Shifted By The Winds (9 page)

BOOK: Shifted By The Winds
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“He was real careful, Mrs. Flannagan,” Connor protested.

“And which of the lads threatened to harm these young women?” Biddy demanded.

Both men looked away now. “We made sure they escaped,” Connor said weakly, obviously cowed by the old woman.

“That’s pure nonsense,” Biddy shot back. “Ardan saved these two. And when they walked through the doors of my house all you louts knew better than to trifle with them.”

“That would be right, for sure,” Seamus said, a smile touching his lips. “We’re not fools.”

Carrie was no longer thinking about Faith’s ancestors. She was fascinated by the power Biddy seemed to have over these two intimidating men. She tried to remember if she had seen either of them the night before, but the darkness and chaos had made everything a blurry mystery.

Biddy eyed them sternly but her lips twitched. She glanced around the table. “I’ve been knowing both of these boys since they were in knickers playing in the streets with marbles. Marbles that I gave you,” she reminded them sternly. “You still have those jobs I helped you get?” she asked suddenly. “You haven’t messed it up, have you?”

Connor and Seamus both shook their heads, obviously relieved to be on a different topic. “We haven’t messed it up,” Connor said quickly. “We both got work down at the docks.” His look of pride morphed into a scowl. “They still treat us like we’re vermin, but they seem glad enough for our strong backs.”

“You keep working hard,” Biddy said, her eyes soft with understanding. “It won’t always be like this. The Irish are going to prove themselves in this country. The day will come when the Irish will be seen as equals,” she said. “It begins with each of us doing the right thing.”

Carrie smiled. “The Bregdan Principle,” she murmured.

Biddy heard her softly spoken words. “I teach it to everyone who walks through my doors,” she confirmed. “If every single person in the world embraced it and lived by it, we would live in a world we could all be proud of.”

Connor and Seamus nodded but were clearly impatient to be on their way.

“The doctors who came down to inspect the hospital this morning asked us to take the women back to their home. We have a wagon out front,” Seamus said.

Carrie bit back her protest when she saw relief fill her friends’ faces. She knew they’d probably had visions of walking back home in the searing heat. Whatever relief the evening had brought had long since disappeared. She could see heat shimmering in the air. Biddy’s thick walls offered some relief, but she knew the other flimsy buildings must be like ovens by ten o’clock in the morning.

Biddy nodded. “Then you must take them home,” she said instantly.

Carrie thought about the study lined with history books just above her head. She spoke quickly. “Could I stay one more day?”

Biddy studied her for a moment. “You still have questions.”

“More than you can imagine,” Carrie agreed.

“You might be surprised,” Biddy responded. “Questions have driven me all my life.” She looked at the two men with raised brows.

Connor shook his head. “We only got the wagon for today. The doctors gave us the money.”

“I’ll be happy to pay for another day,” Carrie said quickly.

Seamus shook his head regretfully, his eyes saying he wished he could agree. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but we have to work tomorrow. If we’re going to take you, we need to take you today.”

Carrie suddenly realized she was doing nothing more than creating a new problem. Hadn’t she already done enough of that? And she didn’t really have any idea how Biddy and Faith felt about her staying longer. She smiled graciously and nodded her head. “Then we must go,” she said quietly as she pushed back from the table.

Biddy took her arm as everyone was walking outside. “You’re welcome back anytime, Carrie. You can sit in my library for as long as you want.”

“And hear the rest of your story?”

“Every bit of it,” Biddy agreed.

Carrie smiled gratefully and caught Faith’s eyes. “And I can hear
your
story?”

“Certainly,” Faith assured her. She reached out and grasped Carrie’s hands. “The blood of your ancestors runs in you, but you are proof that new actions and beliefs can completely change people’s lives. They can completely change how our world operates. One day
you
will be the person that people look back on as their ancestor. It’s a legacy you can be proud of.”

“You know so little about me,” Carrie said faintly.

“Not true,” Faith said. “When you’ve lived as long as I have, you learn to tell who a person is by what is in their eyes. You learn to read their hearts. I’ve learned what I need to know to be sure you are determined to leave a legacy your ancestors can be proud of.”

Carrie impulsively leaned forward and kissed Faith warmly on her cheek, and then did the same to Biddy. “Thank you. I will return as soon as I can.” She saw the caution flare in Biddy’s eyes. “And don’t worry, I will have a driver bring me. I’m trying to learn not to let my impulses get me into danger.”

Biddy laughed. “I suspect your impulses will get you into plenty more trouble, Carrie, but I’m glad you’re going to use a driver. Most of the folks in Moyamensing are fine people who are struggling to survive in a system that barely considers them human, but there are some that have let their anger and resentment steal the goodness from their hearts. It’s best to be wise.”

Carrie opened her mouth to ask more questions, but a quick glance told her the other women had already seated themselves in the carriage. She knew the sun beating down on them must be brutal. “I must go,” she murmured. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“We’ll be here waiting,” Biddy said cheerfully.

 

Moses rounded the curve on his gelding, Champ, his eyes glued to the front door of the plantation house. His smile erupted into a laugh when the door swung open less than a second later.

“Daddy!”

Moses urged Champ into a canter as John leapt off the porch and raced toward him. He saw Rose emerge from the house behind him, an indulgent smile on her face as she shaded her eyes to watch her son.

“Daddy! Daddy!”

