Jewel

by Beverly Jenkins

  In its time, Walker’s Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World was hailed as the most inflammatory series of articles in the nation’s history, surpassing in brimstone even the great Thomas Paine’s revolutionary tract, Common Sense, which rallied the American colonists against the crown.

  “And he was killed, just as he predicted he would be,” Eli added.

  In 1830, the forty-five year-old free-born Walker was found dead on the doorstep of his Boston clothing shop shortly after the Appeal’s third-edition publication. Many believed he was murdered for his impassioned call for slaves to defend themselves and for God to rain down vengeance on the Christian slaveholders of the United States.

  G.W. had pride in his face. “I’m amazed that you all have the Preamble committed to memory.”

  Eli shrugged. “Only some of it, but it was and still is required reading at the Grove school.”

  Maddie explained further: “I wasn’t allowed to attend, but Nate and Eli would come home and teach me everything they’d learned.”

  G.W. turned to Eli. “I thought you said school was mandatory here?”

  “It is, but Maddie’s father didn’t believe in learning for girls.”

  G.W. studied Maddie closely and she responded with the truth. “He beat me anytime he caught me with a book in my hands.”

  His eyes widened.

  “As much as I loved to read I took a lot of whippings,” she relayed with a bittersweet smile. She then pointed at his plate. “You should eat before your food gets cold.”

  He sputtered. “Oh, yes. You’re right.”

  But Jewel noted that he stole discreet glances at Maddie for the remainder of the meal.

  After dinner, G.W. cited his need to take a walk so as to get a bit of exercise, per his doctor’s advice. “The man’s trying to make me lose weight,” he declared, indicating his stomach’s ample girth. “Says I might live longer.” Turning to Maddie he asked, “May I be so bold as to ask for your company?”

  She stood and smiled, “Sure.”

  So, off they went, leaving Eli and Jewel behind to clean up.

  Jewel handed Eli a washed and rinsed plate to dry. “He’s had his eyes glued to her all evening,”

  “His intentions had better be honorable.”

  “This coming from the Colored Casanova of Cass County.”

  “The former, thank you very much, but Maddie’s like the sister Nate and I never had and I don’t want to see her hurt.”

  “Maddie can take care of herself, but it would be nice for her to have someone special in her life, besides Blue and the other dogs.”

  He agreed.

  Later that evening, when dusk started to fall, Hicks and Maddie had not returned. A worried Eli stood out in front of his cabin scanning the countryside. “You don’t suppose something has happened?” he asked Jewel, seated on a blanket spread out under a tree.

  “They’re probably talking, and have simply lost track of time,” she offered reassuringly. She found his concern for Maddie touching and yet another indication of his good heart. “They’ll return when they’re done. Come sit with me.” She patted the blanket.

  He came over reluctantly, his features showing his mood. “Five more minutes and I’m going to go look for them.”

  “No, you are not. Maddie is not a babe in the woods.” To distract him, she asked, “Have you worked on the editorial Hicks wanted?”

  “Not yet,” he answered distractedly, eyes still searching.

  “Do I need to undo the buttons on my blouse in order to gain your full attention?”

  He flashed around. “Would you?”

  The heat and mischief in his gaze made her laugh. It also lit her senses like a flame to a wick. She was certain that with just the least bit of encouragement he could have her naked and screaming in the blink of an eye. Lucky for her, she spied their dinner guests returning. “Oh, look, here come Maddie and G.W. now.”

  “Damn,” he pouted with mock disappointment. The two were walking slowly, arms intertwined. “Remember you said that.”

  “Said what?” she asked innocently.

  Eyes filled with humor, he waggled a warning finger. “You are not getting off that easily, Jewel Grayson. I expect to see some buttons being opened later tonight.”

  Playing the role of the obedient wife, she grinned and dropped her gaze. “Yes, Eli.”

  “That’s better.”

  He helped her to her feet and slipped an affectionate arm around her waist as they waited for Maddie and G.W. to rejoin them. They both looked so pleased that Jewel planned to interrogate Maddie first thing.

