The Widow of Rose Hill (The Women of Rose Hill Book 2)

by Michelle Shocklee

  Natalie looked at the faded document, but it was not recognizable. “I have no idea what that is, but I don’t see how anything in my father’s desk concerns you.”

  “I admit it doesn’t, but when I found these … to see evidence of the ownership of another human being”—his eyes flicked to Moses then back—“especially a human being you say you care about … well, it is disturbing.”

  She stepped to the desk and glanced over the jumble of papers. Though she couldn’t make out the smaller printed words, the bold letters on one of the sheets became clear in the dim light. She lifted it and read the information, a feeling of regret forming in her stomach. “These are the bills of sale for my father’s slaves.”

  “Yes. And this one is for Moses. Your father paid eight hundred dollars for him. Not exactly worthy of the man standing behind you, wouldn’t you agree?”

  They stared at each other for a long moment before she reached for the document. The words, although simple in their delivery of information, reduced Moses to little more than a possession.

  “And this,” Levi said, handing her a second paper, “declares you as his owner.”

  His hard tone told her exactly what he thought of that.

  She recognized her father’s handwriting. She had a vague memory of him telling her he would deed Moses to her upon her marriage, but she had never seen the document. She looked at the papers on the desk and those in her hand. It seemed a lifetime ago when Papa had bought and sold slaves. Like most daughters, she hadn’t been aware of the business practices that were required to keep a plantation running. Only after George and Luther died did she begin to understand the magnitude of what had to happen each year in order to turn a profit. Slave labor was vital to the process, or so they’d believed.

  The fact remained, however, that she and her family were party to owning people. The evidence, as Levi called it, was there on the desk. They couldn’t go back in time and make things right, but she would do her best to make certain Samuel grew into the kind of man who respected all individuals, no matter the color of their skin.

  She turned to Moses, who had remained silent through the conversation. “I’m sorry, Moses. I … I know that doesn’t change the things that were done to you over the years, but …”

  “You don’t need to ’pologize, Miz Natalie. Things was diff ’rent then. Now, we all workin’ to get on past it. Tomorrow be a new day, and the day after that. Lots’a good can come if we don’t keep lookin’ back.”

  Tears welled in her eyes. How many times had the man offered his forgiveness, not only through words but through actions? Seventy times seven, it seemed. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “If it be all right, I’d like to see that bill o’ sale,” he said, his curious gaze on the document. She handed it to him. After scanning the words, he grinned and looked up. “That there says my name. Moses.”

  She nodded, a sense of wonder that Moses could read at all. Soon, she hoped, his wife and the other women would be able to do the same.

  “What these figures right here say?” He pointed to the blank that had been filled in with his age at the time of sale.

  “It says you were thirty-five years old when Papa bought you from Mr. Boyd. That was on March third, eighteen fifty-two.”

  His brow raised. “Thirty-five? That make me ’bout … forty-eight. Well, what do you know? I forty-eight years old.” A pleased grin rested on his face while he studied the paper.

  “You didn’t know how old you were?” Levi asked.

  “No, suh, I shore didn’t. I’s sold away from my family when I’s a boy. Never see’d them again. Lots’a years pass after that, and I don’t keep track of ’em. Didn’t realize I’s so old,” he added with a laugh.

  Natalie’s heart wrenched at the thought of Moses, sold as a boy, unaware of the most basic information about his own life: the day he was born.

  “Do you mind if I keep this paper, Miz Natalie?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t mind, but why would you want to have such a thing? Won’t it bring back sad memories?”

  “Guess it may not make sense to you folks, but this here paper is a part o’ me. It tells my story. We all gots a story. Some parts is good, others ain’t. I’d like to keep this with my Bible, and maybe show it to my grandchildren one day.”

  Natalie nodded, wondering if he would ever see the children born to his two oldest sons.

  She looked back to the papers scattered across the desktop. “Could there be something in these documents that might tell us what happened to Moses’ boys after they were sold?”

