The Planter's Daughter

by Michelle Shocklee

  She looked at Papa now. His eyes glazed with anger as he continued to stare at the now empty hallway. When his gaze eventually shifted to her, Adella felt a tremor of fear snake through her. Briefly, she wondered if Mama had ever had to deal with him in this state of mind. If she had, Adella had never been aware of it.

  Deciding it was best to remain calm, she settled back down on the edge of the sofa. “I understand you are angry, Papa.” She clasped her hands in her lap. “But what Monroe tried to do to Zina is inexcusable. There is also the fact that Zina belongs to Natalie.”

  “You don’t know the first thing about running a plantation this size, Adella Rose, so dispense with your childish ‘right and wrong’ judgments.” Papa yanked his chair back in place and sat down. “Monroe is the best driver I have had in years. Since he took over, we rarely have trouble with the slaves. And when we do, he takes care of it. Jeptha has sufficiently ruined that now. Every slave on the place will have it in their minds that they can best Monroe.”

  The pronouncement seemed exaggerated, but Adella kept that to herself. “I myself have been uncomfortable when Monroe is around. Now he has attacked a woman who is not even a Rose Hill slave.”

  “Zina is most assuredly a Rose Hill slave, young lady.” A scowl darkened his face. “The moment Natalie became George’s wife, her slaves and anything else she owns became George’s property.”

  Adella hadn’t considered that. For a moment, alarm swept through her, realizing for the first time that any property she owned would immediately become her husband’s upon marriage. Thankfully, she didn’t believe Seth would be the kind of husband to lay claim to anything she brought into their marriage, even servants. She had little doubt, however, that Marshall Brevard held the same convictions as her father and brother. Yet another reason to bring an end to their engagement as soon as possible.

  She rose from the sofa. “Since I do not believe we will see eye to eye regarding Monroe, I will leave you to your business.”

  “Just a moment.” He picked up a folded sheet of paper from the floor where it had landed when he cleared the desktop in his anger. “Marshall has invited us to Le Beau next week. I have sent an acceptance.”

  Adella stared at him. “I wish you had consulted me first, Papa. I already told Mr. Brevard I felt it was too soon to make a visit to his plantation. You and he may have been plotting this engagement for some time, but it is all very new to me. I do not appreciate being left out of the decisions regarding my own life.”

  “The man is your fiancé. I think it high time you see where you will live, don’t you?” His tone indicated he thought her nonsensical.

  Wishing she could blurt out the truth regarding her plan to marry Seth, Adella carefully worded her response. “I simply need time to adjust to all the changes that are taking place.”

  “Well,” Papa said, tossing the missive to the empty desktop, “I have already sent a letter of acceptance. It would be rude at this point to cancel. We will go as planned. However, in the future, I will make an effort to consider your opinions.”

  Without another word, Adella spun and exited the room.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Drawing near the small shack at the edge of the quarter, the stench coming from the low-slung building nearly overwhelmed Adella, but she wouldn’t let that prevent her from speaking to Jeptha. He’d been in the tiny, stinking shed two days now. On the morrow, she and Papa would travel to Le Beau, and she had to know how Jeptha was faring before she left. She’d scarcely seen Seth since he removed Jeptha from the library that night, so getting news of Jeptha’s condition through him proved fruitless.

  Mid-morning sunshine glinted off the tin roofs of the quarter when Adella stopped and glanced behind, making certain no one watched her. Mammy and her herd of little ones were the only slaves in the vicinity, with everyone else off working in the fields or their various jobs throughout the plantation. Bent over a wooden washtub, Mammy hadn’t noticed Adella sneak around to the backside of the quarter where the shed was located. Or if she had seen Adella, she hadn’t made it known—the old woman’s running chatter to the children playing around her never paused.

  A mangy dog ambled toward Adella, wagging his tail. He’d probably picked up the scent of the bacon and cheese she’d tucked into the deep pocket in the folds of her skirt. The image of the skeletal Roland emerging from the shed all those years ago was imprinted on her memory. Jeptha was young and strong, but even he needed nourishment if he was going to survive three weeks in the fetid shack.

