My Daughter's Legacy

by Mindy Starns Clark

  She followed them up the stairs and into the ward, where they had already gathered around Warner’s cot. He was propped up on pillows but asleep.

  “Warner.” She took his hand. “I’m back. We’re all here. Even Mr. Stephen has come to see you.”

  Her brother opened his eyes and then tried to scoot up in the bed a little higher. He said he was feeling about the same, which Therese knew meant poorly. She filled him in on Mother’s return to Richmond and Auntie Vera and Aggie’s new jobs at the hospital. After a few minutes of conversation, he and Michael started chatting about their days back at the academy.

  “I miss our home there.” Warner turned toward Therese. “Do you?”

  “Yes,” she answered, choking a little on the word. “River Pines will never feel like home the way Box Tree Male Academy did.”

  Warner nodded, and Michael stared at her for a long moment. Finally, he said, “But you’ve spent your entire life going to your Grandfather’s place.”

  Therese shrugged. “It’s hard to explain.” Some of her fondest childhood memories were of playing with Aggie at River Pines, but there had been a constant tension when she was there—not only between Grandfather and Father, but between her parents as well. Plus, she was always on edge about what Mr. Porter might do to one of the slaves. At the academy, life was predictable. It was a safe, secure place.

  She doubted Michael could understand. He’d never experienced that sort of conflict in his own family.

  She would find a new home in Maine with Alec that would be a place of safety. Someday she wouldn’t feel the loss of Box Tree Male Academy and all it represented so acutely.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Therese

  The next morning, Therese stopped on the stairs on her way down from the attic. Though she’d never heard Mr. Galloway raise his voice before, he was now yelling from the dining room. Therese crept down the rest of the way and waited in the hall on the worn carpet.

  “There, there,” Mrs. Galloway said. “Maybe it didn’t come from your office at all. The secretary has broached the idea before. Perhaps the rumor was simply referring to that.”

  “No,” Mr. Galloway said. “I think there’s a spy in our office. This was clearly a breach. Now the entire city is against the idea. Still, Secretary Benjamin plans to ask General Lee for his support.”

  Therese did her best not to react in any way as she tucked that bit of information away for later. She took a deep breath and headed to the foyer, where she’d left the clothes, boots, and produce. She decided to present the food first. She picked up the crate and headed into the dining room. “Good morning,” she beamed. “I brought some things back with me.”

  Mrs. Galloway smiled at her, but Mr. Galloway had a sour expression on his face.

  “Apples, cabbages, and squash.” Therese dropped her voice to a whisper. “And a little bit of bacon.” It felt odd to be both helping and spying on them, but perhaps that was part of the paradox of war. Anyone living in the South who was trying to help the Northern cause was doing the same thing.

  “Oh, my.” Mrs. Galloway clasped her hands together. “You’re too good to us.”

  Therese placed the crate on the floor. “I have a few more things too.” She retrieved the other box and placed it on the table, taking the boots out first. “These should fit Eleanor. And the dresses can be remade.” She placed them on the table and then held up the needle.

  Mrs. Galloway’s hands went to her face. “Thank you.”

  “And I brought baby clothes too.”

  “Oh, goodness,” Mrs. Galloway said. “I didn’t know what we were going to do.” She was on her feet, examining what Therese had brought. “Patrick, isn’t this an answer to prayer?”

  He nodded, and his face softened a little. “Thank you, Therese,” he said. Then he turned back toward his wife. “I need to be on my way.”

  “All right.” She took his hand. “Chin up. You’ve certainly done nothing wrong.”

  “I know.” And then he was gone.

  Therese spent the rest of the day, as she taught the girls, wondering if the information about Secretary Benjamin asking General Lee for support in conscripting slaves to fight was worth passing on to Alec. She expected it was.

  Late that afternoon, once she arrived at the hospital, she found Alec in his office. Before she could speak, he held up a carte de visite. “I stopped by the newspaper office this morning,” he said. “Mr. Lewis gave me copies of the photograph he made. Here’s yours.” He extended it to her.

