Ruthless and Deadly

by ML BINELLI

  "Yes, a joyous memory of my father!" While Vidal shuddered, she turned to the captain and said, “He too enjoyed this wine."

  "A fellow of mine in pleasure! Where is your father now? Did you leave him behind in Coimbra?"

  Barbara paused for a moment and began speaking slowly to give her time to come up with something.

  "My father is dead, captain Edward? Soon after we were married he passed away. As for my mother, she died at my birth, so I am the first and last daughter of my tiny family."

  "Your father never remarried?"

  “Yes, his new wife was me! Repugnant.”

  She pushed the thought away and chose her next words carefully. She could not let the hatred she carried in her chest show while she praised the deceased for qualities he had never had in life.

  "Never, captain. He always kept my mother's memory alive. It seemed like he could never forget the feelings he had for her. A sadness for him and for me too, since we were alone in the world. Until Vidal came to our land." She took Vidal's hand and when she spoke, she did so looking into his eyes as if declaring her love for him. Vidal gave her a half-hearted smile so the captain would not notice the lies coming out of her mouth.

  "Whose statue is that on the table, captain?" asked Vidal, eager to change the subject.

  "What, you don't know? It is Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and justice. I was given the statue by a friend and I brought it here. She is also called Minerva by the Romans."

  "It is a beautiful bust!" said Barbara.

  "It is an interesting story. Zeus was informed by an oracle that if he had a daughter, she would be more powerful than himself. After Metis became pregnant with his child, he thought it best to swallow her to prevent the birth. The gestation, however, continued in his head.

  "What a wonderful story!" said Barbara.

  "There is more. Zeus then began to have headaches at the end of the gestation period. He ordered Hephaestus, the divine blacksmith, to open his head to cease the pain. Hephaestus opened his head with a golden axe and Pallas Athena jumped out. The powerful daughter then asked her father to keep her always virgin so that she could rule with the authority of one who cannot be corrupted or seduced. Interesting, is it not?"

  "It is! You are very cultured, captain!" said Vidal.

  "What about your family, Mr. Vidal?"

  Vidal turned to the captain taking Barbara's hand in hers.

  "It's just the two of us in this world, no one else," and he began adding his own lies to hers.

  "Thank heavens I met Barbara, and I fell in love with her - for her body and her money, - and the feeling of emptiness I had was filled by her - her flesh and her breasts." He looked deep into her eyes and placed her hand on his heart. "Since we were both single children, we now wish to have a house full of children. We will populate this land with our offspring, captain. This new world will have a new people!"

  "Bravo, Mr. Vidal. I make a toast to having hundreds and hundreds of children!"

  Barbara and Vidal laughed at the captain's words.

  "Not that many, Mr. Edward!"

  The captain laughed louder. He seemed to be slightly drunk after having spent the afternoon emptying his bottles. Vidal had at least done some exercise that made him sweat out most of the alcohol, followed by a nap, which enabled him to sober up considerably. But the captain seemed not to have lessened his drinking after their chess game.

  They heard knocking on the front door. James had arrived. The captain tottered a bit as he stood up and went over to greet his partner and friend.

  "At last! I thought you had abandoned us. I'm starving. I had a piglet roasted this afternoon and it is already on the table."

  "Sorry about the delay, captain, but unloading the sugarcane took longer than I expected. I didn't even have time to wash. Will you please allow me to change? I do not want to make the beautiful lady uncomfortable because of my work clothes." He turned to Barbara. She again blushed and he again noticed.

  "Yes, yes, go wash and change. We've already waited so long, a little more won't make a difference. But hurry! Are you all hungry?"

  "No, captain, we can wait a little more." answered Barbara.

  When James returned, the three of them were already sitting at the table.

  "Sorry, my friend, but I forced our guests to come to the table. My stomach was growling. But you have arrived just in time, we just sat down. Sit."

  "Forgive me once again."

  "Do not worry, let's continue where we left off," said Vidal.

  James sat to the right of the captain facing Vidal. He urged Barbara to sit facing him, to brighten his night with her beauty, he said. Vidal had no way out for the situation. She looked over at him hoping he would protest, but he did not. The captain made a toast to the couple and they began eating.

  "Do you mind if we talk about business at the table?" asked the captain.

  "Not at all. We have already discussed it and we think it would be interesting to join the business instead of starting something from scratch. You two also have a lot more experience. Is the proposal still standing?" asked Vidal.

  "I have not talked to James yet, but I intend to do it now. James, I offered a partnership to these two in return for this diamond here." He rummaged in his jacket pocket and brought out the diamond. He gave it to James, who analyzed the stone and returned it.

  "This diamond, if I am not mistaken, is worth the whole mill! Am I wrong?"

  "No, you are not. We will appraise it with Ziroch the Jew. That way we can be sure. With them agreeing to the company, we will have the funds to start our own sugarcane plantation, increasing our profits. We may even have enough to build a new mill and increase our workforce."

  James chewed, but his eyes seemed out of focus. Probably calculating the new earnings.

  "Well, Mr. Vidal will be responsible for half of the work. We thought of starting the plantation bit by bit, but with this amount we can plant it all at once."

