In her room, Natalie pulled a grass-green silk day dress from the back of the wardrobe, having kept it from becoming threadbare as most of her other gowns had grown. The wide collar buttoned at her throat and gave way to delicate ruffles across her chest while larger side-panel ruffles on the skirt fell in gentle waves to the floor. Luther had always called her the Mistress of the Manor when she wore it and gave mock bows when she entered a room.
Carolina arrived to help her get dressed. Natalie had the servant cinch her corset tighter than usual, frowning into the mirror when she noticed that despite being overly thin, her hips had most assuredly broadened since giving birth to Samuel. Vanity seemed silly in the face of all her troubles, but she couldn’t help wanting to look her best when she met with Colonel Maish. She was, after all, Calvin Langford’s daughter and the widow of George Ellis. She had a responsibility to their memories.
“That Yankee colonel shore gonna see what a lady you is, dressed in yo’ finery with yo’ hair done up all nice.” Carolina finished buttoning the dress and started to work on Natalie’s hair. The servant combed, teased, and pinned curls in place, expertly fashioning Natalie’s hair into a becoming style. “He think twice ’bout taking charge of yo’ property like you some silly addlebrained woman who cain’t think fo’ herself.”
Natalie sighed. “I fear I may have no choice in the matter. Even if he does send word to his superior, I doubt that man will care about my wishes any more than Colonel Maish does.”
“Maybe Señor Lopez could help you get them soldiers off yo’ land,” Carolina said. “He seem to be an important man. Has all them cows an’ rides a fine horse. He always treat you nice, too.”
The swarthy face of Alexander Lopez came to mind. A few years older than George, the attractive man claimed his Mexican roots prevented him from taking sides in the war, conveniently keeping him safe in Texas while men like her husband went off and got themselves killed. Being in the cattle business, Señor Lopez— Alexander, as he’d asked her to call him—had approached Natalie a year ago, interested in leasing Rose Hill pastures. With most of their cattle long since slaughtered or sold, and with bank notes overdue and no way to market her cotton, she had agreed. Vaqueros arrived shortly afterward with the first herd of cattle, staying to allow the stock to graze on Rose Hill grasses a few weeks at most. Not long after they departed, another group of Mexican cowboys arrived with more cattle, and so began a routine. Alexander, too, made an appearance at the plantation every few weeks with his interest being not only in the land but, as became obvious after a few visits, in Natalie herself. He had hinted more than once at a possible union between them.
In the reflection of the mirror, Natalie watched Carolina carefully place a stiff green bonnet with lace edging on her styled hair, leaving the ribbons dangling. Throughout the restless night, weighing the decisions she had to make and the few options available, she had not considered enlisting Alexander’s help. She knew very little about him, considering all the time he’d spent at Rose Hill the past year. He was always rather vague when she inquired about his business and family, but his manners and speech were impeccable. She’d never had cause to believe he was anything other than a gentleman rancher.
“If Señor Lopez should stop by, I’m sure he would lend assistance. However, that does not help me today.” Natalie stood, giving herself a critical study in the mirror. She did look more mature with her hair coiffed. Her gown, too, was more akin to what the mistress of a large plantation would wear than the sheer summery dress from the previous day. Would the Yankee colonel, as Carolina had suggested, see her as such and give her the respect due her position?
Outside, Moses helped her onto the wagon seat while Carolina settled in the bed for the hour-long journey. The fancy carriages she would have preferred to arrive in had long since been sold to pay creditors, leaving a farm wagon as their only choice.
When Moses turned the team in the direction of the long drive, Natalie was surprised to see a dozen or so workers out in the fields. “I admit I hadn’t expected to see anyone at work today.” She looked at Moses, knowing he had to be responsible.
He glanced at her, then back to the road. “Them folks is employed by you now, Miz Natalie. Just ’cuz freedom come don’t mean the weeds is gonna stop growin’. Critters still need tendin’. Garden still needs waterin’. I tells them you is workin’ on how to pay them, whether it be in cash money or crops or some such.”
“Thank you, Moses.” Looking out to the handful of laborers, Natalie felt like weeping. While she was grateful they were willing to stay and work, she knew it was pointless. Two dozen people could not do the job it took sixty or more slaves to accomplish. Even if they only harvested half the crop, it would still take far more able-bodied workers than she could afford.
For one brief moment, she wished the soldiers had never set foot on Rose Hill, bringing with them the shocking proclamation of freedom. The thought was selfish, she knew. Though the slaves had no choice but to stay on the plantation all these years, none had been mistreated since George left for war. Luther was too far gone in his anger over Adella’s betrayal and then his grief over George to give much consideration to the slaves, especially after his Negro driver, Monroe, mysteriously disappeared. Rumors in the quarter suggested someone murdered him, but his body was never found. Moses took charge after that, and life on the plantation for the slaves became more pleasant. Yet when the majority had chosen an uncertain future yesterday rather than choosing to stay and help bring in the crop … well, that said more than words ever could.
