Looking To The Future (#11 in the Bregdan Chronicles Historical Fiction Romance Series)

by Ginny Dye

  “Well, now they’re trapped in jail,” Anthony replied. “They have no jobs, and no way to feed their families. I imagine they will be there for a while. They hardly protected their families.”

  “No,” Thomas said sadly. He turned to stare out the tiny window next to his bed. “Prejudice and hatred never make sense, Anthony. I should know. I used to think black people had no value at all.”

  Anthony eyed him with surprise. “You?”

  “Me,” Thomas answered. “I sincerely believed they were a lower species that required the white man to keep them in slavery for their own good.”

  Anthony stared at him with astonishment. “What changed you?”

  “Carrie,” Thomas said simply. “She refused to let me live in my ignorance. It wasn’t until I found out about Rose and Jeremy, however, that my heart truly changed. My prejudice took on a human face. Once it did, I realized how untrue my beliefs were. It was a hard lesson. I’m disappointed in those men, but I’m not angry with them. I used to be them.”

  “And Pierre?”

  Thomas frowned. “He got what he deserved. He was there simply for the purpose of destroying the factory. I don’t know who finagled him into getting the job, but I’m going to find out.” He paused. “Not that it will do any good,” he admitted. “He fulfilled his purpose.”

  Anthony considered his next question. “What are you going to do now?”

  Thomas shrugged. “I’m going out to the plantation to let my daughter make me well.” He looked as if his own words surprised him, but his eyes grew more certain. “I can’t imagine a carriage ride will be very comfortable with this bullet wound, but it will be worth it once I get home.” He looked thoughtful. “Will you bring Willard and Marcus to the hospital this morning? I don’t imagine the doctor will let me out today, and I need to talk to them.”

  Anthony nodded. “Certainly. Are you going to rebuild the factory?”

  Thomas met his eyes. “I don’t know yet. Abby and I decided just a week ago that we were going to fire Pierre, put someone else in charge, and work toward selling it.”

  Anthony’s eyes widened. “I had no idea.”

  “I have you to thank for it,” Thomas answered.

  “Me?” Anthony asked in astonishment, and then he remembered their conversation in Philadelphia.

  “It took me a little while to realize what is truly important to me,” Thomas replied thoughtfully. “Last night, I was certain I was going to die. The idea of never seeing Abby and Carrie again broke my heart.”

  “As it would break theirs,” Anthony said softly.

  Thomas nodded. “I know.” He looked out the window again. “I hate the idea of all our workers being without a job for good if we don’t rebuild the factory, but I also can’t imagine starting from scratch, and…”

  “And, you’re not sure you want to make that investment again right now,” Anthony finished.

  “That’s true,” Thomas admitted. “Rebuilding the factory in a solid economy would be risky. Rebuilding it when we already know the unwise financial decisions being made by our government and by banks…” His voice trailed off again. “Rebuilding it now would be stupid,” he finished. He paused for several moments, and then nodded. “I believe I’ve made my decision.” A look of relief filled his eyes.

  “Carrie will be thrilled,” Anthony said. “So will everyone else on the plantation.”

  “No more than Abby and I,” Thomas admitted.

  Anthony hesitated before deciding to say what he was thinking. “Will losing the value of selling the factory be a problem for you and Abby?”

  Thomas considered the question. “We had certainly hoped to have that for the future, but we’ll have plenty. We’ll get something from the insurance company, though not what we could have made in the years to come, or what we would have made if we sold it. We still have the factories in Philadelphia. We’re planning on selling them to Jeremy, but they will create income for a long time. And,” he added, “the plantation is doing well.” He looked at Anthony more closely. “What are you thinking? I have the feeling you’re leading up to something.”

  Anthony smiled and explained his plan to start a carriage business in Richmond. “I calculated the business expenses and profits last night, while I was waiting at the house. It’s solid,” he said confidently. “I have enough to invest in ten carriages and hire twenty drivers. I’m fine with starting there, but…”

  Thomas was listening intently. “But there is enough business to handle starting with more if you had a partner,” he said shrewdly.