  “No,” Levi said, sending a look of apology to Moses. “These are the bills of sale from when Langford purchased slaves. They proved his ownership. I don’t see any type of receipts from the sale of a slave. Do you have any idea where your sons might have ended up? Perhaps I could send a message to one of our units in the area to help locate them.”

  Moses shook his head, a deep sadness in his eyes. “Massa George took them an’ all the other Langford slaves on down to Ga’veston after the fever killed Miz Natalie’s folks. When he come back, he say he has to sell the lot of ’em to the slave broker ’cuz some look sick. He angry ’cuz he didn’t get near what they all worth.”

  Natalie closed her eyes, memories of that terrible day filling her with regret. George refused to listen when she’d begged him to spare Moses’ sons. Maybe if she’d tried harder …

  When she opened her eyes, she found Levi studying her. What must he think of her, being party to such despicable actions?

  She turned to leave, wishing they’d never come. “I want a few things from the attic, and then we’ll be gone.”

  “Mrs. Ellis, wait.” When she faced him again, disappointed he’d addressed her so formally, he said, “May I have a word with you?”

  “Very well.” She wasn’t certain her heart could take it if he continued to treat her as though they hadn’t shared a passionate kiss. To Moses she said, “Would you please retrieve the rocking horse from the attic? If memory serves, there is also a small chest with baby clothes. I would like that brought down as well.”

  “Yes’m,” he said, giving them a curious glance before departing.

  When Natalie returned her attention to Levi, she found him studying her through narrowed eyes.

  “You are a paradox, Mrs. Ellis,” he said, his voice softer than she’d expected.

  She grew nervous under his probing gaze. “How so?”

  “I didn’t expect you to apologize to Moses. Although I hate slavery, it was legal. Your father was well within his rights to buy and sell Negroes, including Moses.” He looked perplexed. “I thought you’d defend your father.”

  “Like Moses said, we’re all working to put those things in the past.” She indicated the papers on the desk. “I’m not proud of what those represent, but I can’t change what they are any more than you can change the fact that you were at Manassas Junction.”

  At her mention of the battle, he frowned. “It was war. What I did in that battle, in every battle, was done because of this.” He indicated the papers strewn over the desk. “Men and women were held in bondage right here in our country. It had to end.”

  “True, but are you proud of everything you did in battle?”

  After a long moment, he shook his head. “I’m not.”

  The simple answer was what she had hoped to hear. “Nor am I proud of everything that was done before you brought the freedom proclamation.”

  He nodded. “I see your point.”

  They stood in awkward silence. Natalie was first to speak. “I’d prefer the rest of those were burned,” she said, glancing to the papers on the desk. “But I suppose if Moses found some peace in seeing his bill of sale, some of the others might as well. If you’d return them to Papa’s desk, I would appreciate it.”

  “I’ll take care of it.” He paused. When he looked at her again, the warmth she’d missed returned to his brown eyes. “I should have told you the nigh
t we sat on the swing that I was at Manassas.”

  The soft-spoken words were a soothing balm to her bruised heart. “It wouldn’t have been so shocking to hear had it come from you. Alexander said a friend of his was at the meetings with you in Austin and inquired after you.”

  Levi looked thoughtful. “And it wouldn’t have been so shocking had you told me Lopez proposed marriage. I wouldn’t have kissed you, had I known.”

  It was probably wrong to think such, but she was glad he hadn’t known of the proposal. “I didn’t accept him.”

  “But you said you would consider it?”

  She nodded. “Samuel’s inheritance lies in Rose Hill and Langford Manor. I can’t run the plantations alone. Alexander promised to make them prosperous again.”

  “Is that what you want?”

  His question resurrected the tangle of emotions that had swirled through her mind ever since Alexander proposed. Was marriage to Alexander what she wanted? Her heart cried no, but she had no other options if she hoped to keep the land. “I want what is best for my son.”

  “Do you love Lopez?”

  “No,” she whispered.

  He walked around the desk, stopping when they were inches apart. “Come to Pennsylvania with me,” he said, his hand moving to caress her cheek. “We’d have a simple life, but a good one. Samuel would have cousins to play with, and perhaps … a brother or two.” The smile that played on his lips sent her heart racing.

