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Chapter 16
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2021-09-02 21:43:43Paulette lay outstretched on the grass wrapped in euphoria from of the visions that swirled in her head. She heard whispers from others in her social circle about mistresses bedding their stud darky, but she never really considered it a possibility for herself. Now, here she was contemplating that very thing!
She shook her head to clear it. What was she thinking? Obviously, the combination of the shock and disappointment of Stephen’s disappearance, the theft of his letter by that wicked devil woman, and traveling in this intense heat in unfamiliar territory took hold of her senses. She pushed at Manley’s chest to create some space between them and rolled her back to him. He did not move. Why was he not moving? She could feel the heat of his breath on the back of her neck. It was sending soft shivers up and down her spine. This just was not fitting. She needed to stop before things went too far. Unfortunately, her body had other ideas and was responding to his near
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Stephen stood in the missionary office and watched Padre Rodriguez through the window. The black man, who looked to be the leader of the small band of Indians that stood a short distance behind him, hung his head low as he listened to the padre’s words and responded. The two were obviously deep in conversation.Stephen was pretty confident he knew the topic of discussion. After learning that he was in a mission just north of St. Augustine, he quickly explained himself and his circumstances to Padre Rodriguez and requested aid in returning to his plantation. It was his original intention to purchase a new frigate to make his way up coast, but his poor brother-by-law was not yet ready to brave the water. In a way, he could not blame the young lad. Instead, he requested the assistance of the good padre to help him find a guide and transport over land. It would take longer, but it was a small concession after what his brave companion suffered.At the sight of the pad
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Arthur’s search took him near the town of New Inverness with no sign of his runaways. As nightfall closed in around them and they found themselves still miles from town, he gave the order for his weary men to make camp in a clearing just off the main road. The fast flowing stream that was only a few yards away from the spot they selected for their camp provided fresh water for cooking and drinking, as well as a cool bath for those so inclined.Although he kept a steady hand with his slaves, Arthur was not as strict about segregation with his darkies as most of his fellow slave owners. He walked a fine line between their distinct opinion that a darky was born to work hard and would not be able to survive as a free man and his friend Stephen’s viewpoint of them being on the unfortunate side of a difficult lifestyle structure.He attributed his thinking to the many conversations with his father, who owned slaves out of necessity, but did not necessarily suppor
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The blistering sun was positioned in the sky high enough to cook an egg on a flat stone if someone so desired, but not high enough to indicate midday. Paulette was grateful for the cool water she stood ankle deep in and would occasionally dampen the cloth around her neck in as well. She hurt from her head to her toes. The pampered existence she led over the nineteen years of her life never once hinted of the trials she was enduring now. She questioned if even her strongest slave would possess the strength and stamina that these barbarians expected of her.Upon the thought of her slaves, she craned her head over the tall grass to see if she could locate Manley. Both edges of the river were filled with bobbing heads as the workers bent down, cut the reed at its root base with a sharp piece of bone, and then stood up to place it in piles to be bundled. They were gathering reeds for basket weaving. Some would be used by the village and others taken to trade for other supplies tha
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Elizabeth sat on the edge of her bed and watched the wet nurse bathe her newborn son with a damp cloth. Since her arrival at the Caldwell’s’ plantation, she experienced the treatment due a woman of her stature. It felt wonderful. Although she had always held a kind regard towards the servants of her uncle’s estate, her treatment of them was even kinder now.The workers of the Caldwell’s’ plantation were free and could walk away whenever they desired to do so. This was not the case for the majority of the darkies who resided in colonial America. Some were brought over the waters to become slaves and others were born as slaves, but slaves they were and slaves they would remain.Elizabeth thought about the freedom granted the Indians by King George when he passed a law making it illegal to hold Indians in slavery and wondered if such a law would ever come about for the darkies as well. She remembered the slaves she left behind with that horri
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Stephen’s back screeched in agony with every step his gelding took. Their trip proved difficult as he and Herald came to the realization their bodies were not quite healed enough to withstand the grueling trip through the Georgia wilderness.Stephen’s primary land travel was over the countryside nearing Savannah which was rapidly developing and Herald had only read of the wilderness in his school books. Theirs was not a journey for the weak of constitution. Although they were well cared for at the mission, they suffered greatly at the hands of the ocean’s raging waters and their constitution was not yet returned to normalcy. Therefore, a trip that should have taken no more than two to three days was well into its fourth day with at least one more day’s ride ahead of them, possibly more.Their escort turned back two nights before, leaving them to forge their way as best they could. True to his word, the padre provided a detailed map that they put
