Mara: A Georgian Romance

by Barbara T. Cerny

  Mr. Cavendish was happy to see Mr. and Mrs. Abbot, especially when Mr. Abbot and his incredibly gorgeous wife plopped cash on the desk to retain his services. All they asked for was help in finding and then moving to new land. In addition, they gave him a letter to retain, with instructions for another who would arrive next summer. They asked Cavendish to keep all these matters private. As a lawyer, he knew how to be discreet. It was easy money.

  “You should first meet Gray Thomas of Thomas’ Land and Title. He is the arm of the U.S. Government that handles the buying and selling of land in the northern states and territories.”

  He looked at Mrs. Abbot as he spoke, completely undone by her grace and beauty.

  “And moving and building services?” Jake asked

  Cavendish came out of his reverie, and continued. “Kenny Maher is the man for that. He has several teams of builders that will build almost anything anywhere. I will write both their names and addresses down for you with directions.”

  He was true to his word, and in no time at all they shook hands and promised to keep in touch, his lips lingering over the back of Mrs. Abbot’s hand. Mr. Cavendish invited the Abbots to dinner on Saturday night, giving them directions to his home as well.

  *****

  Over the next eight weeks, the five friends were extremely busy wandering the city, selling jewels and gold and putting money in five separate accounts in five separate banks, each person with an account of his or her own. They used their aliases in the selling transactions, but opened the bank accounts in their real names. Jake and Mara decided to spread the wealth, as Cecilia, Luke, and Pete had worked just as hard to gain their freedom.

  Mr. Cavendish proved to be a great help to them. He told them where to find the best jeweler, the best goldsmiths, the best banks, the best horse stables, and the best places to stay in New York. He earned his retainer after all.

  After they had sold a good portion of the jewels and had banked tens of thousands of dollars, Jake decided to begin searching for horses to purchase.

  They only had Python and Angelo for riding, as the rest were work horses, trained only for pulling heavy loads. Python and Angelo and the other two male horses were all geldings, which wouldn’t be much help on a breeding farm. Jake needed a stud. In fact, he wanted two. He also needed two brood mares cut from a finer cloth than the work horses. He wanted to find four horses that met his standard, and that standard had always been Lightning Bolt.

  He worked the horses in the rented paddock each morning, ensuring they were exercised. He then took off through the streets of New York City on Python, seated in a new saddle with new bridle and reins, as they hadn’t brought any riding tack with them. Jake was in his element, searching for stables with mounts to sell.

  At each stable, he described in detail Lightning Bolt, his height, his strength, his intelligence, and his build. He always left his name and address in case the stable owner came across such a magnificent beast.

  He wandered the better parts of town, looking at the horses the American aristocracy rode. He talked to coachmen and footmen, asking if their employers had stock to sell.

  Despite all this work, he came up empty-handed, and was highly frustrated.

  “Are no quality horses for sale in this god-forsaken country?” he blurted out in exasperation to the group at the tavern one night as they sat eating dinner. “I can’t believe America is so bereft of good horse flesh!”

  Luke spoke up. “I think you have set the bar too high, Jake. There will never be another Lightning Bolt. you need to look for solid quality without putting your hopes into a dream that canna be met.”

  Jake gave him a piercing look, and put his head on the table. “It is not a dream. Bolt existed, darn it.”

  “Bolt existed, but like our Angel Mara, he be one of a kind. There be none more like him.” Now Pete was giving up on him, too. Jake sighed into the table.

  Mara stroked the back of her husband’s head. “You are looking for four Bolts. Finding one horse like Bolt will be a miracle. Maybe you should look for one Bolt and three very good horses. You might be more successful.”

  He mumbled something into the table again. The rest of them shrugged their shoulders and finished eating, letting him stew.

  *****

  In late August, his break finally came. He was in the paddock working the horses, when he heard someone enter.

  “Mr. Abbot? Your wife said I could find you here.”

  Jake looked up to see a young boy with a yearling mare in tow, staring earnestly at him.

  “That’s me. What can I do for you?” Jake let go of the reins of the work horse, and wiped his hands on his thighs.

  “I am Billy Devons. I have a horse to sell. And the man at the stables said you were looking to buy one.”

  Jake smiled at the boldness of the boy. The child reminded Jake of himself ten or so years ago.

  “So I need to buy it, eh? What’s so special about this horse that I need to own it?”

  The boy pointed down on the other side of the fence. “It’s my yearling, Empress. She is a good horse.”

  Jake walked to the paddock gate and opened it up. “Well, bring her in here so I can take a look.”

  And into the corral the boy led Jake’s dream horse. Empress was as black as coal, with a white star on her forehead and four white forelocks. She walked regally, every step perfection in motion. She stared at Jake with intelligent, knowing eyes. She was a year old, and would not be a large horse, but she would be magnificent.

  Jake took the lead from Billy, his heart pounding in his chest. He rubbed his hands all over the animal’s supple body, feeling her muscles and bone structure.

  “Has she taken a rider yet?”

  Billy shook his head.

  “Why are you selling her?”

  Billy looked at his feet, embarrassed. Jake immediately understood that look, and that feeling. He bent down on one knee and put his hands on the boy’s shoulders.