  Her mind could barely focus on what he was saying, so distracting was his nearness and touch. “But Texas is our home. Rose Hill and Langford Manor are all I have left. I can’t abandon the plantations.” Daring surged through her. His proposal meant he cared for her. “You could stay here, with us,” she said before she lost her courage. Her pulse hammered, feeling brazen for voicing the suggestion, but oh, so hopeful. “When the Army leaves, you don’t have go with them.”

  It took a moment, but the passion in his eyes dimmed, and he took a step back. “Natalie, my home is in Pennsylvania. My family is there. I want my children raised with my brothers’ children, and with their grandparents. Generations of Maishes have lived in Pennsylvania. Texas has nothing to offer me.”

  “Except me.” Even to her own ears, the words sounded childish.

  “You know that isn’t what I meant. I am asking you to come to Pennsylvania with me, as my wife and Samuel as my son.”

  He offered everything her heart desired, but to leave Texas? “How can you ask me to leave the plantations behind? Rose Hill is Samuel’s future, his birthright.”

  A tense silence filled the space between them. As though a wall had suddenly gone up, blocking out the light and happiness she’d felt only a moment ago. A wall so thick and impenetrable, there was no hope of scaling it.

  “Will you marry Lopez?”

  The hard tone in his voice cut to her heart and tears sprang to her eyes. “I don’t know.”

  They stood in agonizing silence until Moses’ voice came through the doorway. “I got the things from the attic loaded in the wagon, Miz Natalie.”

  She nodded, drawing herself up. “Thank you, Moses. Please wait by the wagon. I’m coming.” When he walked out of sight, she looked at Levi, willing him to change his mind.

  But his face remained stony. “I’ll need to document the items you’re removing from the house.” It was as if the past week had never happened. As though they hadn’t kissed. As though he hadn’t saved her son. He’d become once more the stranger who’d interrupted her life.

  She exited the room without a word. He followed her down the hall and out the front door. Moses stood next to the wagon, talking with Corporal Banks, but when they heard her stomping across the porch and down the steps, they hushed.

  “The colonel feels the need to document the items we’re taking with us.”

  Moses nodded and removed the canvas he’d thrown over the bed to reveal an old rocking horse and the small trunk she’d requested.

  She whirled to face Levi. “Satisfied, Colonel? Does the great Union Army truly care about a child’s toy and old baby clothes that were once worn by my long dead brother? They hold no value to anyone except me, but search them if you must. Write them on your list. Do whatever you wish.”

  She found herself in tears when her speech ended. Aggravated and hurt, she turned to Moses. “Let’s go home.”

  “Natalie.” Levi’s soft voice was very near. When she wouldn’t look at him, he took her by the shoulders and gently brought her around to face him. “I’m sorry for acting like a cantankerous old goat.”

  She sniffled.

  “May I come to Rose Hill this evening so we can talk?”

  Looking into his dark eyes, seeing the sincerity there, she couldn’t refuse. When she nodded, he offered a slight smile. With the help of his strong hand, she climbed onto the wagon seat. Moses joined her and set the team into motion. She desperately wanted to turn around, to see if Levi stood watching them drive away. Instead, she closed her eyes and prayed, asking God to please change his mind.

  Rose Hill and Langford Manor were Samuel’s inheritance. Their future lay in this beautiful land.

  Somehow, she had to convince Levi that his future was here, too.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  When the long day of writing reports and meeting with his staff came to an end, Levi made his way to the stable. Not surprisingly, Corporal Banks was there with two horses saddled and ready.

  Banks grinned. “I thought you might need your horse tonight, sir.”

  “You shouldn’t eavesdrop on private conversations, Corporal.” He gave a mock frown, but the other man’s smile prevented it from staying long.

  “I was headed over to Rose Hill. Figured I’d wait for you.”

