by Londyn Skye
“I know, William. And despite what my temper may have made you think, I truly do appreciate it.”
“Actually, your temper only further helps me understand how important this is to you.”
“It really is.”
“It is to me too, which is why I wanted to speak to you about a potential idea.”
“Idea?”
“Yes, a plan that I think might help to move things along for Lily, if all else fails.”
“I’m willin’ to do whateva’ it takes. I’m listenin’.”
Before William could begin to explain, however, he ceased the conversation with a smile when he caught sight of Lily emerging from the front door to willingly join them for dinner. Their conversation halted at that moment, but the following day William laid out his back-up plan to James. From then on, they both methodically began to put all its elements into action.
Chapter Eight
Stripes:
A forceful stroke on bare skin from a whip, rod,
or cane that oftentimes leads to stripe-like scarring.
Slave Code
Article II Section X
Persons willingly entertaining slaves, unlawfully absenting, or permitting them to be about their houses or plantations for one hour or longer shall forfeit one hundred pounds of tobacco for each hour or pay a monetary penalty equal to the cost of the forementioned goods. Free Negroes so offending shall be whipped; not to exceed thirty-nine stripes.
Saturday
February 12, 1859
Ohio University music department
annual fundraising gala
Lily kept her head down staring at the piano keys. She was afraid to look up and face all of the eyes that were pasted on her, as she sat at the grand piano alone in the middle of all the guests that had collected in William’s library during his annual fundraising gala. The sound of meaningless chatter, the shuffling of footsteps, and the clinking of wine glasses had immediately ceased while watching her performance. No one was quite sure how they were supposed to respond after her last note rippled through the air. The other festivities were easily forgettable compared to the brief mystifying show that Lily had just put on. But because of who she was, complete silence was the only reaction, until a spellbound man in the crowd finally emerged from his trance enough to speak. “Who the hell is this woman?” he asked, his eyes glued on Lily.
“They say ol’ William been trainin’ nigga’s here for years! Looks like he done taught ’emself anotha’ monkey!” Tucker McCormick replied, his speech slurred from his drunken state. He slapped his hand to his knee and gave a hearty laugh after rudely reminding everyone of the rumors that had circulated about William for years. Tucker was never one to bite his tongue, especially if it meant he had the opportunity to degrade someone. But no one other than him found his joke amusing, especially James, who suddenly jumped in his face out of nowhere.
“Mind your fuckin’ mouth!” James snapped, the fury in his tone seemed to instantly sober the heckling drunk.
Lily finally raised her head from the piano keys after hearing James snap at Tucker. She was shocked that James had bothered to come to her defense when the deputy disrespected her while on their journey to William’s home. She was even more stunned this time around, considering that James had done so in front of a large crowd. The ferocity of his protective nature had warmth running through Lily as she gazed at him. But James never noticed her eyes on him nor her expression of gratitude; he was still too busy trying to stare a hole into Tucker’s face.
James’s bold reaction made it obvious that Tucker was not the only one who had had too much to drink that night. James had certainly had his fill. Not only was he tipsy, he was aggravated by something that he had witnessed prior to Lily’s performance. It left him eager to pounce on anybody who crossed him, a fact that Tucker realized after spitting out his nasty words.
James had tried, but he could not seem to depart from the uproar of emotions that began in the earlier part of the day with the arrival of Anna Mae and Ben’s two children, Isabel and Elijah. They had both returned to help with William’s fundraiser. Their oldest, Elijah, had taken immediate notice of Lily and had not ventured far from her side from the moment he laid eyes on her. James was there when Elijah first got a glimpse of her in the kitchen. He saw the way that Elijah’s eyes lit up and slowly careened up and down Lily’s body the very second he spotted her. He saw the look of awe on Elijah’s face as he then approached Lily and introduced himself. James’s eyes homed in on the way Elijah let his hand linger in Lily’s for the longest time while he gently shook it. An irrational urge to pry Elijah off of her began building with intensity inside James for every second he held her hand. His strong desire to intervene grew as he continued to watch the way Elijah gazed at Lily with lust in his eyes while engrossed in conversation with her. But what James had hated more than anything was the double take that he saw Lily give to Elijah when he first entered the kitchen.
When Elijah walked in to greet his parents, Lily had instinctively turned toward the sound of the deep, unfamiliar voice to find a man standing there, who was equal to James in size and height. His extraordinary handsomeness caused Lily to do a double take. Upon glancing back, Elijah flashed a smile at her, illuminating brilliant white teeth that stood out against his chocolate brown skin. Lily, too, seemed not to be able to turn away as she noted Elijah’s sculpted body; it was outlined well underneath a pair of gray trousers, a white long-sleeved shirt, and black suspenders that clung to his muscular frame. His ensemble was topped off by a single-brimmed gray cloth hat, covering his tightly cropped Afro. Elijah was so well put together that even James had to admit to himself that he was worthy of Lily’s double take. But capturing a glimpse of the sensual smile that accompanied Lily’s glance was the beginning of the deterioration of James’s night. After seeing that she had a mutual attraction to Elijah, James suddenly found it difficult to focus on the importance of the plan that he and William had laid out for the evening.