  “I can see you love this horse. You have taken great care of Empress, and she is a wonderful animal.” He paused, making sure the boy listened. “But I also know that your family needs money right now more than you need a horse.”

  Jake cupped the boy’s chin with his hand, and looked him in the eye. “There is nothing to be ashamed of. Being poor or in need is not shameful. Keeping it hidden and not doing anything about it is.”

  Billy returned Jake’s look and saw the understanding in his eyes. He really did understand, this man with the English accent and the crooked smile. Billy smiled back.

  “Well, my boy,” Jake stood back up, and touched Empress again. “This is a fine piece of horseflesh that will bring you top dollar. I would like to go to your house and talk price with your parents. You have sold yourself a horse.”

  He stuck out his hand. Billy took the proffered hand and shook. This tall man would take good care of Empress; he could feel it in his bones.

  Jake put Empress in the stall with Angelo, knowing that the gentle horse wouldn’t mind in the least. Angelo and Empress immediately nuzzled and stood like they’d known each other all their lives. He then saddled Python, and pulled the boy up behind him.

  Next, the two stopped at the apartment to tell Mara and Cecilia where they were going. Mara was all smiles. Jake was about to own his first quality breeding horse!

  They stopped at the bank to pick up some cash. Jake had the boy sit in a chair near the door so Billy couldn’t see how much he withdrew.

  After a spot of lunch at a tavern near the bank, the two ventured into the city to see Billy’s parents. The boy had walked a long ways that morning to sell his precious horse.

  They dismounted at a small apartment building on Bleecher and Wooster that looked like it was in need of repair. Billy ran ahead to tell his mother that a man was on his way up. The Devons’ apartment was on the third floor.

  A harried-looking woman opened the door to reveal a loud and boisterous home. There seemed to be a dozen children runni
ng around inside. Even the orphanage didn’t seem this chaotic, thought Jake.

  Mrs. Devons held out her hand. “Mr. Abbot, kindly come in. Billy tells me you are going to buy his Empress.”

  Jake gave his best bow, and kissed the back of her hand as if she were royalty. Mrs. Devons was highly impressed. “He is right on that account, m’lady. Empress is a beauty, and she will be the finest horse on my breeding farm. She should breed exceptional foals.”

  She looked around at the mess. “I wish I could offer you tea or something, Mr. Abbot, but I am afraid…” her words trailed off.

  “My dear Mrs. Devons. I am here only to complete the transaction for Empress, not to cause you more work.” Jake had taken a nice bit of money from the bank for Empress, thinking he’d have room for negotiation and probably end up buying the horse for half or two-thirds the amount he’d withdrawn. But seeing the desperation on Mrs. Devons’ face and the brood she had, Jake decided to give her the entire amount and be done with it. Mara would probably have his head, but he kept thinking of his days in the orphanage, of being deprived and doing without, and knew he had to do more for the people in this room. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the roll of money. He grabbed her hand and put the money into it, folding her fingers over it.

  “Mrs. Devons, I believe Empress is of such high quality that she would be worth this amount at the auction block. So that is what I have brought with me today. Do we have a deal?”

  Jake thought Mrs. Devons would faint right then and there. He laughed inside, remembering when he had been paid £115 pounds for the three emeralds. She gave the exact same reaction.

  “I have been where you are, m’lady,” he whispered just so she could hear. “I understand completely.” Then Mrs. Devons’ knight in shining armor left her standing there in utter disbelief.

  *****

  Jake and Mara finally went to Thomas’ Land and Title to buy land for their horse farm. The other three would go later to buy smaller parcels of land near the farm. They would all be land owners in the new world.

  Mr. Thomas was a mountain of a man. He was huge in both stature and weight. He was taller than Jake, which in itself was highly unusual, but he also outweighed him by a couple hundred pounds. Despite his imposing appearance, he was jovial, outgoing, and extremely happy to help the newlyweds in their quest for a horse farm.

  He pulled out several maps.

  “Right now we are concentrating on several areas. There is the Ohio Valley, which extends through the new state of Ohio and borders Kentucky along the river here,” he pointed to the river on the map, “as well as Kentucky itself and most parts of the Northwest Territory. If you want to purchase land in Tennessee or southward, I will have to send you to our office in Charleston, South Carolina, as that office is handling all transactions in those states and territories.”

  Mara grabbed Jake’s arm. This was so exciting! Jake looked down at his wife and kissed the top of her head. Mr. Thomas made note of the tender and loving act. These two are very much in love, he thought, smiling to himself.

  Mara could barely contain herself. “What are the prices per acre in the various territories and states? We want to build a horse farm, so we need flat ground or gently rolling hills, water, and grasslands.”

  Mr. Thomas laughed heartily. “Well, my little lady. We have all that and more. Ohio is mostly farmland; the soil is excellent, the rainfall plentiful, and the land is nearly flat.” He pointed back on the map. “This area is building up rapidly. You’ll pay about three to six dollars per acre and six dollars per section for the survey fee.”

  “What is considered a section?” Jake knew this conversation would quickly be over his head, and hoped Mara would be able to understand all the business terminology.