  “Thank you,” she said, taking it from him. She looked from the image of the three of them back to Alec, standing in practically the same place it had been made, and smiled. “I’ll treasure it always.”

  Then she quickly told him what she’d overheard that morning. He thanked her and said he’d pass the information on.

  “Pass what on?” Ruth stood in the doorway.

  “That we need more gauze,” Alec responded quickly.

  Ruth crossed her arms over her bosom. “What we need is to get on our way home.” Turning to Therese, she added, “Alec said you may be coming with us.”

  Therese froze, not sure how to respond.

  Alec cleared his throat. “I shared our plans with Ruth. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No, of course not,” Therese replied, and then, mustering her courage, she addressed Ruth directly. “As long as you keep them to yourself for the time being. Neither my mother nor my brother are prepared for such information presently.”

  “I see,” Ruth replied. Therese realized that wasn’t an actual yes or no.

  “Ruth?” Alec stepped forward. “This is a delicate situation.” He took Therese’s hand. “It stays just between the three of us for now. Yes?”

  “Fine. I suppose that’s one way to start a lifetime together, with secrets and half-truths.” She abruptly spun around, and a moment later the soles of her new Northern boots were clicking down the worn tile of the hall.

  “Has she always been so… angry?” Therese asked.

  Alec laughed. “Only on the outside, I promise. On the inside, she’s nothing but marshmallow.”

  Over the next three weeks, Therese was too busy to worry much about Ruth. Mother came to the hospital most days and sat with Warner. His infections continued, and Alec operated on his leg for a third time. Aggie cared for him first and then helped with other patients. Auntie Vera spent most of her time cooking in the kitchen. Matron Webb paid a small amount for their services, and Therese persuaded Mother to hand half the money over to Auntie Vera and Aggie, citing the verse in Leviticus about not defrauding workers of their wages.

  Mother sent Badan back, just as she said she would. Therese was sure Aggie missed him, but she didn’t complain. Surely she was concerned about him too.

  Therese wished she could have told Badan that she was doing her best to make plans for Aggie and his escape, but she didn’t want to get his hopes up, nor did she want give him any information he might share with Aggie that could be overheard by others. All of their lives were at stake if any information was revealed.

  A few days before Christmas, Mother accepted that she and Warner wouldn’t be returning home before the holiday, and, reminiscent of her role at the academy, she vowed to make the day a celebration, even in the hospital. Therese encouraged her to send a message to Mr. Porter, asking him to have Badan return to Richmond with hams, potatoes, eggs, and apples. Mother agreed and then met with the cook and the baker, along with Auntie Vera, mapping out tasks to make a celebration possible. Next, she asked the quartermaster to find sugar. He balked, saying if there was any out there, he would have found it by now. She told him to keep looking.

  Therese relished having her mother active and involved and wished Ruth would accept the inevitable too. She only seemed to grow more bitter with each day she was still stuck in the South. On the other hand, Alec was willing to wait for Therese—and, in doing so, for Aggie and Badan too.

  Badan arrived on Decemb
er 23 with the food, and Therese decided to talk to Mother one last time about freeing him and Aggie. By planning the Christmas dinner, Mother was thinking about others more than herself for the first time in a long while, and Therese hoped Mother might be willing to do the right thing at last. Therese made two cups of mint tea and then led Mother up to Alec’s office.

  Once they were settled, Therese started by saying, “Thank you for everything you’re doing to make Christmas a special occasion.”

  Mother smiled but didn’t respond.

  “I have something important I need to discuss with you,” Therese added.

  “Is this about your going to Maine with Dr. Talbot? I put that rumor to rest. I hoped you’d done the right thing and expelled that thought from your mind.”

  Therese shook her head. “Mother, you are aware that I care about Alec.”

  “But you wouldn’t leave me. And you certainly wouldn’t leave Warner.”

