by Ginny Dye
Gabe glanced at Moses, received an unspoken message, and nodded. “All right, Carrie,” he agreed. Then he looked back at Moses. “Since you’re here, could we load some supplies into your wagon? It be a lot easier den carryin’ everythin’ back to mine.”
A short time later they had arrived at Gabe’s wagon. Now they were following him through the thick woods. By unspoken agreement, everyone agreed to wait until they arrived at their destination to talk.
One hour later, they broke out into the campsite.
Gabe wasn’t alarmed when he saw it empty. He figured his family had identified the sounds of two wagons. Uncertain of what that meant, Clint would have taken them further back into the woods to the cave they had discovered. He also knew Clint would be watching. He waved his hand as he pulled the wagon to a halt. “You can bring ‘em back, Clint,” he called. “It’s safe.”
Minutes later, Polly, Amber, and Clint emerged from the woods, their eyes wide with questions as they stared at Carrie and Moses.
Suddenly Amber pulled away from her mother and raced forward. She stopped in front of Moses and stared up at him. “You be the man who brung Robert to us, ain’t you?”
Moses knelt in front of her. “Yes, I am. And you’re Amber.”
“I sure ‘nuff am! You here to tell me about Robert? I think about him most every day, ‘specially when I go back to my secret place. I reckon Robert be one of the best friends I ever had,” Amber said excitedly. She pulled at Moses’s hand. “Does Robert be okay?”
Carrie knelt down now and looked into Amber’s eyes. “Robert told me so much about you,” she said quietly. “Now I understand why he loved you so much.”
Amber pulled away from Moses and turned to look at Carrie. “Who are you?”
“I’m Carrie.”
Amber stared at her hard and a brilliant smile exploded on her face. “You’re Robert’s Carrie?”
“Yes, I am.” Carrie forced back her tears of emotion as she took Amber’s hand. “Robert loves you so much.”
Amber nodded, her eyes gleaming. “Me and Robert done love each other,” she said matter-of-factly. “Now, you gonna tell me how he’s doing?”
Carrie smiled. Robert had told her Amber could see straight through any pretense. He had been right. “Could I meet the rest of your family first?” She waited for Amber’s nod, and then turned to Polly and Clint. She loved both of them immediately, drawn in by their warm faces and direct eyes.
“Thank you,” she said huskily, taking both of their hands. “You’re the reason my husband is alive. He’s told me so much about all of you.” She turned to Clint. “And I have you to thank for saving Granite.”
“Granite is okay?” Clint asked anxiously.
“The war was tough on him, but he’s back on our plantation as fat and sassy as ever,” Carrie assured him.
“Husband?” Polly asked. “So Robert done married you?”
Carrie nodded. “Just after he returned from your home.”
“He ain’t doing so good,” Polly said flatly. “Ain’t that why you’re here on your own?”
Carrie nodded again, almost relieved to get right to it. “No, he’s not doing very well,” she admitted heavily. “He’s very ill.”
“Robert’s sick again!” Amber cried. “What be wrong with him?”
Polly took Carrie’s hand and led her over to the fire, pushing her down onto a log gently. “Must have taken a lot of days to get here,” she said kindly.
Carrie nodded, suddenly feeling the strain of the last five days.
“Must have wanted to get here real bad,” Polly said. She nodded at Clint. “Get Carrie and Moses some of that soup I made this morning,” she ordered, holding her hand up when Carrie started to speak. “You just sit there until you get some food in you.”
Carrie smiled and waited quietly. Now that they had found Gabe and Polly she could wait until she had food to make her request. She had thought about it before, but now, sitting here in this wooded clearing, she fully realized how crazy her request was going to sound. She bit back a sigh. She had come this far. She had no choice but to tell them why she was here.
The only sounds were of the birds and crickets as they ate the bowls of soup Clint handed them. Carrie could see the questions boiling behind Clint’s piercing eyes, but she had a feeling no one in this family stood up against their tiny mama very often.
“So why don’t you tell us what’s wrong with Robert?” Polly asked when Carrie took her last bite. “We have lots of things to talk about, but I reckon that’s the most important.”