  Nearing the door, she fought the urge to cover her nose. “Jeptha?” she said, keeping her voice low.

  Sounds of movement came from inside the shed. “Missy Ellis? That you?”

  “Yes.” She smiled, relieved to hear his voice, strong as ever. “I’ve brought you some food.”

  Silence followed for several moments. “You shouldn’t’a done that, Missy. You know the rules. If your pappy finds out you done come down here an’ brought food, you’ll be in a heap o’ trouble.”

  Adella squared her shoulders. “Papa’s rules are inhumane. Forbidding anyone from bringing you extra food is wrong. Two slices of stale bread a day are not enough.”

  A sigh came from inside the shed. “Ain’t gonna argue with you. I starving already, and it’s only been two days.”

  Reaching into her pocket, she took out the napkin-wrapped bacon and hunk of cheese. The dog inched closer, but she shooed him away. Eyeing the padlock on the door, she frowned. “How can I get this to you? I don’t have the key to the lock.”

  “Don’t need it. There’s a cut-out over yonder, to your right. That’s how they get the bread to me.”

  Adella looked and saw the opening, not much bigger than her hand. She moved to it. Jeptha’s face appeared in the hole.

  “This how I get me some fresh air, too.” He filled his lungs as proof.

  “Oh, Jeptha.” She passed the food to him. Immediately, he disappeared into the dark interior. “I wish there was something I could do to convince Papa to let you out. It’s wrong for you to be in this horrible place when all you did was help Zina.”

  “How is she?” he asked, his mouth obviously full of food.

  Adella didn’t want to tell him the truth. That Zina had barely said a word since Seth took Jeptha away. Her downcast face and the slump of her slim shoulders spoke of her grief and guilt. To Jeptha, however, she said, “She is worried about you, I am sure. As are we all.”

  “No use wastin’ your worry on me, Missy. I gonna be fine. Maybe a little hungry an’ weak, but I be fine.”

  The odor drifting from the hole in the wall nearly made her gag. “Is it as awful as it smells?”

  Jeptha chuckled without humor. “Worse. If I had me a shovel, I could turn the ground in here an’ bury some of this filth. That might help.”

  Adella shook her head, anger with Papa rising to the surface. “I will never forgive Papa for this.”

  Voices carried to her. Someone was coming.

  “I best go now before someone sees me,” she whispered.

  Jeptha’s face appeared in the small opening again. “Thank you, Missy, for the food.”

  “I will try to get more to you when we return. Papa has insisted we go to Le Beau for a few days. We’re leaving before dawn.” She’d thought about enlisting Zina to sneak food to Jeptha, but the risk was too great for the young slave woman. If Adella got caught, she would only earn her father’s angry words. If Zina or another slave were found bringing food to the shed, they would face a severe lashing and possibly be taken to the market in Galveston.

  Careful to make her way back to the house without being seen, Adella went directly to the kitchen wing. A strong cup of tea was just the thing she needed to calm her nerves. She hadn’t realized that sneaking down to the shed had her so on edge. But as she neared the house, her legs turned to jelly, nearly sending her to the ground.

  Entering through a back door, Adella bumped headlong into Celia in her haste to fin
d Aunt Lu.

  “Celia,” she said, grasping the girl by her arms so she wouldn’t fall. “I am sorry. I didn’t see you.”

  The young slave nodded and righted herself, keeping her eyes on the ground. “It not yo’ fault, Missy. I not lookin’ where I goin’ is all.”

  Adella hadn’t thought much about the girl since Zina’s revelation that Papa had all but ordered Jeptha to take Celia into his cabin. So much had happened since then she’d forgotten about it. Now, however, she studied the slave, wondering if Celia had feelings for Jeptha, and how his confinement might affect her.

  “Have you spoken with Jeptha since he was put in the shed?” she asked, hoping to find answers to her questions about why Papa would choose this girl instead of Zina to take up with Jeptha. It made no sense to her why Papa would involve himself in the romantic affairs of the slaves, especially when he clearly had no regard for their welfare.

