The Planter's Daughter

by Michelle Shocklee

  A caravan of wagons carrying servants, boxes of baked hams, cakes, and dozens of other dishes soon left Rose Hill, with Aunt Lu supervising to ensure everything arrived safely. Family and guests followed behind in the new carriages Papa had purchased for the occasion. Adella had hoped she and Marshall would ride with Seth, but to her disappointment, Papa made certain they had a carriage all to themselves.

  “I look forward to the day when you and I will be the happy couple celebrating our wedding,” Marshall said, settling on the seat next to her.

  Adella scooted away, pretending to arrange her skirt. How she wished she could peek over the driver’s seat and wave to Seth in the wagon ahead of theirs. He hadn’t looked happy when Marshall led her away.

  The carriage lurched forward, passing through green cotton fields and groves of mesquite and live oaks. The remaining slaves lined up along the road, waving and shouting well-wishes to George as he went by.

  “I wonder if you would care to visit Le Beau next week. Your father said he would be happy to bring you since he hasn’t been there in several years and would like to see the improvements I have made.” He smiled and reached for her hand. His palm felt warm and sweaty, and she wished she could remove her hand without appearing completely rude. “My family came from Louisiana when Stephen Austin gained Mexico’s permission to bring settlers to Texas. Grandfather Brevard was French and enjoyed adventure. The tall pine trees are what made him settle on Le Beau land.”

  Knowing she had to keep up appearances until she and Seth gained Papa’s approval, she offered a friendly smile. “I am sure it is lovely. However, I think it is too soon to consider a visit.” She gently withdrew her hand.

  Disappointment shone in his gray eyes. “I understand your wish to move slowly, Adella Rose. If the circumstances were different, I might agree. Perhaps it is because I am older and know life can be uncertain that I am anxious. I have experienced the joys and sorrows this world offers, and I assure you, I much prefer the joys.”

  She knew he spoke of losing his wife. “I don’t recall ever meeting Mrs. Brevard, but I am truly sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you.” He looked away. “Helen was always frail and sickly. Her greatest disappointment was that she never bore a child.” After a pause, he added, “It is mine, too.” He turned back to face Adella. “I want children, Adella Rose. I would like a son to carry on the Brevard name, and a daughter who looks just like her mother.”

  Uncomfortable with the intimate conversation, Adella sought in vain for an appropriate response. More than anything, she wished she could tell him she was not the woman for the job. The only children she hoped to bear were Seth’s.

  After several moments of silence, he chuckled. “I see I have done it again. Pushed too hard, I mean. I am sorry. I will make a concerted effort to simply be happy with escorting you today and leave our tomorrows to their own fate.”

  Relieved, she nodded. “Thank you, Marshall, for understanding.”

  The caravan arrived at the Langford plantation a short time later. Already swarms of servants hurried to and fro: cleaning, polishing, setting out tables and chairs. Adella noticed they all wore new black-and-white uniforms. An enormous canvas tent rose up in the middle of the expansive lawn where the ceremony would take place. Mr. Langford sent all the way to Boston for it, having seen one at a circus years before. He’d proudly stated that rain would not prevent the wedding from going on undisturbed.

  With Marshall at her elbow, Adella mounted the steps. Papa and George followed while the other guests remained near the carriages. She noticed Seth moved to help unload the wagons despite wearing his good clothes, following Aunt Lu’s directions as though he were just another servant.

  Mrs. Langford stood on the porch, a strained smile on her face. “Welcome. I am thankful you have all arrived.” Taking Adella by the arm, she led her away from the others and bent near Adella’s ear. “Natalie is beside herself with nerves, Adella Rose. Perhaps you can calm her.” Her low voice and worried eyes spoke her unease.

  “Of course.” Leaving the men to fend for themselves, she hurried up the carpeted stairs. The Langford home wasn’t as grand as Rose Hill, but it was well appointed and handsomely decorated with plush furnishings, marble floors, and portraits of Langford ancestors lining newly painted beige walls.

  At Natalie’s door, she knocked. “Natalie, it is Adella Rose. May I come in?”

