Clara walked to the washstand and lifted the large pitcher. “Please make yourselves comfortable. I will be back shortly with fresh water for washing. There is a small room outside your room that all the guests use for bathing. It is available for thirty-minute intervals; you may check the schedule downstairs if you care to sign up for a time to bathe in a tub. Soap and towels are available in the bathing room.” With that Clara smiled warmly and left with the pitcher, closing the door gently behind her.
Delaney looked around with much appreciation. “What a lovely room! It will be restful and enjoyable to stay here, I believe.”
“Yes, it is certainly lovely. And I, for one, look forward to a bath in a tub this evening. Do you plan to bathe also?” Mrs. Norman sat wearily in one of the two rockers.
“Oh, I would love to, but…is it acceptable for a Negro to bathe in the tub also?” Delaney was hesitant.
“Why, I can’t imagine why not. I’m certain Clara would have offered something different if it were not allowed. I think you should enjoy the tub also. We will each sign up for a bath when we go downstairs. I brought some lavender bath salts that we can both use. It will be quite relaxing.”
Just then there was a gentle knock followed by Clara’s voice again. “Ladies?”
Delaney quickly opened the door as Clara stepped inside with a full pitcher of water in one hand and a bucket in the other. “When you have finished with a basin of water you may pour it into this bucket. Rose Ellen’s boys will collect the used water later for the gardens and will keep your pitcher filled. Now, is there anything else I can get for you?” Without waiting for a response she continued, “Dinner is served at seven; you are welcome to rest on the porches or in the front parlor at any time.” With a smile and a nod, she disappeared, again closing the door behind herself.
As soon as the door had opened for Clara’s departure, the ladies could smell the fragrant aromas of dinner, and almost immediately Mrs. Norman’s stomach growled. She looked up, surprised. “Well, I don’t know which I want more—a bath, dinner, or this bed.”
Delaney’s eyes sparkled with her excitement. “Well, in whichever order they happen, they all sound delightful to me!”
At breakfast the next morning Clara told the ladies no one else in town needed to go to Canton, but there was a carriage they could hire for the trip if they wished to do so. They would travel approximately forty miles the first day, spend the night in a small town, and finish the final thirty or so miles the following day. Since the driver of the carriage preferred to stay one more day in Brownville, they could leave very early the next morning. Rose Ellen promised to send them on their way with a basket of food for the day’s travels.
Before daybreak the following day, the carriage waited in front of the boardinghouse with the ladies’ trunks already loaded. It was a small carriage, but since the two ladies were the only passengers, they each enjoyed a seat to themselves. As the carriage rolled noisily away from Brownsville, the sun was just lighting the eastern horizon. Delaney was excited and watchful, but Mrs. Norman had ridden in carriages before and knew that a long two days and a hard ride were before them.
When finally they arrived in Canton, it was late afternoon. Both ladies were tired and sore but still eager to reach their destination. Since there was no hotel in Canton, the carriage driver took them to the general store, where they inquired about a place to stay or a possible ride to the Ned Browning home. The store owner, a very friendly fellow, was sweeping out the store to close for the day. He invited the ladies to stay and have dinner with him and his wife and then said he’d take them himself to the Browning home in the evening.
In spite of their weariness, both ladies were delighted to finish their journey the same day, so accepted the invitation with gratitude.
Chapter 17
It had been a long spring day for Ned and Edna, but the children were tucked into their beds. Ned was whittling a bedpost for a new bed frame while Edna worked on her endless stack of mending. The day had been unseasonably warm, so they sat out under the large maple tree that stood near the front of their house. Daylight was waning, and Edna was having difficulty seeing her stitches. Her hands rested in her lap, and she laid her head against the high back of the chair with a soft sigh. It had been more than eight months since they had buried the baby, yet Edna still did not feel recovered. Sadness weighed on her heart like a heavy load that she must carry.
