“Actually, I hoped to invite Señora Ellis for a ride.” Alexander indicated the carriage. “Perhaps we might enjoy the refreshments when we return.”
“While that is a fine idea,” Eunice said with a frown, her hands on her generous hips, “without a chaperone, it is highly improper. I don’t see room in that fancy rig for the three of us.”
Natalie had no desire to ride with Alexander, especially in the heat of the day, but if it afforded her even one hour away from her cousin, it would be worth the discomfort. “Cousin Eunice, you needn’t worry. Señor Lopez has visited at Rose Hill for over a year. If anyone cared about the impropriety of our friendship, it is long past.”
Eunice’s brow went up. “Why, I am surprised to hear you say such a thing, Natalie Ellis. Just because you are a widow does not mean—”
“I will get my hat, Señor,” Natalie said, leaving her cousin openmouthed.
She hurried inside, not because she was eager to be alone with the Tejano, but because she could not bear another moment in the presence of her cousin. Reaching the entrance to her bedroom, she thought she heard someone in the adjoining sitting room.
“Carolina, is that you?”
Silence met her. Perhaps it was the rose-scented breeze coming from the open window, stirring the curtains. She removed a forest-green bonnet from the bureau and tied it beneath her chin. Surveying her reflection in the long mirror, she was satisfied with her appearance. It wasn’t as though she hoped to gain the admiration of Alexander.
Memories of primping for a certain colonel brought a flush to her cheeks. One of his men informed Moses that Colonel Maish had been called away to Austin. The void the colonel’s absence left on the plantation—and in her—was more than a little surprising, being that he’d only spent two days with them making the repairs after the storm.
Descending the back stairs, she alerted Harriet to her plans, kissed Samuel’s sticky face—he scowled when she mentioned her escort was Alexander—and proceeded to the foyer, where she heard Eunice regaling Alexander with more stories. She was tempted to delay her entrance onto the porch, but the sooner they took their drive, the sooner she could return. She’d promised the women they would continue their reading lessons before supper, much to everyone’s delight.
“Shall we go, Señor?” She breezed through the open doorway. Eunice sat on one of the wicker chairs while Alexander leaned against the porch rail.
“Indeed.” He extended his arm. When she placed her hand on it, he turned a pleasant smile to Eunice. “You may be assured, dear woman, I will take fine care of your cousin. You need not worry.”
Eunice fluttered her lashes. “I trust you, Señor.”
Alexander helped Natalie into the carriage, climbed in on the opposite side, and took up the reins. “I know a shady spot near the creek not far from here.”
Natalie nodded, vaguely wondering how he was so familiar with Rose Hill lands. The pastures where his cattle grazed were in the opposite direction. But simply getting away from Eunice had her willing to go to the frontier if it meant she didn’t have to listen to her cousin’s prattling.
“Your cousin is an … unusual woman,” he said. When he lifted his brow, she couldn’t help but chuckle.
“That is a polite way to put it.” She sighed, looking out over the countryside. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d simply ridden through the plantation for enjoyment. Alexander steered the horse down a path she had never noticed before. “I must say, this is nice, taking a drive purely for pleasure.”
“Ah, that is what I hoped to hear.”
A few minutes later, he guided the horse off the little-used road to a shady glen. The creek gurgled nearby, although the wild grasses were in need of a good rain shower.
He helped her down then retrieved a blanket from beneath the seat. “I thought we could rest in the shade of the trees.” He offered his arm once again.
They walked the short distance, and he spread the blanket on the ground.
Natalie settled on it, keeping her skirt over her feet. “How did you know about this place? I’ve lived at Rose Hill six years, but I don’t believe I’ve ever seen it.”
He sat beside her, looking slightly out of place in his neat vest and tie. An image flitted across her mind—Colonel Maish working one end of the two-man saw with his coat removed and his shirtsleeves rolled to his elbows. Far more often than she cared to admit, she’d created reasons to go near the barn the day he helped Moses cut up the fallen tree, mesmerized by the play of muscles across the colonel’s back and arms.
