by Jana Petken
Elizabeth wore a defeated, sullen scowl. Jacob watched her fighting for a word to hurt him with, but she could say nothing to cause him pain. He was elated. Her silence was the result of her inability to turn down his offer, for had she already decided to remain his wife under any circumstances, she would have declared that by now.
“What’s your answer?” he finally asked her.
“I hate you. If it weren’t for the money, I would stay just to spite you. But I believe you may be right; if the Yankees come down here, they will take everything. They will burn your house and your cotton. The Yankees will ruin you for sure. Oh my, how I would love to see that – I hope you get what’s coming to you, and I hope I never live to see the day you swagger around the city with her, because I will make your life hell – you just see if I don’t.”
Jacob stood and bowed sarcastically. His job was done, and he couldn’t be happier.
“I’ll finalise the divorce papers in the morning. You’ll be escorted home to your family with my solemn oath that our agreement stands. The money will be in your account tomorrow, before the end of the day. Good night, Elizabeth.”
Chapter Four
Jacob poured himself a brandy with hands that shook, not with anger but with emotion and relief. He sat facing Hendry, sitting in one of the twin leather armchairs in front of the fireplace, pensive and with a disapproving scowl.
“You managed to send her to bed, then,” said Hendry.
“I did. So tell me about the navy yard,” Jacob said.
“I will, but first you tell me what the hell that that was all about in there,” Hendry said angrily. “I didn’t finish my supper, and Belle’s disposition has worsened, if that’s at all possible. Jacob, this situation can’t go on. Belle’s just had a baby, God damn it. She has enough to think about without having to trade insults with your wife.”
“It’s done. It’s done, Hendry. I’m divorcing Elizabeth, with her consent. Either she’s changed her mind about the sanctity of marriage or someone else has, and I have a good idea who that someone is.”
“My God, Jacob. How much did you offer her?”
“Enough to satisfy her, but to be honest, I thought she’d be more determined to remain here with the sole purpose of making our lives miserable,” Jacob said.
“I misjudged her. I thought she’d fight you tooth and nail,” Hendry agreed. “I guess money speaks louder than her desire to wrangle for power in this house. My Belle is tough. Elizabeth chose the wrong woman to go up against.”
“I don’t suppose Belle will be on the porch to wave goodbye to Elizabeth,” Jacob said with a smile.
“I wonder how long it will take her to get through the money you intend to give her. I reckon Confederate money won’t be worth a damn soon anyway,” Hendry said worriedly.
Jacob shrugged. This was one of the many questions on his mind. He and Hendry had holdings in England, which were safe. They had substantial bank accounts in British coin, bank notes, and gold in a Liverpool vault, but what value would Confederate bonds and Confederate dollar bills have now? The North held the coffers, the national banks, and the federal government was recognised worldwide.
“I’ve been asking myself that question and more, Hendry. Will the South gain recognition in Europe? Will Britain and Europe trade with us? Is trading outside America even a credible proposition now? How the hell are we supposed to come to terms with this when the ramifications of what we’re doing become more alarming with every day that passes? We could lose everything here.”
“Agreed, so I guess Elizabeth should start spending straight away before her dollars are not worth more than kindling.”
Jacob smiled at his brother, grateful for the touch of humour. This would be the last brandy they shared together for a while. The conversation was a serious one, as it should be, but it wouldn’t hurt to lighten the mood for a minute or two.
“Hendry, I would have given her everything I owned had she put demands on me. I think I’ve just dodged a bullet – I saw her father yesterday at the militia’s headquarters. He was with his two boys, Nathan and George. I told him about my intention to end the marriage. I said I didn’t want any trouble.”
“How did he take the news?”
“That’s a good question. He didn’t say much about it. Said he wasn’t surprised. He insisted I give Elizabeth funds to buy a property to ensure that she’s financially independent. I might be wrong, but it looks to me as if he has more to worry about than his daughter. I reckon had this happened a year ago, I’d have had a rifle at my back and a fight in the street with his boys.”