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Paulette lay on the corn husk mat that was covered with an enormous bear skin as she watched Manley move about the hut. They were locked in together for three days with an occasional visit from Adahy or one of the other male leaders of the village. From Elsa’s whisperings through the cracks in the walls, they would remain together until it was certain that she was with child.Their first coupling proved to be a horrendous ordeal. Although accustomed to being used for stud service, never had Manley been asked to plant his seed in a mistress of society. His fear of the repercussions he would encounter from the plantation owners, should he ever break free from the Indian’s captivity, far outweighed his fear of what Adahy and his friends might do to him. He blatantly refused to perform.When the village’s old women examined Paulette the following morning and discovered her virginity was still intact, Adahy went wild with rage. One did
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The tracker Stephen hired in the nearby village proved his worth. Within hours Stephen was caught up with Arthur and his posse. Shocked, surprised, and happy that Stephen was not dead, Arthur greeted him with the enthusiasm of a true friend who was relieved to discover he had not lost their friendship.Although it was in the back of his mind, Stephen refrained from mentioning the fact that he knew Arthur intended to marry his wife. He also did not broach the subject of the newborn baby. He had not had time to do the math where the infant was concerned, but since Elizabeth’s waiting maid was relatively certain he had not impregnated her before she ran away, he could only assume that Arthur did the deed immediately upon purchasing her. The dis-appearance of Paulette proved devastating for his friend and he felt the timing for such a discussion not correct. There would be time to sort out these matters once Paulette was found; hopefully unharmed.Arthur sent a
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Elizabeth’s hands ached from her nervously ringing them while she paced the sitting area of her suite while watching out the window for Sara to return from her trip to town. Things were a mess and she needed a woman to confide in. Since her relationship with Sara grew stronger with every day she remained in their care and she felt no woman alive could match the good woman’s clear head and sense of right and wrong, she felt privileged to have Lady Sara Caldwell available at such a time.Herald sat in the corner of the room and watched his sister through lowered lids. To the onlooker who did not know him well, one would have assumed the young man had closed himself off to his sister’s obvious despair and decided to take a nap. Elizabeth knew better. Her brother was an astute young man who developed the uncanny skill of not missing a thing that went on around him. This was true even if his eyelids were all but closed. It proved handy on more than one occa
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The church bells echoed across the plantation grounds as they announced the happy reunion of Elizabeth and Stephen. Elizabeth somehow found it in her heart to spend time with Paulette and form some semblance of a friendship with the much changed socialite. This was something that pleased both Stephen and Arthur greatly.Paulette recovered from her injuries enough to attend the wedding. Although still sore and subdued, she managed to carry herself as efficiently as any lady of Savannah society might in her condition while she held Arthur’s arm on her left and her mother’s arm on her right.Arthur and Margaret managed to work out a truce as well as an arrangement for her funds to continue to be sent to her trust from his new plantation in Jamaica. She had no desire to visit such a barbaric island, which suited him just fine.Now that his sister was settled in her rightful place at her husband’s side, Herald was ready to brave the formidable
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Feeling the need for some fresh air, Stephen excused himself and started toward the rear exit. Thinking better of it, he turned and asked Elizabeth to join him. Smiling timidly, she accepted his arm and allowed him to guide her down the cool, dimly lit corridor toward the back of the house.“I much prefer this part of the house,” Stephen said quietly.“Might I ask why?” Elizabeth responded, hoping her nervousness did not show in her voice.“‘Tis quiet and unpretentious,” Stephen replied.“You find the main part of the house pretentious?” Elizabeth asked with mild surprise.“Nay, not at all, I just prefer this. I fear I am a simple man who lives amongst splendor,” Stephen said.He cursed himself for his fumbling words. Why was it that he became such a bumbling oaf whenever he was in her company?Elizabeth smiled sweetly and moved closer as he guided her through the doorw
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Margaret Moore stepped out of the carriage in front of the Caldwell plantation house and gaped in awe at its magnificent beauty. She heard whispers of the wealth the Caldwells possessed through conversations at one of the many social parties she attended, but she had not pictured it to be as such. She was told that Sir Caldwell’s wealth was surpassed by few. He was even able to work free darkies on his plantation; something that was rare indeed amongst the plantation owners of Georgia who petitioned fervently to have slavery reinstated during its temporary abolishment because their plantations would not survive without it. Sir Caldwell was one of the very few in political societies who did not support such reinstatement.She heard their mansion was equal to that of a king, sporting thirteen guest rooms and marble flooring adorned with plush carpet with unique designs woven into it. Both were ordered from India. The marble lion’s heads on either side of the grand s