“I mistakenly took this road one afternoon when I was trying to return to the pastures.” He smiled. “I thought that day how nice it would be to bring you here.”
While she appreciated his kindness, she did not want to encourage him. “Señor—”
“Alexander. Please.”
She inclined her head. “Alexander, I hope you understand that I am grateful for our business partnership … as well as our friendship.”
“Ah, Natalie.” His eyes roamed her face with more familiarity than she cared for. “Surely you must know I desire more than friendship. As I told your cousin, I wanted us to court properly, but I have changed my mind.”
“You have?”
“Yes.” He positioned himself to face her. “I do not wish to court. I wish to marry you. We have known each other over a year now. That’s enough time to keep tongues from wagging, as you Americans say. Natalie Ellis, do me the honor of becoming my wife.”
She stared at him, fearful of what might come out of her mouth if she opened it. Had she known this was what he intended when he invited her for a drive, she would have declined. There were so many reasons to say no …
“I … I can’t—”
“Please.” He grasped her hand and put it to his warm lips. “Please, do not say you cannot marry me. Let me take care of you, Natalie. You are alone. Even the slaves are gone. I fear for you with no one to see to the plantation. The Army will use your property as long as they wish, but then they too will leave.” He put her hand against the hard muscles of his chest, shocking her with the intimate gesture. “My heart is yours. Together we can make Rose Hill prosperous again. I have the means to hire workers for the fields and for the house. You will want for nothing as my wife. Please,” he said, his dark eyes pleading. “Say you will.”
“There are many things to consider, Señor.” She withdrew her hand. “There is Samuel.”
“He needs a father.” His words echoed Colonel’s Maish’s.
Her son did need a father. A father he adored.
“Rose Hill and my family’s land are Samuel’s inheritance. If I remarry …” They both knew the property would become Alexander’s the moment she married him. “I can’t risk losing what is rightfully Samuel’s.”
“Of course, your son would still inherit your property.” He looked grave. “But the truth is, you may lose the plantations anyway. You no longer own slaves. How can you pay workers after the Army leaves? How will you plant, harvest, and market your crop with the few Negroes who might stay? And if they leave because you cannot pay them? What then?”
A queasiness clenched her midsection. Everything he said was true. Hadn’t her own fearful thoughts come to these same conclusions?
“I don’t know what to do.” She felt more confused than ever. She didn’t want another loveless marriage, but was his offer the solution she’d prayed for? For a fleeting moment, she wished it were Colonel Maish proposing marriage, but he would return to his home in Pennsylvania soon. Even without a wife waiting for him, a life with him was still impossible. Her home was here, in Texas.
Alexander took both her hands in his. “I will wait, mi pequeña. Please say you will consider my proposal, hmm?”
She looked into his eyes, such a deep brown they almost appeared black. He’d been her friend for many months now, and she had never had cause to fear or mistrust him. He’d offered to be a father to Samuel and to help keep Rose Hill runn
ing. Perhaps marriage to the handsome man would not be such a terrible thing.
“Very well, Alexander.” His obvious satisfaction at her use of his name brought a hint of pleasure. “I will consider your proposal.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Natalie entered the kitchen after breakfast the following day carrying a basketful of fresh garden produce. Carolina’s giggles met her, but the wide-brimmed hat flopping over her eyes made it difficult to see what the young woman thought so funny.
“Carolina, what are you—?” Natalie lifted her head and found Corporal Banks seated at the long work table sipping from a cup. Carolina stood nearby, the coffee pot in her hand. None of the other servants was nearby.
Corporal Banks stood. “Good morning, Mrs. Ellis. Let me assist you.” He took the basket. Without asking, he carried it to the sink and set it where the carrots, tomatoes, and onions could be rinsed before being taken to the cold pit or chopped up for a meal.
“Thank you, Corporal,” Natalie said. Was Colonel Maish also at Rose Hill, perhaps waiting for her on the porch? Her heart fluttered at the thought. “What brings you to see us today?”
