Shifted By The Winds (54 page)

Carrie pulled Robert away from the dancing until they were encompassed in darkness, but the beat of the music still pulsed around them. She remained silent as she continued to make her way down the path she knew like the back of her hand. Robert followed willingly. She began to relax as the music faded behind them. By the time they reached her intended destination, the music was only a faint hum in the distance. She stopped on the banks of the river, breathing in deeply as she listened to the swish of the water against the shore and gazed up at the stars forming a gleaming canopy overhead. Robert wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, but he seemed content to remain quiet.

“I have something to tell you,” Carrie finally said after the river and the night had worked its magic on her.

“I have something to tell you, too,” Robert replied, his voice thick with satisfaction.

“You first,” Carrie said, curious to know what he was hiding, although she was fairly sure she knew what it was.

“Oh no,” he said. “You were the one who pulled me away from the dance. You have to talk first.”

“But I am next in line to the Conquering Knight,” Carrie protested. “You must do my bidding.”

“Nice try,” Robert shot back, “but you only came in second. Now that we have left the circle of the Cromwell Ball, you are nothing but a lowly wife. You must speak first.”

Carrie laughed, joy almost bursting her heart. She threw her arms around her husband. “I love you!”

“That’s your secret?” Robert asked, puzzled. “I’m pretty sure I knew that. I’ll hold it close to my heart, however. It will help when you leave.”

Carrie heard his teasing voice, but she also felt the pain hidden behind his light words. She was suddenly more aware than ever how much he missed her. “And what if I was here to tell you every day?”

Robert went still and stepped back to peer into her face. “What are you saying, Carrie?”

Carrie gazed up at him, wishing it wasn’t too dark for him to see all the love in her eyes. She could only hope it was coating every word she spoke. “I’m not going back to school, Robert. At least not now. I’m staying here on the plantation.” She couldn’t see the expression on his face, but she felt him remain very still.

“Why?”

Carrie recognized the sound of reluctant hope in his voice. She needed to give him an answer he could hold onto, but she wasn’t ready to talk about the possibility he couldn’t have children. “I know I want to be a doctor, Robert, but my heart is telling me to stay here on the plantation for now. I love being in school, but I miss you and the plantation every single day I am away from here.” She could feel Robert staring down at her, and she could almost see the questions in his eyes. “I am going to run the clinic and learn as much as I can about homeopathy. Abby knows a homeopathic physician in Richmond. I’m sure she’ll set up a meeting.”

“Does she know you’re staying?”

“I’ve told no one but you,” Carrie said. “Well, Rose…she was with me last night when I decided.”

Robert drew a deep breath. “You’re sure? Might you change your mind?”

Carrie knew he was protecting his heart from possible disappointment. She laughed and pressed close to him. “I’m not changing my mind,” she assured him. “I’ll send a letter to Philadelphia tomorrow and let them know my decision. And then I’m going to go riding with you every day and wait for the first snowfall. Though I must warn you, I may never get out of bed that day. I spent all last winter dreaming of being snuggled up with my husband on a snowy day!”

Robert clutched her close to him for a long moment and then threw his head back with a joyous laugh. He picked her up and swung her in a circle around him before lowering her to the ground to claim her lips in a passionate kiss. When he finally released her, he continued to hold her close. “Carrie…” he whispered.

“So may I take this as a sign of approval?”

“You’ve made me the happiest man alive,” Robert assured her. “I’ve been dreading the day you were going to leave again.”

Carrie felt a twinge of discomfort. “The day will come…”

Robert held a finger to her lips. “Of course the day will come,” he said. “I want you to be a doctor almost as much as you want to be one. I will support you when you decide it is time to move forward, but for now I’m simply going to celebrate having my wife with me.”

Carrie sighed and pulled his head down for another long kiss. “I love you,” she whispered. Then she pulled away, her hands still on his face as she remembered. “What do you have to tell me?” She could feel Robert’s face split into a wide smile.

“Do you know why Mark and Susan are here?” he asked.

Carrie hesitated for a split second before deciding not to let him know she knew the reason for their visit. She wanted him to have the joy of revealing it. “I assumed my father invited them for the Harvest Celebration.”

Robert laughed. “You, my darling wife, are a horrible liar.”

“What?” Carrie protested. She soon joined him in laughter. “I don’t know why I even try. I suppose it is a good thing that I can’t hide anything from you,” she said, hoping she would do a better job of hiding her suspicions from him. She needed to make sure they never had a conversation about having children.

“So you know they came to see the crop of foals…”

“And they are going to buy all of them!” Carrie cried. “
All
of them!” She pulled away from him, grabbed his hand, and began to dance on the beach. Robert laughed and joined her, spinning her in circles until she was gasping for breath. “I can’t breathe,” she finally cried, dropping onto the closest boulder on the shoreline.

“
All
of them,” Robert said slowly. He turned to stare out over the river as a fish splashed in the distance. “I guess Polly was right.  I should have listened to her and the rest of them who kept insisting someone would buy the horses.”