“You ain’t heard about old man Coulter’s troubles?” Hendry asked.
“Nope.”
“I hear tell he’s got problems of a financial nature, has for quite awhile. I don’t reckon he’ll keep Pine Trees, his estate, either. By all accounts, he’s up to his ears in debt. Are the Coulter boys enlisting with you?”
“Yep, and I promised their old man I’d look out for them.
“Well, good luck with that. You’ll more than likely get a knife in your back. You be careful there ain’t no accidents when they’re around you. Seriously, though, I’m happy for you and Mercy, and I’m sorry, Jacob. I was a damn fool trying to push you into that marriage.”
“No one pushed me. I guess I just fell into it all by myself.”
“You’ll tell Belle and me about Mercy’s situation before you leave?”
“I will in the morning. Here, give this letter to Belle. Mercy’s been keeping herself busy reading and writing, amongst other things.” Jacob took the letter from his inside jacket pocket and passed it to Hendry.
Hendry deposited it in his pocket and smiled. “Thanks. Belle will be mighty pleased to get this.”
“Hendry, Mercy makes me so damn happy. I want to marry her as soon as I’m free. I’d like her here with you and Belle. She wasn’t accommodating when I asked her to come back, but I would feel much better knowing that she’s safe at the plantation. Can you arrange it?”
Hendry’s expression changed. Jacob watched him down his brandy with a nervous gulp. He knew his brother well. “Hendry, that’s enough about me. We’ve got more important things to talk about. Tell me exactly what happened yesterday. A couple of men came in to the enlistment station and told us that the Confederacy had taken the navy yard. They said it had been quick and easy. What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The navy yard’s commander …”
“McCauley?”
“Yep. He tried to burn down the yard, but he didn’t get the job done as well as he’d hoped. I think he was taken by surprise at the speed and way it was taken. He and the other Federals in the ranks abandoned it pretty quickly, and as far as I know, there were no shots fired. When I got there this morning, there were remnants of smoke damage. About nine ships in all were scuttled or sunk. They tried to explode the USS Merrimack. She was all fired up, but there was no explosion. The top of her burnt down, and there ain’t no saving that, but her bulk is still intact above and below the waterline. I spoke with some folks and then went straight to the Carrabelle.
“Where did the Federals run to?” Jacob asked.
“Hampton. Fort Monroe. I don’t know what McCauley was thinking. I would have burnt every ship lying at anchor or alongside. I would have destroyed every building and warehouse capable of supplying or constructing anything that could help the Confederacy. The armoury was left mostly intact. I don’t how much was in there, but I figure it must be close to two thousand heavy guns, and that’s a great coup for us. Those guns will go a long way.”
Jacob sighed with relief. “I wanted to talk to you about this before dinner, but I guessed if you were here, then it couldn’t be that bad over there. At least they didn’t stick around for a fight they knew they’d lose. So what does this mean for the Confederacy – and what about you and the Carrabelle?”
“It means that the navy yard and everything in it now belongs to the Confederate navy, which I guess
I’ll have to get used to saying. Unfortunately, the Federals have the fort, which gives them a bastion up at Old Point Comfort in Tidewater. They have us blocked at the southern tip of the Chesapeake Peninsula, but they’re isolated. I figure we’ll make a run at Fort Monroe as soon as we get the chance. We’ve now got a major shipyard, and I’m hoping they’ll start building the ships we need to defend these waters. If we don’t, there’s nothing stopping the Federals from cruising back down here to take the yard off us again, and if they do, we’ll lose the gateway to the Carolinas …”
Jacob listened intently. Hendry was uneasy still. He was finding it difficult to look him in the eye. “You didn’t answer my question, Hendry – what about you and the Carrabelle?”
Hendry eyes darted everywhere but Jacob’s face.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Jacob insisted.