“The colonel asked me to check on the men while he’s in Austin.” A look in Carolina’s direction set off another giggle.
Disappointment washed over Natalie. “I see.”
“He also asked that I make certain the fallen tree is chopped into firewood. Miss Carolina volunteered to assist me if that would be all right with you. It sure would save time if I had someone to help pick up the pieces of wood and stack them while I do the splitting.”
Natalie almost snickered at the absurd request, but one look at Carolina’s hopeful face told her she would crush the young woman’s heart if she refused. “What chores do you have this morning?”
Carolina’s shoulders slumped. “Harriet said I’s to beat the rugs in the parlor, dining room, and hall.” Her voice held little enthusiasm. “After that I’s to dust and polish ever’thing in those rooms.”
The chores would definitely take the remainder of the morning. Natalie glanced between the two young people. Corporal Banks did seem genuinely interested in Carolina, but she didn’t want the servant hurt when Banks returned home, as he surely would. Yet looking at them, with their surreptitious glances and obvious attraction, who was she to keep them from exploring the possibilities?
“Very well,” she said. “You may assist Corporal Banks this morning.”
The young woman squealed.
“But you’ll need to return to your chores this afternoon.”
“Yessum.” The young woman beamed brighter than the sun when she met Corporal Banks’ happy grin.
From the kitchen doorway, Natalie watched the pair head down to the barn, Carolina chattering like a magpie and Banks grinning like a fool, hanging on every word.
“Now ain’t that a sight.” Harriet came toward her from the main house, her gaze on the young people. “That Yankee be all that girl can talk ’bout these days.”
Natalie sighed. “I keep reminding her he will return home soon.”
“I think she hopin’ she gonna go with him.”
Shocked by the revelation, Natalie looked at Harriet. “Do you think she would?”
The woman shrugged. “We ain’t never had no choice to stay or go before. Some think the grass is greener up no’th, so to speak. Say there be more jobs and such for us Negroes. Others say Texas just as good as any place to start fresh.” She shrugged again and entered the kitchen.
While Harriet set to work washing the produce, Natalie sat at the table to mull over the possibility of Carolina leaving. She would miss the sassy young woman. Somewhere along the way, she’d come to care about Carolina, not simply as a servant but as a friend. The realization was astounding.
She watched Harriet peel and slice the carrots into a pot on the stove. Though they still had awkward moments between them, Natalie found she would like to consider Harriet a friend as well.
“Harriet,” she said, “I don’t know if I’ve told you this, but I appreciate you and Moses staying on at Rose Hill. I know you could have gone with the others. It means a great deal to me that you stayed.”
The older woman met Natalie’s gaze. “Moses say this is our home. Don’t have no place else to go. Goin’ just because you can ain’t smart when you got no way to make a livin’.” She paused, seeming to measure her next words. “But that ain’t the only reason we stay.”
“Oh?”
Harriet glanced out the window, and Natalie thought she saw a tear trail down the woman’s cheek in the silent moments. “We stay,” she said, her voice thick with emotion, “because this is where our boys knows where to find us … if they still alive.”
The words cut to Natalie’s soul.
Their sons. Sold off by George. Of course Harriet and Moses would stay at Rose Hill, hoping and praying the boys—men, now—would come in search of their parents. It struck her then that Negroes all across the South must hold similar hope, desperate to reunite families torn apart by slavery.
She closed her eyes, shame piercing her once again at the cruelties her own family had inflicted on two of the dearest people in her life.
“I’m sorry, Harriet,” she whispered, the words woefully inadequate.
The woman simply nodded and went back to work.
Natalie left the kitchen, the uncomfortable distance between her and Harriet as strong as ever. Laughter drifted up from the area near the barn. Natalie watched Corporal Banks swing the ax, easily splitting a log in two. Carolina sashayed over, picked up the pieces, then twirled her way to the bin situated against the barn wall and tossed them in. The young people chatted and laughed and repeated the process.
