreciatively. “I can smell my mama’s gingerbread cookies from a mile away.” He eyed the platter. “Is it time?”

  Carrie laughed. “It’s time.” She showed him where she wanted them to deposit the cedar boughs and then pointed them toward the table. Moments later the laughter and talk had been replaced with complete silence as the cookies and hot drinks disappeared into a memory.

  Robert wiped his mouth with a napkin and gazed up at the tree. “It seems strange not to have it decorated before your father and Abby get here.”

  “I know,” Carrie agreed, “but Abby insisted she didn’t want to miss out this year, and Marietta said she wasn’t going to have her first real southern Christmas messed up by not being able to help decorate.” She glanced at the four children. “How are the decorations coming?”

  “Real good,” Amber assured her. “Mama and Annie pulled all the boxes out of the attic for us, and we’ve been making new ones all week. Morah has been helping us!”

  Carrie smiled, her mind spinning back to all the Christmases she had enjoyed on the plantation. She had always led the group of children from the quarters when they went into the woods scavenging for pinecones, mistletoe and wispy moss to make hordes of decorations. There were less children now, but the excitement was just as strong.

  The quarters stood empty, waiting for the next round of seasonal workers to arrive in the spring. The other families, snug in their own homes, were busy creating their own Christmas celebrations.

  Felicia stared up at the tree with huge round eyes. Carrie exchanged a meaningful look with Rose. Felicia might be a child prodigy, but she was still just a little girl who had never seen such a huge Christmas tree in her life.

  “This is the first Christmas tree I’ve ever seen,” Felicia said quietly, reaching out to touch the fragrant boughs.

  Moses stepped closer. “The first one, honey? What about the plantation you lived on?”

  Felicia shrugged, her eyes never leaving the tree. “I heard the house slaves talking about one a couple times, but I’ve never seen one. It’s beautiful,” she murmured in a reverent voice.

  “As beautiful as the Leonid Meteor Shower?” Carrie teased. She could hardly wait to see Felicia’s face when the little girl experienced the tree decorated with ornaments and glimmering candlelight.

  Felicia shook her head quickly. “Nothing will ever be as beautiful as that!” she exclaimed.

  “I agree with you completely,” Carrie replied.

  “What time are Uncle Thomas and Aunt Abby getting here?” Felicia asked as she stepped away from the tree to stare out the window.

  “This afternoon,” Carrie answered, glancing at the tall grandfather clock in the corner. “They should actually be here any minute,” she said with surprise. “Where did the morning go?”

  “What about Jeremy and Marietta?” Amber asked.

  “They will be here tomorrow,” Rose said. “Matthew and Janie will be with them.”

  “Marietta told me I could help her get ready for the wedding,” Amber announced proudly. She danced a quick jig. “I can hardly wait. I ain’t never seen a real wedding,” she proclaimed.

  Rose cleared her throat.

  Amber clapped a hand over her mouth. “I meant to say that I have never seen a real wedding,” she said hastily, giggling when Rose nodded her approval. She went back to dancing around the room.

  Robert smiled as he stepped forward and held out his hand. “May I have this dance?”

  Amber giggled harder. “There is no music, Robert!”

  “That has never stopped me yet,” Robert assured her. He began to hum softly as he held out his arms. Amber’s eyes widened, but she let him take her hand before he put the other one on her waist. “Have you ever waltzed?”

  Amber shook her head. “I’ve heard about it, though.” Her eyes were bright with anticipation.

  “Just follow my lead,” Robert told her. “You’ll catch on in no time.”

  Carrie watched, her heart swelling with love as her tall husband carefully led Amber around the room in her first dance, his humming filling the air.

  Moses held out a hand to Felicia who reached for it with a grin. Moments later they were imitating Robert and Amber.

  John sidled up to Carrie. “What about me, Carrie? Don’t I get to dance, too?”

  Carrie smiled down at him. “Of course you do,” she assured him. “You’re never too young to learn how to dance.” She led him out into the parlor and began to instruct him in the simplest moves of the waltz. He giggled helplessly, but did his best to follow her directions.

  “Mama?” Clint asked. “I don’t really know how to waltz, but we can a
t least move to Robert’s humming.”

  Polly grinned and reached for his hand. “I would be honored.”

  Moments later Gabe moved out onto the floor with Annie at the same time Morah glided past with her son.

  Rose rocked peacefully as Hope snuggled to her breast.

  Flames flickered as a huge fire roared in the fireplace.

  Carrie looked around the room, certain her heart would burst with happiness.

  “Any regrets?” Janie asked as she and Carrie strolled down a path toward the river. The skies were threatening snow, but so far the threat had not been realized. The frozen, bare ground crunched beneath their feet as the wind rattled the limbs over their heads. They had asked if others wanted to join them, but their incredulous looks made it plain everyone else wanted to hunker down around the fireplace and wait for the first flakes to fall.

  “About coming on the walk?” Carrie asked.

  “About staying home from school,” Janie clarified.

  “None,” Carrie said, thrilled when she realized how completely she meant it. “Every minute of my time here has been so special.”

  Janie smiled. “Have you gotten any studying done?”

  “Not even one little bit,” Carrie admitted. “Granite loves our long rides around the plantation, and Robert and I have talked about so many things.” She was uncomfortably aware that she had so far avoided talking to her husband about the topic she wasn’t ready to discuss, but she pushed that thought aside. “I’ve had wonderful times with Rose, I beat Moses in a horse race…”

  “Like he ever stood a chance,” Janie snorted.

  “I tried to tell him,” Carrie said with a shrug. “He insisted.”

  “What was his payment for losing?” Janie asked with a grin.

  “I made him agree to get up when Hope cried for the four nights after the race so Rose could get some sleep.”

  Janie laughed, the sound ringing through the trees and settling down on them like a blanket.

  Carrie grinned. “It’s only fair. The harvest is long done, but Rose was still getting up every day to teach school.”