by Every, Donna
They discussed how they could make it attractive with pretty curtains, rugs and a few cushions to add some color to the room. They would have to be quite frugal with the money the master had given them but at least they had saved a little of their own over the years that they could use. Just the freedom to decide how to spend their money was exciting.
Deborah was delighted to find a tiny enclosed yard where she could create a small garden and grow a few herbs. At the back of the shop were a storeroom and two small rooms where Jacko and Mamie, the slaves the master had given them, could sleep.
"I can't believe this Deborah. Two years ago who would have thought that we would be free and have our own house? You realize how things changed ever since Master Richard came?"
Deborah's heart ached at the mention of Richard's name and she wondered how he was and how far from Barbados he had gotten in the four days since he had left. Was he thinking about her? Was he looking forward to getting back to Carolina and would he even remember her in the months and years to come?
"I told him that I felt he was sent here on a mission but he didn't take me seriously. I miss him so much already I don't know how I will get through the next few weeks."
Sarah hugged her and said, "Time will heal your heart, girl."
Deborah knew that but it didn't make her heart hurt any less right now. With a determination that she had learned over the years, she pulled herself together and took her mind from Richard.
"Let's go in the shop and see how we can set it up," she told Sarah. Sarah quickly agreed, excited about buying material and making dresses to sell. She would earn her own money and no one would be able to own her again. Soon she would be able to pay a lawyer to prepare papers to free Mamie and Jacko. Perhaps one day they could buy Cassie’s freedom as well. Hattie would have to fend for herself but she was resourceful, she would no doubt be looking to take her place with the master. Sarah felt a twinge of jealousy at the thought but she had no illusions that the master would soon be looking for someone to take to his bed; that was just the way of things.
Looking out from the window of the shop she gazed at the busy street, High Street it was called, with many shops and taverns close together. It was a little overwhelming to think that they would be living among the hustle and bustle of Town. It wasn't the peaceful country life that she was accustomed to but she would rather be free in the city than a slave in the country.
Thomas was surprised at how desolate and lonely he felt without Sarah. It was not that he used to call her for every day, but somehow just knowing that she was available if he called for her was a comfort. Now she was far away in Town and the house seemed empty without her.
The thought entered his mind to go in to Elizabeth but the truth was he felt a deep resentment towards her that left him cold to any attraction he may have had for her in the past. After all, if it had not been for her, Deborah and Sarah would still be there. Perhaps he would send for the newest one, Hattie, to ease his loneliness and take his mind off Sarah for a short while at least.
He missed Richard as well, for he had come to enjoy his company and their talks in his office after dinner most nights. Now that he had gone and Deborah was no longer on the plantation, he would write to William and tell him to come home. He hoped that England had civilized him and that their relationship would improve when he came back. Maybe he would be more interested in helping on the plantation.
He opened a drawer and took out a sheet of paper and dipping his quill in some ink, started the letter right away.
July 7, 1696
The Acreage
St. James
Dear William
I hope this letter finds you in good health. I know that writing is not your strength, and in that you take after me, but thankfully your aunt and your mother have been in communication, so that we have been appraised of any news concerning you and we are pleased with the good reports that we have had.
Your mother misses you a great deal, especially now that your cousin Richard has returned to Carolina. I’m sure she would have mentioned him in her letters. He spent three months with us to learn the workings of the plantation and now he has gone back to run his father’s business until he gets married later in the year, after which he will take over his father-in-law’s plantation. He is a fine fellow and was a great help to me these last few months.
We have had quite a few changes on the plantation, with some new additions to the slaves. Jacko lost his hand in the mill during harvest this year so I have had to buy a new boy to replace him. We also have a new house girl, Hattie, and I am looking to buy two more since Deborah and Sarah have been freed. Your mother has long desired to have them removed from the house so I recently agreed to her request. I gave Jacko and one of the women from the field to Sarah and they have settled in Town.
We had a good crop this year and profits should be up since the demand for sugar continues to increase in England. You may well be drinking sugar from our own plantation in your tea or coffee every day. The rum is also doing well and continues to expand. I will soon need someone to manage either the rum or the sugar since I can no longer do both.
I believe that the time has come for you to return home and start to apply some of what you learned in England. As I am getting older, I would like you to be more involved in the running of the plantation as it will be yours one day. I will therefore arrange passage for you on my ship at the end of October, once the hurricane season has passed. Please take this opportunity to put your affairs in order so that you can return then. I look forward to seeing you in a few months and may you have travelling mercies.
Your father
Thomas Edwards
He had hesitated a few minutes before signing the letter, not really sure how to sign it. What a sad testimony of his relationship with his son. He would have to make a greater effort to spend time getting to know him better when he returned, as he had with Richard.