She looked over at her husband. He had not glanced up, but she knew the moment she had sighed that he was aware of her burden and ached with his own loss. His shoulders seemed more bent than she remembered, and his blond hair was turning noticeably white.
Closing her eyes, she prayed as she had many times before: Please God, please lift this burden that we carry. Please replace our sorrow with joy once more. A tear slid down her cheek, but she stopped the sigh that wanted to escape before it was audible. Aloud she said, “A good breeze would feel good right now.”
“A good breeze as well as a good rain,” he replied. Ned stopped carving and gazed at his wife.
She knew that he knew the conversation was not about the weather. It was her way of letting him know that life goes on and that she was trying not to let the grief weigh her down. He observed her closely, then sat back and spoke gently. “Edna, I’ve been thinking a lot about the loss we’ve had. Yes, I grieve for the loss of our daughter, but I grieve even more for the sorrow in your eyes.”
He took a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking that it might help you to heal if you could see your mother again. It has been a long time. We have too many young-uns now to make the trip together with the family, and I don’t think we’d either one be easy in our hearts to leave them here alone if we went together, but I’m thinking that perhaps it would be good for you to take the little boys and maybe Esther, too, and go spend some time with your parents this summer. I believe the older children and I can keep things going around here until you return.”
Ned leaned closer. She knew he was studying the lines on her face that weren’t there previously and the dark circles beneath her eyes. “I’ll miss you terribly, but I would be happy knowing you might get a comfort,” he added.
Tears splashed down her cheeks, but she smiled at him. “Oh, Ned, how I would love to see my mother for a little while! I have told her everything in letters, but just to chat with her face-to-face would be so wonderful. I can’t bear the thought of being away from you and the children, but perhaps it truly would help a bit. I will think on it.”
Suddenly something large moved through the trees, and they both turned toward it. It was a very unusual sound at dusk unless it was a large animal. Edna began gathering her mending and sewing supplies and then stopped in surprise. She could tell now it was horses…and a wagon. But who would be traveling at this time of day?
Soon they could hear voices above the clatter of the horses’ hooves. The wagon approached, slowing in front of the house. They recognized the storekeeper, Hiram McDonough, as he climbed down over the wagon wheel, but the two ladies’ faces were shadowed by their bonnets and the dusk. All the same, Ned and Edna approached the wagon.
Hiram helped the younger woman down first. She was a Negro girl, a total stranger to them. Next the older woman climbed down with Hiram on one side and the young woman on the other, steadying her. As soon as the older woman was standing firmly on the ground, she walked toward Edna. “Edna,” she called softly, arms reaching out.
“Mother!” Edna whispered and was immediately lost in her mother’s embrace. Both women were crying and laughing at once. But soon Mrs. Norman pulled back slightly and smiled at Ned. “Blessings on you, Son!” She moved to hug him as well.
Ned and Edna were nearly speechless with joy, but their eyes looked questioningly at the young Negro woman who was traveling with the older woman. “Oh! Where are my manners?” Mrs. Norman exclaimed as she reached for Delaney. “Please meet my friend who has agreed to accompany me on my journey. This is Delaney from the Rose H
ill Plantation in South Carolina, about whom I have written. I am certain you will enjoy her company as well.”
Delaney smiled hesitantly at Ned and Edna, but she was soon wrapped in Edna’s warm embrace. “Oh, thank you for accompanying my mother and making this trip possible for her. We are delighted to have you stay with us.”
Mr. McDonough cleared his throat slightly. “Ned, if you’ll help me with these trunks, I can leave them here and still get home before the darkest part of the night.”
Over coffee and cookies the women talked quietly while Ned watched his wife’s face. The smile on her face matched the one in his heart. He had been right. A visit with her mother was just what Edna needed. He silently thanked God that he had not had to be separated from his wife for them to visit one another. Soon he noticed that Delaney was struggling to stay awake.