Were they the image of hope for the country’s future? A former slave and a Negro Yankee, forging ahead, determined to find happiness in the aftermath of so much pain?
She went into the house and found it blessedly silent. Eunice and Lottie had gone into town after breakfast, and she could only hope their errands took the better part of the day. Ruth and Adline had stripped beds and were now paddling the sheets in a huge caldron behind the kitchen. She’d waved to Ruth when she returned from the garden, and the timid woman waved back. Adline continued to ignore Natalie. She couldn’t blame the woman. While Ruth had been a slave on a distant plantation, Adline had been a Rose Hill slave. It would take time, she was sure, to earn the woman’s trust, if she ever did.
With Carolina otherwise occupied, Natalie decided she would beat the rugs herself. She’d never done the chore, but she’d seen servants at it often enough that she knew it wasn’t difficult. She started with the smaller rugs, carrying one to the backyard and draping it over the sturdy wooden rack that had been built for this very purpose. The rug beater hung on a peg. She took it in hand and gave the first rug a solid whack. A puff of dust floated out.
“Well, what do you know.” She looked around to see if anyone bore witness to her accomplishment. The yard was vacant. Feeling silly, for it wasn’t as though she had done a great service for the world, she set out to attack the rug with gusto.
“Ohhh.” Natalie groaned as she trudged up the stairs to her room. Her arms, legs, shoulders, neck, and back ached more than she knew was possible. Her gown and hands were filthy, and she imagined she looked worse than some dead something Ebenezer might find in the woods and drag home. But the parlor, dining room, and hall rugs were clean, by gum.
“Mama!” Samuel and Isaac ran from his room when she reached the landing. They each held wooden farm animals in their hands. “We’re playing.” He cocked his head and looked her up and down. “What’s wrong with you?”
Natalie chuckled. “Nothing that a good soak in the tub won’t cure. Does Harriet know you two are up here?”
“Uh-huh. We found a toad and was gonna scare Carolina with him, but she’s busy helpin’ that so’dier with the wood. He said we ought not scare girls ’cuz they get all willy and might cry. When is the nice so’dier gonna come back? I
like him.” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Moses said the mama cat that lives in the barn has babies. Can Isaac and me go see ’em?”
The running discourse finally came to an end. “Yes, you may, but don’t try to pick them up just yet. It will be a few weeks before they’ll be big enough to play. Let Harriet know you’re going outside.”
“Yes, Mama.” The boys briefly disappeared into the bedroom and came back empty-handed.
Natalie watched them run past her and stomp down the back stairs out of sight, their excited voices fading as she envisioned them hurrying from the house and racing to the barn. Little had changed for the two boys, despite everything in their lives being different. They’d been the best of friends before the Union Army brought the freedom proclamation to Texas shores, and they continued to be friends even as the people around them struggled to find a new balance in a world that seemed frighteningly unstable under their feet.
She trudged toward her bedroom at the opposite end of the hall, wondering if all the adults in the country should take a page out of the boys’ book of life. Their approach to the questions of black or white, rich or poor, seemed so much simpler.
Finding her door closed, she turned the glass knob, entered, and headed toward the bathing room.
Jezro, the field worker with the branded cheeks, stood next to her bureau. Martha Ellis’ pearl-drop necklace dangled from his hand.
She gasped.
Fear flashed across Jezro’s face, but it quickly vanished, replaced with a steely-eyed glare. “Don’t you make a sound. I don’t want to have to hurt nobody.”
Natalie swallowed, her mouth gone dry. “What are you doing in here?” The answer was terrifyingly obvious, but her mind could not seem to grasp the scene before her. A Negro man stood in her bedroom, rifling through her belongings. Was this part of the new world Colonel Maish and the northern abolitionists wanted her to accept?
“I’s gettin’ me a little extra pay for all my years o’ service to you white folks.” His sneer made the scars more pronounced.
The Widow of Rose Hill (The Women of Rose Hill Book 2) Page 16