On To Richmond

by Ginny Dye

  Like I said, I can admire the man’s honesty, but I pity his naiveté. The South will fight to the bitter end to protect our rights. Sooner or later, the rest of the Northern politicians will come out of the closet and admit their real intent. Not that it matters - we down in the South have seen the truth for a long time.

  Carrie put the paper down again.

  Rose was the first to speak. “I thought the North wanted to see slavery end,” she said in a disappointed voice.

  “A lot of people do,” Carrie said slowly. “I just think right now their main focus is trying to restore the Union. I still don’t think people up there realize how sacred the institution of slavery is down here. How afraid people are of what will happen if it ends. Or how determined the South is to fight what they perceive as forced control.”

  She shook her head then and leaned forward in her chair. “I didn’t read that letter so that we could discuss politics.”

  “I didn’t figure you did,” Moses said with an easy smile, his massive frame settling back in his chair. “What’s going on inside that head of yours?”

  “It’s time for y’all to escape!” she said firmly. Rose and Moses both bolted upright and stared at her in shocked surprise. She didn’t give them time to say anything. “I’ve thought it all through. I don’t think this war is over by a long shot, but right now the South seems to be winning. They’re already tightening up on trying to control the slaves. And they’ve brought on more militia to track down runaway slaves. It’s only going to get worse - especially if they win.” She paused. “If the North wins, there is no assurance things will be any better. If they’re not willing to abolish slavery, things might get worse if they try to appease the South.” She shook her head. “I think we need to move now to get you two to freedom.”

  Moses was the first to break the shocked silence. “How are you going to manage things around here if we leave?”

  Carrie shook her head firmly. She had thought about that, too. “That doesn’t really matter. That is my problem.” Rose opened her mouth to interrupt, but she continued on. “My family has stolen your freedom for too long. What is important is that you be free. Right now things are going our way here. Sooner or later, my father is going to find out the truth. I have no idea what will happen then. We can find a way to get you out of here now. I’m not so sure about later.”

  Rose finally broke in. “We can’t leave you here alone, Carrie. We won’t leave you here alone. Our time will come.”

  Carrie gazed at her friend and recognized the determined tone in her voice. It meant she was settling in on a decision and wouldn’t be moved. She sighed, picked up the letter again, and began to read.

  The governor is calling for more men to help build the defenses for the city. He is asking all slave owners to send slaves to help in the effort. He has given us until the middle of October to finish the harvest and then he wants them sent. Pick five that you think would perform the work best. Make sure you send Moses. His strength and size would be a welcome addition to the work force here.

  Silence filled the room when she finished. She looked up at her friend’s shocked faces and smiled sadly. “You see. It really is the best time.”

  Rose sat quietly, tears pouring down her face.

  Carrie frowned and leaned forward to take her hand. “I thought you would be excited,” she said, confused. “You always told me you would never leave the plantation till your mama was gone. Sarah is safe with John now. There is nothing to keep you here. It’s time for you to follow your dreams.”

  Rose brushed at her tears and tried to smile.

  “I think it’s time to tell her,” Moses said suddenly.

  Carrie looked at him. “Time to tell me what?”

  Moses was looking at Rose with a strange expression. “It’s only fair, Rose. How would you feel if you were in her place?”

  Carrie was suddenly alarmed. “What do I need to know?” she asked in a voice made sharp with anxiety.

  Rose nodded at Moses and then turned to Carrie. “My mama told me something just before she died. I guess she knew her time was almost up. I was coming out to talk to Moses about it when I found y’all together in the field. I needed to talk to just him.”

  “That’s why you weren’t too happy to see me,” Carrie said.

  “I came back to apologize. I think I said something, but you didn’t hear me. Then I saw my mama...”

  Carrie nodded. “I understand.”

  “No, you don’t. You need to know what Mama told me.”

  “I’m listening.”

  Rose took a deep breath and looked her straight in the eye. “My real daddy is your granddaddy,” she said simply.

  Carrie looked at her hard and then slumped back against the cushion of the chair. It never even crossed her mind to wonder if Rose was lying. She knew better. “Maybe you should tell me the whole story,” she said slowly.

  Piece by piece - broken by tears on both their parts - the story tumbled out. The room darkened, the lantern casting longer shadows on the walls as they talked.

  Finally, Carrie leaned back in her chair and turned her head to gaze out the window. A full moon was hanging, full and lush, on the horizon. From where she sat the golden orb seemed to perch right on top of the trees. She needed time to absorb all Rose had told her.

  After several long minutes, she turned her head back to look at them. “The woman who has been my slave all these years is really my aunt?”

  Rose stared at her. “I guess I never really thought of it like that,” she murmured. A faint smile formed on Carrie’s lips. “I’d go back and undo all of it if I could,” she said softly. “But I can’t. Your mama always told me that if you can’t change a situation, you might as well look for the good things in it and do the best you can with it.” Then her eyes filled with tears.

  “What are you crying for?” Rose asked.

  Carrie shook her head. “Your mama should have hated me.” Tears spilled over and poured down her cheeks. “Sarah should have hated me,” she repeated. “Every time she looked at me she had to remember that it was my granddaddy who made her lose her little boy and her husband. How could she look at me? How could she love me?”

