The Planter's Daughter

by Michelle Shocklee

  Sitting on the edge of the straw-filled mattress, he heaved a sigh. Was it fair of him to take her away from the life she was accustomed to simply because he wanted her for himself? Marshall Brevard could offer her a lifetime of comfort. What could Seth give her? A few coins in his pocket and a promise of hard work. But starting out their marriage on the run, with months of uncertainty ahead, brought doubts and a nagging question.

  Was he doing what was best for Adella, or for him?

  Later, after he’d hidden the supplies beneath his bed where he stretched out, a soft knock sounded at the door, interrupting the night sounds that lulled him nearly to sleep. Guessing it must be well past midnight, he figured it could only be an emergency or other bad news to disturb him at this hour.

  Surprise brought him fully awake when he opened the door to see Adella in the faint light of the moon. “What are you doing here?” He glanced toward the darkened main house, expecting to find Luther or Marshall fast on her trail. “Is something wrong?”

  “No,” came her soft reply. “I … I just needed to see you.”

  He couldn’t help but smile. Knowing he shouldn’t, considering the complete impropriety of the circumstances, Seth stepped onto the porch and enveloped her in his arms. Immediately, she molded to his body, fitting perfectly, as though they’d been formed together from the beginning of time. He tightened his hold even as the passion that raced through his body told him to back away.

  “I’ve missed you,” he whispered into her hair, breathing in the light scent of lavender that stirred his blood even more. “You don’t know how many times I have wanted to storm into the house and make certain Brevard was keeping his distance.”

  Her cheek pressed into his chest. “You don’t know how many times I wished you had.”

  “Has Brevard made advances toward you?” He gently pushed her away so he could see her face.

  “No.” She shook her head, but there was enough hesitation in her voice that Seth wasn’t convinced.

  “Wait here.” He dashed into the cabin to grab a candle and some matches. When he returned to her side, he grasped her hand. “Come with me. We’ll go to the chapel and talk.”

  They avoided going directly through the quarter, even though it would have been shorter. When Seth shut the chapel door behind them and lit the candle, the quietness of the place felt strange. Normally the walls practically shook with voices raised in song or shouts of praise.

  “Why couldn’t we talk in your cabin? No one is awake to know.” Her innocent eyes searched his face.

  Reaching to tuck a tendril of hair behind her ear, Seth chuckled. “I didn’t bring you here because I was afraid someone would see you enter my cabin.”

  “Why then?”

  Her naiveté was beyond charming. “Because, my love,” he said, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. “Being alone with you, with my bed mere steps away, would be far too tempting.”

  Even in the muted candlelight, he saw her face flush. “Oh.” Her eyes rounded. “And you believe you can … can behave here?”

  His laughter echoed in the empty room. “I would never risk the wrath of God by misbehaving in church.”

  Grinning, she seemed to relax. “Then let us sit. I want to hear all about the preparations.” Taking a seat on the nearest bench, Adella waited for Seth to join her. “Aunt Lu said she gave you some supplies, though she believes we’ll need more.”

  Sobering at the topic, he nodded. “Yes, we will. We should be able to find game along the way, but we can’t count on always being able to start a fire. I am certain Brevard and your father will hire men to track us so we will be on the move until we cross the border into Mexico.”

  “Mexico?” She frowned. “I thought we would go west, toward Oregon.”

  Seth shook his head. “I’ve given it a lot of thought and believe the safest place for the slaves is Mexico. Once they are out of danger, then you and I can decide where to go from there.” He paused, his earlier question of what was best for Adella surfacing.

  “Is something wrong?”

  When he met her gaze, the trust he found shining in the blue depths almost pained him. Taking a deep breath, he had to offer her a way out. “Adella, before we go any further, I want you to think about what you will be leaving behind. I can’t offer you the life Brevard can—if not Brevard, then someone else more to your liking. I’m sure if your father considered it, he would be able to come up with someone else to help him with the financial problems without forcing you to marry Brevard.”