  Zina’s face appeared in the open door a moment later. “Oh, Missy Ellis,” she whispered, worry shadowing her amber eyes. “I’m so glad you’ve come. Miss Natalie …” She glanced over her shoulder quickly. “She’s not well, Missy. She’s not well at all.”

  Adella frowned. “What do you mean?” She moved into the room. Natalie was nowhere to be seen.

  “She’s in the bathing room, Missy, and won’t come out. I tells her we need to fix her hair and get her ready for her big day, but she just hollers at me to leave her alone.”

  For a moment, Adella wondered if Natalie’s dramatics were a ploy for attention. But it didn’t make sense considering today was all about her. Something must have been terribly wrong.

  “Zina, listen to me. Go make a pot of strong tea. Has Natalie eaten anything today?” At Zina’s negative answer, she continued. “Have Aunt Lu make some dry toast. If anyone asks, say it’s for me. Don’t say a word about Natalie to anyone. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Missy.” Relief filled Zina’s voice. She hurried away.

  Adella took stock of the room after Zina’s departure. Natalie’s wedding dress lay draped across the bed, yards of white organdy and lace obscuring the entire coverlet. A bouquet of white roses tied with a silk ribbon sat in a vase of water on the dressing table. All was ready, except for the bride.

  Uncertain what she would find in the bathing room, she crossed the carpet and cautiously rapped on the door. “Natalie, dear. May I come in?”

  A sniffling sound came through the crack under the door. “Go away, Adella Rose. Tell your brother I can’t marry him.”

  It was worse than she’d feared. Testing the knob, she found it wasn’t locked. Slowly, she peered into the small tiled room. There she found Natalie crumpled on the floor in front of a half-full bathtub, wearing her dressing gown. Her hair was a wild mess, and her face was splotchy from crying.

  “Oh, Natalie.” Though they’d never been friends, they were about to be sisters. She hated to see the young woman upset, especially on her wedding day. When a stream of fresh tears slid down Natalie’s cheeks, Adella rushed in, her imagination running rampant. “What’s wrong? Has something happened? Did George do something to hurt your feelings?”

  A pitiful sob gushed forth from Natalie, and she flung herself into Adella’s arms. “Nooooo.” She hiccupped and gulped air. With her face buried in Adella’s shoulder, she blubbered something unintelligible and then sobbed some more.

  It seemed best to let the wave of misery play itself out. Adella patted Natalie’s back and made soothing noises as one would with a tearful child, waiting, wondering. After Natalie had quieted, Adella pulled her away so she could see her face. The girl was a mess.

  Leaving the bride on the floor, Adella took a soft cloth, dipped it in the basin of water on the washstand, and proceeded to wash Natalie’s face. The cool water helped fade the red blotches, but the puffiness under her eyes would remain for some time.

  “Now,” Adella said, laying the cloth aside. She put out her hand. “Come. Let’s sit on something more comfortable than a hard tile floor, and you can tell me what this is all about.”

  With one last sniffle, Natalie took Adella’s hand and got to her feet. Another wave of tears came when Natalie saw her dress on the bed. “I can’t go through with it. I just can’t.” She practically fell into a chair near the fireplace.

  “You have to tell me what has you upset, Natalie. Why can’t you marry George? You have been planning this for ages.” Adella sat at her feet, imploring the other woman to explain.

  Red-rim
med eyes met hers. “You will hate me if I tell you.”

  Adella couldn’t possibly imagine having such an extreme reaction, no matter what the young woman might reveal. “I promise I won’t.”

  The clock chimed on the mantel. Eleven o’clock. They had three hours to get Natalie ready for the ceremony, if indeed there was to be a ceremony.

  “I don’t love George,” she finally whispered, then covered her face, sobbing.

  The confession stunned Adella. Not so much that Natalie didn’t love George, but that it suddenly mattered to the young woman. From the moment their engagement was announced, she’d talked of nothing but marrying George and becoming mistress of Rose Hill. Why had she chosen today, her wedding day, to decide love was important?

