The Planter's Daughter

by Michelle Shocklee

  Suddenly, Zina burst into tears. “Oh, Missy. I know I shouldn’t have, but I hoped when I moved back to Rose Hill, me and Jeptha might … might …” Her chin quivered, and she shook her head, sniffling. “But it doesn’t matter now. Mama says I just need to get my mind off him and put all my effort into serving Miss Natalie and Master George the best I can.”

  Adella frowned. “I don’t understand. I thought you and Jeptha liked each other? What happened to give you the impression it wouldn’t work out now that you’re here?”

  “Why, because him and Celia are together,” Zina exclaimed, misery on her face.

  “Celia? And Jeptha?” Adella asked, dumbfounded. “No, you must be mistaken. He would have told me if he was interested in her.”

  “Master Luther gave them their own cabin down in the quarter, Missy. They living together.” More tears pooled in Zina’s eyes.

  Stunned, Adella sat down on the bed. “You are sure?”

  Zina nodded, wiping the trails of wetness from her face. “Celia told Lucy she hoping to be with child soon too.”

  The air swooshed from Adella’s lungs like the time she fell out of a tree Jeptha had dared her to climb. That her friend and companion of all those years would take up with a woman without telling her hurt more than she dared acknowledge. It also answered the question of why he’d been avoiding her lately. And what had Zina said about Jeptha and Celia having a cabin to themselves in the quarter? It was by Papa’s orders.

  Which meant Seth knew.

  “I am sorry, Zina.” She felt betrayed by the three most important men in her life. “I had no idea.”

  A short time later, Adella left the young woman to attend her work. She sent one of the other house servants to locate Carolina and instruct the girl to help Zina. Briefly, she thought about going to the kitchen to see what information she might glean from Aunt Lu about Jeptha, but Celia might have been there. They wouldn’t be able to speak freely, even if Aunt Lu was willing to divulge anything, which sometimes she wasn’t.

  Being in no mood to speak to her father, and with Seth in the fields, that left her little choice. With purposeful strides, Adella left the house and headed to the barn to sort out her troubled thoughts.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Seth continued to take his meals in the kitchen even after Marshall and the other guests departed Rose Hill. Luther hadn’t invited him back into the family dining room, and he didn’t want to presume to simply arrive at the table without being asked. Although he’d hoped Adella would ask him to join them, she seemed preoccupied and even a little miffed when she came in to speak to Aunt Lu about a supply list. With so many servants about, he couldn’t ask her what was wrong. Hopefully, he’d have a chance later in the evening.

  “Would you like some mo’ dumplin’s, Mistah Brantley, suh?”

  Hearing the small voice beside him, Seth looked up to find Carolina standing nearby, practically trembling with fear. Her large eyes rounded as she held out a steaming bowl of savory chicken and dumplings. Aunt Lu supervised from her place at the stove, where she patiently waited for a pot of coffee to boil.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, I would. They are delicious. Almost as good as my mama’s.” He grinned when Aunt Lu looked his way.

  “Yo’ mama must be a good cook then.” Aunt Lu jerked the coffee pot away from the heat just before it bubbled over. “A boy don’t grow into a man yo’ size with po’ cookin’. I should know. I got three boys o’ my own.”

  Seth looked at her with surprise. “I didn’t know you had any sons. Are they here at Rose Hill?” He did a mental rundown of the male slaves and couldn’t come up with any that might be Aunt Lu’s. Though it had taken some time, he’d just about sorted out the slaves by family.

  “No, they’s all gone ta work on other plantations.” A hint of sadness showed behind her eyes.

  In other words, Seth thought, they’d been sold. At least Zina was back with her.

  “How long have you been at Rose Hill, Aunt Lu?” he asked as Carolina dumped a second heaping spoonful of dumplings onto his plate. When he nodded his thanks, the girl scurried away.

  Aunt Lu ambled over and poured some of the hot black liquid into his half-full mug. “Massa Luther bought me an’ two o’ my boys when the youngest be ’bout a year ol’. He be ’bout twenty or so now. Massa Luther an’ Miz Martha built this house that year. ’Course, it weren’t nothin’ as grand as it is now.”

  “So you have been here about nineteen years.”