Carrie took comfort from her kind eyes. She could imagine her holding Robert up…feeding him spoonfuls of soup…wiping his face…wrapping his legs in warm cloths so he would walk again. She took a deep breath, knowing she had made the right decision to come. “Robert came home from the war very sick,” she began. She told the entire story, wanting to gloss over some of the details because Amber was listening, but sensing Polly and Gabe needed to hear it all.
“So Robert’s spirit has just withered up,” Polly said quietly when she was finished.
Carrie nodded. “Yes.”
“Do Robert’s legs still work?” Amber asked.
Carrie nodded, hoping she was right. He had not stood since they brought him home, but she had no reason to think he couldn’t.
“And it’s just his heart be sick?” Amber pressed.
Carrie nodded, knowing that somehow this eight-year-old little girl understood.
Amber stood and walked to where Gabe was sitting, listening quietly. “We got to go to Robert, Daddy,” she said earnestly.
Gabe exchanged a look with Polly and started to open his mouth. Amber held her hand up. “Don’t say no, Daddy. I got to go to Robert. He needs me.” She spun around and stared at Carrie. “Ain’t that why you’re here? Because you believe I can make Robert better?”
Carrie just stared at her, not sure how to answer. She finally nodded, her eyes pleading with Gabe and Polly to understand. “I didn’t know what else to do,” she admitted, her voice breaking as the reality of what she was asking them to do sank in.
Silence settled over the clearing. “That’s a lot to think about,” Gabe finally said, his voice startling the squirrels into increased chattering.
Carrie nodded again but had no idea of what to say.
Moses was the first one to break the silence. “You said you were hiding back here in the woods? Why?”
Carrie was grateful for something to take attention away from her crazy request but part of her silently screamed for an answer. She clasped her hands tightly as she forced herself to listen.
Gabe explained what was going on with the enforced apprenticeship program.
His explanation shocked Carrie out of her thoughts. “That’s nothing but a different kind of slavery!” she said angrily. “It’s wrong!”
“That’s what we figure,” Polly replied, “but we also know there are a lot of strong feelings in people right now. Them plantation owners are scared they gonna lose all their help.”
“Meaning they lose their precious plantations,” Clint snorted. “I have two friends who got taken back to their old plantations to work. Their folks been trying to get them back, but they can’t.”
Carrie stared around the fire. “There has to be a way to stop this!”
Gabe shrugged. “I hope so, Carrie, but for right now I just aim to keep my kids safe. And keep me alive to provide for them,” he added.
“We ain’t gonna let Gabe fight for his kids,” Polly said firmly. “They’ll kill him and take the kids anyway.”
Carrie wished she could refute the statement, but knew it was probably true.
“I think we can help you,” Moses said firmly.
Even Carrie turned to gaze at him.
“You can’t keep hiding here in the woods forever,” he said. “We’ve got a house waiting for you down at the plantation if you’ll come back with us.” He briefly described Ike Adams’s house. “It’
s not fancy, but it’s big enough for all of you.” He looked at Gabe. “You handy with a hammer?”
“I reckon I be. I built our cabin.”
“Then we’ll hire you to help with the new school we’re building. My wife, Rose, is going to be the teacher.” Moses looked at Polly next. “That soup was delicious. Are you good in a kitchen?”
Polly just nodded, though her eyes said she’d been there before.
Moses knew she and Gabe had spent years in slavery before escaping. “We can hire you to help as much as you want to.” He took a moment to make things clearer. “I’ve been hired by Carrie’s father to make Cromwell Plantation profitable again.”
“You’re the overseer?” Gabe questioned sharply.
Moses frowned. “That word will never be used on Cromwell Plantation again,” he said firmly. “I’m the manager. A group of the men from my old military unit are working with me. Right now they are building homes for their families. We’ve planted all the crops for the season — that’s the reason I could get away to come with Carrie.”
He turned to Clint now. “I understand you love horses.”
Clint nodded eagerly.