  But with her own recent betrothal to a man she didn’t love, Adella felt more compassion than she might have even a week ago. Although she planned to break her engagement to Marshall and marry the man she truly loved, she couldn’t help but feel empathy for Natalie’s situation.

  “I don’t hate you, Natalie.”

  Tear-stained eyes lifted to hers. “What am I going to do, Adella?”

  Though she didn’t want to pry, she wondered if Natalie might be in the same predicament she was in. “Is there someone else? Someone you are in love with?”

  Natalie sadly shook her head. “No. There is no one. I have never been in love.” She sniffled and mopped her nose with a soggy handkerchief she pulled from her pocket. “I thought I loved George. I truly did.”

  “What makes you think you don’t?”

  She shrugged thin shoulders. “He seems to care more about joining our plantations than he cares about marrying me.”

  While Adella would never admit that was true, even if she suspected as much, she knew some things about her brother that Natalie didn’t. “Papa has groomed George to take over the plantation since he was a little boy. Everything is always about the plantation. It never crossed George’s mind to look for a girl to marry if she couldn’t benefit Rose Hill.”

  “Is that supposed to make me feel better? Because it doesn’t.”

  Adella chuckled. “What I am saying is, you were his first and only choice. He has never looked at another girl, and I have never seen him happier.”

  Natalie sniffed. “I suppose that does make me feel special, in a strange sort of way.”

  That made Adella laugh, and Natalie laughed too.

  “Do you think we’ll be happy?” Natalie asked, growing serious again.

  What would Mama say to an impossible question like that? “Mama once told me happiness is a state of mind. We can choose to be happy, or we can choose to be unhappy. But when we are surrounded by so many of God’s blessings, choosing to be unhappy is selfish.”

  Although there was truth in the words, Adella wondered if she could find the happiness Mama spoke of if she were forced to marry Marshall. Fervently, she hoped she would never be in a position to find out.

  Natalie sat quietly for several moments. What if she still felt she couldn’t go through with the wedding? It would be left to Adella to break the bad news to the families.

  Taking a deep breath, Natalie stood. She reached up to her messy hair. “I am sure I must look a fright. Poor Zina has her work cut out for her. And Mama … oh, she must be so upset. I yelled at her.”

  “I am sure she understands.” Adella stood and shook out the wrinkles in her dress. “All brides get nervous on their wedding day, or so I’m told.”

  “Thank you, Adella Rose.”

  Adella would never forget the sincerity shining in Natalie’s blue eyes.

  “You are welcome. Now, let’s get you cleaned up. You are getting married in just a few hours!”

  “Miss Ellis, I would like you to meet my father, Daniel Brantley.”

  Seth couldn’t keep the smile from his face nor the pleasure from his voice when he introduced Adella to Pa after the ceremony. Pa eyed him curiously before turning to Adella.

  “It is a pleasure, Miss Ellis. My, but you have grown into a beautiful young woman since the last time I saw you.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Brantley. I’m happy you were able to come to the wedding, although I’m sorry Mrs. Brantley could not make it.”

  “Yes, Abigail took ill, though thankfully it is nothing serious. She insisted I come anyway, but I think it was mostly because she wanted me to check on how Seth here is doing. She has always been a little partial to him.” He winked, causing Adella to smile.

  “I hope you will stay several days with us at Rose Hill. I know Papa would enjoy a nice long visit with you,” she said, performing her role as mistress of the plantation to perfection. Seth felt unspeakable pride well up inside him, knowing she would one day be the mistress of his home.

  “I appreciate the offer, Miss Ellis. There is nothing more I would like to do than stay on a bit, but with Abigail unwell, I think it is best if I head back first thing in the morning.”

  Adella nodded. “You know you are always welcome, so I hope you will come back soon.”

  “I understand congratulations are in order,” Pa said, smiling. He glanced at Seth then back to Adella.

  Her eyes widened, and she looked to Seth questioningly. “Congratulations?” she asked. Her tone indicated she thought he must have mentioned their secret plans to his father, which of course, he hadn’t.