“Edna, these women must be exhausted. I’ll take a blanket and sleep in the fresh hay pile in the barn. And I’ll awaken Thomas, and he can sleep with me. Then Delaney can have the small room behind the kitchen where Thomas sleeps, and you and your mother can share our room. Would that be acceptable to everyone?”
“Oh, don’t wake the boy. I will gladly sleep on the rug here in the sitting room. I am so tired I believe I could sleep fine even in this chair,” Delaney said warmly. “Truly, I would feel very bad for you to awaken anyone on my behalf.”
At that moment Thomas came sleepily around the corner. “What’s all the noise out here? Is everything all right?” He was still trying to open his eyes when he spoke, but soon he said hesitatingly, “Grandmother?”
“My, Thomas, how you have grown! You are a man. I still think of you as a little boy.” Mrs. Norman hugged her grandson as they all explained at once about the surprise.
When things settled down once more, Thomas asked, “Miss Delaney, would you care to sleep in my room? I will sleep in the fresh hay in the barn with my father.”
Ned put his arm on Thomas’s shoulders. “Come on, Son. Let’s hit that hay before the cows want their morning milking.” Grinning, the men walked out calling over their shoulders, “Good night, all.”
Chapter 18
Bartholomew Kendall felt like a young boy at Christmas. His horses seemed to sense his excitement as they trotted briskly. There was still a chill in the warm spring air, but the colors of the early flowers and the sounds of the nesting birds appeared totally in sync with his spirits. He couldn’t help smiling at the bulky envelope peeking out of the velvet pocket in the front of the carriage. He was glad he could give this to his sister and her husband; he knew they would be pleased.
He suddenly realized he had been humming, so he broke into a lusty song. The tune he’d been humming had been put to a couple of verses of Psalm 25 that they often sang in his church. As he sang the song now, he realized how very much he had trusted in God, his hope and his Savior, on this mission.
The countryside was still as the horses pranced out the rhythm of the song with their hooves. Bart sang out with his resonate baritone into the hushed silence:
“Show me Your ways, O Lord;
teach me Your paths;
guide me into Your truth and teach me.
Guide me in Your Truth;
teach me Your ways,
for You are my God and my Savior, my Hope.
I trust in You all day long.”
As he sang, Bart felt as though he could actually feel God smiling on him. His heart rejoiced with the success of his journey, and he eagerly looked forward to giving his sister his news.
Bart adored his sister and her family, and Bart’s dear wife enjoyed them as well. Bart thought now of the way God had blessed the Rose Hill Plantation, and he thought of all that he had learned from his generous-hearted brother-in-law. Since he and Adele had been unable to have children of their own, they intended to make Wally and Sue Ellen’s second son their heir. They felt good knowing that their own plantation would continue in good hands, in the tradition of Wally himself.
As he drove, he suddenly decided to stop at his own plantation, Windy Oaks, before going on to Rose Hill, and take his wife with him to Rose Hill for a visit. He knew his sister would enjoy the visit, as would his lovely Adele.
In his mind he compared the two women he loved most in the world. His sister, Sue Ellen, was a lovely and graceful woman, but quite capable in all her undertakings. She had taken over the running of the entire plantation since her husband had taken ill and had done a very good job of keeping things running smoothly. He knew she depended heavily on the help of Jeremiah, but the bulk of the responsibility rested on her own shoulders.
His Adele was a small, fragile-looking woman. She was rather timid and quiet and had never quite mastered the running of the plantation home. However, they had been blessed with the gift of Adele’s personal slave, who had been given to her as a small child. Her name was Maddie, and she had grown to be tall and strong of body and mind. Bart had learned from his brother-in-law to give all their slaves their freedom, and like Wally, most of his people had stayed on to serve willingly and be part of the family. So Maddie was hired not only as Adele’s helper, but she quickly picked up the task of running the household for the Kendalls in Adele’s place.