  “That’s true,” Anthony admitted. “I realize now is not the best time to talk about launching a new business, Thomas. You need to rest.”

  “It’s the perfect time,” Thomas said quickly. “And the answer is yes.”

  Anthony blinked. “It is?”

  “On one condition,” Thomas answered. “Four hundred good people lost their jobs last night, but some of them mean more to me than others. I would like to have Norris at least consider hiring them first. He will have final say, of course.”

  “Done,” Anthony agreed.

  “Thank you.” Thomas smiled. “I’ll run it past Abby, of course, but I already know what her answer will be. It’s a brilliant idea, and it will require far less involvement than the factory did. We will invest the fire insurance money into the carriage business.”

  “It will require zero personal involvement,” Anthony said. “I’m prepared to handle everything. You will be a partner in the profits, but I won’t need you to do anything. Simply being able to start on a larger scale will make all the difference in the world.”

  “Then my answer is an even bigger yes,” Thomas said with a grin. He sobered quickly. “But first, I have to finalize things with the factory.” He grimaced. “Will you get Willard and Marcus here for me?”

  Anthony stood. “Certainly.” He hesitated a moment. “Are you sure you want to go out to the plantation tomorrow? I can have someone ride out there to let Abby and Carrie know you’ve been delayed.”

  Thomas eyed him shrewdly. “Do I look that bad?”

  Anthony smiled. “Only if having a broken nose, two black eyes, and a bullet in your leg might be alarming.”

  Thomas frowned, and then shrugged. “No more alarming than other things Abby and Carrie have dealt with. They’ll want me there, and there is nowhere I would rather be.” He looked at Anthony. “I would appreciate it if you would help me get home.”

  “Home it is,” Anthony responded. “Besides, surely you know how much I want to see your beautiful daughter.”

  Thomas grinned ruefully. “I was confident it wouldn’t take too much to convince you.”

  *****

  Thomas was propped up in the bed with a fresh bandage on his leg when Willard, Marcus and Eddie walked in.

  After greetings, Willard was the first to step forward. “You don’t look as bad as I thought you would.”

  Thomas grinned, determined not to wince at the pain any movement caused. “Do you lie very often, Willard? I looked in the mirror a little while ago. Anthony was right when he told me I looked like I had been on the receiving end of a very large baseball bat.”

  Willard chuckled. “Now that you mention it, he could be right.” He sobered. “How are you, Thomas? We were all terrified you weren’t going to make it.”

  “I had my moments of the same thoughts,” Thomas admitted. “My doctor assures me I will be fine, however.”

  “You’ll be fine faster when you get out to Miss Carrie,” Eddie said.

  “You’re right,” Thomas agreed. “Anthony and I are headed out to the plantation tomorrow.”

  Willard frowned. “Tomorrow? With that bullet wound?”

  Thomas nodded. “Carrie will give me some magic potion that will make it heal faster. It will be worth the pain of getting there.”

  “Agony of getting there,” Marcus muttered. “Thomas, I don’t think you realize how much it’s gonna hurt.”

  “
Probably not,” Thomas said, suddenly wondering if he had made the right decision. “But all I want to do is go home to the plantation.” Just saying the words made him realize anew that he was willing to endure whatever it took.

  “Then you should,” Marcus said quickly. His eyes grew very serious. “You know the factory was destroyed?”

  Thomas nodded. “Anthony told me this morning. I wanted to thank all of you for saving my life last night, and for trying so hard to protect the factory.”

  “You’re welcome, Mr. Thomas,” Eddie replied, “but we failed. I went by there this morning. There ain’t nothing left.”

  Thomas sighed, but forced a smile. “We can’t undo what has already been done,” he said. “Now we just have to figure out how to look ahead to the future.”

  “Are you rebuilding?” Willard asked.

  Thomas shook his head, knowing how hard his next words would be for these men to hear. “No.” He explained his and Abby’s decision to step back from working. “We don’t have it in us to start from scratch,” he admitted. He looked at Willard and Marcus. “I already know this is going to hurt our employees,” he said heavily, not missing the tension filling the two men’s eyes.