Heaving a sigh, Natalie squared her shoulders. Harvest was still several weeks away. She could only worry about one problem at a time. Today, she was David facing Goliath. Colonel Maish and his Northern troops had taken possession of her property, establishing the battlefield. Now she had to figure out what she could use for a slingshot and stones.
They arrived at Langford Manor before she came up with a plan. That it was still standing left Natalie weak with relief.
“Thank heaven,” she whispered as they drove across the yard to the big house. Not quite as grand as Rose Hill Manor, the home she grew up in held a special place in her heart. It, like Rose Hill, was her son’s inheritance, his future. She would do everything in her power not to lose either.
“Guess that Yankee colonel tellin’ the truth,” Moses said. “Look yonder at all them tents.”
Indeed, across what used to be fallow cotton fields lay a sea of white canvas tents, one neat row after the other. A roped off area held more horses than she could possibly count, and empty wagons formed a long line that disappeared behind the tents. Obviously, more men than she had seen at Rose Hill were encamped on her property. Any hope she’d held for their immediate evacuation vanished like a mist in the breeze.
“No wonder them Yankees won the war,” Carolina said, balancing on her knees in the wagon bed to get a better look at the spectacle. “They done built a town overnight.”
Moses drove the wagon to the front of the house. Several men in uniform stood on the porch, deep in conversation. A hush fell over them when Moses stopped the wagon mere feet from the steps, just as he’d always done over the years.
Natalie’s stomach twisted when the men’s curious gazes landed on her. What had Colonel Maish told them about her? That a foolish widow owned the plantation and thought to prevent the Union Army from doing as they pleased? Briefly, she wished Alexander Lopez were there. Perhaps the colonel would not be so arrogant if he had to face a man.
“I help you down, Miz Natalie,” Moses said in a lowered voice before setting the brake. When he came around to her side of the wagon, she noticed he appeared as apprehensive as she felt. “Does you want me to come inside with you?”
As much as she longed for his steady presence, Natalie knew she had to handle this on her own. “Thank you, Moses, but no.” She allowed him to assist her down from the high seat. It wouldn’t do to fall flat on her face in front of the Yankees who now lined the p
orch rail, watching. “You and Carolina wait here while I speak with the colonel.”
“Yes’m.”
Gathering what little courage remained within her, Natalie brought her chin up and mounted the steps. Ignoring the men’s bold stares, she headed for the front door. A familiar voice stopped her.
“Good morning, Mrs. Ellis.”
Natalie turned to her right and found Colonel Maish standing at the far end of the wraparound porch, admiration in his dark eyes as they traveled over her attire. That her stomach did a strange flutter under his perusal startled her.
“Good morning, Colonel. I see you and your men have settled in.” She looked out to the canvas city, mostly to prevent him from observing how his apparent appreciation for her laborious toilette left her flustered. If she had any hope of insisting he listen to her concerns, she couldn’t display the slightest form of weakness.
“We have, but I’ve also kept my promise,” he said, dismissing the other men with a nod as he joined her at the railing. The soldiers descended the steps, with one taking a last curious peek at her before they headed in the direction of the tents. “I sent a message to General Granger yesterday evening apprising him of your situation. I expect to hear back from him in a day or two.”
This news surprised her. “I appreciate you handling my interests in such a prompt manner, Colonel.”
His dark beard twitched. “Shall I assume you did not believe I would?”
Natalie offered a small shrug. “I admit I wasn’t entirely convinced.”
“And now?” His eyes glinted. Was he making fun of her?
She lifted her chin again. “Now I will make certain my belongings are where they should be. The Rose Hill house servants have cleaned Langford Manor every month since we closed it. There has never been anything missing or out of place.”
The challenge in her voice was unmistakable even to her own ears. Any humor the colonel may have felt vanished as he narrowed his gaze on her.
“As I stated yesterday, Mrs. Ellis, my men are not thieves. Corporal Banks and I are the only ones who have been inside the house. When we first arrived, we walked through it, ascertaining it was indeed unoccupied.” He quirked a dark eyebrow. “You are not the only one with doubts as to whether or not certain statements can be believed.”
“I’m sure you found all exactly as I said.”
He inclined his head. “I did. However.” He folded his arms across the double row of brass buttons on his long blue coat. “The plantation itself is not being used. I sincerely doubt General Granger will order an evacuation.”
Natalie scowled. “Surely the owner of the plantation should have some say in whom to allow on her private property.” She indicated the fields, now full of men, animals, and tents. “I certainly did not expect this when you said your men needed a place to camp. There must be two hundred men living here.”
“Your plantation is centrally located between San Antonio, the eastern communities, and the frontier. There are still thousands of slaves across Texas who have not learned of their freedom and slave owners who have not heard they are breaking the law by keeping people in bondage. The army needs a central command post from which to send companies to deliver the proclamation.” He unfolded his arms. “Once every slave in Texas is free and all Texans are complying with the law, then the Union Army will depart.”
Natalie met his steady gaze for a long, tense moment, but defeat forced her to be the first to look away. “It appears I have no choice in the matter.”
“It appears you don’t.”