Maddie’s marriage to their overseer, Jasper, had been a very happy occasion on the plantation, and the union had produced four precious boys in the past ten years who quickly won Adele’s heart. Bart smiled as he thought of the small boys. They were growing wise and strong under the care of their two mothers: Maddie and Adele.
He knew Adele would not want to go away without taking the four boys. Maddie wouldn’t mind, and it would be a great adventure for the boys to visit Rose Hill with them. Adele would enjoy the visit with Sue Ellen, and Windy Oaks would be in good hands with Maddie and Jasper. As the plan developed in his mind, Bart became more and more eager to get home and share his idea with his wife. They could leave first thing in the morning and be at Rose Hill before noon. Sue Ellen would be happy to see them all. Again he smiled as he thought of the joyful news he would share with Wally and Sue Ellen. He felt certain Jeremiah would be pleased with the news also.
The huge live oak trees lining the sides of the winding driveway up to the Windy Oaks main house were a welcome sight. Their branches were gnarly and often were the place the boys would be found playing. As he drove between the spreading boughs, Bart looked carefully into each tree and was not disappointed. He smiled as he called out to Clifton, who was cradled in the arms of the spreading boughs, his legs swinging happily while his face was buried in a book. Apparently Clifton had been so wrapped up in the story he was reading that he had not even heard the carriage.
His dark face popped up above the top of the book, and his face lit as he saw Papa Bart slowing the horses. Scrambling down the tree, Clifton held the book carefully protected with his finger marking his spot. He darted toward the carriage as it came to a stop near the base of the favorite tree.
Clifton climbed swiftly into the carriage. “We didn’t expect you yet for several days. Did everything go well on your journey, Papa Bart?”
Bart smiled at the boy. “Everything went very well. I still need to go to Rose Hill for a few days…” Before he could even finish his sentence he saw the boy’s smile fade to show his disappointment. Bart continued, “…so I thought I’d stop here and take Mama Del and you boys to Rose Hill with me for a visit.”
The small dark face lit up like a jack-o’-lantern. “Really, Papa Bart? We can go, too? Really?”
“If your mama and papa say it is all right with them. We may be gone for several days or even a week. Are you sure you want to go?”
Clifton didn’t even answer the question. “Oh, I haven’t seen my cousins Nate and Luke and Ruth Elizabeth for ever so long. Oh, I can’t believe it. You know, Papa Bart, Ruth Elizabeth isn’t really like a girl. She’s my very best friend. She loves to read books, too, and she knows where all the baby birds’ nests are and she lets me hold the kittens and she’s not a sissy at all.
She’s not afraid of nothin’!”
“Anything…”
“…of anything and we know where all the best turtles hide in the creek, but we don’t tell anyone. I can’t wait to play with her.”
Bart stopped the carriage at the front gate as Jasper appeared and reached for the reins. “We’ll need the carriage in the morning to go on to Rose Hill. Do you mind if the boys ride over with us for a few days?”
Jasper smiled at his son as Clifton climbed out of the carriage, guarding his book carefully. “His mother will want the final word on that, but I’m sure it can be arranged.” Looking at his son, he said, “Do you remember where you put the present you made for Ruth Elizabeth?”
“Yes. And Mama will help me wrap it, I know. No, I want Mama Del to help. She makes prettier bows.” Clifton ran happily up the steps of the house calling, “Mama Del! Mama Del!”
Bart looked at Jasper and chuckled. “Well, I guess I won’t be the one to break the news about the trip to Adele after all. Although I may have to do some explaining.” As he handed the reins into Jasper’s ready hands, he said, “Thanks, Jasper. Thanks for caring for the horses and carriage, and thanks for sharing your boys with us.”
“Yes, sir. Maddie and I appreciate very much that you and the missus love our boys like you do. They don’t really know what it’s like to be a Negro in the South, and for that we’ll always be grateful, sir.”
“God has been good to us all, Jasper. Let’s just thank Him faithfully.”
The Long Road Home Romance Collection Page 34