Belle

by Beverly Jenkins

  Belle almost fell off the porch. “Marry? Me?!” she croaked.

  “Yes, marry.” He peered into her face. “Would that be all right?”

  She was absolutely speechless. “You’d really want to marry me?”

  “Yes, but you didn’t answer me. How do you feel about me?”

  Belle forced herself to speak slowly. “I’d marry you, Daniel.” She gave him a cautious glance and found him smiling.

  He leaned close. “May I kiss you?”

  Belle’s eyes closed, and she was shaking so badly she just knew she was going to fly apart. She looked up into his eyes and nodded her permission. The kiss was even more splendid than the last time he kissed her, that night Mr. and Mrs. Best went to the ball. Belle had no idea what she was supposed to do, so she just let herself feel. His lips were warm, soft. She sensed her breathing increasing and felt a warm tingling take root inside. Next she knew, he was easing them closer. Her hand came up to cup the back of his head and the kiss deepened. Her mouth parted. He nibbled on her bottom lip and Belle pulled back. Panting, she brought her trembling hand to her lips. Daniel’s eyes seemed to be the whole world.

  He told her softly, “I’m sorry. Am I going too fast?”

  Belle whispered, “I think so.”

  Just like last time, she wanted him to kiss her again, but the force of the moment was still charging through her, echoing like church bells. Shaken, Belle said, “I should go in now, Daniel.

  “Whatever you want.”

  She stood, but was unable to pull her eyes from his eyes, his mouth. “I’ll see you later.”

  He nodded, then said, “Belle?”

  She looked down into his eyes again. “Yes.”

  “We’ll go very slowly, all right?”

  She nodded. “All right.” She fled into the house.

  Up in her room, Belle stood with her back against the door. Daniel wanted to marry her! Her, the former slave. She’d no idea kisses could be so moving. Still reeling, she brought her hands to her lips. They were swollen and puffy. Knowing how they got that way immediately floated her back to being in his arms. She wanted to tell the world how happy she was, wanted to jump up and down, holler, scream; but instead, she melted back against the door and smiled contentedly.

  sixteen

  Instead of going to school the next day, Jo and her classmates and their parents were summoned to a meeting at the church. The children were cross-examined by the school committee about the recent goings-on in the classroom. Each child told a tale similar to the one Jojo had told at the dinner table: Mr. Hood would disappear for hours on end, returning only long enough to give them another reading assignment or to dismiss them for the day.

  “Then what happened?” Belle asked Jo as they sat outside shelling peas for dinner. Belle hadn’t gone to the meeting and so had to rely on Jojo for the details.

  “The adults sent us out of the room. They called Mr. Hood in and were in there for maybe a quarter of an hour.”

  Belle raised an eyebrow. “That long?” she asked sarcastically.

  Jojo shrugged. “Well, what could Mr. Hood say? He was caught like a pig in a fence. He couldn’t call us all liars.”

  “So what did they decide?”

  “The adults voted fourteen to nothing to have him removed. He was fired a minute later.”

  Belle shook her head. “I hope Francine was worth it.”

  Jojo cracked, “I doubt it.”

  Belle could see Daniel over by the barn putting the tack on the team. They hadn’t had any private time since last evening on the porch. The idea that he might love her and want her as his wife still seemed like a dream, and the thought made her giddy all over again.

  Jojo could see Belle’s interest in her brother and so asked, “Are the two of you rowing in the same direction now?”

  Belle swung her eyes to Jojo and just smiled.

  “Hallelujah! It’s about time. Wait until I tell Trudy.”

  Belle warned, “You are not to tell Miss Trudy anything. Daniel and I haven’t committed to anything yet.”

  “But—”

  “No buts. We’ve only agreed to liking each other, that’s it. Your father wants me to finish my education and settle in a bit more, and he’s right. Who knows, maybe I’ll want to go to Oberlin before everything’s said and done.”

  Jojo grinned. “Wouldn’t that be wonderful, Belle? You at Oberlin? Oh, we would be so proud.”

  Belle knew she would love Jojo forever. Not once had Jo done anything but share and support Belle’s dreams for the future. “That would be something, wouldn’t it?”