William read his father’s letter and smiled. He was being summoned home. Thank God he would be soon far from this place. The servant girls left him as cold as the miserable weather, the food was tasteless and the people unfriendly. His cousins and their friends thought that they were all above him because he had been born “in the colonies” as they said. He was as much a part of the gentry as they were, after all, his father had been born in England and was one of the elite. It was ironic that they acted so superior when his family was probably far wealthier than theirs.
He wished it was October already because he could not wait to leave. His father had hoped this stay would make him more civilized? Well he certainly knew which wines went with what meal and how to dance all kinds of reels and waltzes so if that was his idea of civilization he was, but he certainly missed the life in Barbados and he couldn’t wait to get back to it.
So Sarah and Deborah had managed to persuade his father to free them. He was sure that his mother had wanted them sold rather than freed. Nevertheless, he was glad that they were gone; maybe his mother would now be spared further humiliation, but he didn’t hold out much hope that his father had changed. There would soon be another Sarah to take her place. He would bet that his father had bought them the house in Town and it wouldn’t be that hard to find them. He would pay them a visit to offer his regards when he got back. He was sure that Deborah was even more beautiful now than when he had left.
He glanced at the letter again. Who was this cousin of his that his father called a “fine young man”? When had he ever called him that? Even without meeting his cousin, he resented him. He had no doubt been sleeping in his bed and taking his place in his father’s affections, if he ever had a place in them, he thought bitterly. For all he knew, he probably even had permission to bed Deborah when she had been forbidden to him. It was just as well that he had gone back to Carolina.
Yes, he was looking forward to returning to Barbados. He had paid his dues and he had learnt his lesson. Never again would his father hear of him gambling, drinking and whoring; he wou
ld be a lot more circumspect.
Chapter 25
Richard’s eyes eagerly drank in the sight of the Carolina coastline as the ship sailed towards Charles Town Harbor. Suddenly a feeling of homecoming came over him, nudging away the reluctance to return that he had felt on the voyage.
As the ship sailed into the Harbor he saw with new eyes the similarity between Carolina and Barbados which wasn’t surprising since the first settlers had brought a lot of Barbados with them. Maybe that was why he had felt so comfortable there, as if he was home.
Thoughts of Barbados brought Deborah to his mind; not that she was ever that far away. His uncle had been right; it was hard to get Deborah out of his system. It had been a mistake to think that bedding her would have cured him. Now that he was back he needed to focus on his goals again; marry Ann and run her father’s plantation.
Shouts of “Heave to” shook him from his reverie and he soon felt the boat slowing down and minutes later the anchor hit bottom. While the crew was busy throwing ropes and securing the sails, he shook the captain’s hand and headed towards the gangplank that had been lowered, eager for firm land under his feet. If he didn’t have to sail anywhere for a long time he would be happy, which was quite ironic since they owned five ships.
As soon as his trunks were unloaded he hailed a driver with a horse and cart to take him home. He feasted his eyes on the familiar landscape as they made their way to the house. The day was so beautiful that a feeling of wellbeing, such as he had not felt for a long time, lifted his spirits.
He looked forward to seeing his parents and his siblings and catching up on their news. Absence really did make the heart grow fonder, he smiled to himself, and felt some hope that he would feel fonder of Ann as well.
He idly wondered how Anise was and remembered his mother’s disapproval of her. If she had not approved of Anise, she would probably have had a fit over Deborah. He smiled as he pictured the two of them, both strong willed, meeting each other. The realization that it would never happen quickly sobered him up.
The door opened soon after he knocked and a broad smile crossed Jackson’s face as he saw who was at the door.
“Master Richard! Welcome back,” he greeted taking his hat and jacket.
“Thank you Jackson. It’s good to be home. Have my trunks taken up to my room. Is the family at home?”
“I’m afraid only Master Charles is here. He is in the office. Your father is out and the Mistress and Miss Charlotte are shopping for the wedding I believe.”
Richard headed down the hall to the small office just as the door flew open and Charles appeared in the hallway.
“I thought I heard your voice. Welcome home.” Richard hugged him, surprised at how glad he was to see his boyish face.
“It’s good to see you, little brother. What has been happening while I was gone?” he asked heading into the office and throwing himself on a leather chair.
Charles spent the next few minutes bringing him up to date about the business and filling him in on the news about their parents and what was happening in town.
“And have you been looking after Ann for me?” Richard asked him. A flush came over Charles’ face and he admitted that he had escorted her to a few parties when her parents were not able to go. Richard eyed him thoughtfully, wondering if that was guilt he observed. Maybe they had become closer while he was away.
“I hope you’ve kept your hands off my fiancée,” he teased and was rewarded to see Charles flush again. Maybe something had developed between the two of them, he thought seeing Charles practically squirm under his gaze. As if he had any right to question Charles’ behavior given how he’d spent the last three months.
“Of course!” he spluttered. “And what about you? Have you managed to keep your hands off the Barbadian women?” Richard grew serious.
“I wish I had,” he replied enigmatically and elaborated no further, even though Charles looked at him curiously.