Carrie didn’t need to see his face to know his eyes were gleaming with happiness and satisfaction. “You’re on your way,” she said. “Other buyers are going to see them, and they are going to realize their prejudices are only making them miss out.” She knew Robert was watching his greatest dream come true. She pushed away the thought that she was letting
go
of her greatest dream. She wasn’t letting go, only setting it aside for a time to do what she believed her heart was telling her to do. She would understand why at some point, but right now she was willing to trust the pieces would fall into place at the exact right time. And she was going to hold close the joy of being exactly where she wanted to be.

Robert pulled her to him and pressed his lips against her hair. “Do we have to go back to the dance?”

Carrie pretended to consider the question. “I doubt they will miss us,” she finally said. “Do you have something else in mind?”

“The house is probably empty,” Robert answered as he ran a hand down her cheek.

Carrie jumped up from the rock. “What are we still doing down by the river then?”

“My thoughts exactly,” Robert said, throwing his head back in another joyful laugh.

Rose sensed the trouble before she could identify it. She stopped dancing and turned slowly, looking for what she was feeling.

Moses cocked his head. “What is it?”

Rose shook her head. “I’m not sure, but something doesn’t feel right.”

“I’ve been feeling trouble all night,” Moses admitted reluctantly. “I was hoping nothing would come of it.”

Rose took a deep breath and continued to scan the crowd. Her stomach tightened when she saw a small group of four women sitting beneath a tree, their heads close in intense concentration. Morah was in the middle of them, her face a mask of pained frustration and fear.

Moses’ eyes followed hers. “What is going on?”

“I’ll find out,” she replied as she stepped away.

“Wait,” Moses said tersely.

It was Rose’s turn to follow his gaze. Her stomach clenched even more as she recognized the husbands of the four women standing together. She could tell by the expressions on their faces that they were angry. Their eyes were full of a dangerous fury that made her nervous. “You watch the men,” she said. “I’ll go talk to the women.”

“What are you going to say?”

“I have absolutely no idea,” Rose admitted. She walked around the edge of the clearing and settled down on the blankets the women were sharing. “Good evening.”

Morah looked at her with desperate hope. “Hello, Rose.” Her voice was quiet and unsteady.

“What’s going on here?” Rose asked, relieved when she saw Moses step closer to the men. Their faces tightened with belligerence, but she was sure they wouldn’t do anything. They were all seasonal workers who were counting on Moses for a reference letter the next day, and they were also surrounded by people who would do anything for her husband.

“Oh, our men are pouting because we won’t dance with them,” one of the women replied.

Rose eyed the men again. They weren’t pouting. They were obviously trying to contain their anger in the midst of so many people. “Why won’t you dance with them?”

“Because they ain’t treating us right!” Morah said defiantly. “We thought about what you said at that meeting. We all decided we would make our stand here at the dance. We’re letting them know that if they don’t treat us right, we ain’t going to just keep being dutiful wives.”

Rose took a deep breath. Something told her they weren’t taking the wisest course of action, but she honestly didn’t know that she could come up with something better. Maybe being shunned by their wives in public would make the men rethink their actions. “And you believe this will work?”

Morah sighed. “I don’t reckon I believe anything will work, but things can’t get worse than they are,” she said bitterly.

Rose’s heart sank at the look of futility clouding the eyes of the beautiful young woman. She looked at the rest of them. “All of you are being beaten?”

The other three shook their heads. Della, a stout woman in her forties, had evidently been chosen as the spokeswoman. “Our men ain’t beating us,” she said. “At least not like Abraham is doing to Morah. They hit on us a little, but mostly they just do a lot of yelling. I think Moses must have said something to get through to them.” She shook her head with disgust. “What I learned from being in school is that I’m just as smart as any man. I didn’t live all them years in slavery just to have my man hit on me and yell at me and my children. I want my girls to know they can do anything they want now that they be free. I see the light in their eyes die a little more every day.” She scowled. “I ain’t gonna let it happen.”

The other two women murmured their agreement.

Rose was mystified as to what to do or say. She desperately wished her mama was there to give her advice, though she wasn’t even sure Sarah would have the answer. Everyone had been equal in the days of slavery. They feared being beaten, but not by each other. Slavery had been abolished, but new problems were raising their heads. She prayed quietly for wisdom. “No man has the right to hit you or demean you,” she said. She looked at Della. “What are you planning on doing?”

The defiance on Della’s face melted into confused fear. “I don’t got no idea,” she admitted. She glanced over at the men. “My man, Dexter, looks real angry,” she murmured. She glanced at Morah, who seemed to be pulling into herself as Abraham glared at her. The woman’s fear was palpable. “What you think we ought to do, Rose? I’m real sorry I ain’t talking right, but I just can’t seem to think clear.”

Rose knew now was not the time to worry about correct grammar. There were far more important things at stake. She stared at the women, knowing that whatever she said would impact their children – her students. The responsibility she felt was like a heavy stone around her heart. “You’re going to do nothing,” she said.

“Huh?” Della stammered.

“You’re going to do nothing. You’re staying right here at the end of the dance. We’ll put all of you up in one of the rooms in the house.” Rose was suddenly very certain the women should not return to the cabins where their husbands would probably be waiting. Nothing good would come from it.

Della was already shaking her head. “I can’t be leaving my children with Dexter,” she protested. “If I ain’t there to take his anger out on, he will take it out on the children. I won’t let that happen.”