A Promise for Tomorrow (33 page)

Margaret smiled over his head at Carolina. “That is true, and yes, I feel quite wonderful. Especially now that you have come to visit me.”

“I’m four,” Jordana interrupted and smiled up with such a precocious expression that everyone burst out laughing.

“Oh, how like Maryland she is!” Margaret exclaimed.

A hush fell over the group, with exception to Margaret. Seeming to realize their uneasiness, Margaret laughed. “You all look as though you’ve seen a ghost. I’m truly all right, and being reminded of my dearly loved little girl is not going to hurt me as you fear it might.”

Carolina reached out and touched her mother’s arm. “It’s just that I’d not thought of it. Jordana is very much like Mary. I’d really not considered how it might affect you until this very moment.”

“I assure you all,” Margaret said, exchanging a glance with her husband, “that I am fine. I am stronger than you might imagine. God has helped me to see that my strength does not lie in myself, but in Him. I could not be more delighted to find Jordana a pleasant replica of Mary.” She smiled down at the child, who seemed most captivated to have suddenly become the center of everyone’s attention. “You are a beautiful little girl, Jordana, and I think we shall very much enjoy each other’s company.”

“Will you show me where the toys are?” Jordana asked and quickly added, “So we can play—just you and me?”

Margaret nodded. “I would be very happy to show you the toys and to play with you.”

Carolina let out a breath she’d not even realized she was holding. Jordana took hold of her grandmother’s hand and turned to throw Carolina a look of sheer determination. “I’m going to play with Grandmama.” She looked with the same self-confidence that she displayed at home after having caught a much-desired frog.

“I think that would be wonderful, Jordana,” Carolina assured the child.

“Then we shall make for the nursery,” Margaret said with a nod to Carolina. “We shall have time to talk later.”

As they departed, Brenton spoke up. “May I go exploring?” His gaze was already darting from side to side as if to capture a view of everything at once.

“It’s quite all right with me,” Carolina answered. “But be careful. You don’t know your way around.”

“I can show you,” a voice sounded.

“Ah, Nate. Come and meet your cousin Brenton!” Joseph declared.

Up until that moment, Carolina had forgotten about the children who had been there upon their arrival. Turning around, she found the twins eyeing her with a look of near contempt. Were they jealous that Jordana had so quickly captured their grandmother’s attention?

“Nate, surely you remember your aunt Carolina,” Joseph said matter-of-factly. “I’m not sure Levinia and Thora do, however. It’s been at least two years, or has it been three, since you were here at Oakbridge?”

“It’s been at least three. The girls were just toddling,” Carolina said, smiling in a way that she hoped put the twins at ease.

“Well, the girls turned six last summer. Levinia, Thora, this is Brenton and Victoria.”

The girls dropped a slight curtsy while Victoria did the same and Brenton bowed.

“There, now,” Joseph continued, “the introductions are made and I suggest we get in out of the sun. Nate, you show Brenton around the plantation, and, Carolina, if you will excuse me for a time, I have business in the stables.”

“May I come?” Victoria questioned suddenly. “I want to see your horses.”

“Of course,” Joseph replied. “If your mother can spare you.”

Carolina laughed at the hopeful expression on Victoria’s face. “By all means.”

“We want to see them, too,” the twins declared in unison.

“Well, then, come along,” Joseph told them. “Will you amuse yourself while we are gone?”

Carolina nodded. “I will explore on my own and reacquaint myself with everything.”

At this, Joseph looped his arm with Victoria’s, and Carolina saw the scowling look that Thora gave her grandfather. She tried to ignore the implications of this reaction. She knew how contrary the twins could be and just had to hope that their jealousy would not cause conflicts among the children.

“Miriam, you might as well go ahead and visit your friends. I’ll be just fine on my own,” Carolina said. Miriam smiled and hurried off in the direction of the slave quarters. Smiling to herself, Carolina made her way into the house, pausing a moment in the foyer to take in all the sights, sounds, and smells of home.

The gold-framed paintings of Adams ancestors still lined the walls and seemed to welcome her with stoic approval from their canvas perches. Things were much the same as when last she’d visited. Virginia had arranged for the foyer to be repapered, and the gold-and-cream print fit well with the paintings and walnut furnishings.