“And how are Charlotte’s plans coming?” He asked, deliberately changing the topic. Charles saw it for what it was but obediently took his lead and filled him in on the upcoming wedding.
“Tell me about Barbados,” he insisted afterwards.
“Barbados is a like a beautiful woman. She draws you in and seduces you and before you know it, she has your heart and you never want to leave her.” Charles saw the faraway look in his eyes and wondered if he was really talking about Barbados.
“The island is very wealthy and much more developed than Carolina. After all, it was colonized over forty years before us. The planters live like lords. They don’t deny themselves anything it seems and I’ve never seen people consume as much alcohol,” he added with a smile, remembering the party that had been held for him.
“It’s amazing how similar it is to Carolina, the buildings, the layout of the town, even some of the food. I felt as if I belonged there. Our uncle and aunt were very hospitable and made sure that I felt right at home and that all my needs were met.”
“That’s good to hear. And what have you learned about keeping slaves?”
“I’ve learned that it’s not always easy,” Richard said smiling reminiscently as he thought about his clashes with Deborah, earlier in their relationship. Charles was burning with curiosity. “In fact it can often be very hard,” he grew serious remembering Jacko’s hand being caught in the mill. “And sometimes very heart wrenching,” he added as the face of the slave woman whose daughter had been wrenched from her arms flashed into his mind.
“Heart wrenching?” Charles repeated in disbelief. Surely this was not the same brother who had left Carolina three months ago.
Richard nodded. “I’ve discovered that slaves are more than just assets to be bought and sold. They are people with emotions and hopes and dreams.”
“So does this change what you plan to do with the Carlisle’s plantation? Are you still going to use slaves to cultivate rice?”
Richard thought for a long while and finally answered, “To tell the truth, Charles, I just don’t know right now.”
Charles was stunned. Once again he was struck by the fact that Richard had changed. He didn’t know what it was that had changed him but he was going to find out.
Later that day
Richard felt much better after a good meal and a rest in his own bed. He knew that he had probably raised some questions in Charles’ mind, who had barely managed to keep himself from trying to pry any information from him. He didn’t feel like confiding in him anyway and it was best that he never knew about Deborah, because he would never understand their relationship and would disapprove of it. Anyway it was all in the past now.
He made his way downstairs, noting how their house, although well furnished by Carolina standards looked plain and functional compared to the grandeur of his aunt’s house in Barbados. He silently stood in the doorway leading to the patio and had a few minutes to observe his family before they noticed him. They were laughing at something his sister had said and looked happy and content. He wished that he felt the same. He hadn’t felt happy and content since he had left Deborah asleep in the bed in Barbados.
“Is this a private party or can anyone join it?” he asked by way of announcing his presence.
All eyes swung around towards him and his sister squealed in delight and she and his mother launched themselves at him, laughing and crying all at once. His father was more controlled but embraced him in a surprising hug that told Richard he was glad to see him.
“You’re finally awake! We had to restrain ourselves from waking you up!” his mother admitted.
“I’m so glad you’re back. Now I can get married,” Charlotte said.
“I’m delighted to see you too, Charlotte,” he replied wryly.
“How was Barbados?” His father asked.
“We were so worried about you,” interrupted his mother. “We were beginning to wonder if you would make it out alive. First the stomach ailment and then being kicked by the horse and suffering from smoke
inhalation. Did anything good happen while you were there?”
“Many good things happened. It may not have sounded like it but it was a wonderful trip. Life changing! Uncle Thomas and Aunt Elizabeth treated me like a son and made me feel very welcome and I learned a lot more than I thought I would. I’ll share the stories with you some time, like when one of the slaves got his hand caught in the sugar mill and it had to be cut off.”
“Richard! You’re joking. That’s not the kind of story I want to hear,” his sister protested while his mother looked shocked.
“OK, that may be a bit too much for you,” he agreed. “I’ll tell you about the party that Aunt Elizabeth threw for me that lasted almost twelve hours. Half of Barbados must have been there. Well, at least the planters, their wives and all their delectable daughters.”
“Well Ann will be glad to know that you didn’t fall in love with any of them and that you’re back home in one piece,” his mother asserted.
Richard acknowledged that while he was indeed back home, he wasn’t so sure if he had not fallen in love with a Barbadian girl after all or if he was in one piece, for he felt as if he had left an important part of himself in Barbados. He was also becoming increasingly concerned that the thought of marrying Ann, even with the incentive of her father’s plantation, was now becoming most unappealing.
Richard knew that he should go and see Ann. He could not return to the country and not seek out his fiancée, even though he was reluctant to do so. His reluctance was because he didn’t know how he could pretend to be delighted to see her when, in truth, he wasn’t.
Putting these thoughts aside, he got into one of their boats the next day and rowed to James Island to the Carlisle’s plantation. The physical exercise felt good after having very little to do on board the boat.