  Celia’s amber eyes widened, and she met Adella’s gaze for the first time. “No, Missy. We uns ain’t ’llowed to have contact wit’ da one in da shed. Massa threaten us’n’s if we do.”

  This news did not come as a surprise, given Papa’s behavior of late. While she didn’t want to divulge her own visit to the shed to the young woman, she felt a bit of empathy, guessing Celia would be worried about Jeptha.

  “I am sure Mr. Brantley will make sure Jeptha is given his rations and is as well as possible.”

  Even to her own ears, the promise sounded empty. How well could one possibly be when held captive in a filthy shed that wasn’t fit for an animal?

  Annoyance flashed across Celia’s face. “My man shouldn’ta done what he did. Should’a minded his own biz’ness, is what he should’a done. Beatin’ Monroe was wrong. He lucky that Negro gonna live. Otherwise, Massa Luther sell him, or worse.”

  Adella frowned, confused by her anger. “What Monroe did was wrong, Celia. Jeptha simply tried to protect Zina. I am sure he would do the same thing for you or any of the women at Rose Hill.”

  Celia simply shrugged. “All I know is my man ain’t gonna be ’round for three weeks. Then when he come out, he be worthless for who knows how long.”

  The pitiless words spoke for themselves. Celia did not care about Jeptha, not the way Zina did. Adella resolved then and there to do everything in her power to see that Jeptha did not have to live with Celia when he was finally released.

  With little to say to her father these days, supper was a quiet affair. Papa’s mind seemed elsewhere, plotting and planning her future with Marshall, no doubt. Adella wished they could postpone the trip to Le Beau, but no amount of arguing on her part convinced him to put it off. Indeed, he seemed all the more eager to go, desiring to leave behind the drama of the past few days and relax, he said. Just that afternoon, Adella had attempted to discuss Jeptha’s plight with him once again, until he’d lost his temper with her.

  “Jeptha will remain in the shed the full three weeks. If you insist on nagging me about it, I will increase his punishment—one day for each time you mention his name.”

  The unfairness of such a pronouncement still infuriated her, but she’d held her tongue. She didn’t want her own stubbornness to cause Jeptha to spend even one extra day in the confines of the shed.

  Making her way from the house, Adella headed across the lawn and down the hill to the creek. The early evening air felt warm and sultry against her skin, reminding her that summer’s brutal heat was not far off. Toads croaked, and crickets chirped, offering a unique song only they could sing. Glad to be away from the upheaval the upcoming trip put the entire house in, Adella felt a twinge of guilt at leaving Hulda and Carolina busy packing her trunks for the journey. But the truth was she held no opinion on the gowns she should take or whether she had her matching slippers or not. It mattered not what Marshall might think of her appearance. His was not the smile of appreciation she longed for.

  Her heart quickened, as did her pace. She hadn’t spoken to Seth since the terrible night he escorted Jeptha from the library. With Monroe recovering from his injuries, Seth had no help managing the workers. Here and there throughout the day, she’d caught a glimpse of him, usually as he rode from one field to the next. Knowing she had to see him before she left for Le Beau, she’d trusted Moses to deliver a message to him, asking him to meet her at the creek later that evening. With so much commotion around her, she needed his calming reassurance that everything would be fine once they were married.

  Hurrying into the thicket near the water’s edge, Adella slowed. A sweeping glance of the area revealed Seth had not arrived yet. The sun edged along the horizon, so it was possible he had not come in from the fields yet. No matter. She would wait all night if she must.

  Settling on the soft grass, she leaned back against the trunk of a cypress tree, her eyes closed and her face lifted to the slight breeze. Dreams of happy days with Seth filled her imagination. It seemed only moments passed when a sound nearby startled her. Her eyes flew open, and she found Seth sitting beside her, grinning in the fading light.

  “I didn’t want to wake you,” he said, reaching to tuck a tendril of hair behind her ear from where it had blown across her face. The caress of his fingers sent chills sliding down her spine.