“There aren’t a lot of horses on the plantation now, but it’s part of our plan. Robert will need help when he’s better.”
“What about Oak Meadows?” Clint asked. “Robert told me all about his place in the Virginia foothills.”
Carrie was the one to answer. “We don’t know what is going to happen with Oak Meadows right now, Clint, but I think you’ll love Cromwell Plantation. We had a lot of beautiful horses before the war.” She suddenly realized what a perfect solution Moses was proposing.
Clint nodded slowly. “Horses are horses,” he agreed. “I’ll work with Robert wherever he is.” He smiled, his eyes revealing his excitement. “It don’t hurt none that Granite is there.”
Carrie realized with a sudden rush of emotion how much Robert meant to this boy who had initially been so angry when a white slave owner had been dropped into their life. “Thank you,” she murmured.
“And me?” Amber demanded. “What about me?”
Carrie turned to her with a smile and took her hand. “And you and I will work together to make Robert better.”
“It won’t take much,” Amber announced.
“Is that right?”
“You need to make sure I got lots of books. I’m gonna curl up with Robert and read to him,” she said. “That’s what I did before.”
When Carrie looked into her glowing eyes full of confidence and compassion, she could almost believe it would be that easy. And who was to say it wouldn’t be?
“You got a house for us?” Gabe asked slowly, his eyes revealing how fast his mind was working.
“Yes,” Moses assured him. “It’s furnished, and we can build whatever else you need. You can leave your house just like it is. It will be waiting here for you when the courts figure out this ridiculous apprenticeship program. I know things are crazy right now, but I don’t believe it will always be that way.”
Gabe eyed him. “You and me both know it’s gonna be crazy for a good long while,” he said somberly.
Moses gazed at him, not bothering to refute what he was saying. “We’ve all got to figure out ways to live until it’s not so hard,” he finally said.
“Yes,” Gabe agreed, “I reckon that’s the truth.” A long silence passed as Gabe stared into the flames. Then he turned and gazed at Polly. Slowly he nodded his head. “I reckon we’re going to Virginia,” he announced.
Chapter Twenty-One
Thomas lounged in his rocker on the porch, relaxing after a long day riding the fields. He took a slow sip of his iced tea as he gazed out over the fields in the distance, thrilled to see bright green spreading as far as he could see. The long warm days were making the oat and wheat grow quickly. A trip through the fifty acres of tobacco proved his prediction that the fields having rested during the war was going to produce a bountiful crop. If the weather cooperated, the plantation would take a big step toward recovery.
His eyes shifted to the pasture. He frowned slightly as he looked at Granite. He knew the Thoroughbred was thrilled to be back on the plantation, but it bothered Thomas that he was alone in the pasture. Horses were herd animals. They weren’t meant to live in solitude, but it was too soon to add more livestock.
“It’s far too lovely a day for frowning.”
Thomas smiled when Abby walked out onto the porch and settled down in the rocker next to his. “You’re absolutely right. Just minutes ago I was thinking about how wonderfully the plantation is doing.”
“What caused the frown?”
“Watching Granite out in the field alone. When Carrie is here it doesn’t bother me so much, but I just don’t believe herd animals should be alone.”
“Why not put one of the cows in with him?” Abby asked, laughing when Thomas just looked at her. “Why not? It may not be a horse, but at least it’s another living being. I’ve seen stranger pairs.”
“Such as?”
Abby closed her eyes as a strong memory swept through her. “We always had two horses on our plantation, but during a very bitter winter one of them died. The one left behind was inconsolable, but my father said we couldn’t get another one until spring. Right after that, one of our sheep became very ill and needed to be inside. Some cows had to be brought in as well, so I decided to put the sheep in with our remaining horse.”
“A sheep?” Thomas murmured.
“A sheep,” Abby said firmly. “They became the closest of friends. Even after the sheep got better, and we got another horse, the sheep stayed with her friend. Whenever you looked out in the field, it would be the three of them.”
Thomas nodded thoughtfully. “It’s worth a try,” he replied. “I’ll have one of the kids move a cow into the pasture tomorrow.” His face grew more thoughtful. “Are you happy here, Abby?”