  Maddie and G.W. stayed and enjoyed the Grayson’s hospitality a short while longer, then, driving their separate vehicles, headed off in the same direction.

  Eli noted. “I don’t think G.W.’s going back to town, at least not right away.”

  “Me either. Hope he likes dogs.”

  “Hope they let him in the door.”

  For a moment they shared humor-filled looks after which Eli said, “Now. About those buttons.”

  Before Jewel could speak a wagon rolled into view. James Wilson sat behind the reins and beside him on the seat was Cecile. “What could they possibly want?” Eli asked crossly.

  Jewel wanted to know the same. “Maybe he’s driving her to the train station.”

  “We should be that lucky.” Tight-lipped he watched the wagon’s approach. When it got within hailing distance, James Wilson nodded. The smug superiority he sometimes exhibited was in full blaze. “Evening.”

  Eli viewed Cecile critically before responding. “Evening. What can I do for you, Wilson?”

  “Came to get last week’s wages. You told me to come by. Remember?”

  What with all the comings and goings of the last few days, Eli had forgotten the conversation. “Come on inside so you can sign the receipt.”

  Jewel’s eyes hadn’t left Cecile’s the entire time. It was as if the women were sizing each other up.

  Eli looked to Jewel and then Cecile. “We’ll be right back.”

  Cecile replied, “We’ll be here. Won’t we Jewel?”

  Jewel didn’t reply.

  After the men departed, Cecile fussed with her hat. The widow’s weeds were gone and replaced with a fashionable green walking ensemble that Jewel remembered seeing in the front window of the new seamstress shop owned by the reclusive Adelaide Kane. The little green hat perched upon her glossy hair matched the dress. “I see you’ve shed the weeds.”

  “Yes. I’m sure my husband would prefer I plow ahead with my life. Black makes me feel so bleak. James sprung for this new gown. He’s such a sweet man.”

  Jewel didn’t know anyone who’d describe Wilson as sweet but she kept that unspoken. “That’s nice.”

  “Unlike some, he refuses to hold my past against me.”

  “That’s very Christian of him.”

  “Are you and Eli enjoying your marriage?”

  “We are.”

  “I hear it was forced.”

  “You heard wrong.”

  She smiled falsely. “It took me a moment to place you when we first met, but you’re the youngest Crowley child, aren’t you? The one who got lost playing Hide and Go Seek in the middle of the night.”

  “Yes.”

  “I remembered because Eli had to leave my bed to help with the search.”

  Jewel felt ice crawl over her heart.

  “He was as disappointed as I. Tell me, does he still enjoy making love under the moon?”

  The ice cracked and so did she. “Excuse me. I have chores. I’m sure they’ll be right out.” She hurried away.

  A pleased Cecile called, “Hope to see you again, soon.”

  But Jewel couldn’t hear over the sounds of her breaking heart.

  Once she was in back of the cabin and out of view, she dashed away the angry hurt tears in her eyes and plopped down on one of the aged stumps left behind when the land was cleared decades ago. She told herself she had two choices,
she could either ignore Cecile’s painful digs or succumb and be miserable, but she was already miserable. Does he still enjoy making love under the moon? The smug question echoed again and again. The answer was yes, and Jewel had had no idea that the night she’d thought so special was just another one of the weapons in his Casanova repertoire. In light of all they’d shared, she felt like an absolute fool. Factoring in the admission that she was in love with him qualified her fool enough to be a clown in a traveling circus. Her heart hadn’t ached this way since her mother’s death.

  “Jewel?”

  She glanced up at him through the lowering darkness.

  “Sweetheart, are you crying?”

  She got to her feet and quickly dashed away the telling moisture. “No. Something in the air has been making my eyes itch.”

  Eli didn’t believe that for a moment. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Not feeling well. I think I’ll sleep on the sofa in case I’m contagious.”

  “The sofa?”

  “Yep.” After one more swipe at her eyes, she smiled falsely. “Wouldn’t want you to be sick, too.”