  Her eyes filled with tears as he spoke, and her chin trembled. “Are you saying you don’t want to take me with you?”

  “No.” He grasped her hand with both of his. “I am saying if you want to change your mind, I will understand. The life I’m offering you won’t be easy. We have hard riding ahead and long days without adequate food or privacy or water to bathe in. Starting out our marriage on the run from your father, helping some of his slaves escape no less … well, I’m not proud of what I’m about to put you through.”

  Her countenance relaxed then. “You aren’t putting me through anything, Seth. I am a willing participant. If I stay, Papa will indeed force me to marry Marshall. He and George have signed the papers, giving Marshall a percentage of Rose Hill’s profits. The only remaining detail in their plan is the wedding.”

  “You are certain?”

  “Yes, I am certain. I will be a married woman in a matter of days, and I would much rather be married to the man I love.”

  The impish grin on her lips was more than he could bear, and he captured her mouth with his in one swift move. Her arms went around his neck, and he pulled her against his chest. The sweetness of her ignited a fire in his belly, and it was all he could do to pull away, breathless, remembering where they were.

  Big eyes met his in the flickering candlelight, and he grinned. “I guess I was wrong about misbehaving in church.”

  She bit her lip. “What will we do about … about a minister?” Her shyness made her all the more alluring.

  “I have thought about that, too.” He put a safe distance between them so he wouldn’t be tempted to kiss her again. “There’s a small town on the border. Last time I went through, a missionary had started a church there. Hopefully, he’s still around and can perform our ceremony.” He paused, his eyes taking in her beauty, finding it hard to believe she really wanted to marry him. “You will make a lovely bride, you know.”

  She smiled. “I know I can only bring a few gowns with me, but I would like to wear something special for our wedding.”

  “Of course.” He took her hand. “I wish you could bring them all, but we’ll be riding double on Chester until we cross the border. Hopefully we can purchase a wagon and some mules once we get the slaves settled.”

  Reaching into her pocket, Adella pulled something out. “I brought this.” She handed him an expensive looking necklace with sparkling blue stones. “I thought perhaps we could sell it when we needed money.”

  Surprised, Seth studied the jewels. He determined they were probably sapphires, though he had never seen one in person. “Is this yours?” He didn’t want to take anything more from Luther than was absolutely necessary.

  “Yes, my mother gave it to me just before she passed away.” The sadness in her voice spoke louder than her words. “Mama never really cared for fancy jewels, but Papa gave it to her for Christmas one year. I remember how the color of the stones perfectly matched her eyes.”

  “Then we can’t sell this, Adella. It is too valuable a keepsake.” He handed it back to her. “Leave it at Rose Hill with your father, as payment for the horses and food. Maybe one day, after he forgives you, he will return it to its rightful owner.”

  She clutched the necklace to her heart. “Do you think he will ever forgive us? It wasn’t fair of him to use me in his business agreement with Marshall, but he is still my father.” A catch in her voice revealed her emotional turmoil at leaving. “I wish he would give us his blessing. Surely
a daughter’s happiness is more important than money.”

  Seth knew it wasn’t, at least not in the case of Luther Ellis, but he didn’t voice his opinion. “I hope one day he will come to see the truth in that. Now we must figure out the best time to leave. Are any guests invited to the wedding?”

  Adella shook her head. “Marshall didn’t want anyone other than the family to attend.”

  “Good.” Seth’s mind whirled with the plan he’d come up with. “That gives us two days to finish preparations with little distraction. On the night before the wedding, my guess is your father and Marshall will be in a celebratory mood. We can only hope they imbibe a bit more than usual, giving us plenty of time to make our escape.”

  “I would like to take Lucy and the baby with us.” Her gaze was pleading but her voice firm.