  Belle watched Daniel and his father load a large clock onto the bed of the wagon, then secure it with rope. “Where are they taking that?”

  “Back to the reverend. He needed the glass in the front replaced.”

  Belle heard Jo, but her eyes and mind were on Daniel. She gazed at him for so long, Jo finally said, “Belle, we can stay out here and gaze at my brother for the rest of the day, but I think Mama wants these peas for tonight’s dinner.”

  Belle started, then, smiling, said, “I was not thinking about your brother.”

  Jo didn’t believe her for a moment. “Lies like that will make lightning strike you, Belle Palmer.”

  Both girls laughed and went back to the peas.

  That evening, Belle settled into a chair in her room to do her nightly reading. Due to all the time and effort she’d put in, she’d improved enough to no longer be frustrated by all the rules and sounds of the letters. As a result, she was tackling bigger words and feeling very proud of herself. She couldn’t read particularly fast, but she was faster than she’d been last week and knew she’d be faster in the weeks to come. Naturally she wanted to be proficient now, this minute, but it wasn’t realistic, so she plodded on.

  At midnight, she rubbed her tired eyes and pushed her books aside. She stood and slowly stretched her tired back and limbs. Time to go to bed, she told herself. As she walked over to her ancient armoire to take out her nightclothes, the sound of something hitting the porch outside made her slow. Rain? Belle walked over to the open door and out onto the small porch. To her surprise, there on the ground stood Daniel. “Daniel?”

  He immediately placed his fingers against his lips, signaling quiet.

  She giggled silently. What in the world was he doing out at this hour?

  He picked up a ladder hidden in the grass by the darkness and quietly placed it against the porch. He looked up at her in the moonlight. Belle’s eyes widened. Surely he didn’t mean for her to climb down? As if sensing her hesitation, he made a show of putting his hands together in a silent plea.

  She giggled again. The idea was certainly tempting. She’d been wanting to see him all day. Her mind made up, she held up one finger, signaling him to wait, then hurried quietly back into her room and doused the lamp. Sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night was bad enough; she didn’t want to leave the lamp lit and burn the place down, too.

  Belle returned to the porch. Daniel smiled up at her when she came back into sight, and she grinned down in reply. He moved to brace his weight against the ladder. Once he was ready, Belle hiked up her hem, and slowly and carefully climbed down to the ground.

  On solid ground now, she whispered, “Hello.”

  “Hello, yourself,” he replied, smiling. “Come on.”

  Hand in hand, they ran happily but quietly to the bench behind the barn.

  After they were seated, Daniel confessed, “I’ve never done anything like this before.” He looked her over. “I missed you today.”

  “I missed you, too.”

  Belle knew what was coming next. The kiss they shared set off fireworks inside her again. When he eased back, Belle felt like she was floating up with the stars. “Your papa’s going to take a switch to both of us….”

  “Probably…” Daniel whispered, then kissed her again.

  They fed themselves on kisses for a long while, savoring this new love, but Danie
l could feel himself wanting more than just her kisses, so he slowly, reluctantly pulled away. Belle was an innocent; he knew he couldn’t do with her the things he’d done with Francine, no matter how much he wanted to. He hoped to make Belle his wife someday and because of that he respected her enough to wait.

  Breathing hard, Daniel leaned back with his head against the barn wall and tried to will himself back to a calmer state.

  “Are you all right?” Belle asked with some concern.

  He shook his head. “Nope, and probably won’t be until our wedding night.”

  Belle’s eyes widened. “Daniel!” she whispered, scandalized.

  “Hey, it’s the truth.”

  Belle had never been so embarrassed in her whole life. “Let’s talk about something else.”

  He chuckled. “All right. Don’t think it’s going to help me, though.”

  “Daniel!”

  He gave her a crooked grin. “Sorry.”

  She laughed then, too. “This is all so new.”

  “I know it is. That’s why I’m sitting over here, and you’re over there.”

  Belle confessed, “I don’t really know that much about—any of this.”

  “I know. Maybe you should talk to Mama.”

