by Ginny Dye
Micah answered her knock on the door. “Miss Cromwell!” he said in a surprised voice. “I wasn’t expecting you.” Immediately, he opened the door wide. “Your father should be home in a few minutes. May I get you something?”
Carrie shook her head. “No thank you, Micah. And there is absolutely no reason you should have been expecting me. I came to surprise my father. Would you please make sure Sam has a place to sleep? He will be staying here until I’m ready to return home.”
“Certainly, Miss Carrie.”
Carrie had just finished changing out of her dusty traveling dress when she heard her father’s carriage roll up. She took a deep breath, ran down the stairs, and opened the door before he could reach his hand out.
“Carrie!” Her father’s voice echoed the surprise etched on his face. “What in the world are you doing here?” Then his face sharpened with concern. “Is something wrong? Something on the plantation? What is it?”
Carrie moved forward quickly giving him a big hug and kissing his cheek warmly. “Nothing is wrong, Father. Everything on the plantation is just fine.”
“Then what are you doing here?” Thomas asked. He was obviously confused.
Carrie laughed lightly. “I’m here because I missed you.”
Thomas stared at her. “You’re here because you miss me?”
Carrie felt a twinge of panic. It would not do for her father to become suspicious. She knew how it must look. She had never come to Richmond before like this. “Can’t a girl miss her father? Aren’t you glad to see me?” she asked with a slight pout falling on her lips. After her little game in the prison with Lieutenant Todd, she had wondered if she should go into acting. Now, as she watched her father’s reaction, she was sure of it.
Immediately, Thomas was apologetic. “Of course, I’m glad to see you. It’s a wonderful surprise! I just wasn’t expecting it.”
Carrie breathed an inward sigh of relief. Another week and she could have come with the first load of produce, but she had been afraid to wait that long. The upcoming October deadline to send Moses, along with the other slaves, to Richmond was scaring her. She had to take action.
Smiling cheerfully, she took her father’s arm and walked into the house. “Tell me all about what is going on.”
“Of course,” Thomas said. “But tell me first, how long are you here for?”
“Only three days.”
“You came all the way here for three days?”
Carrie looked at him quickly. She was relieved to see the suspicion gone.
There was nothing but pleasure in his voice when he repeated, “You came all this way for three days?”
Carrie smiled, feeling a pang of remorse. She should have done this before. Suddenly she had a glimpse of how lonely it must be for her father sometimes. He had his work to keep him busy, but there were still long nights to endure alone.
“You must accompany me to the dance tomorrow night,” Thomas said firmly. “I had thought not to go, but now that I will have the loveliest date there I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Carrie smiled in delight. “That sounds wonderful! I haven’t been to a dance in ages.”
“Not since the Christmas ball,” Thomas reminded her. “It’s high time you had some fun again. Your life on the plantation is too much work. When you were here before, no one was thinking about dances. All eyes and hearts were centered on Manassas. I think you will find the city a much more joyful place. A dance will do you good.”
Carrie, in truth, was delighted even though she knew it would be difficult being at a ball without Robert. Her thoughts must have conjured up her father’s next words.
“Robert was here two nights ago.”
Carrie stared up in surprise. “Robert was here? Here in Richmond?”
“Better than that,” Thomas smiled. “He was here in the house. I have gotten more than my share of surprise visitors this week.”
“How is he?” Carrie tried to control the eagerness in her voice. From the look on her father’s face, she knew she had failed.
“He seems to be doing quite well. We had a good talk. He apparently has become very important to the military. They sent him down here to confer with General Lee.”
Carrie listened, envisioning his handsome face here in the room. She kept waiting for the ache of missing him to go away. Why then was it growing stronger? “I’m not surprised,” she murmured.
“He went to visit Matthew as well.”
“You got him a pass?”
“Just barely. I don’t think General Winder will be willing to do me any more favors. I have stretched my position as far as I can, I’m afraid.” He paused and frowned. “I have also heard talk that information is getting out of the prison somehow. There has been some information in Northern newspapers that could have only come from inside. They ordered a crackdown on security just yesterday.”
Now it was Carrie’s turn to frown. “Will I be able to see Matthew while I’m here? I was hoping to.” She hoped his visit with Robert had gone well. She was sure they had been glad to see each other, but had they been able to bridge the gap of the war between them?
Thomas shrugged. “I don’t know. All you can do is try.”
Carrie was silent as dinner was served. Her thoughts were consumed with Robert. To have missed him by just two days! Slowly, her turbulent thoughts convinced her it was for the best. She would not have been able to concentrate on the job at hand if Robert had been in town. It was the best all around, she told herself firmly. The only way her heart could ever let go was to have more time pass. If she was constantly being reminded of what she had turned away, she was never going to get over him. Having reached this conclusion, she was able to turn to her father with a natural smile when he asked her a question.
The evening passed pleasantly as they talked long into the night.
Carrie watched her father disappear down the road in his carriage and then hurried to find Sam, who was hitching the horses up in back of the house. “I’m ready to go, Sam.”