  “Adella.” He ran a hand through his hair. “We are already risking more than we should by taking three slaves. We will be riding hard and fast with very little rest. There isn’t any way we can take a new mother and an infant. I’m sorry.”

  Frustration clouded her eyes. “Seth, Mara is George’s daughter. She has Ellis blood flowing through her veins. I can’t leave her here, knowing Papa plans to sell off the slaves one by one. Even if he knew about Mara, I don’t believe it would keep him from taking her to market.”

  “I understand you care about her.” He wished now she had never learned about the baby. “But if we take them, we will jeopardize the safety of everyone else. You know what will happen if we’re caught. The slaves will be beaten or even killed, and you and I could face the hangman’s noose for helping them escape.”

  The reality of what faced them, should their plan fail, brought silence inside the chapel. He hated to put it so candidly, but she had to know the danger.

  “I know you’re right,” she finally said, seemingly resigned.

  He grasped her hands. “It is not that I want to be right, but we have to face the truth of what we are about to do. I wish we could free them all, but we will have to be satisfied with getting Jeptha, Aunt Lu, and Zina away.”

  She nodded, though the pain remained in her eyes.

  They discussed their plans a while longer, then Seth walked her back to the house, keeping to the shadows of the oaks.

  “It will all be over in a few days,” he said, his voice low in the darkness. “Then we can start our new life together.” His forced cheerfulness didn’t bring the smile to her face he’d hoped to see.

  “But what will the lives of the slaves be like after they are sold?”

  Her solemn question dogged him all the way back to his cabin.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  “Ah, there you are, Adella Rose.”

  Startled by Marshall’s voice in the otherwise silent barn, Adella jumped, causing the apple she was about to offer Freedom to drop to the ground and roll out of his reach. Turning, she wondered how Marshall had found her here since he and Papa disappeared into the library shortly after breakfast. George and Natalie had gone to the Langfords’ for the day, leaving Adella free to ready her belongings for their journey. She’d come down to the barn in search of a saddlebag but couldn’t resist bringing a treat to the magnificent horse.

  “Marshall,” she said with a nervous smile. “I didn’t realize you were looking for me. The library door was closed, so I assumed you and Papa had more business to discuss.”

  “We did, briefly.” He drew up next to her, his eyes taking liberty in their pursuit of her face and then her body. “But I have had enough talk of business. I want to spend time with my bride today. I thought perhaps we could ask the cook to prepare a picnic lunch, and we could go for a ride together.” He caressed her cheek. “We have had so little time alone.”

  A shiver of unease raced through her. Retrieving the apple, more to put distance between them than anything, she forced herself to appear unaffected by his touch. “Oh, Marshall, you know I am far too busy packing to enjoy such frivolity.”

  He clutched his heart in mock offense. “You wound me, Adella Rose.”

  Keeping space between them, she smiled. “I am sure Papa would enjoy a ride in the country as you men did before George’s wedding. Perhaps you could go hunting. Aunt Lu mentioned how nice it would be to have venison roast for supper.”

  His brow pulled into a frown. “If I go hunting, it won’t be on the whim of a slave. You are far too accommodating of your servants, Adella Rose. After we are married, and you assume your role as mistress of Le Beau, I will expect you to manage the household with a firm hand. I don’t believe in coddling the slaves, nor do I believe in befriending them. Is that understood?”

  Angry words rushed to her mouth, but she bit them back, knowing there was no point in arguing with the man. She would never be mistress of Le Beau. “I am sorry you feel that way, Marshall,” she said instead. “You, of course, are master of your home and may dictate the rules as you please.”

  “Thank you.” He seemed satisfied with her swift compliance. “I have every confidence you will learn quickly. The bad habits you have acquired while growing up with indulgent parents will diminish with proper training.”

  She stood with her mouth agape at the insult. “Bad habits and indulgent parents?”

  “Yes. It is clear to me you have been allowed more freedom than a daughter should be given. The fact that a Negro boy was your closest companion is horrifying at best. I blame your mother, as I am sure your father was far too busy running Rose Hill to be aware of such things. Your mother, however, should have known better.”