  “Yes, on your engagement to Marshall Brevard. Your father is quite pleased, I gather.”

  Adella hesitated then forced a smile. “Yes, quite.”

  “I don’t know Brevard personally, but I have heard of him over the years. The other planters in our area speak well of him. When is the wedding?”

  Seth wished he could tell his father right then that Adella wasn’t marrying Brevard, she was marrying him. But with so many people nearby, it didn’t seem wise to discuss such a sensitive subject until they were somewhere private.

  “A date has not been set,” Adella said, appearing strained with the turn in the conversation. Seth needed to change the subject, fast.

  “Pa, how are the girls?”

  His father sent him a quizzical look. “They are fine like I told you earlier. Susanna is in her last year of schooling and hopes to get a teacher’s certificate. Addie and Jessa are quickly becoming young ladies, though it is hard for me to admit. They will all be married and off on their own before long. I am sure your father will miss you after you are married,” he said to Adella. “Brevard’s plantation is in Rusk County, isn’t that right?”

  She nodded politely, though Seth saw discomfort in her eyes.

  “We’re breaking a new stallion here at Rose Hill, Pa,” he said, attempting to gain his father’s attention again. The older man looked at him with an odd expression. “A herd of wild mustangs was brought in a few weeks ago. One of the slaves has been working with him. Should have him saddle-broke in no time. Maybe you would like to go down to the barn to see him later.”

  “Don’t be so modest, Mr. Brantley.” Adella’s eyes shone with pride before turning to his father. “While Jeptha most assuredly deserves commendation for his work with the horse, your son rode the wild beast until the fight drained out of him. It was amazing to watch.”

  Pa’s brow rose. “Not many young women are interested in such things, Miss Ellis. But I agree with you. Seth has a way with horses. Always has. We have a number of fine animals he broke for us. In fact, some of our neighbors were asking just the other day if Seth was coming home anytime soon because they have some young horses that need a knowledgeable wrangler to get them saddle ready.”

  While the praise felt good, Seth knew his saddle-breaking days were over. His leg simply couldn’t tolerate the strain of the rough ride. But after working with Jeptha, teaching the eager young man the correct techniques and seeing them put into action, an idea began to develop in Seth’s mind. An idea for his and Adella’s future.

  Just then, Natalie called for Adella. Seemingly relieved, she excused herself and made her way across the yard to where th
e beaming bride stood with George. Seeing Natalie radiant and happy made him anxious to see his own bride in a beautiful gown, her smile all for him. He hoped it wouldn’t be long before he and Adella could become man and wife.

  When he returned his attention to Pa, his father’s frown met him. “All right, son. What is going on between you and Luther’s daughter?”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  The morning after the wedding, Papa, Marshall, and the other guests slept later than usual. The house was quiet when Adella went downstairs and out the front door. She hoped for a chance to speak to Seth before the others rose. When they’d returned to the plantation late yesterday evening in time for a light supper, she found Seth’s father’s gaze on her so often she wondered if Seth had told him their news. And if so, she wondered, what did the elder Mr. Brantley have to say about it?

  Tiptoeing across the porch, she paused to watch the sun peek over the eastern horizon. Birds greeted the day with happy songs, and bees already buzzed Mama’s rosebushes. It promised to be a beautiful June day.

  Lifting her skirt to start down the steps, she startled when someone cleared his throat nearby. Whirling to her right, she found Daniel Brantley sitting on one of the small wicker sofas, a cup of coffee in his hand.

  “I have always enjoyed watching the sun rise,” he said, his gaze fastened on the new morning.

  Uncertainty crept through her, and she wished Seth would miraculously arrive to fill in the questions. Forced to handle the situation on her own, she put on a pleasant smile. “Yes, I do as well. When I was a little girl, I would sneak out of bed and come sit on the porch, barefoot and in my nightgown. Mama would scold me, but it didn’t stop me from wanting to make sure the sun truly was going to appear that day.”

  Daniel chuckled. Setting his cup on a small table, he motioned to the seat next to him. “Please, join me. I believe we need to have a chat before the others rise.”