  “I must have dozed off.” Her gaze hungrily took in his day-old whiskers and the tired lines around his eyes. “Have you eaten?”

  He held up two thick slices of bread with a slab of ham sandwiched between. “This was the best Aunt Lu could do in a hurry.”

  She frowned. “I’m sorry. I should have thought to bring you something.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve eaten plenty of simple meals like this. Some days when I was out on the range, I was lucky if I had hardtack and jerky.”

  She watched as he took big bites of the sandwich. “How have you been? Even though I dislike the man immensely, Papa says Monroe was the best driver he has ever had. I imagine you have had your hands full with him unable to work.”

  Seth nodded while chewing. He took a long drink of water from the canteen he’d brought with him. “Your father feared we would have trouble from the workers with Monroe gone. I’ve been running from one end of this plantation to the next to make sure they know nothing has changed. I am still the overseer; they still need to do their jobs.”

  The question that had niggled her mind ever since they’d declared their love for one another pushed forward. “Seth, after we’re married, it is unlikely Papa will keep you on as overseer. Are you certain you can’t rejoin the Rangers?”

  He swallowed the last bite of his meal and shook his head. “They made it clear my injury would slow me down too much. And to be honest, I think they are right. Being in the saddle much of the day has convinced me I need to find work that isn’t done from the backside of a horse.”

  She bit her lip, wondering for the first time how he planned to make a living once they left Rose Hill. Papa surely wouldn’t offer him a dowry, as he’d most likely done for Marshall. What would they live on after they married?

  As if reading her mind, Seth reached for her hand. “You don’t need to worry,” he said, giving her fingers a squeeze. “I have an idea I’m working on. Nothing I want to reveal just yet, but I promise we won’t starve.”

  With his hand still holding hers, their future seemed promising rather than frightening. “I’m not worried. I trust you. You can tell me your ideas when I return from Le Beau.”

  At the mention of Marshall’s plantation, Seth frowned. “I don’t like the idea of Brevard still believing he is your fiancé. There is no telling what liberties he might attempt.”

  His concern brought a smile to her face. Though his jealousies were unfounded, they pleased her nonetheless. “My heart will remain here at Rose Hill, with you. You have nothing to worry over.”

  “Good.” He drew her hand to his lips, where he dropped two warm kisses on her knuckles. “Promise you won’t be alone with him. Keep Hulda nearby when your father isn’t handy.”

  “Actually,” Adella
said, trying to concentrate on the conversation even while he turned her hand over and planted several more kisses on the tender part of her palm. “Carolina will attend me. Hulda doesn’t travel well, and I asked Papa—”

  She gasped as his lips moved to the sensitive area of her wrist. Tingles ran rampant through her body in the most delicious way, and all she could think about was his warm breath on her skin.

  “You asked Papa what?” A mischievous gleam brightened his eyes.

  For all the world, she couldn’t remember what she was about to say. “I … I don’t know.”

  The deep rumble of laughter in his throat cleared her mind. She jerked her hand away. “You rogue,” she said, but the laughter in her own voice wouldn’t convince anyone she was angry. “I asked Papa if Carolina could accompany me, hoping to train her to take Hulda’s place when the time comes. Surprisingly, he was agreeable.”

  Seth leaned back on one elbow, the muscles in his arm straining against the fabric of his shirt. He stretched out his bad leg. “I’m glad. Carolina adores you, so you will have no trouble keeping her near.”

  Adella sighed. “I would rather not go at all. If only we could tell Papa about us now and be done with all this nonsense.”

  He straightened, his eyes searching her face in the growing darkness. “Soon,” he promised, his voice husky.

  When his gaze strayed to her lips, Adella couldn’t help but moisten them in anticipation. That was all the invitation Seth needed before capturing her mouth in a passionate kiss. Her arms had a mind of their own, and soon her hands were roaming his back, enjoying the feel of the hard muscles she found there. His own hands cupped her face, his long fingers drawing her closer until they were both breathless.