  “Yassuh.” She returned to the stove. “I ’spect that about right. I seen lotsa changes ’round here. Some for the good, some not so much. Seen lotsa overseahs come an’ go.” She looked at him, seeming to measure her next words. “Don’t know that I ever likes one as much as I likes you.”

  Her matter-of-fact words made him smile. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “You should.”

  He continued eating. Zina entered the kitchen a few minutes later. She greeted him then conferred with her mother about something. He didn’t pay attention to their conversation, but a thought did enter his mind as he watched her leave. The same thought he’d had since the first day he saw her.

  Zina’s skin was so much lighter than Aunt Lu’s ebony coloring. He guessed Zina to be about sixteen years of age, which meant she’d been born after Aunt Lu came to Rose Hill. Knowing there was only one logical explanation for the cook’s daughter to have skin so light, he grimaced. Her father had to be a white man. Yet Seth couldn’t bring himself to believe Luther Ellis had fathered the girl.

  Lucy’s image floated through his mind.

  Was George following in his father’s footsteps?

  He left the kitchen just as the sun dipped below the horizon, oddly troubled. It wasn’t any of his business what the Ellis men did with their slaves. He was simply hired on as the overseer, charged with making sure the slaves did their work and didn’t run away. White men had fathered children with black slaves for ages. Why did it suddenly bother Seth now?

  Feeling out of sorts, he desperately needed to see Adella and let her sweet spirit soothe his nerves. But he’d have to wait until she and her father finished supper. Hopefully, Luther would retire to the library and leave Adella free to sneak away.

  Just the thought of her made him smile. He’d never experienced these feelings for a woman before. Once when he was a new Ranger and full of himself, he’d thought himself in love with the daughter of famed Captain John “Rip” Ford. He’d only seen Fannie on a few occasions, but her golden hair and deep-blue eyes had stolen his heart. Or so he’d thought. Apparently, a number of other Rangers felt the same way. Word soon circulated through the ranks that the young Miss Ford was a bit of a flirt and had half the regiment under her spell. Seth had sworn off women then and focused on his career. That is until it was cut short by a gunshot wound.

  Not willing to sit in his cabin and wait for Adella, he decided to check on Freedom. Joseph and Jeptha had worked with the stallion since the day they broke him, but Seth had been too busy to participate. Not to mention his leg wouldn’t tolerate another wild ride. According to Joseph, the horse was responding well under Jeptha’s patient care. It was a shame Luther or George would be the ones benefitting from the slave’s hard work.

  Just as he drew near the barn door, an angry shout pierced the air, followed by the screams of a woman. They came from inside the building. He tore open the door and stood still, listening to see which direction he should go. A movement caught his attention. Zina came charging around the corner, her hair in disarray and the front of her dress torn, exposing frilly underthings.

  “Oh, Mr. Brantley, he gonna kill him! You gots to stop them!” “Who, Zina? What are you talking about?”

  More angry voices reached him. A man cried out in obvious pain.

  “There,” she sobbed, pointing in the direction from whence she’d come. “He’s gonna kill him. I just know it.”

  Seth didn’t wait to learn who it was she spoke of. The
sound of hard blows landing on bodies led him to the far end of the barn where the tack room was located. The door was closed, but he could hear scuffling coming from within. When he yanked the door open, there was Jeptha straddled on top of Monroe’s barrel chest, the big man lying flat on his back on the dirt floor. Blood poured from his nose and mouth, and his eyes were rolled back in his head. One arm lay at an abnormal angle.

  Jeptha landed another solid strike on the man’s jaw, his own blood spilling from his nose and dripping down onto Monroe’s shirt. When Jeptha raised his fist for another hit, Seth stepped in and grabbed him by the shirt collar.

  “What’s going on here?” He yanked the slave to his feet.

  Jeptha’s breath came in hard gulps as he tried to twist away.

  Zina appeared in the doorway, her eyes wild and fearful. She held her torn dress together with both hands.

  “Well?” Seth looked between the two. Jeptha’s last blow had rendered Monroe unconscious, but his breathing told Seth he was still alive. Although that might not have been the story, had Seth not arrived when he did.