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Elizabeth and Arthur’s gay conversation could be heard long before Stephen reached the doorway of the atrium. He stopped and listened, uncertain whether he should enter or simply return to his room.He took much longer than even the doctor expected him to take to recover from his intense state of exhaustion. Herald sat in the room near the window watching him and then watching the world out the window for the majority of the days he lay abed. He was joined by Elizabeth for whatever time her greedy fiancé would allow her away from him.Elizabeth expressed her concern about Arthur’s monopolizing her time during one of her long conversations with her brother. She was torn over who she should be spending her time with. He was awake and alert and requesting her company, but Stephen was weak and still in need of constant watch; not to mention the fact that it was Stephen who had her heart. There were times when her visits with Arthur proved tortuous as she
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Bringing Paulette to the safety of the Caldwell plantation was not as easy as Stephen hoped. Since he worked his horse as much as he dared and she still did not regained consciousness, he settled her in front of one of the other men on her own horse and then later on with another whose horse suffered the stress of their journey favorably and was still strong enough to carry them both in the intense heat of the day. It was shortly after this last transition that she awoke and went into a frightful screaming fit. This caused the horse to rear and for her to fall off.As if her disorientation was not bad enough, Paulette landed on her arm and it snapped like a dry twig. Stephen seized a flask containing their emergency brandy and took a long drink to steady his nerves. The stress and challenges he endured over the last few months was building within him to such a height he was certain his frustrations would cause him to burst from the inside out.It took the considerable
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Bishoff got Arthur safely to the Caldwell plantation in record time. The sun was just resting on the horizon when he went ahead of the small group of men and knocked on the front door of the main house.After giving him a quick reprimand for coming to the front instead of the back, the butler hurried to seek out Sir Caldwell. The house came alive as some rushed to help bring Arthur into the house, some rushed to ready a room for him, some went for the doctor, and some sought out Lady Elizabeth to inform her of the grievous news.Elizabeth rushed to the top of the stair landing just in time to see Arthur being carried into the small parlor toward the far side of the concourse. Although he was grumbling profusely about the pain he was in, he was coherent and that was a good sign.She slowly descended the stairs, stopping on each step to prolong her arrival. It had been a few days since Sir Caldwell laid down the decision that Stephen must be given an opportunity t
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Stephen looked over his shoulder as he watched half of Arthur’s posse disappear in the direction from which he came. They pressed hard since early that morning after stumbling upon a tradesman who rode Paulette’s mare. When questioned, the man told them that although he purchased the mare at auction up the river he had it from the best authority that the mare was brought to the auction by Cherokees from a nearby village.Giving the man a fair price for the return of the steed, they rode with him to a nearby town where he could replace his mount and provide them with a map of the area to assist them in locating the Cherokee village more swiftly. When the man learned that they intended to enter the village to save Paulette, he did his best to dissuade them. The Indians of that village were hostile toward white people and only interacted when necessary. He was positive that, by now, they either killed or sold Paulette and impressed upon them the fact that walking int
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Elsa shifted her position as she sat on the natural stoop the low lying branches and tree stumps created for the asi that imprisoned Paulette and Manley. She had been there since the night before and her body was going numb. She would have to get up and walk around soon or she feared she might lose the use of her legs completely. Her mind was racing. Atul would be wed soon and she would be left to the mercy of the village, or even worse –Adahy. It was no secret Adahy despised the white man and the only reason he had not killed Paulette was because of the potential wealth to be had from breeding her to the virile dark warrior. She also knew that if Paulette proved baron she would die immediately. Since Elsa was the property of Atul as well as produced several strapping children, she was protected from Adahy and his evil thoughts about white people as long as Atul was around. That protection would be gone soon.Elsa’s moon time had come and gone, which meant her cou
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Elizabeth’s hands ached from her nervously ringing them while she paced the sitting area of her suite while watching out the window for Sara to return from her trip to town. Things were a mess and she needed a woman to confide in. Since her relationship with Sara grew stronger with every day she remained in their care and she felt no woman alive could match the good woman’s clear head and sense of right and wrong, she felt privileged to have Lady Sara Caldwell available at such a time.Herald sat in the corner of the room and watched his sister through lowered lids. To the onlooker who did not know him well, one would have assumed the young man had closed himself off to his sister’s obvious despair and decided to take a nap. Elizabeth knew better. Her brother was an astute young man who developed the uncanny skill of not missing a thing that went on around him. This was true even if his eyelids were all but closed. It proved handy on more than one occa