Pulling off her bonnet and gloves, Carolina noticed the stuffiness of the house. Back home in Greigsville, the windows were always open to allow in the breeze. She hadn’t realized until then just how refreshing this made her house.

She looked into the front drawing room, then made her way to the music room and across the hall to her father’s first-floor study. She thought to linger here a moment and was halfway across the room when the door closed behind her.

“Well, well,” Hampton said, coming toward her. “If it isn’t my dear little sister-in-law. I heard you were due home today.”

Carolina stiffened. He was just as she remembered him. Tall and foreboding. He had discarded his waistcoat and instead was casually dressed in little more than boots, trousers, and a white ruffled shirt. It was almost as if he’d noticed her arrival and had come to greet her in the midst of dressing for the evening. Carolina bolstered her courage, knowing there was no escaping the confrontation.

“Hello, Mr. Cabot.”

“Tut, tut. We shall have none of that. After all, we are family, and we were once nearly engaged to be married.”

“As I recall, you asked, and I refused,” Carolina said, trying desperately to sound strong. In her years away from Oakbridge, she hadn’t missed Hampton and Virginia’s altercations, and she certainly hadn’t missed the leering look that Hampton was throwing her way now.

“My, my, my,” he said, looking her up and down, his gaze lingering in most inappropriate places. “You are all grown-up, and what a lovely seductress you’ve become. How long has it been since last we met? Let me think.” He counted silently on his fingers, all the while moving closer to where she stood. “You visited some three years back, but, of course, I wasn’t here then. Pity. As I recall, your father had me off on business.”

He moved closer and Carolina started to feel trapped. The room had only one exit and he clearly blocked that path. “I believe it has been nearly five years. Yes, that’s it.” He took another step and let his gaze travel the length of her once again.

Carolina shuddered, hating the fact that he knew he’d unnerved her.

He grinned at her reaction. “I see childbearing has done nothing but improve your figure. Unlike my dear wife, who even now is confined to bed in order to give me another brat. Virginia has allowed herself to become so unappealing. But you, on the other hand, have fairly bloomed.”

“Mr. Cabot, I find this conversation highly offensive.” She moved back a pace, hoping to better position herself for a run at the door.

Her quick glance in that direction betrayed her thoughts, and Hampton’s laughter filled the air.

“Already planning your escape, eh?”

“I simply see no point in continuing this conversation. I’ve only just returned and am making a tour of the house. I do not desire to be further detained by you.” Carolina fought with every ounce of strength to remain calm and collected. She might have succeeded but for Hampton’s next statement.

“I saw Miriam from my bedroom window. She’s looking fat and sassy. Time with you has done a great deal to improve her looks.”

“You leave Miriam alone.”

Hampton considered her for a moment. “Or you’ll what?”

Carolina’s rising anger in the face of protecting Miriam quickly quelled her fear. “Or I’ll personally see to it that you never harm another person, black or white, again.”

“Threaten all you like, dear sister, but the truth is, I am hardly concerned with your words. You will find yourself far too busy with visiting to worry about that darky.”

Carolina stepped forward, feeling it might well be impossible to refrain from striking the man. “Miriam is my responsibility. Leave her alone. It’s just that simple.”

Hampton reached out to touch Carolina but drew his hand back as if he’d thought better of it. “Don’t threaten me, Carolina. I don’t take it well.” His voice was low and menacing. “You are a slave owner’s daughter, and you should well understand that Miriam is nothing more than property.”

“She is not property. I freed her after you nearly killed her,” Carolina declared, her hands clenched in fists.

“Well, if she’s free, then you have no say over what she does.”

“She’s under my protection. Just as my children are under my protection,” Carolina replied. “You would do well to understand, Mr. Cabot, that I will do whatever it takes to protect my own family.”

“She’s a Negro slave. Whether you call her free or not, she’s still a slave at heart,” Hampton said, and appearing completely bored with the conversation, he walked casually to his desk. “You would do well to rethink this situation. Slaves are property, nothing more.”