Sam looked at her with mild disapproval. “You shouldn’t be comin’ out back here, Miss Carrie,” he muttered. “How that gonna look? You need to wait inside for me to come get you.”
Carrie frowned. She knew that was the proper way to do things, but she was in a hurry.
Sam read her expression. “I don’t know what you be doin’ here, Miss Carrie, but I do know one thing. You didn’t just come to see your daddy. If you got some secret you be tryin’ to keep, you better be keepin’ it the right way.”
Carrie nodded. She knew he was right. She didn’t want to do anything to draw attention to herself. “I’ll be inside when you’re ready, Sam. I’ll meet you around at the front porch.”
Sam nodded and turned back to his work. Carrie retreated inside to wait impatiently.
It was almost ten o’clock when the carriage pulled up in front of the plain clapboard building just a few blocks from where Opal lived. To her left, Carrie could see the brick walls of the prison that held the captured Yankees. She could also see the maze of tents that had sprung up on Belle Isle to provide housing for the influx of prisoners that had outgrown the tobacco warehouses. She gazed at them for a moment and then turned her attention back to the building they had stopped in front of. “Are you sure this is it, Sam? It doesn’t look much like a church,” she said dubiously.
The only thing that distinguished the single story building from the other buildings surrounding it was that it was wearing an old faded coat of white paint. No similar effort had been made on the others. That it was quite large could not be denied. Carrie was sure these must be old tobacco warehouses, no longer in use now that the brick ones had replaced them. She stepped from the carriage, gazing around her. Would she be able to find Marcus Anthony? What made her think he would be at the church at this hour?
Sam was looking at her with open curiosity. “This be the address we got, Miss Carrie. You say this supposed to be a church. What we be doin’ here?”
“I need to talk with the pastor,” Carrie said simply. She wished she could have come by herself so that she wouldn’t have to answer any questions, but she had been fairly certain it wouldn’t be a good idea for a woman to come down into this part of town alone. As she looked around, she knew she had been right. Sloppily dressed men, both black and white, leaned against railings and porch supports up and down the street. The black men were busy inspecting the ground. It was the white men who were staring at her openly, making her very uncomfortable.
She took a deep breath and turned toward the church. “Wait here, please. I will be out soon.” She could feel Sam’s protective eyes on her as she walked quickly up to the church and pulled the rope to the bell inside. She could hear its loud clanging inside, but there were no approaching footsteps to accompany it. Carrie leaned across the porch railing and peered in the window. Through the grime and dust, she could make out row after row of wooden plank benches. A homemade pulpit adorned the front of the building, its only ornament a crudely made cross.
Carrie straightened and pulled the bell rope again. At least she knew she was at the right place. It was most definitely a church.
“Don’t look like nobody be there,” Sam called helpfully.
Carrie could tell he didn’t like bringing her to this part of town. “Ain’t no place for you,” had been all he muttered when she had given him the address. Now she ignored him, not willing to give up her quest yet. She didn’t know where else to look. Had her trip to Richmond been in vain? Impatiently, she pulled the rope again.
“Hello!”
Carrie looked up quickly as she heard the call from down the road. Squinting, she saw a man hurrying toward the church. She moved to the edge of the porch and waited. As the man grew closer, a smile lit her face.
“Hello. Are you here to visit the church? Is there something I can do for you?”
Carrie looked up into the kind face she remembered. The warm blue eyes still showed a deep capacity for caring. She was counting on that. “You are Pastor Marcus Anthony, are you not?”
He nodded, his eyes suddenly narrowing. “I know you from somewhere, don’t I? You look very familiar.”
Carrie nodded. “We met on the street one morning. You pulled me out of what became a rather nasty confrontation between two men.”
Pastor Anthony smiled suddenly. “Now I remember. You were on your way to tell one of the soldiers good-bye.”
Carrie gasped. “How did you know that?” She knew she hadn’t told him her mission that morning.
Pastor Anthony laughed. “I’m used to seeing that look on young women’s faces. I trust he made it through the battle all right.”
Carrie nodded. “Yes. Thank you.”
Pastor Anthony shook his head slightly. “What can I do for you, Miss..?”
“Cromwell. My name is Carrie Cromwell,” she said quickly. “May I have a few moments of your time, Pastor Anthony?” Then she looked around the street. There were too many places for listening ears. “May we go inside?”
“Certainly.” Then he glanced toward the carriage.
“Sam is my driver. He will wait for me.”
Pastor Anthony smiled in Sam’s direction. “You are welcome to come in for something cold to drink, Sam.”
“No, thank you, sir. I reckon I be stayin’ right here with this here carriage and horses.”
Pastor Anthony nodded pleasantly and led the way into the dim interior of the church. The big empty building echoed with their footsteps as he led her to a small office in the rear. He waved Carrie to a seat and then sat down behind his scarred desk.
Carrie spoke first. “I’m very glad I found you here today.”
“It’s very unusual,” he responded with a smile. “I seldom come down here during the week. Hardly ever this time of day. I’d say God must think it pretty important I talk to you.”
Carrie nodded eagerly. “I’m so glad to hear that!” Then she stopped. Now that she was here, she wasn’t quite sure how to proceed. The silence stretched between them as she searched for words.
