A Promise for Tomorrow (54 page)
This was too much even for Nate. He went to the window and glanced down at the circular front drive. Sure enough, his father’s white stallion had been saddled and brought round along with two other horses.
The three children waited in silence for several moments before Thora ran to the nursery door and opened it enough to peek out. The sound of a door slamming across the hall sent the wide-eyed child up against the nursery door, closing it with a thud.
“They’re taking him downstairs!” she exclaimed.
Nate still found it hard to believe. Maybe his father was just going for an afternoon ride. His heart began to pound hard in his chest. Surely he wasn’t really being sent away. Surely Nate wouldn’t be so lucky as to have his most fervent prayer answered.
He hated his father, and the thought that someone big and strong could make him go away excited Nate in a way he couldn’t explain. That the someone should be a slave almost made the experience too rich to be believed. His father hated the Negroes and said so on every possible occasion. He told Nate they were a necessary nuisance, far beneath the consideration of real human beings, except that they could do menial tasks and lighten the work load of the plantation owners. But Grandpa didn’t feel that way, nor did Grandmother. They seemed to take almost the same trouble and concern with the house servants as they did any other family member.
“Look! There they are!” Thora declared, jumping up and down in anticipation of what might happen next.
“Do you think they will shoot him?” Levinia asked quite seriously.
“I hope so,” Nate muttered inaudibly.
“What?” Thora exclaimed, eyeing her brother with avid curiosity.
Nate shrugged. “I said I don’t know,” he lied, guilt already eating at him as he watched the scene. The two slaves held their distance while his father, the man who had caused him so much misery and pain, mounted his horse. One of the slaves tied up his hands like he was a real captive. Then the slaves mounted their horses and they rode away. But Nate’s father paused, turned the horse slightly, and glanced back at the house.
Nate gasped, fearing that his father could see him standing at the nursery window. With raised fists, Hampton shook a fierce farewell, then continued to ride.
“Well, there he goes,” Levinia said, as though already bored with the whole matter.
“Did you see him shake his fists?” Thora asked, moving away from the window. “I think he wanted to hit us.”
“Well, he can’t now,” Levinia said, then dismissed the idea. “Let’s go get some cookies. I saw Naomi leave some in the window to cool.”
“Yummy. Let’s hurry,” Thora agreed.
They left Nate to stand staring out the window, and for a long, long time, that was exactly what he did. Guilt consumed him for wishing his father dead, but the pain of his life spent cowering in fear, hiding from punishment for imagined wrongdoing, was enough to cause the boy to feel great relief in his father’s dismissal from Oakbridge. He could only hope that it meant forever.
“Is everyone all right?” Joseph asked, and Carolina, having witnessed Hampton’s departure from the window, turned and nodded.
“I’m fine, Papa, honestly.”
“I’m better than fine,” Virginia announced. “I feel as though I’ve been emancipated. Mother, you should have taken a gun to him long ago. Better yet, I should have.”
“I’m not proud of my actions,” Margaret said, sitting quite soberly by her husband’s side.
“Well, I am,” Joseph said, a smile of admiration clearly brightening his face. “You did a good job there, Mrs. Adams. Saved my life, and possibly Carolina’s, as well.”
“Well, for that I am grateful,” Margaret admitted.
“I can’t believe I was afraid of that sniveling coward. Did you see the way he reacted when Ezekiel took hold of him?” Virginia said almost gleefully. “I’ve never seen that expression on his face. Oh, Mother, thank you. I finally believe in the power of prayer. God must truly have forgiven me for the past, or He’d never have found a way to rid me of Hampton.”
“Don’t be so certain we’ve seen the last of him,” Margaret said, sharing an anxious look with her husband.
“I don’t think we have to worry,” Joseph replied. “Our name carries a great weight in this community. I’m sure he will be prosecuted for his actions.”
“I pray you are right,” Margaret said, glancing upward to catch Carolina’s eye.
Carolina saw the worry in her mother’s expression and smiled. “Virginia is right, Mama,” she said. “God has delivered us this day. I, for one, am grateful and will not give myself over to worrying about the future.”