  “Yep,” Marcus agreed.

  Thomas knew how much that simple answer conveyed. “I’m going to pay all our workers for two months.”

  Marcus stared at him. “What?”

  “I’m going to pay them all for two months,” he repeated. “I wish I could do more, but I’m hoping it will give everyone time to at least make other plans.”

  “That’s real good of you, Thomas,” Willard said.

  “It’s the least Abby and I can do,” Thomas answered.

  Eddie broke into the sudden silence. “Besides the men sitting in jail, there will be one more man you won’t have to pay.”

  “Oh?” Thomas asked, watching fury ignite in Eddie’s eyes.

  Eddie nodded. “Me and Spencer were talking last night. We was wondering how those men got in to burn the factory without our guard seeing them.”

  Thomas remained silent. He had wondered the same thing, once he’d been told about the militia maintaining a guard, but he hadn’t brought it up. He didn’t know that it mattered now, but he would admit he was curious.

  “I was wondering the same thing,” Marcus said angrily, and then froze for a moment. “Are you telling me that…?” His voice trailed off.

  Eddie sighed. “It was Brian. He told the fellas who burned the building that we didn’t have a guard on the shipping dock. They snuck in that way. That’s why the guard didn’t see them.”

  “Brian Hansen?” Marcus snapped. “You saying he sold us out to that Pierre fellow?”

  Eddie nodded.

  “How do you know?” Marcus pressed. “I can’t believe that be true!”

  “Believe it,” Eddie said heavily. “Castle Thunder taught me that anyone can sell you out, Marcus.”

  “But why?”

  “We ain’t never gonna know,” Eddie replied. “By the time I talked to everyone else and figured it out, he was gone.”

  “Gone?” Marcus echoed, his eyes wide with disbelief.

  “Gone,” Eddie repeated. “I went to the boarding house where he had a room. The man who runs it said he dashed in there last night, stayed for a few minutes, and then ran back out.”

  “He knew we’d figure it out once all the white workers who set the fire got caught,” Willard guessed.

  “Yep, that’s what I figure,” Eddie replied. He looked at Thomas. “I be real sorry about that, Mr. Thomas.”

  Thomas shrugged. “It happens.”

  Marcus stared at him. “Ain’t you angry?”

  Thomas shrugged again as fatigue pressed down on him. “What good will it do? The damage has been done. The factory is gone. So is Brian. I hate what he did, but I’m not going to waste my energy on thinking about him.” He eyed the three men. “We just have to figure out what comes next.”

  “Okay,” Willard said slowly, obviously struggling with anger. “How do we do that?”

  Thomas marshaled his flagging energy. “Eddie, you’re fine because you have the restaurant.” He fixed his eyes on Marcus and Willard. “I appreciate all my workers, but the two of you mean a great deal to me and Abby. I’ve been thinking all morning about what I can do.”

  “Ain’t your job to take care of me and Grace,” Willard objected.

  “No, it’s not,” Thomas agreed, “but what if you could do something for me, that would also help you?” He knew Willard had a lot of pride.

  “That might could work,” Willard said cautiously. “What do you have in mind?”

  “You told me one time that you love horses, Willard.”

  “I do,” Willard responded with shining eyes. “I figure horses are the finest animals on the planet. I’ve worked with them every chance I had.”

  Thomas nodded, glad he had remembered correctly. Then he turned to Marcus. “Jeremy told me once that you love horses, too. Is that true?”

  Marcus nodded. “That was my job on the plantation where I was a slave. It was the only thing I liked about that place.” He got a faraway look in his eyes. “I still miss some of them horses.”

  Thomas smiled. “Then I think the two of you will be perfect.”

  Silence filled the room until Willard broke it. “Perfect for what, Thomas? You’re not being very clear.” His eyes filled with concern. “Do they got you on some kind of medicine?”