  How dare he!

  She clenched her fists to keep from pummeling the infuriating man. “My mother was the dearest woman in the world, Mr. Brevard. Should you ever speak of her again to me, you will do so with the respect due the deceased.”

  His eyes narrowed. “As you will address me with the respect due your husband.”

  Never!

  She turned her back to him. “I don’t believe we will be able to spend the day together. I have quite a list of things I need to get done.”

  “And yet you found time to come down to the barn to give a horse an apple?”

  The hardness in his voice brought her attention back to his face. “I needed something from the barn, for my packing. I thought to bring Free … the horse a treat. He is such a beauty, I can’t resist.”

  Closing the distance between them in a swift stride, Marshall took Adella in a rough embrace. “My thoughts exactly,” he said before forcing his mouth onto hers. The kiss was painful and demanding and held nothing of the sweet passion she felt when Seth kissed her.

  Pushing against him, Adella broke free. “How dare you? You have no right to treat me in such a vulgar manner.”

  “I have every right, Adella Rose.” He grabbed her again and brought her hard up against his body. “You are mine, and I have had just about enough of your naïve virginal rebuffs. We will be husband and wife in two days. It is time you understood what that means.”

  Fearing he intended to assault her there in the barn, Adella struggled to break free. “Let go of me!”

  But he was stronger and had her up against the wall, his hands roaming her body, when the sound of someone whistling reached them. Marshall cursed under his breath and released her just as Moses came around the corner, carrying a bucket.

  “Oh, Mistah Brevard, Missy Ellis. Didn’t know you folks was here. I jest comin’ to feed ol’ black there an’ give him a good brushin’.” He moved past them and opened Freedom’s stall.

  Marshall glared at the black man’s back. “Do you have to do that now?”

  “Oh, yessuh, Mistah Brevard, suh. Mistah Brantley done tol’ me to get on in here an’ get this ol’ hoss taken care of. Wouldn’t want him to find I ain’t done it like he asked.”

  Marshall cursed again. “Come along, Adella Rose.” He reached for her hand, but she jerked away. His hard stare bored into her. “I said, come along.”

  With a step away from him, she shook her head. “No. I am
upset, and I want to be alone.”

  Tension practically sparked the air. With a glance at Moses, who pretended he was engrossed in currying Freedom, Marshall dipped his head, though his tightly clenched jaw revealed his anger. “As you wish. I will see you at the house, where we will continue our discussion.”

  He took his leave, stalking away without a backward glance. Seth would be furious if he learned what had transpired. She looked over at Moses, who hummed quietly while working a hard-bristled brush along Freedom’s flanks.

  “I suppose you heard everything.” She felt weary from the pretense and uncertainty of the past several weeks. If only she and Seth were headed west to Oregon by now—all these troubles would be behind them.

  “Ain’t none o’ my biz’ness, Missy. I jest comin’ ta do my job an’ hears some unpleasantness is all.”

  With a heavy sigh, she nodded. “Thank you, Moses.”

  He glanced up. “You’s welcome.” A knowing look shone in his steady gaze.

  She walked over to stand on Freedom’s other side. The horse’s eyes were half closed, as though he enjoyed the grooming immensely. “He certainly is a different horse than when they first brought him in.”

  Moses chuckled. “I ’spect so, Missy. I heard he ’bout as wild as a hoss can be when they cotched him. But,” he paused, glancing at her, “now he gonna fill a pu’pose the Good Lawd knew ’bout fo’ he done got cotched. He jes’ like the rest of us’n’s now.”

  “How so?” she asked, intrigued.

  “God gots a pu’pose for ever’body, I ’spect. Even critters. Sometimes he got to break the wildness outta us ’fore he can use us, though. Sometimes bad things has ta happen in order fo’ the good to take place.”