“Neither will I,” Virginia countered. “I intend to pick up the pieces of my life. I also intend to have a long talk with God, and maybe I can sort out all the things in the past that I shouldn’t have said or done.”
Margaret smiled and nodded. “I suppose you are right. Lucy, you are terribly quiet. Are you all right?”
Lucy’s dark eyes seemed to quietly take in the entire scene. “I’m still stunned by what has happened. Why did he come here?”
“To kill me,” Joseph replied.
“But why?”
“I suppose because he thought he would stand a better chance of convincing York that he would change. That he would run Oakbridge for him and keep it for his sons, if only York would allow him to stay on as caretaker and overseer. I’m sure Hampton would have played on York’s torn loyalties.”
“Torn loyalties?” Lucy questioned.
“Between remaining in Philadelphia or returning here.”
Lucy nodded and exchanged a quiet, knowing glance with the women in the room.
“I think you’ve had enough excitement for one day,” Margaret told Joseph. “In fact, I think we all have.”
“Yes,” Carolina agreed. “Perhaps enough for an entire lifetime.” She gripped Virginia’s shawl tightly against her neck. Now that everything was said and done, she longed only for a hot bath and her husband’s protective embrace. But with James in Baltimore, she would have to settle for the bath alone.
“Papa?” Carolina called hesitantly from the bedroom door.
“Come in, child. Come in.”
She peered around and smiled. “I’ve come to say my goodbyes.”
“Then come here and sit by me and do so properly,” Joseph told her, easing himself up against the headboard. He still looked rather fragile, but he smiled most sincerely. “I know you must go, but I shall miss you greatly.”
Carolina arranged herself beside him on the bed. She sat stiffly, almost warily, lest she jostle him too much and cause him pain. Joseph immediately sensed her discomfort and reached out to take hold of her.
“I will not break,” he assured her and pulled her into his arms for a tender embrace.
Carolina relished his touch. Her father had been such a mainstay in her life. He always understood her needs. He alone saw her desires, very nearly before she could recognize them for herself. Sitting here now, she felt twenty years younger. In her father’s arms the world seemed far away and unable to hurt her.
“James is lucky to have you, my dear,” Joseph murmured and released her. “You are a ray of sunshine that brightens an otherwise gloomy existence.”
“Oh, stop it, Papa,” Carolina declared, straightening her ruffled lace collar. “Your existence is hardly gloomy.”
Joseph’s expression grew thoughtful. “I hadn’t realized how dismal it had become, to tell you the truth. No, I think it was good to see the bad that came to light. It helped me to understand how my complacency allowed evil a foothold. Often we think we are doing nothing to aid the devil, when just by doing nothing we are giving him the upper hand.”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” Carolina replied, realizing the wisdom in her father’s words.
“Well, we see the sense of it now, don’t we?”
She smiled. “Yes, we do.” She reached out to touch his mutton-chop whiskers. For as long as she could remember, he’d held to this same fashion. There was now a liberal sprinkling of gray, but overall his hair was still dark, as were his whiskers. He was nearly sixty, but his body remained strong, and in spite of the beating he’d taken only weeks earlier, she was confident he would recover to full health.
“So you are content to give Oakbridge over to York?” she asked, suddenly realizing the time was slipping away from her. A quick glance at the mantel clock proved her concerns were valid.
“Yes, but with certain provisions. We are even now working through those.”
“Will he agree to free the slaves?”
“I believe in time he will come to understand my position. If not, I’m convinced the matter will be taken out of his hands and decided for him.”
“What of you and Mother? Will you travel abroad?”
Joseph smiled. “My wanderlust should do us both justice. I intend to see the world and all its wonders. But you know, it wouldn’t have meant anything at all if your mother hadn’t been willing to accompany me. I couldn’t bear to travel without her, and our years of separation proved that to me more so than anything else could.”
“I know,” Carolina replied. “It’s the same with James and me. I hate being parted from him, and even knowing that he’s not so very far away isn’t enough. He isn’t with me, and that’s what truly matters.”
“I pray it will always be good between you two,” her father said with a bittersweet smile. “I want only the best for you, my dear.”
“I have the best, Papa,” Carolina replied, leaning down to kiss him. “I have extraordinary parents, a loving husband, and wonderful children. And soon I will be helping my husband with his work on the railroad, and I shall truly be a part of the dream.”