  "I don't know, captain, it's still a lot of work even for two men but if you're willing to help us, we may be able to get it done!" said James.

  The captain stopped eating, took a sip of water and scratched his chin.

  "It is true. This time I will not be able to put off moving to these lands. I will have to drag my family here. But we can start by planting a quarter of the land. At least that will give me time."

  "The expenses will be greater," stated James. Both men continued discussing how to move ahead. Vidal watched Barbara and Barbara watched James. While thinking, the captain glanced over at Barbara and noticed she couldn't keep her eyes off his partner. He turned to James.

  "Let's do this - speak to Jean and ask him to give us the price of the house. Take them to see it. Better yet, take them there before talking to Jean, if they are interested then you go speak to him. I shall return to England, and I will persuade both women to at least make one visit to America. Once here, they will not be returning!"

  "That is cruel, captain!" said Barbara. "Will you not give them a choice?"

  "I have given them time enough, madam. They cannot stay in England and with me traveling, I have one leg in each continent. I've made up my mind. I'll tie them up if I have to. The future lies in these new lands and not in England. Do you all agree? But James, while we are preparing for the move, you two will have to take care of business. What will you leave for Mr. Vidal? The mill or the plantation?"

  "Can I choose?" asked Vidal.

  "No!" Both responded in unison and laughed.

  "Forgive us, Mr. Vidal," said James, "but we are more familiar with the business - me more and the captain less. We are better able to decide. Incidentally, the decision has already been made. Since the mill is already set up and working, it will be your responsibility. I will tend to the start of the plantation. The earth is already tilled for planting. We need to buy more slaves, build slave quarters, hire foremen and buy and prepare seedlings. A lot of work. But if you take care of the mill, we'll be able to
get the new venture started, even with the captain away. But you will have to move here, captain. I'm not sure we'll be able to manage all of this alone."

  "Is this satisfactory for you, Mr. Vidal? Do you agree with James's arguments?"

  Vidal thought for a moment and he had his answer. It was true that he did not know the business. In fact, he knew nothing about it and he had never worked in his life. It would all be new to him.

  "Yes, I agree, captain, I can't argue with you two. I accept the terms."

  "Bravo, Mr. Vidal. I knew we would not have any major problems. Let's raise a toast to our company with the good Pallister wine!"

  Once again her surname was mentioned, causing some awkwardness to Barbara and Vidal.

  "So, we have agreed!" said Barbara, taking the wine to her lips. She turned to James and said, "Where does your experience with sugar cane come from, Mr. James? Can you tell us how you came to these lands? Were you ever a slave?"

  James wiped a remnant of pig fat from his lips, drilling into Barbara with his eyes.

  "No, ma'am, I was never a slave!"

  Barbara noticed that the subject bothered him but surely, he must have been mistaken for a captive many times. She sighed and lowered her eyes, unable to protect herself from his gaze.

  "Forgive me, Mr. James, I did not mean to offend you. The captain had already informed us of this fact. My intention was only to provoke you,” she said smiling.

  "I am not offended, ma’am. My reaction was out of place. I am the one who should apologize. If the intention was to provoke me, congratulations, you succeeded!" He smiled back to ease the discomfort.

  "Well, let's go to the drawing room. We can talk more over there," suggested the captain. When all were comfortably seated, James asked to speak.

  "Let me tell you briefly about my past. I am originally from, as I imagine the captain may have already told you, Haiti. My grandparents were slaves, but my parents were free men when I was born and owned a sugarcane plantation in the country. It is amazing what honest work and intelligence are capable of. It took only two generations for my family to go from the ball and chain to the ball gowns. This is why I am familiar with the sugar production chain from start to finish. I was educated and became a teacher but, besides my academic duties, I also had many responsibilities on my family's estates. But this was all before the revolution."

  "The captain told us something about it but you were there so you can probably give us more details," added Vidal.

  "If you wish. It began in 1791, when slaves in Saint-Domingue rebelled and led the colony into a veritable civil war. When the rebellion reached our land, we made a narrow escape." James stood up and turned his back on the other three. His hands were held behind his back and his head hung forward.

  "It is very painful to recall these moments. We defended ourselves as best as we could, but the uprising was going strong. When they attacked our farm, we were not able to hold them off for long, even with the defenses we had set up. When they broke into our house they cut off my father's head, my two sisters were raped and then quartered. My mother was the first to fall." His voice was choked with emotion.

  Barbara was horrified by the story. "Stop, please, Mr. James! It is too painful to hear."

  "How did you escape, Mr. James?" asked Vidal with an unwavering voice.

  "I hid like the coward I am. I went through a trapdoor in the kitchen to hide in the wine cellar. While my family was being torn apart, I ran there and hid. The bastards never found me. When they set fire to the house, I managed to escape and mingled with them. When I saw an opportunity, I got on the first ship bound to this land. That is my story. The story of a coward."

  Everyone was shocked by James' account. Even the captain was not aware of these facts. Barbara approached him, took his hand under Vidal's protesting eyes and led him back to the three of them. She then noticed a tear running down his cheek.