After the disastrous meeting with Richard Wells, William conceded to the fact that his words alone would never be enough to find Lily work as a musician. He realized that her abilities had to speak for her. William felt that his fundraising gala would be the perfect opportunity to give Lily a chance to showcase her talent and prove that she was worthy of working as an entertainer. As part of William’s scheme, he was sure to invite everyone to the fundraiser who was affiliated with an orchestra, pub, or tavern, including the ones who were unwilling to hire Lily. Despite the ugly ending to their meeting, Richard was also among the attendees, since the money being generated was specifically for the Ohio University music department. In attendance as well was Tucker McCormick, a tavern owner, who had stood amongst the many guests in the library rudely letting words fly uninhibited from his intoxicated mouth.
To ensure that their plan continued to run smoothly, William had worked feverishly during the party, talking to all of the prospects who could potentially be of help to Lily. James was supposed to be doing the same, but instead, he was standing in the corner of the room drinking one glass of whiskey after another, watching Elijah interact with Lily throughout the night. While James was scrutinizing the pair, all the young ladies at the party were scrutinizing him. His neatly sculpted hair, freshly groomed face, and tailored suit further added to his natural stunning good looks. The design of his expensive attire accentuated his physique in a way that commanded the eyes of every young lady in the room, many of whom sashayed by him in hopes of winning his affections. But for James, they were just an endless stream of blank faces who failed to win his attention, let alone his affections. He was way too focused on Elijah, who was stealing every moment he could to whisper in Lily’s ear, which James noticed never failed to make her laugh or smile. And with every smile that Elijah put on Lily’s face, the heat in James’s veins went up another degree.
James had secretly been with several women while living in Athens, but they were never anything more than a
means of satisfying his natural urges. When it came to the women from his past, he was never once tickled by jealousy. But on this night, watching Lily smile at Elijah’s playfulness, jealousy had run James over like a freight train. After six years of being away from Lily, James thought that he would be able to continue suppressing the feelings he had for her. But he realized how wrong he was the very instant he saw her angelic face sitting at his mother’s piano. Since then, he kept trying to convince himself that being with Lily would never be right, that he could never give her all that a woman deserved, and that she was not the woman for him. Excuse after excuse he tried to create, but his body, his heart, and even his dreams always contradicted the lies he tried to force himself to believe. Deep down, he knew those lies stemmed from the ignorant beliefs of people like his father, who could never see past one’s race or status in life.
James saw so much more in Lily than just a colored slave girl; her uniqueness made all other women seem so subpar to him in comparison, including the ones he had lain with. Unlike the women he used, Lily was far more to James than just a warm body he desired to be one with. Through Lily he learned that judging someone by their appearance was foolish, that there could be more to a person than what the eyes could see, a fact further proven by her prodigal abilities. Lily taught him about the inner and outer strengths of a woman, about perseverance, the true meaning of beauty, the definition of a best friend, and about how laughter could lift a heavy heart. Many nights, James even had vivid dreams that convinced him that Lily was the only woman capable of defining to him the true meaning of passion and lovemaking. His intimate encounters with other women supported that notion. Those encounters were always so empty and meaningless. Most were alcohol-driven attempts at forgetting about Lily, which hopelessly failed. In fact, it was Lily’s face and body that always came to James’s mind the very instant he slid inside of a woman. Beautiful fantasies of Lily had passionately propelled every stroke, igniting intense climaxes that further proved how much he longed to be one with her. Returning from his fantasy and opening his eyes to the sight of some other woman lying beneath him always caused the feeling of guilt and betrayal to ravage his body with more intensity than a climax ever could.
With all his true feelings having quickly resurfaced, it was crushing James to endure the sight of Elijah making his interest in Lily known, very loud and excruciatingly clear. Since he was a teenager, James was thoroughly convinced that no other man would ever hold Lily as sacred to his heart as him, yet there Elijah stood trying to prove that notion wrong. The sight of it drove James to drink like a madman who was trying to extinguish the jealousy-fueled fire raging within him. Sweat was quickly accumulating on James’s brow while watching Elijah try to win the affections of a woman who was extraordinarily precious to him. Minute by minute, his appetite was decreasing. Second by second, his irritation was rising, along with the alcohol in his veins. James longed to be the one whispering in Lily’s ear in place of Elijah. He was desperate to be the one evoking her laughter and putting a smile on her face, something he had failed to do for her in years. Graphic visions of Elijah and Lily intimately entangled together began erupting in James’s inebriated mind, tying his stomach in knots, and causing his heart to beat a song of pain. Imagining just the small possibility that Lily could end up lying in Elijah’s arms at the end of the night had James ready to dive headfirst over the edge of insanity.
James suddenly threw the last bit of whiskey in his glass straight to the back of his throat, ignoring the fire that erupted in his chest shortly thereafter. He slammed his glass down on the table beside him and began weaving his way through the crowd toward the corner where Elijah and Lily stood speaking to each other. He passed by several ladies, who hoped that they were the reason he seemed so desperate to make his way through the maze of people. But each would end up watching the backside of his tailored suit in disappointment after he brushed by their unmemorable faces.