  He placed a tender hand on her arm. Upon feeling her tense up sharply in response, his heart pounded with alarm. “Did Cecile say something to you?” It was the only explanation he could fathom that would make her distance herself this way.

  “As a matter of fact, she did. She wanted to know if you still enjoyed making love under the moon.”

  His eyes closed in pain.

  Jewel knew if she stood there for one more second, she’d start to bawl, so she whispered, “Good night, Eli. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  He watched her go, then dropped down onto the stump she’d vacated and put his head in his hands.

  Cecile almost felt sorry for the little Crowley woman. Seeing the way her spirit had crumpled in response to the question about the moon had been touching, but it proved she was no match for Cecile or a threat to her plan of repositioning Eli into her life. Removing the green dress she’d sweet-talked Wilson into buying for her, she hung it up in the wardrobe in her rented room, then slipped into a robe. According to Wilson, Eli had come into a large sum of money. Word had it that his bank accounts were bulging.

  Cecile sat down at the mirrored vanity table and took in her reflection as she creamed away her face paint. That Eli was now a wealthy man only increased her desire to reclaim him. She was in her mid-thirties, her beauty was beginning to fade like an aging rose. Soon it would be unable to get her what she wanted, so it was imperative that she find someone to ensure her future. Now. Someone who could take her to Mexico or maybe even Brazil until the heat cooled and the Pinkertons stopped looking. He wouldn’t have to know the truth unless it became absolutely necessary, and if it did she planned to have him so enamored by that time he wouldn’t care.

  She’d wait to approach him for now, though, because she wanted her presence to grow on him, linger over him, force him to remember how it had been; how they’d felt in each other’s arms; how nothing had been too carnal for them to try. He’d been a creative and inventive lover back then, displaying a level of expertise often lacking in men twice his age. She could only imagine how talented he must be now. With that in mind, she wanted him to relive the moments in her bed—the slide of their damp bodies; the orgasms they’d shared—and when she sensed he was haunted enough, only then would she cast her line. He had to be anxious, randy, in order to be susceptible to her charms. The lure in her had to be so strong that he’d turn his back on the Crowley woman, the same way he’d turned his back on Nathaniel.

  Her smile was cold. Maybe coming back to this country turnip-truck town had been a sound idea, she told herself as she put away her toiletries. Maybe the fates intended for her to strike it up with Eli again. Pleased by the prospect and with her own cleverness, she blew out the lamp for bed.

  Eli hadn’t moved. It was dark and he was still seated on the stump pondering the disastrous effects of Cecile’s visit. If someone had asked him earlier that morning how he and Jewel were getting along, he would have answered—on their way to happiness. Now? Now everything had crashed like a house made of straw. And truthfully, he had no defense; he had taken Cecile under the moon, just as he’d done Sally and most of the other women in his former Casanova life. He enjoyed outside lovemaking, the way the moonlight played over a woman’s skin; the sound of her soft gasps against the quiet of the night had always been arousing to him, but that didn’t make being in the moonlight with Jewel anything less than the very special occasion it had been. How to explain that to her and have her understand it was his problem. Or at least one of them.

  The other was Cecile. Because of her foul deed, his anger knew no bounds. Were he the murdering type he’d search her out, strangle her with his bare hands, and leave her body for the scavengers. He knew her well enough to be certain that the question she’d posed to Jewel had been meant to maim, and it had achieved its goal. When he walked up and found Jewel sitting where he was seated now, he was glad night had been rolling in. The shadows had prevented him from seeing the depth of the hurt in her eyes because if he had seen it his inner pain would be all the more unbearable. He’d never wanted his past to wound her, yet it had.

  Off in the distance he heard thunder. A few moments later lightning flashed in the western sky. The wind rose and he smelled rain but he didn’t stand up and go inside. How did a man keep his heart from tearing apart at the sight of the sadness he’d put into the eyes of the woman he loved, he wondered—because he was in love with Jewel Crowley and had been possibly since the day they married. It was a life-altering admission for a man who’d planned on sampling willing women until he was old and gray. It didn’t answer his question, though, and his heart was broken. Cecile had hurt Jewel through him and he didn’t know how to fix it.