  Rose leaned forward and took her hands. “You know my mama wasn’t like that. She didn’t judge people by things they couldn’t help. She took them as they came and loved them for who they were.”

  Carrie nodded and wiped away the tears, forcing a tremulous smile. A new thought struck her. “We really are blood-related, you know. All those years we thought we were like sisters... we really were related.”

  Rose nodded. “Yes. Now you see why we can’t leave right now.”

  “No,” Carrie said firmly, standing up to make her point more firmly. “Now I see even more clearly that you must leave soon. Don’t you see,” she said, waving her hands and speaking intensely. “The Cromwell family has done nothing but rip your family’s dreams away from them. It’s time for that to stop. I can’t bring back all the lost years with your daddy. I can’t find your little brother for you. I can give you your freedom. I can make sure you and Moses are never separated by the auction block or an owner’s whim.” She stopped, looking at them beseechingly. “We don’t know when it might be too late. I want to do this for you while I can.”

  Moses leaned over and took Rose’s hand. “I think Carrie is right, Rose.”

  Rose shook her head. “She’s the only family I have left,” she said in a low voice full of tears. “The only blood family. How can I leave just now? Now that I know?”

  Suddenly Carrie gasped and sat up straighter.

  Rose looked at her sharply. “What’s that strange look on your face, Carrie Cromwell?”

  Carrie jumped up from her chair and headed out of the room. “Come with me!” She turned to Rose and Moses excitedly when they followed her into her father’s office. “I said I didn’t have a way to bring your baby brother back. I may have been wrong!”

  Rose and Moses looke
d at her blankly.

  Carrie laughed. “Oh, I know I can’t bring him back, but we might be able to find him. After all, I was able to find your daddy after all these years.”

  Suddenly Rose understood. “The records! They might tell where my twin brother was sold - who bought him.”

  Carrie nodded, already opening drawers and hauling out the huge record books her father had been keeping as long as he had had the plantation. There were more books that went back to the very first slave ever bought by her grandfather. As the three friends begin to pour through the books, Carrie’s mind was spinning. Now she understood why there had never been much talk about her grandfather. How different her father was from him. That must be why he had always been willing to understand her and accept her even when her mother was ready to despair of her. He had at one time been where she was.

  Looking for the information they sought, Carrie blinked away tears as she flipped pages. How hard it must have been for her father to sell John and the little baby. She knew it went against everything he believed about taking good care of his slaves. He had done it to protect a man he probably never understood. Suddenly her father became more human to her than he had ever been.

  The chimes on the clock were striking midnight when Rose finally looked up from the book she was poring over. “I found it,” she whispered in an awed voice.

  Carrie and Moses put down their books and leaned forward eagerly.

  Rose’s voice was low and hushed. “He was only one day old when he was sold. They got two hundred dollars for him.” She paused, trying to control her voice. “A man by the name of Walker bought him. Came and got him and took him away.”

  “Where was Walker from?” Carrie asked. “Is there an address there? Any more information?”

  Rose shook her head, suddenly looking disappointed. “That’s not very much to go on. Just a name,” she said flatly.

  Carrie sat quietly, not wanting to say she was right. There must be a hundred Walkers in the Richmond area. How would they go about finding the one who had adopted an infant almost nineteen years ago?

  Rose put down the book with a heavy sigh. “I didn’t really think we would find him.”

  Carrie still said nothing but reached for the book and began to flip pages absently. She was surprised when a single envelope fell out. Her father kept his correspondence somewhere else. What was this doing in there? More out of something to do while she tried to figure out how to make Rose feel better, she opened the envelope and pulled out the single sheet.

  Suddenly she gasped, “Listen to this!”

  Dear Mr. Cromwell,

  I have no idea that you will wish to know what became of the tiny baby you sold three months ago, but I felt the need to write and tell you anyhow. Maybe someday someone will want to know. The little mulatto baby was sold by you to a man named Walker. He took it back to his plantation, planning on having a slave woman take it as her son, thus adding to his number. However, his wife would have nothing of it, saying she didn’t want a white baby on her plantation. Said it would start bad stories. She also felt sorry for the wee thing.

  Mrs. Walker brought the baby to me - actually to the steps of my orphanage. Little Marsh has become a true joy to us here. He is being adopted tomorrow by a family who knows nothing of his black heritage. They are thrilled to be taking home their blond-haired, blue-eyed baby boy. I am confident they will give him a good home.

  Sincerely,

  Margaret Cramer

  Rose stared at Carrie, her eyes wide with disbelief. “My twin brother was raised in a white family?”

  Carrie nodded. “Evidently. It will take some time, but we may be able to track down the family that adopted him.”

  “I ain’t so sure that’s a good idea,” Moses said somberly.

  “Why not?” Rose asked.

  “Think about it,” Moses said firmly. “Somewhere out there is a man who has been raised in the white world all his life. What’s he going to think when a black woman comes and tells him she’s his twin sister?”

  Rose nodded slowly. “I see what you mean...” Her face twisted with sadness and frustration.