  Belle wasn’t sure. “I don’t know, Daniel.”

  “Mama or Jo, those are your choice.”

  Belle chuckled. “That does narrow it down, doesn’t it?”

  “A mite.”

  Belle still found it hard to believe this magnificent man wanted her: Belle Palmer, runaway. “I feel like I’m in a dream, and if I wake up, I’ll go back to being plain old Belle, and you’ll go back to being Francine’s intended.”

  He looked her in the eyes and made it clear. “Francine and I are done. Over. If she wants Paul Hood she can have him.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He nodded solemnly. “Yes. Do you think I’d risk my father’s wrath this way if I wasn’t sure? I’ve never snuck a woman out at night before in my life. Never.”

  Belle supposed he had a point. Being with him made her feel so special. All she wanted to do was smile.

  In the moonlit silence surrounding them, the call of the crickets played on the night air like a hushed symphony. Belle reached out and gently touched his face, slowly stroking her fingers down his cheeks. He covered her hand with his, then tenderly kissed her fingertips. Feeling bold, Belle leaned in and softly pressed her lips to his. Once again, the time passed unnoticed, and then finally Daniel eased away. Belle’s eyes were closed. Her heart was beating so fast she didn’t think it would ever slow down again.

  Daniel knew the sooner he got her back to the safety of her room, the safer she’d be. She was entirely too tempting to be out here with him in the moonlight; he was a male after all, and sometimes males didn’t think clearly in situations such as these. He closed his eyes and tried to shift his mind to less volatile thoughts, but all he could focus on was her sweet mouth. Daniel wondered if his father knew how hard this was going to be. How in the world was he expected to wait until Belle reached eighteen? He turned his head her way.

  Belle met his gaze. “What?” she asked softly.

  “Do you know how beautiful you are?”

  Belle dropped her gaze. “But I’m not.”

  He reached out and gently raised her chin so he could feed himself on her glittering, coal-black eyes. “You are very beautiful, Belle Palmer. Very,” he echoed.

  Belle began to shake all over again. Her voice came out a whisper. “We should get back….”

  “I know…” he agreed, but he kissed her instead.

  A little while later, they crept back across the grass to the house. After a quick kiss good-bye, Belle climbed the ladder to her room. Once she was safely on the porch, she blew him a kiss, then went inside.

  Belle was more than a bit tired when she came down to breakfast that next morning, but seeing Daniel seated at the table made her forget all about how sleepy she was, and she smiled.

  “Good morning, everyone,” she said as she took her customary seat next to Jo. As Mr. Best began to say grace, Belle slid Daniel a look from beneath her lashes. He flashed her a wink. Belle’s responding smile died when she realized Mrs. Best was looking right at her. Belle immediately dropped her gaze and concentrated on Mr. Best’s voice.

  When the grace was finished, the family began passing the food back and forth, and Mrs. Best said to Belle, “You look a bit tired this morning, dear.”

  Belle took the platter of eggs from Mrs. Best’s hand. “I was up late.” Belle replied, hoping Mrs. Best didn’t possess mind reading as one of her many mama talents.

  Mrs. Best warned, “Well, no burning the late-night oil tonight. You need your rest, dear.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And I need to talk with you about something later on, all right?”

  Belle had no idea what it might be about, but said, “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Is Belle in trouble, Mama?” Jojo asked around a mouthful of sausage.

  Cecilia replied, “No, but you may be, if you keep talking with your mouth full.”

  Everyone smiled. Even Jojo. “Sorry, Mama.”

  “And besides,” Mrs. Best continued, “even if Belle were in trouble, you’d be the last person I’d let know. You and Trudy would have Belle’s business spread so fast, our heads would spin.”

  Belle looked over to see Mr. Best grinning. He said, “Maybe they’ll grow up and be newspaperwomen like Mary Ann Shadd, up in Canada.”

  Mrs. Best cracked, “And maybe by then they won’t have to sign their editorials with a man’s name like Mary had to.”

  Belle stared, confused.