The softer tone of his voice tempered the harsh truth. When she turned back to him, Natalie thought she saw a hint of compassion in his dark eyes. “Must I seek your permission to remove a few keepsakes, Colonel?”
For the first time since meeting the man, he smiled. “I’m not an ogre. I have seen for myself that this is a home full of family mementos. You may take anything you wish. Corporal Banks will assist you.”
“Thank you,” Natalie said, the flutter in her stomach once again making itself known. The Yankee was devastatingly handsome when he wasn’t being difficult. She looked away. “There is no need to bother the corporal. Moses and Carolina will help me.” She started to move away, but his hand on her arm stopped her progress.
“Nevertheless, Banks will accompany you into the house.” When she met his gaze again, she noted the smile was gone and the hard edge had returned. “I want a record of every item you remove. Banks will compile a list, and you will sign it before you leave the property.”
Annoyed by his authoritative tone, she stared at his hand until he lifted it from her arm. “Is that really necessary? What will compiling a list accomplish? I already own the items.”
He leaned ever so slightly toward her. “The list is not for you, Mrs. Ellis. It is for me. We wouldn’t want any items to suddenly go missing, leading to, shall we say, false accusations.”
His meaning was infuriatingly clear.
The intruder occupying her land without her permission didn’t trust her.
CHAPTER FIVE
Levi attempted to work at the small desk in the sitting room that adjoined the guest bedroom he’d commandeered, but voices from deep inside the big house carried through his open door, distracting him. The low rumble of Moses. The high-pitched squeak of the female servant—Carolina, wasn’t it? But it was the soft voice with a slight Southern drawl that had him adding the same column of numbers on the supply manifest for the fourth time.
He blew out a breath and tossed the list onto the desk.
Natalie Langford Ellis.
What was it about the woman that so captivated him? Since leaving Rose Hill yesterday afternoon, the look of abandonment in her blue eyes had haunted him. It shouldn’t matter that a slave owner felt the sting of loss when the majority of her slaves walked off the plantation. It shouldn’t matter that she had no money and no one to help her rebuild. But for reasons he didn’t understand, Levi couldn’t bring himself to feel pleased over her suffering the way he’d felt every other time he’d ridden away from a Texas plantation or farm, knowing he’d played a part in freeing human beings from slavery.
Soft laughter floated down the stairs. He closed his eyes and strained to hear the words that followed. What was she saying? Something about when she was a little girl—
“Sir?”
Levi looked up to find Banks in the doorway. “Are you finished?”
A sheepish expression filled the young man’s face. “I need another sheet of paper, sir.”
“Another sheet? You mean to say she is taking so many items with her you have filled an entire sheet already?”
“No, sir. Mrs. Ellis wants to compile a list of her own.”
“A list of her own? And what would that list be comprised of?”
“The items she isn’t taking, sir.”
Levi stared at the corporal. She intended to make a list of everything left in the house? Of all the ridiculous …
He stood. “I will speak to her.”
Corporal Banks followed him down the hallway to the narrow set of stairs tucked at the back of the house. They’d most likely been used by servants, leaving the grand staircase in the foyer for the white residents and their guests.
“They’re in the master’s bedroom.”
Levi recalled where the room was located and headed in that direction. When they reached the open door, the three occupants fell silent. Natalie had removed her bonnet, revealing stylishly coiffed hair. For one unguarded moment, Levi envisioned himself taking the pins out to free the blond locks, knowing the thick tresses would feel like silk in his fingers.
Natalie lifted one delicate eyebrow. “May I help you, Colonel?”
He ignored her question and took stock of the room, mentally chastising himself for such a foolish thought. Furniture covered with sheets filled the space, but a mahogany bureau had been uncovered and its drawers left open. Several objects lay on the bare mattress, including a small framed painting
and some jewelry. Moses held two rifles, one in each hand, with a look of determination that would have terrified many southern white men.
Levi returned his gaze to Natalie. “Corporal Banks informs me you wish to document the contents of the house. May I ask why?”
“I imagine my reasoning is the same as yours, Colonel.” She swept the room with her eyes. “I can’t take everything of value with me. In the same way you wish to ensure my trustworthiness with a list of what I take, I feel compelled to do the same. It seems only fair.”
As much as he hated to admit it, she had a point. Scrutinizing the small pile of belongings, he conceded. “I find that I agree with you, Mrs. Ellis.”
Blue eyes rounded. “You do?”
“I do.” Levi allowed the trace of a grin. “However, it would take too long and too many sheets of paper to document everything. I believe the simplest solution is for me to accompany you into each room where together we will observe the items of value you are leaving behind. Your servants and Corporal Banks will act as our witnesses.”
A long moment passed. She seemed to weigh the offer. Finally, she inclined her head. “Very well. We have already removed most of what I wish to take with me.” She gazed about the room, sadness filling her countenance. “Mama would be aghast to see her room like this.” Her eyes grazed Levi. “With a Yankee standing in it, no less.”
The Widow of Rose Hill (The Women of Rose Hill Book 2) Page 4