  They mounted and started off, following the setting sun. The sky was ablaze with reds, oranges, and blues that reminded Levi of Natalie’s eyes. He had to admit this country had a rugged beauty to it, but it wasn’t home. Not for him, anyway. He missed the green hills of Pennsylvania, and he desperately missed his family. The Maishes were a close-knit bunch. Having all three of her sons away at war had been beyond difficult for his mother. With his two older brothers home, his parents and siblings were eager for his return as well.

  But what of his feelings for Natalie? He couldn’t deny his deep desire to marry her and claim her as his own. He wanted to be a father to Samuel, especially knowing he may have played a part in George Ellis’ death. Despite the vastly different worlds they lived in, despite the many seemingly insurmountable obstacles they faced, he believed he and Natalie could make a good life. In Pennsylvania. Now, he just had to convince her.

  After little conversation during their ride, he and Banks arrived at Rose Hill. Levi smiled at the sight that met them. Natalie and Carolina sat on the porch, several lanterns casting a golden glow here and there. A small table held what looked like a pitcher of some sort of drink and several cups. As he and Banks neared, the women stood. Both looked lovely in their finery.

  Levi exchanged a glance with Banks, who grinned and kicked his horse into a gallop the last few yards. Carolina hurried down the steps to greet him while Natalie remained on the porch, her eyes fastened on Levi. A look of uncertainty filled her face.

  With Banks and Carolina already deep in conversation, Levi climbed the steps, his gaze never leaving Natalie’s face.

  “Good evening, Mrs. Ellis,” he said, adding a teasing note to his voice he hoped would break the tension radiating from her. “May I say you look fetching tonight?”

  It worked. Her shoulders relaxed, and she smiled. “Why, thank you, Colonel. Would you care for some refreshments?”

  Their polite banter was almost comical, considering the very serious topics that required their attention. He joined her at the cluster of wicker furniture, noticing she didn’t settle on the swing. The memory of their time there, Samuel’s head resting in his lap, reminded him of his resolve to be completely forthcoming regarding the battle at Manassas Junction.
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  Levi glanced to where Banks and Carolina had settled on a blanket beneath a huge tree not far from the house. Their laughter and low voices drifted on the rose-scented breeze. “They seem happy.”

  “Corporal Banks asked my permission to call on Carolina.” She looked down at her hands folded in her lap. “My father-in-law sold her mother and sisters several years ago. He was angry when his daughter left with a young man he didn’t approve of. I suppose he thought to punish her by selling the slaves she had befriended. I begged George not to let him sell Carolina.” Glancing to the young couple, her affection for the servant was obvious. “I hope Corporal Banks will be good to her.”

  “He will.” Levi followed her gaze. “I met him during the battle at Spotsylvania. He was assigned to a medical detail, but when the enemy got too close, he took up a weapon someone had dropped and held them back while the wounded were carried to safety. He earned his promotion that day. When I heard about it, I found him in camp and asked him to be my aide.” He gave a chuckle. “I’m certain he is actually a general in disguise.”

  She smiled briefly before it faded, her nervousness returning.

  “Natalie,” he said, growing solemn. “I want to tell you about Manassas Junction.”

  Her eyes widened. “Why?”

  “Because you need to understand. To understand me and to understand what I did.”

  She stared at him for a long moment before nodding.

  “War is a terrible thing.” He looked toward the darkening fields. Flashes of memory from the past four years played at the edges of his mind. “A man is forced to do things he never dreamed he would do. When we arrived on the banks of Bull Run River, we were already badly outnumbered by Confederates. Our men were green and ill-trained. It was a disaster in the making.” He glanced at her, her luminous eyes staring at him.

  “We lost hundreds of men almost before the battle began. It was chaos. I remember riding my horse into the fray, swinging my sword, yelling at the top of my lungs.” He closed his eyes momentarily. Would that he didn’t have to look at her as he confessed his sins. But he refused to take the coward’s way out. He opened his eyes and met her gaze. “I don’t know how many men I killed that day, but there were many. I never gave them a thought until I met you. Now, I wonder how many husbands and fathers I cut down, all in the name of war.”