  "Forgive me. Napoleon has now retaken the island but I don’t believe this state of affairs will last for very long. What I have seen and heard haunts my dreams every night. And so does the regret of not having died with my kin." His head fell forward and he let out a terrible and frightening groan, as if it were the last gasp of a tortured man. Tears ran down Barbara's face.

  "So much suffering, Mr. James," she said, "but if you had not hidden, what good would that have done?" Your family would have been exterminated, the legacy of your father gone. No, Mr. James, you did the right thing. Your family lives on in your existence!"

  James looked at her. His gaze was now quite different from the one he had given her earlier. He was now filled with affection for the woman.

  "James, are you sure your whole family was killed?" asked the captain, "perhaps someone escaped."

  "No, captain. The next day I returned to the farm and saw their mutilated bodies. They were all dead – it was horrible, the endless horror does not leave my mind. What they suffered at the hands of those monsters, poor souls. I spent the day digging their graves and buried them there. Excuse me, I need to rest. These memories are hard for me to describe." He stood up, took one last look at Barbara, and walked out with the heavy walk of one carrying a world of guilt on his back.

  The three remained in silence, broken only by the captain a few moments later.

  "I knew he'd been through hardship, but I did not imagine for a second that it was this bad. I have also never dared to ask him about it."

  "Who among us has never taken a step in the wrong direction, isn't that right, captain?" said Vidal.

  "But what are you saying? Do you think this man has any fault in what happened?" said Barbara, taking two steps toward Vidal as if she had a mind to slap him. But she held herself back.

  "I think it would be better if we get some sleep. The night has been a little too much for all of us" said the captain.

  "You're right, Barbara. The words came to my mind and I just said them without thinking. He could not have done anything different from what he did. He acted in the name of his safety, like St. Peter did when he denied Christ three times!" said Vidal mockingly in an attempt to provoke Barbara.

  "You keep spouting nonsense!" she said, stamping her foot on the floor and placing her hands on her waist. “I cannot forgive you for this lack of sensitivity!"

  "Stop, please. We are all a little overwhelmed by the story. Let's go to bed."

  "You're right, captain. Forgive me, Vidal."

  "I am the one who should apologize. I am a bit stunned imagining these events, I'm talking nonsense. Good night, captain!"

  "Let's go to bed, Barbara, the day was too much for all of us."

  When they reached the room, Vidal took off his jacket and Barbara attacked him verbally.

  "Vidal, I still can't get over your lack of sensitivity! You made fun of the horrors he went through! What got into you?" she said with her hands clenched and her back bent back like a striking snake.

  Vidal smiled and sat on the bed.

  "Barbara, my dear, did you not find the story he told you odd? In my opinion, it was invented at the spur of the moment."

  "Insensitive man! What arguments do you offer to sustain this lie?"

  "The story doesn't make any sense! How did he know about the abuse inflicted on his sisters? What about him mixing with the mob that attacked his house? Who were the slaves? Were they not the very same ones that worked for them? Would they not have recognized one of their owners, even if all of them were the same color? Frankly, think! Something is very wrong with this story!"

  Barbara looked pensive for a moment and paced around the room. She recalled James's words and pondered. She sat down next to him.

  "Why would he lie? What is the reason, Vidal? What do you think is the true story behind his coming here?"

  "He is either a runaway slave or worse, which I think is more like it, Barbara."

  "And what would that be?"

  "One of the leaders of the rebellion! When Napoleon returned to the country, James had to flee in ord
er not to be killed. I think this theory is valid. He is intelligent and educated and may very well have been one of the leaders of the uprising.”

  Barbara raised her hand to her forehead to massage it. What Vidal was saying made sense.

  "But in one way or another, whether the story is true or not, it does not change our situation. Will you work with him?"

  Vidal thought for a moment, taking his time to answer. He moved his elbows back and rested them on the mattress.

  "Yes, I will. As he has reason to hide his story, we also have a reason to hide ours. The game is on. But don't you get carried away by his sweet talk. I don't trust a hair on his head. The captain is different. He is nothing but a fool. I am going to check the mill's accounting, I can at least do sums. If there's something wrong, we'll get out of this the same way we got in. Do you agree?"

  Barbara was silent and then nodded her head.

  34. Congo Square

  The next morning, James met everyone again in the breakfast room. You seemed a little embarrassed. He greeted everyone and sat down with his eyes lowered. No one dared say anything beyond "good morning."

  "Lady, gentlemen," he said after resting his elbows on the table and bringing his hands together as if in prayer. Although his posture suggested he was going to make an important announcement, all he did was ask for everyone to never again mention the story he had told the night before.

  “Forgive me for my behavior, I should not have left the way I did. I am ashamed now. But I hope you understand that the memories of what happened and how they happened took away my emotional control.”

  "You found the holes in your story and don't want to have to explain them, isn't that right?" thought Vidal, smiling and winking at Barbara, who looked daggers at him. She drew back and turned her attention to James.

  "Mr. James, we will not talk of it again. We were planning to take a walk around the city so we could see the place. Will you please join us?"

  "Yes, madam, with pleasure! Will you come too, captain?"

  "Yes, we will go to the church and then I want to see how the shops are doing."