  Raindrops began to splatter down. The flashes of lightning were brighter and the answering bass of the thunder rumbled loud and deep as the storm drew closer. He stood. Stretching with the weariness he felt both in and out, he headed to the darkened house.

  Inside he moved about quietly, not wanting to wake her if she was sleeping. Her quiet snores let him know that was, so he walked over to watch her as she lay curled up on the sofa. She’d thrown a sheet over herself to ward against the night chill. As gently and as carefully as he could, he picked her up, sheet and all, and walked her into the bedroom. If anyone deserved to sleep on the sofa it was him. There was no need for her to make such a sacrifice.

  He placed her down on the bed as if she were made of the most fragile crystal and stepped away. She moved around for a moment. He thought she might awaken, but she stilled and silently drifted back into the arms of Morpheus. “Good night, Jewel,” he offered quietly. Exiting the room he closed the door soundlessly behind him.

  Chapter 13

  Eli awakened to the smell of bacon frying. Wondering why his body felt so god-awful stiff it took him a moment to remember that he wasn’t in bed, and why he was on the sofa instead. His long limbs were so cramped from curling up on the too-short space he wasn’t sure he’d ever walk again. Bleary eyed, he rubbed at his hair, then rose unsteadily to his feet. Jewel stood watching him from the doorway and he instantly went still.

  “Your breakfast is ready.”

  He saw no emotion or welcome in her eyes or stance. Wanting to offer her comfort but not sure how to do so, he simply said, “Thanks.”

  She turned and left.

  He pulled in a deep sigh, and padded outside to wash up.

  Jewel placed the plates and utensils on the table. She heard him come into kitchen behind her, bringing with him the clean familiar smell of his soap, but she kept her mind focused on what she was doing. She set the small platter of bacon on the table, followed it with the bowl of scrambled eggs, then took the biscuits out of the oven and turned them out onto a plate. “I’m going over to Calvin Center today to look at True Light’s roses.”

  True Light was the community’s Baptist church. El
i waited for her to take a seat before he took his own. Once he did, he looked across the table at the woman who wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Jewel.”

  “Say the blessing, please.” She bowed her head.

  Eli offered a blessing and, when it was done, tried again, “Jewel,”

  “Pass me the eggs, please.”

  Keeping his temper in check, he complied.

  They ate in silence, and, when they were done, she began to clear the table. “I’ll see you this evening.”

  He felt dismissed, and because he did and didn’t want to push this into a full-blown argument, he stood, exited the kitchen and then the house without another word.

  Left alone in the echoing silence, Jewel didn’t know what to do with what she was feeling inside. She was aware that he’d wanted to talk about the wall she’d thrown up between them and probably attempt to make things better, but she was afraid she’d turn into a raging shrew given half a chance, and that nothing but more hurt would come out of it. She wanted to kick herself for being so naïve as to think she occupied a unique place in his life, or that their times together had been unique as well because according to the smug Cecile they were not.

  Jealousy was part and parcel of her mood, too, she was honest enough to admit. It was a new experience seeing as how she’d never been in love before. The only saving grace was that she hadn’t revealed the true depths of her feelings to him. If she had, she’d no doubt feel like an even bigger fool. Her battered heart wanted to turn back the clock to yesterday morning when everything between them had been fine, but since that was impossible, she finished up the dishes and went on with her day.

  Eli burst through the doors of the Quilt Ladies’ boardinghouse, scaring Caroline Ross to death. Viewing him with wide eyes, she asked, “What’s the matter?”

  “What room is she in!”

  Caroline didn’t hesitate. “Number five. Down the hall to the left.”

  Without a thanks, he climbed the stairs.

  When he reached Number 5, he pounded on the door so hard the wood rattled on its hinges. “Open this damn door, Cecile!”