“It’s time!” William exclaimed, placing a firm hand on James’s shoulder, suddenly stopping him in his tracks.
“What?!” James snapped, staring at the hand on his shoulder that had the audacity to impede his onslaught. Fate had intervened on his march into battle and grabbed him just as he was about to put his foot over the edge of insanity.
“It’s time!” William excitedly announced again, oblivious to James’s frustration.
“Time?!” James replied, sounding irritated and confused. “Time for what?!”
“Our plan!” William reminded him, still ignoring James’s odd behavior.
“Oh, umm, yes … Yes, of course,” James said, finally clearing his mind enough to make sense out of what William was talking about. “You found someone to play an original song then?”
“Yes, yes,” William whispered. “Richard, of all people. I didn’t much enjoy having to speak to him again after our debacle in his office. But he has a new piano piece that I talked him into playing, which didn’t take much. I still know the old bastard well. A few glasses of Scotch and he’s always ready to be the center of attention. Bring Lily along quickly. This will be our opportunity.”
“Will do. Try to stall a moment until we get there.”
“I will,” William replied. He then headed to the library.
James definitely welcomed any excuse to get Lily away from Elijah. Fortunately, the brief interaction with William had allowed James’s mind and body time to cool down a few degrees to retrieve Lily without resorting to the drunken brawl that likely would have ensued otherwise.
“Lily, William would like to see you in the library,” James said while glaring at Elijah in a way that neutralized the smile on his face.
“Yessa’,” she said, sitting her service tray down.
James gently took her arm and guided her through the crowd, glancing over his shoulder at Elijah with a look of disgust on his face. They arrived together in the library just in time for the mini concert Richard was about to bestow upon the awaiting guests. The song Richard planned to play began the sequence of events that would soon have Lily parked at the piano bench, bringing the room to silence, and prompting Tucker McCormick to make his rude drunken statement.
Despite the numerous glasses of Scotch that William had drowned Richard with, he was able to play his new piano piece quite skillfully, and there was a round of applause upon its completion. William then stepped forward to say a few words to his delighted guests. All his years of playing centerstage gave him a certain professional tone in his voice whenever he addressed a crowd. “For those of you who don’t already know, this fine composer and dear friend of mine is Richard Wells. He is the director of the music department at Ohio University. It is a department that my lovely wife began raising money for many years ago with this very event while I was the director there. Emma began the fundraising efforts because, unfortunately, music is one of a few departments that receives very little money throughout the fiscal year. So, your donations here tonight will help to ensure that music will always be a part of Ohio University’s curriculum. Every dime will be greatly appreciated by the school, by Richard, and of course, by all of the wonderful students, whose lives your money will directly impact.”
The audience gave a brief applause in response.
“Speaking of Richard and all the students he has so brilliantly trained,” William continued, waving his arm toward all of them. “If you find yourself in the mood for fine music, and you’ve never been to one of the many shows they put on throughout the year, I highly suggest it. Richard has just given a small sample of one of the incredible pieces you might have the luxury of hearing while in attendance.” William then glanced over at James, who gave a discreet nod in his direction, signaling that he and Lily had been present for Richard’s entire song. William then returned to addressing the crowd. “The song Richard just played was quite splendid, wouldn’t you all agree?”
Everyone in the room gave another round of applause. “Simply beautiful,” an older lady from the crowd prof
essed.
“Yes, simply beautiful indeed,” William concurred. “Such a magnificent piece is certainly worthy of another listen, don’t you think?”
“I’d be glad to play it again,” Richard replied, still eager to be the center of attention.
“Ahh, no need,” William replied, dismissing him with a wave of his hand. “I have a very special guest here tonight, and I’d much rather hear her rendition of your beautiful piece.” He then turned toward his special guest. “Lily,” William smiled. “Would you be kind enough to grace our ears with Richard’s delightful song again this evening?”
Lily’s mouth fell open but not a single word escaped. She knew nothing about this ploy and was never told in advance to be prepared for such a thing. Her heart immediately began to gallop as all eyes turned in her direction to scrutinize the face of the insignificant slave that they had looked right through all evening. Lily’s eyes slowly surveyed the crowd in return as they began to whisper to each other about her. She assumed that they were probably criticizing the term that William had used to describe her. She had always felt that every man of William’s status had not even considered her as human, let alone a special guest, especially at such an esteemed event. At all other gatherings, she was only ever used to being as transparent as the very wine glasses she was expected to keep filled. It was, therefore, instantaneously paralyzing to consider the prospect of being the center of attention.
James stood shoulder to shoulder with Lily in the tightly packed room and could feel her start to tremble as a bout of nervousness began ricocheting through her body. Without her needing to say a word, James gave her the reassurance she was looking for. He gently caressed her back and leaned in close to her ear. “It’ll be alright, Lily. You can do this.” She turned to look at him, and he could see the fear in her eyes. “I believe in you,” James whispered, stroking the side of her arm softly.