“The Confederacy chartered the Carrabelle for an unspecified period, and there was nothing I could do about it,” Hendry said, finally looking at Jacob. “They offered me a commission this morning, and I accepted.”
“You’ve done what?” Jacob’s eyes bored into his brother’s reddened face. He was not particularly shocked about the Carrabelle being commandeered, but Hendry going with her was a different matter altogether. “Hendry, are you saying you’re going to take a command for the navy?”
“I reckon I am. They’re pretty short on officers, as you can imagine. They’re asking for anyone with experience, and I have plenty. I’ll be taking my orders from the navy from now on. I took the oath on a Bible, signed enlistment papers, and was given captain’s stripes, which Belle is probably sewing on my jacket now – spittin’ mad – so I reckon that makes me a naval officer.”
“Lord have mercy. Hendry this is madness …”
“They were going to take her with or without me. They’ve already started putting guns on her. She’ll patrol the bay area and may skirt the Atlantic. She may raid. I can’t say what she’ll be asked to do if this turns into a long-running war. I just know that someone has to be at the helm, and no one knows her better than I do. I’ve spoken with Jack. The old sea dog is coming out of retirement. He’ll be a useful addition to the crew.”
“Poor Dolly. She won’t be none too pleased about her husband’s going back to sea. You made this decision without talking to Belle first?” Jacob asked him.
“I had to. It was not a casual invitation. Had I not agreed there and then, they would have given her to a bunch of strangers, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let that happen. I leave tomorrow afternoon.”
“You don’t have to do this, Hendry. Think about Belle and Grace. What happens here at home?” Jacob asked him, still reeling. “We can’t both leave Belle alone with over a hundred slaves on the property. You promised you’d take care of things here. Said you wouldn’t get involved. I would never have signed the enlistment papers had I known you were going to do something crazy like this. Jesus, what do we do now? How did Belle take this news?”
“Hold up, Jacob. Slow down. Don’t get yourself all riled up. Belle took it better than you have. She understands – and as for leaving her alone, I’d never consider that. Her ma and pa are coming to live here with her.
“You’ve got it all worked out.”
“I had to. There was no way of telling you before now, on account of you not being around much lately. I need you to agree to this. You can’t honestly envision me sitting here with our ship at sea? Belle is not pleased about it, but even she knows where I have to be right now.”
Jacob looked into his glass and swirled the brandy within. He shook his head. “I feel as though a hurricane’s come in and blown us and everything we’ve built clean off the map. James won’t bring the Christina across the Atlantic, will he?”
“He’d be a damn fool to even think about it.”
“I agree,” Jacob said. “Hopefully he’ll continue trading within Europe for us.”
“I wrote to him, asking that he do just that,” Hendry said.
“How long do they want you for?” Jacob asked.
“I don’t know, but I figure the Carrabelle will come into Norfolk or the navy yard for repairs, rearming, whatever needs to be done, so I’ll get back here when I can to keep an eye on things. That’s got to be better than you going God knows where … Look, we’ll grow what we can, Jacob. We’ll make do with what we’ve got and pray for a quick solution, but I’ll tell you straight: if this house and its land become too much for my Belle to handle, or if the damn Yankees get anywhere near it, I’ll have her and her family out of here and into Portsmouth. I will not put them in danger.”
Jacob nodded in agreement. The consequences of war would become clearer in the coming weeks or months, he thought, but what was staring them in the face right now was the collapse of Stone Plantation’s stable routine. The slaves would have new masters, overseers, and crops that may or may not have a destination when harvested. Their niggers would sit in their wooden huts and talk amongst themselves, wondering if their days on the plantation were numbered, if they would gain freedom through this conflict, or if they would be asked or forced to fight alongside their white masters. Would they run away, and if so, who would have the time or resources to bring them back? He and Hendry had paid for every slave with dollars or mortgage agreements. They were their property, but would they also become a worthless commodity like a Confederate dollar bill?