John flew into Moses’ arms the instant he pulled Champ to a stop and vaulted to the ground. Moses took a deep breath of happiness as his son’s arms encircled his neck in a tight squeeze. Nothing could be more satisfying than this. He caught Rose’s eyes over the top of John’s head and knew she was feeling the same thing.

Suddenly John squirmed to be let down. “I’m ready, Daddy! I’m ready! And so is Patches!”

Moses chuckled. John lived for his afternoon riding lessons on his beloved pony. He was improving so quickly. Robert had told him yesterday that he would soon be ready to go riding in the fields on his own.  It had been almost impossible to put him to sleep the night before.  All he could talk about was
working
with his daddy.

Amber appeared and reached for Champ’s reins. “I’ll take him, Mr. Moses.”

Moses relinquished the reins willingly. “Thank you, Amber. Is…?

Amber didn’t let him get the question out. “Patches is ready for you and John,” she assured him.

“Now, Daddy, now!” John yelled, dancing around in the dusty dirt road.

Moses laughed and swung him back into his arms. “First I go see your mother and sisters, young man.” He saw Annie move out onto the porch with a platter of glasses. “And have some of that lemonade your granny fixed.” He treasured the lemons Abby sent from Richmond on a regular basis.

“I helped squeeze the lemons,” John said importantly. He cast a yearning look at the barn but seemed content to be carried.

“Then I especially need to have some,” Moses said, winking at Amber before he turned toward the house. His fatigue from a long day under the searing sun in the tobacco fields melted away as he strode up the steps. The fact that he was co-owner of Cromwell Plantation was still something that seemed utterly surreal. He took a moment to gaze at the elegant, white three-story house graced with a tall columned porch. He was grateful for the towering oak trees that flanked both sides of the house, casting shade that protected it from the worst part of the heat. He was especially grateful his son would never know the unrelenting labor of slavery, nor bear the scars from whippings that he always would.

Rose gave him a warm kiss when he strode onto the porch. She took John from him and motioned him to his chair. “Your son has been watching for you almost since you left after lunch.”

Moses smiled when John clambered into his lap. He let John ride with him in the mornings but always brought him home before it got too hot. “Did you take your nap, son?”

“Yes, Daddy. I wanted to make sure I be ready for Patches.”

“I wanted to make sure I
would
be ready for Patches,” Rose corrected.

John sighed dramatically. “I’m only four, Mama.”

Moses could see Rose bite back her laugh. Both of them knew his beloved Fe-Fe had taught him that.

“Just because you’re only four doesn’t mean you don’t have to learn to speak correctly,” Rose replied, reaching down to rub the top of his curly, black hair. The softness of his hair was the only testimony to the fact that Rose was half white, making her son one quarter white.

“Yes, Mama,” John said meekly, his eyes dancing with fun as he squirmed in Moses’ lap.

Moses chuckled. “Is Hope napping?”

“Yes,” Rose said, relief evident in her voice. “I’m not sure if the crawling or the teething is going to do me in first. If it weren’t for your mama, I don’t think I could handle it.” She wiped at the sweat on her forehead.

“And Felicia?”

“She disappeared right after lunch. I haven’t seen her since.”

Moses wasn’t concerned, though Felicia was still somewhat of a mystery to him and Rose. He hoped the day would come when she would reveal what she secretly did, but they were content to leave the timing up to her. She was healthy, and she obviously loved them. That was enough for now.

He closed his eyes with relief as the lemonade soothed his parched throat. He drank water constantly when he was in the fields, but his mama’s sweet lemonade was the only thing that could make him feel satisfied.

“The crops are good?” Rose asked.

“The best I’ve ever seen,” Moses said with satisfaction. She asked him every single day. He knew it was more because she enjoyed his excitement than because she cared about tobacco, but he appreciated the opportunity to talk about it. “The flower heads have just begun to form. Right now the men are still pulling the heads and the suckers off the plants, but we’ll begin the actual harvest next week.” He grinned at her. “Thomas is going to be pleased, and we’re going to have a large amount of money for school next year.”

Rose gazed at him. His dancing eyes said it would be more money than she could possibly imagine. Of course, that would not take much. The idea of both of them going to college was more than she could comprehend. She had been dreaming of going to college to truly become an educator for years. Moses’ dream of becoming a lawyer so he could help their people was much newer, but the strength of his passion made up for the newness. “It just doesn’t seem real,” she murmured.

Moses considered her words as John gazed longingly at the barn. John knew better than to interrupt when they were talking, but the tension in his little body said he was ready to leap into action at any moment. “No, I suppose it doesn’t.” He laughed. “Of course,
most
of our life seems like a fantasy right now, so it’s just one more thing.”

“I think about it all the time,” Rose admitted. “I love my school, but I’ve dreamed of going to college for so long.” Her eyes glittered. “It’s such an amazing time to be alive, Moses.”

Moses nodded, but he looked away, hoping she wouldn’t see what was in his eyes.

“There’s trouble,” Rose said flatly.

Moses knew it wasn’t a question. He looked back at her. He had promised to always be nothing but honest. “It’s just something I feel,” he protested. “Nothing has happened.”

“But it’s coming.”

“It could be something else,” Moses insisted. He wished he was better at hiding his feelings, but he’d never been able to hide anything from Rose. “I have no reason to believe trouble is on the way.”

BOOK: Shifted By The Winds
11.74Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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