  “You married for love,” Therese said. “Would you have me not do so too?”

  “Is he willing to stay in Virginia?”

  Therese didn’t answer for a long moment. “We haven’t had that discussion,” she said finally. She knew the answer, though. Why would he be willing to stay? The South had been decimated by the war. Even if the Confederacy won, which it surely would not, it would be years before this part of the nation was back on its feet. There’d been too much destruction, too much suffering, too much loss.

  “Your father stayed.”

  Therese nodded. “But you didn’t want to leave…”

  “And you do?”

  Therese hesitated. “I don’t feel as strongly about staying as you did when you were in my position.”

  Mother clicked her tongue. “Well, all I can tell you is that your father loved me enough to remain here.”

  “Did you love him enough to go?”

  Mother pursed her lips together and then said, “He loved me enough not to test me that way.”

  Therese said a quick prayer, asking God to help her be gracious toward her mother. And calm. “That actually wasn’t what I needed to talk with you about, not right now.” She would broach that topic later.

  “Oh?”

  Therese leaned against Alec’s desk, trying to steady herself. “I want to discuss Aggie and Badan one more time.”

  Mother’s face fell.

  “I’ve found an opportunity to do what Father would have wanted—for them to go north.”

  Mother immediately shook her head.

  “There’s talk of forcing slaves to fight. Badan could be conscripted.”

  Mother put her teacup on the desk. “We’ll have to wait and see what happens.”

  “It’s not worth the risk.”

  Mother crossed her arms. “I need both Aggie and Badan. I can’t run River Pines without them. I promise to care for them—clothe them and feed them.”

  “And then what? Will you pay them? Will they be able to make any decisions on their own? Will Badan forever have to bow his head to Mr. Porter? Will Mr. Porter ever stop leering at Aggie?”

  Mother hissed. “I told you not to talk that way.”

  “I know you believe me about him because of what you did last time I was home. You stood firm against his ultimatum when he said, ‘Leave me the young one or I’ll quit.’ ”

  Mother began fanning herself with her hand, even though the air was chilly. “Don’t speak of such things,” she said, her face pale.

  “Please…” Therese swallowed the lump in her throat and lowered her voice. “You need to be realistic about this, Mother. Their lives depend on it.”

  “Everything will work out, Therese. Either way, I’ll continue to care for them at River Pines with Warner’s help. And yours too. We’ll plant tobacco again.”

  “Who will harvest it?”

  Mother wrinkled her nose. “Yes, we’ll need more laborers.”

  “And what if Badan and Aggie don’t want to stay at River Pines? What if they want a place of their own? Or to go north, where there are more opportunities?”

  “River Pines is their home too. They won’t want to leave.”

  Therese took a raggedy breath, afraid maybe she was saying too much, but she couldn’t stop now. “They do want to leave.”

  Mother pursed her lips and shook her head. “I don’t believe it. Your grandfather was good to them, and so am I.”

  “Have you forgotten what a sin slavery is? Have you forgotten everything Father stood for? Or were you only parroting his beliefs?”

  “Things have changed, and River Pines is our only hope.”

  Therese tried not to sound as desperate as she felt. “That’s not the legacy Father left for us. He would much rather that we live in poverty than off the backs of others.”

  Mother stood. “This isn’t your concern, is it? Especially not if your plan really is to go to Maine with Dr. Talbot.”

  “Of course it’s my concern. I’m part of this family. And I care about Aggie and Badan.”

  “But the property is under my supervision until Warner is thirty. It’s my responsibility to see his home is maintained and to protect my own father’s legacy.”

  Tears filled Therese’s eyes. “You’re living in fear, Mother. It’s exactly what Father warned us about.”

  “That’s enough, young lady. Your father would be appalled by the way you’re speaking to me.”

  “He would be appalled by every step you’ve taken since the day Grandfather died. Examine what you believe, please. You know what’s right.”