“They are human beings, and whether they have papers to show their freedom or not, whether they are black, brown, white, or any other color you would choose, all mankind deserves respect and compassion.”

“You scarcely practice what you preach,” Hampton replied. “I’ve not had a decent word out of you in years, much less any respect or compassion.”

Carolina considered him a moment before moving toward the door. “Miriam represents the very best of her people, while you are without a doubt the worst example of any white man I have ever known. I cannot offer even a shred of respect for any man who treats other human beings as worthless chattel.”

She slammed the door behind her, hearing him mutter some incoherent response. Shaking from head to toe, she moved hesitantly down the hall. The peace of her visit had been shattered by Hampton’s crudity and suggestive remarks. She could only pray that she might somehow manage to keep out of his way during their remaining time at Oakbridge.

30
Sisters

Carolina stood outside of Virginia’s room for a full five minutes before gathering the courage to knock. She hesitated in part because she feared her sister’s reaction. She also feared her own, and it troubled her to the very core of her heart. Surely she didn’t hold any malice toward Virginia. Not after all these years and everything that had passed. James belonged to Carolina and they shared a very happy marriage, while Virginia, having deceived everyone, had a miserable life with Hampton Cabot.

Knocking lightly, Carolina opened the door and called out, “Virginia, it’s me, Carolina.”

“Come in,” a pathetically weak voice answered.

Carolina stepped into the darkened room. The windows were shrouded against the light, and the room felt stifling. Carolina approached the bed and found herself shocked at the sight of her elder sister. Desperately thin, with exception to the mounded proof of her pregnancy, Virginia was a mere shell of the woman she had once been.

“Hello, Carolina,” she said, shifting uncomfortably.

“Hello, Virginia.” Carolina wondered for a moment if she would resent an embrace. Deciding to throw caution aside, Carolina leaned down and gently hugged Virginia’s bony shoulders. A quick peck on the cheek completed the greeting. “How are you feeling?”

“Terrible,” Virginia said and gave a haughty laugh. “But how else would you expect me to feel under the circumstance?” Her eyes were glassy and lifeless and her face stark and pale against the lavender bed sheets.

“This is a difficult time,” Carolina admitted, pulling a chair closer to the bed.

“Especially when you don’t want the baby you’re carrying.”

This statement undid Carolina’s composure. “What?”

Virginia shook her head. “Don’t look so surprised. Everyone knows it’s true.”

“But how could you not want your own child?” Carolina asked, taking a seat.

“You wouldn’t want it, either, not if it belonged to Hampton. He’s brutal and vicious to all of us, but especially to me. He hates me.”

Carolina thought of Hampton’s earlier cruel words and reached out to take hold of her sister’s hand. “I’m sure that isn’t true.”

“Just as I’m sure it is,” Virginia replied and pulled her hand back. “It’s no secret, so please don’t think you need to defend him. We haven’t been happy in years. Maybe we never were.” She looked away toward the shaded window. “For at least ten years we’ve barely been civil to each other.”

“But what of the children?” Carolina wanted to believe that their existence must be proof of some mutual love between husband and wife.

Virginia laughed. “They are merely the products of procreation. I was drunk or Hampton was when they were conceived. It was no more a matter of love than the coupling of animals in the fields.”

“Virginia!” Carolina exclaimed. “How can you speak so?”

Shrugging, Virginia rolled her head back to fix her gaze on Carolina. “The truth is the truth, no matter how much we wish it to be otherwise. Hampton never loved me. He never loved you, either, but he especially never loved me. I lied to him, cheated him out of having you, and this is my punishment.”

“I never loved or wanted him,” Carolina said softly. “I only thought to marry him because you were so angry at me. You suggested I leave and go away, and I honestly thought it might make a difference.”

“Always the good sister,” Virginia said sarcastically.

“Not good—maybe practical, at least at that point. I thought I was being very practical. I truly wanted you to be happy.”

“Well, I’m not and there is nothing you can do about it. I must endure yet another painful reminder of Hampton’s virility while it takes a further toll on me.”

“You’ll feel differently after the baby comes. Once he or she is in your arms, you’ll feel differently.”