Chapter Four
Abigail Cromwell looked over from where she was seated at her dressing table.
“Robert Borden seems like a very nice young man.”
“He does indeed,” Thomas agreed. He was tired and ready to call it a night, but he remembered the question he had seen appear in his wife’s eyes earlier. Something was obviously still troubling her. He turned and watched her from his position on the bed. She looked lovely in her pale yellow dressing gown. “Come here, Abigail.”
She smiled softly and rose to join him. They sat in silence for a few minutes as the cool spring air swirled in around them.
“What’s wrong, Abby?”
“You always know, don’t you?” Abigail managed a smile as she laid her head on his shoulder.
“Well, I do tonight.”
“Lucy Blackwell told me something else today.” Thomas waited patiently as she searched for the right words. “Several of their slaves ran away last week.”
Thomas nodded. Unfortunately, slaves running away was becoming a much more common occurrence. The Underground Railroad was becoming bolder in its efforts to free the slaves. “None of our slaves have run away, Abby. We treat them well. Why would they want to leave?” He chose his next words carefully. “I’ve heard that the Blackwell overseer can be a little rough.”
“But that’s not all.” Her voice sharpened with fear. “They were discovered gone after Giles, the stable keeper, discovered a fire in the main barn. He caught it in time, but what if he hadn’t?” Quickly, she made the switch from Blackwell Plantation. “What if it had been our barn, Thomas? What if our slaves decided to kill all our beautiful horses? Think how horrible it would be. Think what it would do to Carrie!” Her voice rose to a hysterical pitch.
Thomas wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “It didn’t happen here, Abby,” he responded softly, “and it won’t. You’ll have to trust me. Our slaves know we’re good to them. They know that without us they couldn’t survive. Nothing is going to happen.”
Abigail took several deep breaths, seeming to be comforted by his words. He knew it was more because she wanted to believe he spoke the truth than because she really believed him. She wouldn’t have even that small comfort if she could see into her husband’s mind. Thomas could only hope and pray that what he spoke was the truth. There were so many factions at work in their country. So many people determined to free the slaves. So much nonsensical talk about emancipation. The fools didn’t know what they were talking about, but Thomas was afraid their passion would create a situation that would mean tragedy for everyone. Determinedly, he shoved his thoughts aside. He had always protected Abigail from the hard things of life. He would continue to do so for as long as it was possible. “Tomorrow should be a wonderful time.”
The tactic worked. The idea of the tournament and the ball seemed to erase dark thoughts from his wife’s mind. “Oh, yes, Thomas! Everybody is going to be there!
“You mean everybody who is somebody,” he responded teasingly, happy to see her focused on something pleasant.
“Well, of course. You don’t think Lucy would invite any of the wrong people do you, dear? I’m so glad to hear she invited Robert Borden to join the festivities.”
“I am too, dear. I quite enjoyed the young man.”
“And he seemed to be quite taken with your daughter, sir.”
Thomas stifled a laugh. So she had noticed, too. “Really?”
“Don’t pretend innocence with me. It was written all over his face!”
Thomas laughed and nodded. “I’m afraid he is rather smitten.”
Abigail had turned to look out the window, but now she spun to face him again. “Why are you afraid? It’s high time our daughter found a suitable young man. It’s time she grew up.”
Thomas controlled his sigh. He knew it was too much to hope that Abigail would understand Carrie. Thomas, too, wished for Carrie to find someone to care about her deeply, but he sensed his daughter was anxious to spread her wings. He didn’t think she was considering marriage. He wisely chose to say none of that, however. “Well, we’ll just let things take their course. When the time is right, Carrie will find that special person. Until then, I am going to enjoy having her at home. I’m not anxious to see her leave us yet.”
Abigail fell silent. When he put it that way, there was really nothing she could say.
Thomas smiled and blew out the light. He had scored a victory.
Moses pulled his wool blanket closer to his chin and snuggled down against the early spring chill. At least Sarah had been right about some of the things she had said. The slaves at Cromwell were at least treated a little better. His bed back at the Smith Plantation had consisted of a few hard boards nailed to a support coming off the wall. Here, there was actually a rough horsehair mattress to soften the familiar boards.
The sweet potatoes had been another surprise. He could still taste them. He could hardly believe they still had some this time of year, and he had been amazed when one of his cabin mates told him Cromwell allowed them to store vast quantities to take them through the months in between harvests.
“You all right, Moses?”
Moses recognized the rough tones of Jupiter, one of his cabin mates. Jupiter wasn’t much older than Moses and had lived all his life on Cromwell Plantation.
“Yeah. I be all right.” He was not about to tell Jupiter of the tears choking his throat and the pain that seemed to be pulling his heart in two. Where were his mama and Sadie? How were they being treated? Would their new overseer beat them? What about June? What was going to happen to him? Stifling the groan that rose to his lips, Moses rolled to face the wall.
“It’s better here you know,” Jupiter said quietly. Silence stretched for several moments before he continued, almost as if he was speaking to himself. “We’re still owned like animals—and treated like animals—but at least we get treated pretty good.”