Shifted By The Winds (33 page)

Thomas nodded. “It will be interesting to see who wins the tournament this year. The last one I attended at Blackwell seems like another life.”

Abby understood when a shadow crossed his face. “It
was
another life, Thomas. Do you miss it terribly?”

Thomas sat silently for several moments before he shook his head. “I thought I would,” he murmured. “Before the war I couldn’t imagine another life. When my first wife died, I couldn’t escape the plantation fast enough. After the war, all I wanted was to go back to it. I enjoy our visits now, but the plantation is no longer my life. Even if things hadn’t changed so drastically in the country,
I
have changed drastically. I did farming one way my entire life. I know I could have changed, but I no longer had the desire. I was ready to create a new life with you here in the city.”

“I’m glad you don’t have any regrets,” Abby murmured.

“Not a single one,” Thomas assured her. “Especially now that the tension has eased some. The one regret I struggled with for months was the knowledge that living in Richmond was putting you into extreme danger. I felt selfish for not having us move to Philadelphia.”

Abby sniffed. “I believe it was my choice to be here, as well,” she reminded him. She was touched by his concern, but her need for independence was just as strong.

Thomas laughed. “That it was, but can’t a man love his wife enough to not want her to be in danger?”

Abby relaxed. Both of them were learning how to love each other, while also totally respecting the other’s needs. “You’re right,” she agreed. She returned to the earlier topic. “Didn’t Robert win the tournament last time?”

“He did,” Thomas answered. “And then he crowned Carrie as his Queen of Beauty and Love. It was quite a special night. My beautiful daughter was the belle of the ball.”

Abby smiled as she remembered the story Carrie had told her.

“I predict the tournament will be a hard fought battle between the men this year,” Thomas said with a laugh.

Abby leaned back and gazed up at him. “Only between the men?”

Thomas started to nod and then stopped himself. “Oops. I’m about to make another mistake, aren’t I?”

“You could be,” Abby agreed sweetly.

Thomas threw back his head with a hearty laugh. “You’re absolutely right, my love. I’m sure Carrie has plans to win this year. It will be fun to see if any other women materialize to challenge her. She’ll be at a disadvantage because there will be no opportunity to practice in the city, but it might not keep her from winning. She used to practice for hours when she was young, telling me that one day
she
would ride in a tournament. And now she is,” he added. “Times are indeed changing.” His voice deepened as he pulled Abby even closer. “I like it.”

Abby opened her mouth to ask him if he was sure, but snuggled closer instead. She was a smart woman. She was simply going to be grateful.

Rose was glad for the fire crackling in the woodstove. She knew the afternoon would be warm and mild, but the morning air was chilly enough to make the flames welcome. She pulled her sweater close, relieved the long, humid summer was over. At least when the weather was cold she could build a fire and stay warm. There was no escape from the brutal summer heat. She would probably be longing for the warmth in a few months, but right now she was simply glad not to be miserably hot.

“Hurry, Amber!”

Rose smiled as Felicia and Amber broke out of the woods behind the school. They always walked on the path from the plantation. Amber was moving slowly, her face indicating she wished she was still back at the stable with her beloved filly. Felicia ran ahead, her face showing even more eagerness than usual to get to school.

“Good morning, Miss Rose!” Felicia chirped as she ran in the door, skidding to a halt in front of her desk.

Rose grinned at her, knowing exactly why she was so excited. “Are you ready, Felicia?” It had been hard to get the little girl to eat that morning, but she had finally refused to let Felicia go to school with her until she ate some breakfast. Annie had stood over her with a stern look while she grumbled and shoved in spoonfuls of porridge.

Felicia nodded her head, her braids slapping against her back. “Yes, ma’am. I’m ready!”

“Are you nervous?”

Felicia shook her head just as hard. “No, ma’am. I’m just real excited to tell what I’ve been learning.” She glanced out the window and saw that Amber was busy playing with some other children in the schoolyard.

Rose waited quietly, sensing Felicia had something she wanted to say.

Felicia looked out the window again, evidently made up her mind, and then turned to Rose. “There’s something I would like to tell you.”

Rose nodded. “All right.”

Felicia flashed a bright smile that turned her from a serious little girl into a beautiful young woman. Rose caught her breath, amazed a smile could work such a total transformation. Felicia had followed her directive that she play for an hour every day, but once she had fulfilled the requirement, she headed straight for the library. Rose knew that as Felicia got older it would be harder and harder to stay far enough ahead of her to teach her, but she welcomed the challenge.