  Carrie felt the tears well in her eyes again. “I’m sorry. I should have thought of that. All I did was build your hopes up,” she said remorsefully.

  Rose shook her head firmly. “Someday, when the world isn’t so crazy, I’m going to find my brother. He may not want to have anything to do with me, but he’s at least going to hear the truth about where he came from. I’m going to tell him he had a mama who loved him with all her heart. Whether he believes it or not is up to him.” Her smile this time was genuine. “I’m glad I know what happened to him. May I have that letter, Carrie? Someday I’ll use that information.”

  Carrie nodded and handed her the letter.

  Moses spoke again. “We need to talk about the letter Carrie got from her daddy tonight. I don’t intend to go work on defenses for Richmond.”

  “Of course not,” Rose said calmly. “We’ll have to escape before then.”

  Carrie gave a huge sigh of relief and sagged back against her chair. “Finally! What changed your mind?”

  Rose shrugged. “I for sure won’t be able to find my brother if I’m a slave. As a free person, I’ll have more of a chance.”

  “You’ll be nothing but a runaway around here,” Moses reminded her.

  “For a while,” Rose agreed. “But that Mr. Riddle from Ohio was right. Slavery is doomed to die. Every sensible person knows it. God isn’t going to continue to let it go on. When that time comes, I’ll come back south and I’ll find my brother. And I’ll spend time with my niece,” she said with a grin.

  Laughter rang through the house for a long while, and then the three settled down to business.

  It was late when Carrie crawled into bed, but sleep wouldn’t come. Finally she got up and pulled her chair next to the window so that she could catch the slight breeze wafting in. Her heart felt as if it had been rolled over by several heavy wagons. The last week had been an endless assault on her emotions.

  Losing Sarah... finding out the truth about her grandfather... realizing Rose truly was related to her... making the decision that it was time for Rose and Moses to leave.

  She was content with her decision but seldom had her heart felt so heavy. For a brief moment, Carrie regretted her new position on slavery. It was taking from her everything she loved. First she had turned down Robert’s proposal of marriage even though she was sure he would be the only man who would ever capture her heart. Now she was about to lose her best friends.

  So that they can have the freedom they so richly deserve... her heart reminded her. With a sigh Carrie laid her head back on the chair. She wouldn’t undo any of her decisions. She just wished they didn’t have to hurt so much.

  She didn’t know how long she sat there, quietly rocking, before peace began to steal into her heart. It was up to her to make the right decisions. It was up to God to be responsible for the results. Suddenly she saw anew that was what trusting God was all about. You had to leave the results to him and trust he would do what was best.

  A voice floated in on the breeze - Do you believe I love you?

  Carrie became still as the question poured into her soul. Wasn’t that what it was all about? If she believed God loved her, couldn’t she also believe he had only the best in mind for her - no matter how rocky and twisted the path to get there might be?

  Carrie laid her head back against the chair and finally slept.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Thomas Cromwell opened his paper and settled back into his favorite chair. He laid his head back against its firm softness for several moments before he lifted his head to begin reading. It had been a long day. He was tired.

  As always, when his body relaxed, his mind flew to Cromwell Plantation. How he missed the wide open spaces, the smell of the raw earth. Soon the tobacco would be harvested, its pungent aroma filling the air. He could almost hear the chop of the huge knives as
the field hands took down stalk after stalk. He loved the month of September. The starkness of winter was still far away, but the hot grip of summer was loosening, and the first leaves were twirling gracefully down to start their yearly carpet.

  Memories flooded his mind pleasantly until he pictured Abigail in her yellow dressing gown running the brush through her blond hair. He frowned and sat up. He missed the plantation, but he wasn’t ready to go back yet. His heart still ached when he thought of his beloved wife. Maybe someday he could think of her without a sharp pain through every part of him. When that happened, he would go back. For now, he was thankful for his job in the government. It kept his mind occupied and kept the long nights from being endless.

  He picked up the paper again. It wasn’t often that he got home this early. A stack of newspapers waited for him to read. Then he would write a letter to Carrie.

  A sudden knock at the door several minutes later caused him to look up with a frown. He wasn’t expecting any visitors. Was he to be called back to the Capitol? Sighing impatiently, he put down his paper. He could hear Micah’s even footsteps moving toward the door, then, “Is Mr. Cromwell in?”

  Thomas jumped up from his chair and hurried to the front door. “Robert Borden! To what do I owe this pleasant surprise? Come in. Come in.”

  Robert smiled broadly and moved into the entrance way. “I hope I’m not bothering you, Thomas. I’m only here for the day and when I found myself with some free time I just decided to take my chance and come.”

  Thomas smiled and led the way into the parlor. “Of course, you’re not a bother. It’s always wonderful to see you.” He sat down and waved his hand toward an empty chair. “Make yourself at home.” Then he spoke to Micah who had appeared at the door. “We’d like cold lemonade and some of the cookies that were made earlier.” Micah bowed slightly and left the room. Thomas turned back to his guest. “What brings you to Richmond?”

  “General Johnston asked me to come down and confer with General Lee about some matters.”