Joseph shook his head. “But you were always that. Can’t you see? Being a part of the railroad is more than swinging a pick or driving a locomotive. You saw the future—the potential. You envisioned the dream as a reality. It’s people like that who make dreams come true. You. Me. James. And countless others. We’re all necessary to breathe life into the scheme of things.”
As Carolina realized the truth in his words, contentment bubbled up from inside and threatened to overflow. “Oh, Papa, you are right. I do see.” She kissed him again and smiled. “I guess even dreamers sometimes lose sight of things.”
“It’s often easier to focus on what hasn’t come about,” he told her. “Just keep your trust fixed firmly in God and don’t be afraid to dream big. You never know what might happen.”
Carolina laughed. “Yes. You just might get everything you ever wanted.”
Later, with bags packed, Carolina made her way downstairs. Everyone had chosen to assemble themselves in the first-floor family drawing room, all in order to bid her farewell. She embraced Virginia first, impressed that her sister actually looked happy.
“Don’t forget what I told you,” Carolina whispered. “Baltimore is always open to you. Or you could come to Greigsville—at least for a visit.”
“I won’t forget,” Virginia told her and surprised her by kissing her cheek.
Carolina moved on to where York and Lucy awaited her. York’s features seemed to have hardened in the days since her arrival. Even now he looked at her with an expression of mixed emotions.
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you the other day,” he said.
Carolina put her hand on his arm. “It’s over. Don’t worry yourself any longer. What happened was unpleasant and very nearly tragic, but God watched over us and He interceded. Hampton is to be pitied, not hated.”
York shook his head. “He needs to know that he cannot treat people in such a manner. And I will at least see to it that he is punished to the full extent of the law.”
“He’s not worth too much of our bitter anger,” Carolina said. “Peace in our home is far more important than anything. And remember, we must guard the honor of his children and his wife.”
York leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. “You may be an intelligent woman,” he said with a hint of a smile, “but you know nothing of how men deal with matters of importance.”
Carolina laughed. “Oh, you might be surprised, my dear brother.” Lucy, too, laughed and Carolina was glad to see her sister-in-law smile. “I think you should give Lucy and me credit where credit is deserved. After all, we’ve put up with you all these years. Surely we must have learned something in that time.”
“I shall miss you dearly,” Lucy said, hugging Carolina close. “I pray you’ll come back soon for a visit.”
“I have no way of knowing,” Carolina answered honestly. “I’m uncertain where the future is taking me, but of one thing I feel confident—James will be by my side, and it will most likely involve the railroad.”
She finished saying her good-byes, then turned to find Margaret awaiting her at the door. “Come. I’ll walk out with you,” her mother said softly.
Carolina nodded, and taking up her bonnet and purse, she clasped hands with her mother. “I’m ready.”
They came out onto the porch and gazed across the broad, intricately groomed lawn. “My heart is so full, I can scarcely speak the things I feel,” Carolina said. Tears came to her eyes as she leaned over to kiss her mother’s cheek. “I long to stay. But I long equally to go. Ours is a bittersweet parting.”
“Those are often the best, for we are neither too sad nor too glad to take our leave,” Margaret offered. “You belong elsewhere now, and while you will always have a special place here and in my heart, this is the proper order of things.”
“I know you’re right. I see the truth of it down deep within my soul.” Carolina looked away to the awaiting carriage and then beyond to the open expanse of fields. “Granny once said God puts a special truth inside each of us that only we can know. I think I’m starting to understand what that truth is for me.” She turned back to see her mother’s tender smile. “There is a purpose and a plan for my life. A plan that only I can fulfill. It doesn’t require the actions of anyone else, but it does rely heavily upon my willingness to go where I am called and to do what I am to do.”
“A willing heart that seeks to do what God would have you do,” Margaret said, reaching up to lovingly stroke her daughter’s cheek, “will take you much farther than all the book knowledge and education that man can afford you.”
“Yes,” Carolina replied, embracing her mother tightly. “I haven’t always been satisfied with who I was or the paths I had chosen, but I will endeavor to put such thinking aside and lose myself in God’s vision of what I can become.”