Felicia took a step closer. “I’ve been selected to be a meteor observer,” she said proudly.

Rose stared at her. “A meteor observer? I’m afraid I don’t know anything about that.”

Felicia nodded. “Most people don’t,” she replied. “My mama and I used to watch the stars every single night from our plantation. We would go out when it was good and dark and watch how the sky changed. Sometimes we saw white flashes of light across the sky. They scared us because we didn’t know what they were, but we finally realized they weren’t going to hurt us. It became a game to see how many would appear each night.”

“Meteors,” Rose murmured. Watching them streak across the sky was one of her favorite things, too.

“Yes!” Felicia said, her eyes snapping with excitement. “I never get tired of looking for them.”

“Which is why you climb out the window at night sometimes to sit on the roof,” Rose said as understanding dawned.

Felicia stared at her. “You know about that?” Her face puckered with a frown. “Am I in trouble?”

Rose smiled. “If you were in trouble for it, you would have known long before now. I figured you were doing something important. That part of the roof isn’t very steep, so I decided not to say anything.” Truth be told, she had imagined Felicia crawling out on the roof with the hopes of being closer to her dead parents. It was a relief to know she was stargazing.

“Mama and I used to watch the stars move around the sky in different places, but we didn’t know anything about constellations and how the earth rotates around the sun. That’s what made us see different stars at different times of the year, you know.”

Rose gazed at her. “I can learn a lot from you,” she admitted. “I don’t know very much about the stars.”

Felicia’s grin exploded again. “I’ll be real happy to teach you. I go out almost every night now so that I can record meteor activity. Not many people get accepted as observers because you have to take very careful calculations. Once a month I mail in my observations. I’m sending the letters back to Richmond when the courier delivers Mr. Cromwell’s journals and publications.” Her smile disappeared into a frown. “I could do a better job with a telescope, but I do the best I can.”

Rose tucked that piece of information away for later thought. “I would be honored to watch them with you some nights.” She was thrilled she had found a way to connect with the little girl, but she also had to be a parent. “But you have to make sure you get enough sleep each night,” she cautioned, hiding her smile when she saw the flare of resistance in Felicia’s eyes.

“You told me you used to stay up almost all night reading sometimes,” Felicia protested. “Sleep is really not that important.”

Rose allowed her smile to slip out and decided not to point out that her status as a slave meant that was her
only
time to learn. “I know you believe that right now, but I happen to know that’s not true.”

“How?” Felicia demanded.

Rose didn’t mind the questions. She wanted Felicia to learn how to think for herself. “I’ve been teaching for almost four years. I know how much better a student learns when they get enough rest. I don’t believe your brain works as well if you are not getting enough sleep.”

Felicia nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose that could be true,” she murmured. “I’ll make sure I get enough sleep,” she promised. “At least most of the time,” she added impishly.

Rose leaned forward and gave her a hug. “Congratulations on being selected as a meteor observer.” A glance at her watch told her it was time to start school. “What are you going to talk about today?”

Felicia hesitated. “Can I keep it a surprise?”

Rose raised a brow but had no objection. “If you wish. I trust you to do an excellent job.”

Felicia stared at her. “You do?” she breathed. “Really?”

“Really,” Rose assured her, touched by the little girl’s hunger for her approval. She knew Felicia still held back her wholehearted love because she was afraid of being disloyal to her dead mother, but the walls were breaking down a little more each day. Rose could see her own mama’s gleaming eyes encouraging her to just keep loving Felicia. “I am looking forward to what you have to share.”

Reading and spelling had been completed when Rose raised her hand to get her class’ attention. “I have a surprise for all of you today,” she said. She watched sixty-five students snap to attention. Abby had told her the Missionary Society was trying to find another teacher to help her, but their efforts so far had been unsuccessful. She would welcome the help, but her students were so well-behaved, the large class of many different ages wasn’t a problem. Everyone helped each other, and all the children were eager to learn.

“This is story day,” one of the children called. “Is that the surprise?”

“It is indeed story day,” Rose responded, “but the surprise is that I’m not going to be the one telling the story. Felicia is.” She motioned for Felicia to come forward, and then moved to sit at Felicia’s tiny desk. She wanted to be able to watch her daughter’s face.