  Thomas chuckled, but knew he was quickly getting too tired to talk. He briefly outlined the carriage business he and Anthony had discussed that morning, glad he had already run what he was about to say by his new partner. “At first, we thought we would stable our carriage horses in someone else’s stable, but our profit margin will be higher if we have our own. We want to buy a stable, and have the two of you run it. We’ll pay you well—more than you were making at the factory. In time, if you like it, and if it’s going well, we’ll sell it to you. You can make payments on it until you pay it off.” He took a breath to gather his remaining energy. “Of course, the two of you will have to work together. Do you see that being a problem?”

  “Ain’t no problem with me,” Marcus said quickly.

  “Or me,” Willard added. His eyes were shining. “Me and Marcus have been working real close on things at the factory, anyway. We knew Pierre wasn’t handling business, so we’ve been taking care of some things.”

  Thomas had a moment’s curiosity about what those things were, and then realized it didn’t matter anymore. The revelation did, however, cement his belief that he had chosen the right two men to run the stable.

  “Where are you going to buy the stable, Mr. Thomas?” Marcus asked.

  Thomas was suddenly completely exhausted. “Could we talk details in a couple weeks?” he asked wearily.

  “Of course,” Willard replied instantly. “You need to get some rest.”

  “I believe that’s true,” Thomas replied. He laid his head back against the pillow as pain shot through his leg, making even his eyes and nose hurt worse. He bit his lip to keep from groaning.

  When he opened his eyes again, the three men were gone. Grateful, Thomas sank into a deep sleep.

  Chapter Thirty – Three

  Carrie and Rose trotted slowly down the shade-dappled road, content to do nothing but listen to the calls of songbirds, and watch butterflies do a carefree dance among wildflowers.

  Carrie was the first to break the silence. “Any regrets about not returning to Oberlin?” She could hardly believe they’d been back on the plantation for almost three weeks. The time had flown by so quickly. She and Rose had spent time together, but moments for heart-to-heart talks had been few.

  “Not a one,” Rose said. “I knew I was ready to come home, but actually teaching here in my school again has meant more than I expected.”

  “Why?”

  Rose pondered the question. “I suppose it’s because I’m doing something very few other people are doi
ng,” she said. “I love teaching both black and white students together. It has changed all of their attitudes so much.” She paused, thinking deeply. “You know, almost every day I think about teaching my secret school in the woods before the war. Almost ten years later, it seems my life has come full circle, except now I know that I’m where I’m supposed to be. All I could think about back then was getting away from the plantation so I could be free. After the war, all I could think about was leaving the plantation again so I could go to college.” She paused. “I remember the day in Oberlin when I realized I just wanted to come home. For the first time, I truly felt I had control of what was going to happen with my life. When I no longer felt I had to resist life here on the plantation, I was free to understand that this is home.”

  “I’m glad you’re so happy.”

  “But you’re not?” Rose asked.

  “No,” Carrie said quickly, “I am happy. I’m glad to be home, and I love having Frances here.” She smiled. “Every day with her is a miracle.”

  Rose smiled, too. “You’re a wonderful mother, Carrie. I knew you would be.”

  “She’s such an easy child,” Carrie murmured, surprised when Rose laughed loudly. “Why are you laughing?”

  Rose was almost doubled over in the saddle. “Frances is a true joy, but she is every bit as hardheaded as you were at that age.” She straightened, but couldn’t stop laughing. “I think your mother is up in heaven laughing with me.”

  Carrie smiled at Rose’s warm laughter, but shook her head firmly. “I don’t think I was hardheaded,” she responded. “Neither is Frances. We both know what we want out of life, and are determined to find a way to get it.”

  “That’s a fact,” Rose proclaimed. “Frances did her best this morning to convince me that arithmetic is completely unnecessary because she could learn it more quickly if I would allow her to help Susan with the stable books. She kept repeating that practical application was preferable.” She laughed again. “And she said it just like that.”

  Carrie cocked her head. “She’s probably right.”

  “See…” Rose sighed. “You two are just alike. You were like that when you were her age. Your mother and father almost pulled their hair out convincing you that you had to learn the lessons your tutor gave you.” She paused. “What they don’t know is that the only reason you showed up for most of those lessons was because I made you go, so that I could learn them myself. You may have thought it was a waste of time, but it was the only way I had a chance to go to school.”