  “Could be anywhere from 160 to 640 acres. The Harrison Land Act of 1800 allowed for the sale of farm land in portions of square miles.”

  He pointed again at the map. “We’ve divided up the counties and land in square miles which break down to 640 acres a square mile, 320 per one half square mile, and 160 per one quarter square mile. One-fourth of the price is required at purchase, and the balance in installments within four years, with an additional year to make up arrears.”

  Jake wondered what a “rears” was.

  Mara rapidly made calculations in her head. At five dollars an acre, that would be $5,000 per 1,000 acres plus another ten dollars or so for the survey. So at $5,010 per 1,000 acres they could afford 10,000 acres or $50,100. Jake looked at his wife and could tell her wheels were turning, since she chewed on her lower lip.

  “We would like a tract of 10,000 acres, about sixteen square miles or so. Plus an additional four tracts of two square miles each adjoining our property. All of the land must have water access.”

  Mr. Thomas blinked heavily a few times. These youngsters must be made of money! They certainly didn’t come to the new world poverty-stricken. And this young beauty had some math skills behind that gorgeous red hair of hers!

  “My,” he finally said, “that’s a tall order. Maybe we could look in Kentucky.” He pulled out another map and went to a shelf to pull out a ledger as well.

  “Let’s see…” he referred to both the map and the ledger.

  “Barren County was formed in 1799. It is located in the Pennyrile region of the state. The elevation in the county ranges from 465 to 1,068 feet above sea level. It holds a land area of 490 square miles. The county seat is Glasgow. Like in Scotland.” He looked up at them expectantly. Neither Jake nor Mara said anything.

  “Okay.” He pointed to another area and read from his book. “Adair County was formed in 1802. It is also located in the Pennyrile region of the state. The elevation in the county ranges from 585 to 1,120 feet. It has a land area of over four hundred square miles. The county seat is Columbia.”

  Mr. and Mrs. Abbot came alive. “What did you say the county name was?”

  “Adair.”

  They both looked at him in disbelief, then at each other, and simultaneously burst into a fit of laughter.

  Mr. Thomas started laughing, too. At what he didn’t know, but their laughter was contagious.

  “Adair!”

  “Oh my God! Adair!”

  They laughed so hard they had to hold each other up.

  “Perfect!”

  “Better than perfect! Ha, ha, ha!”

  “Oh, my God. My sides hurt.”

  “Sweet Jesus, it is too much!”

  “The others will never believe it! Ho, ho, ho!”

  They finally stopped laughing, gasping for air.

  “We’ll take it. Adair is where we will live.” Mara tried to suppress more giggles, as she relayed this information.

  “Now what?” Jake also tried to hold back laughter.

  “I will need some time to find you 10,000 acres. I must calculate all the figures. Can you come back next Tuesday? I will be done by then.”

  “We will be here.”

  “Ten o’clock in the morning, and bring a bank draft for $13,000 as the down payment.”

  They shook hands, and Mara and Jake left Thomas’ Land and Title, still giggling at the inner joke.

  Chapter 47

  “Cannot be true! Are you jesting with me?” Cecilia was amazed.

  “Adair County. There is a good joke for you.” Pete was highly amused at the name of their new home county. “I canna believe it is named Adair.”

  “The duke would be spinning in his grave if he be dead!” Luke laughed.

  They were eating dinner in their apartment on Warrant Street. It was now the end of September. Due to the oncoming winter and the lack of available wagon trains, they were going to have to live in New York for the winter. They didn’t want to live in taverns until spring, so they had found an apartment with three bedrooms, a kitchen, a parlor, and a dining room. They rented stable space in a place three blocks away.

  The men had unpacked the four crates and carried all the contents up the staircase to the second-level ap
artment. They unpacked the furniture and wedding gifts and set the place up nicely. All the packing material went back in the locked crates for the trip west next spring.

  They felt like a family.

  Mara and Cecilia inventoried everything again, trying to determine what was necessary for the trip, what would fetch a good price in New York, and what needed repair. They sent many a piece of furniture to a Scotsman named Duncan Phyfe for re-stuffing, re-upholstery, or repair, making the apartment quite functional. Mr. Phyfe also added his own flair to the old furniture, making it elegant as well.

  Jake and Mara purchased a nice big bed from Mr. Phyfe. They bought another for Cecilia and one for Alvin, which they put in a crate. They had brought only two with them from the Markham family attic. They couldn’t buy too much, as they only had the two wagons and carriage in which to carry everything, so they stuck to necessities, like kitchen utensils and pots and pans.

  Jake’s favorite wedding gift was a full-length portrait of Mara, commissioned by the queen. Jake’s least favorite wedding gift was a full-length portrait of the Duke of Cleveland, commissioned by the queen.

  Mara wore her Madame Butterfly outfit in her portrait, complete with wings but sans mask and headdress. Her hair was pulled back on the sides and fell over her shoulders and back, softly framing her face. The dress showed off her perfect figure, and the painter had captured her sparkling green eyes and her teeth showing the little gap. She had fought with the painter over that space—he wanted to paint it out, but she wanted it left in. She won.