Pastor Anthony watched her closely, but he didn’t speak. He seemed to know she was struggling for what to say. After a moment he leaned back in his chair, his blue eyes watching her, but his slim body relaxed. Carrie noticed how young he seemed even though she was sure he was in his forties. The unruly brown hair made him seem like a boy.
She knew she had to say something. “I need to get in touch with the Underground Railroad!” she finally blurted out.
Pastor Anthony’s eyes widened a little bit, but his face remained calm. “And what makes you think I have access to the Underground Railroad?” he asked evenly.
Carrie managed a laugh. “I’m sorry. That’s not at all how I intended to start this conversation. I guess I’m a bit nervous.” He waited for her to continue. She leaned forward to emphasize what she had to say. “I have two slaves I care about very deeply. Actually they belong to my father. I want to help them gain their freedom. I thought perhaps you could help.”
“And why do you think I could help?” he asked carefully.
Carrie was frustrated, but she understood. Everyone had to be careful nowadays. “Because of your eyes, Pastor Anthony.”
“My eyes?” he echoed in a surprised voice.
Carrie nodded. “Your eyes say you care. Opal is another one of my father’s slaves. She is now living here in the city with her cousins, Eddie and Fannie.”
Pastor Anthony nodded, a smile on his face. “I know them well. They are fine people.”
“And they think the world of you. Opal told me you have made God real to her for the first time in her life.”
“I’m glad!”
“That’s why I’m here. There aren’t too many white people in the South that see black people as just other human beings. I just know you see them that way. I figured if anyone would know how to get in touch with the Underground Railroad you would.”
Pastor Anthony leaned back in his chair. “Let me get this straight. You want to help two of your slaves go free. How does your father feel about that?”
“He doesn’t know,” Carrie admitted. Then she told him, as briefly as possible, of her struggle to know where she stood on slavery. “Several of our slaves have already run away,” she said. “I told them they could go.”
“Why don’t these other two just take off, too?”
It was a fair question. “They are too special to me. Rose has been my best friend since I was a child. She is like a sister to me. I can’t bear to think of her and Moses being chased by slave hunters and hound dogs. There has to be a way that is not so dangerous.” She saw no reason to go into the recent revelation of Rose’s actual relationship to her.
Pastor Anthony finally looked as if he were convinced of her intent. He stood and began to pace within the confines of his small office. “Any escape is dangerous, Miss Cromwell. Especially now. More and more slaves are escaping, thinking the North will welcome them eagerly. The war seems to have given them the motivation to pursue their freedom. Owners have responded by sending out more slave hunters.” He stared out the window for a long moment and then swung back to face her, evidently having made up his mind. “I will help you.”
Carrie gasped and leaned forward with a wide smile on her face. “Oh, thank you, Pastor Anthony. I just knew you would be the right person to talk to.”
“Does anyone know you are here?” he asked sharply. “There must be total secrecy.”
“No one but my driver. I would trust Sam with my life.”
“Very well,” Pastor Anthony said with a warm smile. “We have a lot of planning to do.”
Carrie gasped as she entered the opulent ballroom on her father’s arm. They had already greeted their host and hostess at the door. Their elegantly attired escort, bowed slowly, flashed his white teeth, and backed away, leaving them standing at the door to the ballroom.
“Surprised?” Thomas asked with a smile.
“Of course I am!�
�� Carrie said, gazing around her. “You’d never know there was a war going on.” At least not until you saw the preponderance of gray splashed among the sea of bright dresses. The contrast to the city she had left just six weeks ago was amazing. She had thought it silly when Rose suggested she bring a ball gown but was glad she had acquiesced. She knew she was appropriately dressed in her brilliant green gown with the cream-colored trim. Her father had told her it matched her sparkling eyes to perfection.
All social functions had ceased leading up to Bull Run and afterward. All energy had been channeled into caring for the sick and wounded. But the crisis was over. The South had been victorious. It was time to celebrate. After all, Richmond was known for its high society. And now, with its influx of government officials and military personnel, it was time to once again live up to its reputation.
Carrie couldn’t help the thrill of delight that coursed through her as she looked over the dance floor. There were many aspects of southern society that didn’t appeal to her, but she loved the dances - everything about them: the brightly colored dresses, the impeccably attired men, the music that even now was causing her foot to tap, the long rows of food that tempted the eye and the stomach. But especially the dancing! Her body began to sway slightly in anticipation of what was to come.
Thomas smiled down at her. “May I have this dance, Miss Cromwell?”
Carrie smiled up at him radiantly. “It would be my pleasure, Mr. Cromwell.”
The music flowed around them in a glorious waltz as Thomas swept her across the floor. It had been ages since she had danced with her father. He was the one who had first taught her, encouraging her to learn to love it when she insisted she would rather be out on Granite. He had insisted the time would come when she would love dancing as much as riding. She had laughed unbelievingly then - now she knew he had been right.
The music swirled around them as they glided across the floor and around the room. Laughter and talk rang through the air. The touch of coolness in the air spoke of the reality of fall creeping up on them.