  “He done tried to have his way with her.” Jeptha wiped the blood from his nose with his shirt sleeve, leaving a smeared swath across his cheek. Already his left eye was beginning to swell closed, revealing Monroe had landed a few blows before Jeptha got the better of him.

  Seth looked to Zina for confirmation, although the evidence spoke for itself. “Is that true?”

  She nodded, her gaze traveling to Jeptha.

  “What were you doing in the barn?” A feeling of dread began to settle in Seth’s gut. Luther Ellis would be livid when he heard about this.

  “Ain’t her fault. He attacked her, Mistah Brantley,” Jeptha interrupted when Zina started to answer.

  Seth let loose of Jeptha’s collar. “You keep quiet for now. I want to hear what Zina has to say.”

  When he faced the young woman again, he noted how shaken she appeared. That Monroe tried to rape her was infuriating, but he also knew Luther would want a full accounting of what transpired.

  “Why were you down here?” he repeated. “I just saw you in the house a little while ago.”

  “I …” Her gaze flitted to Jeptha briefly then back. “I came looking for Jeptha. I wanted to speak to him about … something.”

  Frustration rolled through Seth. “I need you to tell me the whole truth, Zina. Master Luther is going to be furious when he learns his driver was nearly beaten to death after trying to force himself on you. Out with it. Why did you come looking for Jeptha?”

  Fresh tears pooled in her eyes and slid down her cheeks. She turned away from the men. “I wanted to find out why he’s with Celia. I was going to tell him that … that I wanted to be with him.”

  A groan came from Jeptha. “Girl, you shoulda stayed away. If I hadn’t come in and found you—” His jaw clenched, and he turned to Seth. “She didn’t do nothing wrong, Mistah Brantley. That animal,” he pointed to Monroe’s still body, “he done wrong. He deserves the punishment.”

  Though Seth agreed with the statement, he knew it wouldn’t be that simple. Not when Luther learned what happened. That Jeptha had nearly beaten Monroe to death would not sit well with the plantation owner.

  “Master Luther will decide who is punished. Right now, we need to get Monroe to his cabin and have Mammy look at him.” He turned to Zina. “Get back to the house,” he said, gruffer than he intended. “Find Miss Ellis and tell her everything. Everything.” When she departed, crying quietly, he returned his attention to Jeptha. “Get Joseph and two other men to help you carry Monroe to the quarter. I’ll figure out what to tell Master Luther about this mess after Mammy sees him.”

  Jeptha didn’t move.

  “Well?”

  “Why can’t you just let me finish him? He an animal, Mistah Brantley. This ain’t the first time he done this. Won’t be his last if you let him live. Just walk away, suh. Just walk away.”

  Seth knew what Jeptha intended to do. While he disliked the big driver with a passion, he couldn’t simply let a man be murdered. “I can’t let you do that.”

  “He don’t deserve to live.”

  “That is not for you or me to decide.”

  “Who then? God? God don’t care ’bout us Negroes. We wouldn’t be slaves if He did. So what’s it matter to Him if one slave take the life of another slave?”

  Seth stared at the other man. For one insane moment, he wondered if Jeptha was right. Would God care? Wouldn’t they be better off without Monroe?

  Reason took over. “Go get Joseph and the others.”

  Several tense moments ticked by before Jeptha stalked from the barn.

  Looking at Monroe, Seth felt no pity. It was probably wrong to feel such, but he almost wished he’d let Jeptha finish the job.

  Papa’s features grew hard and turned scarlet as he sat behind his desk in the library, listening while Seth recounted the tale of what took place in the barn. It pleased Adella to see that Papa was as angry as she about Monroe’s disgusting behavior. She hoped this would be the incident that finally convinced Papa to sell Monroe and get him off Rose Hill land. While she’d never approved of Papa selling off their slaves like stock, she would make an exception for Monroe. His behavior fit that of an animal, so he deserved no more.

  Her attention returned to Seth as he described the scene he came upon an hour ago. He and Jeptha stood just inside the library doorway, with Zina standing to the right of where Adella sat on a small sofa near the fireplace. Already a faint bruise was visible on the young woman’s cheek. There was no telling what other injuries she might have suffered had Jeptha not intervened. Righteous anger boiled Adella’s blood, and she could hardly wait to see Monroe’s face when Papa loaded him onto a wagon and sent him to the market in Galveston.