  Daniel must have seen her confusion because he explained, “Mary Shadd was the first woman on the North American continent to publish her own paper, but because she didn’t believe the male subscribers would pay attention to the words of a woman, she signed all of her editorials with a false male name.”

  “Is she a Colored woman?” Belle asked.

  Mrs. Best said proudly, “Yes, she is. Her father was a well-known Road conductor in Pennsylvania.” Then she added, “But what those male abolitionists put her through with her paper—”

  An amused Mr. Best said, “Oh, Lord, here we go. Daniel, why’d you get her started on this? You know how she gets. Next, she’ll be sputtering about Fred Douglass and that woman.”

  Belle assumed that to be a reference to Mr. Douglass’s mistress, Julia Griffiths.

  Mrs. Best looked over at her husband. “I hope he isn’t planning on bringing her with him when he comes to visit next month.”

  The now chuckling Mr. Best shook his head. “With the way you women have been howling all over the country about this? I think he has better sense, and from what I hear he may not come after all. Too busy. Besides, he and Miss Griffiths have gone their separate ways.”

  Mrs. Best didn’t appear to believe that. “It’s just such a slap in the face to his wife, Mary, that’s all. All those years she spent raising those children alone and trying to keep a roof over their head while he was off in England lecturing and gallivanting.”

  Mr. Best said, “I know, lovey, but getting all upset about it won’t change things. Besides, there’s no real proof of shenanigans.”

  Mrs. Best shot her husband such a hard look, Belle thought he’d be turned to stone.

  He simply laughed. “I love it when you’ve got fire in your eyes.”

  Mrs. Best smiled, seemingly in spite of herself. “Oh, eat your eggs,” she said finally.

  He threw her a bold wink and proceeded to do just that.

  Watching their interplay, Belle hoped to have a marriage just like the Bests. When she glanced over at Daniel to gauge his reaction to his parents’ teasing play, he met her eyes with a knowing smile.

  Trudy and her papa came over later that afternoon. Since formal schooling had been canceled until another teacher could be found, the two girls were going to spend a few days together at Trudy�
�s house. It took Jojo nearly a half hour to gather up what she needed for the stay. Most of it was hair gadgets and irons.

  Once they departed, Belle cleaned up the kitchen, then searched out Mrs. Best. She found her in the garden, on her knees weeding her collards.

  Belle said, “You said you wished to speak with me?”

  “Yes, let’s get out of this sun, though.” She stood and wiped her brow. The July day was a particularly warm one. They went and sat on the shade-covered back porch steps.

  Mrs. Best began. “Mr. Best has been approached by a very nice young man from the church. He wants to call on you.”

  Bell croaked, “Me?”

  “Yes. Why not you?”

  Belle thought about Daniel. “Well, I—”

  “He’s very nice, Belle. He and his parents moved here from Illinois about three years ago.”

  Belle couldn’t think of anything to say.

  Mrs. Best asked, “A bit speechless, are you?”

  Belle didn’t lie. “A bit, yes.”

  “So, do you wish for him to call?”

  Belle thought about Daniel once again. “What’s his name?”

  “Bertram Brown.”

  For the life of her, Belle couldn’t remember ever seeing this Bertram Brown at church or being introduced to him. “Mrs. Best, I’m not sure—”

  “Dear, no one wants to rush you into anything. If you don’t want him to come calling, just say so.”

  “I don’t—I mean, I’m very flattered, but—”

  “It’s all right, Belle,” Mrs. Best offered reassuringly. “If you’re not ready, you’re not ready. Maybe in a few months’ time.”

  Belle nodded, then asked, “Was there anything else?”

  “No, dear. That was all.”

  “Do you want me to help you weed?”

  “No, you go back to your studies.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Belle headed to the house. Had she glanced back, she would’ve seen the pleased smile on Cecilia’s face.

  At midnight, Daniel came calling again, and Belle happily answered. Leaving her room, she quietly climbed down the ladder. Laughing and in love, they ran to the bench behind the barn. The kisses started before either of them could speak: tender, lingering kisses, filled with the rush of welcome. They knew they didn’t have much time; forty minutes, an hour at the most, then they’d have to slip back.