“I love the plantation.”
Thomas paused and looked deep into her eyes. “But are you happy here?”
Abby looked at him for a long moment, knowing he was asking more than he was saying. “I truly love the plantation,” she repeated, “but it wouldn’t be enough for me all the time. I’ve become a certified city woman with a passion for business. This has been a wonderful reprieve, and I’m not eager to leave just yet, but the time will come when I return to Richmond. They should be done clearing the factory site in the next few weeks. I have work to do.”
“Yes,” Thomas murmured. “Will you join me for a walk?”
Abby rose immediately, wondering what was on Thomas’s mind. “Of course.”
Thomas tucked her hand in the crook of his arm but remained silent as they moved down the lane between the boxwoods and passed through the grove of magnolias on the east wing of the house. He still said nothing as they meandered down a well-maintained trail that brought them out on the far side of the horse pasture.
Abby was content to merely walk along, taking deep breaths of the fragrant air and enjoying the soft, warm breeze on her skin. She smiled with appreciation when they finally broke out on the bank of the James River. “How beautiful,” she murmured. The late afternoon sun glimmered on the tranquil surface of the river. She watched as swallows swept low over the water to feast on mosquitoes and bugs. “Every time I see this river it seems to show a different face.”
“That it does,” Thomas agreed. “I’ve lived here my entire life, but I never grow tired of the river.”
“It would be impossible,” Aunt Abby said, settling down on the log Thomas led her to. Then she looked him directly in the eye. “Why are we here, Thomas?”
“Can’t I just take a beautiful woman for a walk?” Thomas parried.
“You most certainly can, but that’s not what you’re doing,” Aunt Abby replied calmly. “There’s something you want to tell me that you didn’t feel comfortable talking about at the house.” Her eyes sharpened. “Did you hear news from Carrie?”
“No,” Thoma
s said quickly. “I haven’t heard anything since the telegram arrived three days ago telling us they were on the way home with Gabe and his family. I expect they will arrive tomorrow.”
Aunt Abby relaxed, watching as a blue heron swept low over the water, its long legs stretched out behind it. “Do you know their wingspan is almost seven feet across?” she asked.
Thomas chuckled. “A city woman who knows the wingspan of a blue heron?” he teased. “You are quite an unusual woman.”
“My grandmother gave me a thirst for knowledge very early,” she replied easily. “We studied all kinds of things. I found it was a habit I continued because I love knowledge.”
“And do you believe knowledge is power?”
Abby cocked her head. “No,” she said thoughtfully. “I’ve learned over the years that knowledge on its own is nothing. I’ve also discovered, however, that the application of useful knowledge is very powerful indeed,” she said brightly.
Thomas chuckled again. “And you like being powerful.”
Abby raised an eyebrow. “Does that disturb you?”
“Certainly not. I find it makes me love you even more.”
Abby took a deep breath. “Excuse me?”
Thomas laughed. “This wasn’t quite the way I envisioned telling you this, but then I hadn’t determined anything about how I was going to talk to you. I simply decided to bring you to my favorite place on the plantation since I was a boy. I was hoping something brilliant would come to me.”
Abby couldn’t think of a thing to say, but she was intensely aware of a warm feeling spreading through her body. “I see…” she finally murmured.
Thomas sat down next to her on the log. “Obviously I have no idea how to tell you I’m wildly in love with you. I’ve heard so much about Carrie’s Aunt Abby over the last several years. The moment I laid eyes on you I knew why she loved you so much. What I didn’t expect was my own immediate attraction to you. The last weeks have done nothing but make my feelings grow stronger.”
Thomas paused, but Abby just continued to listen, her gray eyes fixed on his. He wished he could read her thoughts, but for once they were not running rampant across her face. He took a deep breath and continued. “The last five years have taught me that nothing lasts forever. They’ve also taught me to take advantage of every moment of joy because life also holds so many moments of sorrow. You can’t escape the sorrow, but too many people don’t latch on to the joy.”