  “Mammy set Monroe’s broken arm, but he may also have a concussion,” Seth said, bringing his somber report to an end. “She volunteered to sit with him through the night and keep watch.”

  The room grew quiet, with all eyes on Papa, waiting for his response.

  “What in blazes was that gal doing in the barn in the first place?” Papa finally bellowed, his angry glare focusing on Zina. “She is a house servant and has no business in the barn or anywhere else.”

  Zina visibly trembled, but she remained silent, knowing the question was not directed at her but to Seth.

  “She needed to speak with Jeptha. When she didn’t find him, she attempted to leave. That’s when Monroe attacked her.” Seth kept his voice even, and his gaze never wavered from Papa, despite the tense atmosphere. Pride welled up in Adella. As formidable as Luther Ellis could be, Seth was not intimidated.

  “And Jeptha? What got into you, beating Monroe like you did? You know better than that.” Papa glowered at the slave.

  Jeptha kept his eyes downcast, but the muscles in his jaw twitched. “It weren’t right what he tried to do to her, suh.”

  “It is not your place to decide what is right on this plantation, boy!” Papa stood abruptly, nearly knocking his chair over. “Fact is, that is Monroe’s job. And if he wants to take a little pleasure with a gal, that is not any of your business.”

  “Papa!” Adella gasped, horrified he would say such a crude, despicable thing.

  He shot a glare at her. “Stay out of this, Adella Rose. You have mollycoddled Jeptha ’til he thinks he can do something like this and get away with it. Well, I won’t tolerate a slave thinkin’ he can take down my driver just because he’s the pet of the owner’s daughter.”

  Adella stood, mouth agape. “He is not my pet. He is a human being. A human being with more decency than you, apparently, since he sees the wrong in what that animal Monroe was about to do to Zina.”

  She’d never spoken to Papa in such a manner. But then she’d never seen such coldness of heart in him before.

  Papa shook his head with obvious disgust, then turned to Seth. “Take him to the shed. He can spend the next three weeks wishing he had minded his own business
.”

  Before Adella could protest the unfair punishment, Seth stepped forward.

  “I think that is rather harsh, sir, considering it was Monroe who was out of line.”

  Without warning, Papa swept a stack of papers and books off his desk. A framed picture of Mama near the edge teetered and finally crashed to the floor to join the chaos. Adella stared at the angry man as though he were a stranger.

  “I did not ask for your opinion, Brantley!” His enraged voice echoed in the book-lined room. “I gave you an order. Take him to the shed or get off my land!”

  For several moments, they all stood in shocked silence. Adella felt close to tears, deeply wounded by Papa’s appalling behavior. How glad she was Mama wasn’t here to witness it. It would break her heart to know Papa sided with the beast Monroe over Zina’s honor. Aunt Lu and Mama had been close as sisters over the years. She’d have never allowed Zina to be treated so deplorably.

  “As you wish, sir,” Seth said after a long moment, sending a wave of fear speeding through Adella. Did he mean to leave Rose Hill?

  He grasped Jeptha by the arm. “Let’s go.”

  They disappeared into the hallway, with Zina hurrying behind, the sound of their footfalls receding quickly.

  Fighting to control her emotions, Adella wanted to lash out at Papa and demand he recant his orders to put Jeptha in the shed. To make him spend three weeks in the disgusting shack behind the quarter was unchristian, especially when all he’d done was save a young woman from rape. Knowing Jeptha as she did, he would do it all over again despite the harsh punishment.

  Years ago, she’d first learned of the shed when Roland, one of the field workers, spent four weeks in the small enclosure after stealing a slab of bacon. She and Jeptha hid a short distance away the day he was released and watched as the broken man slowly crawled out, shielding his eyes from the bright sunshine. She couldn’t believe how different he looked. Gaunt from eating only stale bread twice a day. Hunched over because a grown man couldn’t stand upright in the tiny shed. A slight breeze carried his foul stench to where Adella crouched, causing her to wrinkle her nose. When she asked Jeptha about it, he matter-of-factly explained the lack of outhouse privileges for occupants of the shed. After that, Adella avoided going anywhere near the place.