Felicia grinned and walked forward to the front of the room. The quick flash of nervousness in her eyes was concealed by the bright smile. “I’m going to tell you today about Maria Mitchell. She was the first American woman to work as a professional astronomer.”

“What’s an astron…omer?” one little girl asked, stumbling over the long word.

“An astronomer is someone who studies things up in space,” Felicia answered. “Things like the sun, the moon, stars, and
comets
,” she finished.

“A black woman was an astronomer?” Clay, a thin twelve-year-old boy who liked to tease Felicia asked.

“No. Maria Mitchell was a white woman,” Felicia announced matter-of-factly.

Rose was quiet as a silence fell on the room.

“Why are you going to tell us about a white woman?” Clay asked. “We be black.”

“We
are
black,” Rose corrected, waiting to see how Felicia would respond.

The little girl held her ground. “What’s wrong with being white? Some white folks are very bad people, but there are others who aren’t. If we want people to like us even though we’re black, shouldn’t we like folks even though they are white?”

Rose watched the faces of the other children, encouraged when many of them nodded. Felicia’s simple statement had said it all. The fact that it had been said by someone their own age meant they were more likely to believe it. She nodded encouragement when Felicia looked her way.

“Like I said,” Felicia continued, not missing a beat, “Maria Mitchell was the first American woman to work as an astronomer. She was born way back in 1818. She was actually very lucky because her parents believed she was equal to boys, so she got the same education they did.”

“She was white,” Clay snorted. “Of course she did.”

Rose stood. “There is no interrupting when I teach, and there will be none while Felicia is teaching. If she decides to take questions after she is done, she will let you know. For now, you will give her the same respect you give me,” she said. Felicia raised her head even higher, her eyes expressing her gratitude when they met Rose’s.

“Women today, whether they are white or black, are fighting for equality,” Felicia announced, obviously emboldened by Rose standing up for her. “You boys may think you’re better than us, but you’re not.”

Rose heard the boys shifting in their seats, but no one else interrupted.

“Maria Mitchell went to school from the time she was very young. When she was eleven, her father built his own school. She was a student, but she was also a teaching assistant.” Felicia’s eyes glowed with excitement. “Her father taught her astronomy at home. When she was just twelve years old, just two years older than me, she helped her father calculate the exact moment of an annular eclipse. An annular eclipse is when the sun and moon are exactly in line during the day. The moon slides over the sun, but it appears to be a little smaller, so the sun looks like a bright ring around the moon.”

The class was silent now, mesmerized by one of their own teaching them something they had never heard about. Some of them glanced toward the sun shining brightly through the windows, but then turned back quickly so they wouldn’t miss anything she was saying.

“Maria Mitchell became a teacher. She was actually one of the first teachers to let
black
children come to her school up in Massachusetts. That’s a state way north of here. Lots of slaves ran away to there before the war started. There were lots of people who didn’t like her teaching blacks, but that didn’t stop her. She knew it was the right thing to do because black children are just as smart as white children,” she added.

Rose was impressed by Felicia’s knowledge, but she was equally impressed by her teaching style. Felicia knew she was speaking of things most of the other children knew nothing about. The little girl was eager to share what she had learned, but she wanted to make sure everyone could understand her.

“In 1847, almost twenty years ago, Maria Mitchell discovered a comet. She found it on October 1st, at ten thirty at night, with a telescope.” Excitement made Felicia’s voice higher.

Rose decided not to point out that no one in the room knew what a comet was. There would be plenty of time for Felicia to teach them.

“King Christian the Eighth of Denmark gave her a gold medal for discovering that comet and now she is famous all over the world. They named the comet after her. Mitchell’s Comet!” She paused, evidently seeing the confused look on some faces. “Denmark is a country in Europe, all the way across the ocean.” She looked at Rose. “Can I bring in a map of the world tomorrow so everyone can see where it is?”

“Certainly,” Rose murmured, a sudden idea taking shape as she watched Felicia teach.

“Maria Mitchell became the first woman elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. And last year she became a professor of astronomy at Vassar College.” If possible, even more excitement snapped in Felicia’s eyes. “Vassar College is the first real college just for women,” she announced. A tiny frown crinkled her brows. “Right now they don’t let black women enroll, but that will change in time,” she said confidently. “Maybe I will go to school there one day, but there is something very exciting that is going to happen next month,” she announced. “Right here on the plantation…”