  “What’s right? That a Northern doctor has come here to spy on us? That you endorse that? That perhaps others are assisting him?” Mother’s eyes narrowed. “Is that what’s right?”

  Therese managed to stutter. “I-I fear those are simply more rumors.”

  Mother smiled wryly. “I fear you are lying.” With that, she turned on her heel and, abandoning her teacup, left the room. Therese sank against the desk, fighting her own fear that her mother might turn on her and Alec and report the rumors to someone in authority. Therese was deeply alarmed because the penalty for spying could be death. She hoped Polly’s name hadn’t been mentioned as well. She couldn’t imagine that her own had been—she hadn’t played much of a role. But Alec would be in horrible trouble if he were found to be part of a spy network. She shivered, both because of the drafty room and the threat to them all.

  Therese fought another wave of fear. Being forced to send Aggie and Badan off on the Underground Railroad was an unnecessary danger when Mother could simply free them. “God, please let this war end before things get even worse,” she prayed out loud. “And, please, convince Mother to change her mind about freeing Aggie and Badan so they can go north with Alec and Ruth legally instead of having to resort to other, far more dangerous means.”

  Her hope was waning, but she wouldn’t stop praying.

  The anticipation of Christmas, even in such dire times, was a welcome respite from the tension at the Galloways’, in the hospital, and throughout the city. On Christmas Eve, Therese attended church with the Galloways and then exchanged handmade cards with them after a light supper of potato soup sprinkled with some of the bacon she’d brought, and cider cake. In the morning, Badan picked up Therese and Polly and took them straight to the hospital, where they helped set up for dinner. Tables were pulled into the east ward for all of the soldiers who could sit, and for the staff too. Aggie helped Auntie Vera out in the kitchen, and Badan assisted by carrying trays of food into the hospital and up the stairs to the ward. Mother led the festivities, graciously asking Alec to say the blessing before the meal, and then the nurses and orderlies fed the patients who couldn’t feed themselves while the others were served. Then the nurses and orderlies ate. By the time Therese and Polly approached the tables, most everyone else was done, but Mother and Warner lingered over their pie at one end, while Alec and Ruth sat at the other. Somehow, Mother had managed to procure enough flour and sugar—or at least honey—for thirty pies. Always
a force to be reckoned with, Mother was at her best when using that particular character trait for the good of others.

  Just as Therese was ready to join Alec, he stood and took his dirty plate to the table at the back of the room and headed out to the hall. Polly raised her eyebrows, but Therese didn’t respond. He was done eating, that was all.

  Therese barely saw him the rest of the day. In the evening, Aggie asked Therese if she could speak with her. They stepped out onto the loading dock. “Have you made any progress?” she asked.

  “About?”

  “Badan told me what you said to him.”

  Therese’s face grew warm. Of course he had. She hoped no one had overheard. She shrugged, not wanting to say anything.

  “So it’s not going to happen?”

  “I can’t make any promises, but I’m doing everything I can.” Therese shivered in the cold air.

  The concerned expression on Aggie’s face froze. “Badan is to be sent back tomorrow,” Aggie said. “Mr. Porter has threatened him.”

  Therese’s stomach twisted.

  “And, just so you know, I’m carrying Badan’s child.” Aggie reached for Therese’s hand. “I want this baby to be free, with my husband at my side. That’s what I’m praying for.”

  “I’m doing everything I can,” Therese repeated, her eyes filling with tears. She’d start with suggesting to Mother that she keep Badan in Richmond, explaining it was too cold for her to be walking back and forth from the Corbetts’.

  The next day, because no lessons were scheduled for the girls, Therese arrived at the hospital in the morning and told Alec she needed to speak with him.

  “I need to speak with you too.” He put his hand on her shoulder and lowered his voice. “Have you made your decision?”

  “I spoke to Mother about Aggie and Badan—and briefly about us, although we didn’t really sort it out.”

  “And?”

  “She’s not in favor of it—any of it. Though I think she felt worse about losing Aggie and Badan than she did about losing me.”