“Hendry, we have to talk to our niggers. We have to do it now. I want to be honest with them, but you will be here more than I will, so you need to use a heavy hand and convince them that it’s business as usual. The last thing we need is a damn slave insurrection …”
“And what about Mercy? Do you still think she should come home?”
Jacob shook his head. He wasn’t comfortable with her being so close to du Pont without Hendry to watch over her. “Nope, not here, but she does have to leave Newport News. If I were with the Federals, I’d want Newport News under my belt.”
“Well, the way I see it, they’ve got a strategic advantage over us already. They can resupply by water. They don’t even have to use the land. They’re connected to Newport by a narrow causeway, but it’s nothing more than an isthmus of land, which means we can’t get near it. I reckon the sons of bitches are sitting pretty at that fort, and the worst of it is that they’ll lock us down with a sea blockade.”
“I agree, but I don’t know if I can use persuasion to entice Mercy back here – and even if she agreed, I’d be uncomfortable with du Pont being next door. The witch has a loose tongue. I warned her to keep her damn mouth shut about Mercy, but it seems she’s waging a war of her own against me.”
“Killing her would be the sensible thing, but it wouldn’t be moral or legal. You’re going to have to find another way to get rid of her.”
“I know. Anyway, Mercy is my main concern at the moment.”
“What about Dolly?” Hendry said.
“Jack’s wife? What about her?”
“She’ll be lonely, Jacob. She might be glad for Mercy’s company in Norfolk now that Jack’s thrown his hat in the ring. Mercy will be safe and nearer home, without the threat of du Pont.”
Jacob nodded in agreement, saying, “See what you can do, Hendry. I’ll get a letter to Mercy and let you make arrangements to get her to Jack’s house straight away.”
“You got it,” Hendry said.
Both men sat in silence for a few minutes, each deep in thought and reluctant for the night to end. They drank the last drop of brandy in their glasses and then made their way to the slave quarters, which were hidden from the house by a tall hedge that stood on the east corner of the garden. They walked in silence with lanterns showing them the way. As they approached the first hut, Jacob said, “I reckon we’ll have runaways before the month is out. We have a lot to discuss, Hendry. I do believe it’s going to be a long night …”
Chapter Five
“For goodness’ sake, Lina, will you just tell me what going on?” Mercy said, t
ired of the secretive glances darting back and forth between Lina and Charlie. “We’ve been sitting here for almost an hour, and I know there’s something you’re not telling me – both of you.”
Mercy was tired. She hadn’t slept properly in days. Virginia was now a Confederate state, just as most had predicted. Men were leaving and not coming back. Advance parties were heading north towards Yorktown and beyond. Some were going westwards towards Richmond, whilst others were making their way south of the James River to Portsmouth and Norfolk.
The rumours were rife with regards to Fort Monroe. The Federals held it, and the Newport News townsfolk were sure that they would march into their town any day now.
Newport News was a small fishing town with agricultural land, wetlands, wooded areas, and thickets, but it was also a bridge between the north and south side of an important crossing. As fear of being occupied by the new enemy grew, there were hardly any able-bodied men left.
Mercy banged her cup on the tabletop. She was in a sober mood and had been ever since Jacob left her. “God blimey – Charlie, will you tell me what’s wrong with you both?” she asked. “It’s like pulling teeth trying to get you both to speak to me this morning.”
“Child, don’t you presume to know what I am thinking, and don’t presume that I have to tell you what I am thinking,” Lina scolded her.
“Hush now, dear. No need to say anymore,” Charlie said, patting Lina’s hand. “Mercy has nothing to do with this.”
Lina’s face turned red with anger. She stared at Charlie with indignation, tore her hand away from his, and then gazed deep into Mercy’s eyes. “Charlie, Mercy has everything to do with this, seeing as how she’s already gone and done it.”
“Done what?” Mercy asked, exasperated.
“Freed a slave. That’s what.”