Storm Clouds Rolling In (6 page)

“I too, sir
,” Robert responded quickly, obviously eager to talk politics. He leaned forward, his face tight with anticipation. “Yet their power seems to be growing, especially in the cotton states. I fear what their hotheaded passion will mean for those of us here in Virginia.”

Abigail broke into the conversation, her voice soft and almost pleading.
“Thomas, must we really talk of politics again? Mr. Borden surely does not want to fill his evening with this senseless ramble about what the North and South are going to do to each other.” She smiled brightly at Robert. “Can’t we just have a pleasant evening? He
is
our guest.”

Robert turned his most charming smile on her.
“Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Cromwell, but politics is exactly what I would love to spend my evening discussing. Especially with your husband. I have long admired him from a distance. I would love to know his thoughts on the issues besieging our country today.” He reached out a hand to touch her arm. “I hope you will not find me an ungrateful guest for wanting some of his time.”

Abigail relented gracefully.
“Certainly not. We are glad to have you as our guest.” Rising from the table, she beckoned to her daughter. “Carrie and I will leave you to your discussion.”

“I believe I’ll stay here, Mother.”
Carrie felt Robert’s eyes on her but merely gazed steadily at her mother.

Abigail gave Carrie a despairing look but said nothing more before she left the room.
Thomas winked at Carrie and turned back to his guest. “I understand your concern, Robert. Our country, North
and
South, seems to be full of hotheaded people who are allowing their passionate hearts to rule over their heads. Yet, in Virginia especially, there is still a large number who are allowing their heads to rule.”

Robert nodded thoughtfully as he settled back into his chair.
“Many of my neighbors in Goochland County think the only way for the South to maintain the life we have always known is to secede. Their arguments are impressive, sir.”

Thomas gave Robert a penetrating stare.
“And what do you think?”

Robert met his probing gaze with unflinching eyes.
“I think I am very confused, sir. My allegiance has always been to the Union. I’m a Southerner, but my years of schooling in the North have given me many Yankee friends and a love for the country as a whole. Yet, the North seems to want to destroy the only way of life many of us have ever known. I’m not sure how I feel about standing by and letting them do that. I, too, am afraid of what secession might mean, but daily I grow just as afraid of what remaining in the Union will mean. That, I suppose, is my main reason for making the trip all the way to Charleston. What happens at the Democratic Convention will have much to do with what happens in our country in the next year or so. There is already much division among the Democratic Party. I fear things could become more heated in Charleston.”

“The problem with the secessionists is that they don’t understand what secession would really do to the South.”

Robert turned his eyes toward Carrie. “What do you mean, Miss Cromwell?” His voice was courteous but slightly flustered.

Carrie hid a smile.
It was obvious he had never had a political discussion with a female before. “Our strength as a country lies in the very
unity
of our country. Secessionists fear such a union will mean the loss of their lifestyle. I think secession will
guarantee
the loss of that lifestyle. The North needs our agricultural strength. We need their industrial strength. But most importantly, I don’t think the founders of this country—my ancestors—gave their blood and such a mighty effort for freedom just to see it tossed away when we can’t agree. There must be a way to keep our country together.” Her eyes flashed as she finished, her napkin twisted in her fist. Her mother’s obvious fear earlier that evening had given a fresh spark to all she had learned in her conversations with her father and from her reading.

Thomas spoke again as Robert continued to gaze at Carrie.
“My daughter speaks my heart as well. Secession is not the answer for the South. I’m afraid if the secessionists in this country are allowed to win this battle, all I have lived and struggled for will cease to exist. I do not believe a peaceable secession is possible. No liquid but blood has ever filled the baptismal fount of nations.”

Robert frowned and looked back at Thomas.
“So you believe, sir, that secession will mean war?”

“I’m afraid so
.” Thomas nodded sadly. “And war of any kind is always horrible and destructive. It would mean nothing but tragedy for our country.”

Silence reigned at the table for several minutes as the three of them looked forward into the future, saddened by what could occur if the hotheads
of the country had their way.

Robert broke the silence.
“The abolitionists of the North are becoming more strident. That is one reason I have returned home from college, in spite of having just a few months left before I would have earned my degree. People from the South are becoming very unpopular in the North these days. Several of my classmates returned with me. I intend to finish my degree somewhere in the South.”

“Ah, yes…” Thomas tapped his pipe, anger flitting across his face and sharpening his voice.
“The abolitionists. I wonder if they really know the troubles they are stirring up down here? I wonder if they are ready to deal with the true consequences if they get their way.”

“They demand total emancipation of the slaves, sir.”

“Yes,” Thomas acknowledged tersely. “It would mean the end of our civilization as we know it.”

“Why, Father?”
The question slipped from Carrie’s mouth before she realized she had spoken. She wasn’t even sure where the question had come from. But it was spoken. She waited for her father to answer.

“Slavery is the cornerstone of the South.
I don’t believe freedom for the South is possible without slavery. It is the basis for our entire civilization.” Thomas drew deeply on his pipe and settled back into his chair, warming to his subject.

Carrie was surprised by the immediate reaction that surged through her.
She did not for the life of her know why her heart was rebelling at her father’s words. She had heard them plenty of times before and had simply accepted them as truth. Why was she questioning them now? Fastening her eyes on her beloved parent, she listened.

“The abolitionists in the North simply don’t understand the way of life in the South.
Oh, I know they ramble on about the desire of the slaves to be free and I know they even help some of them obtain that freedom, but they aren’t looking at the long-range consequences of their thoughtless and reckless actions. Our Negroes are quite simply fulfilling their destiny. And I, as a slave owner, am fulfilling
my
destiny. My destiny is to take care of the Negroes God has given to me. My Negroes are quite simply a part of my family. It is my responsibility to provide for their protection, happiness, and welfare. It is their job to fulfill the responsibilities they hold.”

“I quite agree with you, sir,” Robert broke in, “but the abolitionists are stirring up people in the North with wild tales of abuse and mistreatment of the slaves.”

Thomas nodded. “Unfortunately, there are a few rare cases where the slaves are not treated as they should be. Much of that comes from the rising class of slave owners. Unlike those of us who view our position as masters as a somber responsibility, there are those who view the slave only as a profit center. The new owners work hard at some profession until they have money to obtain land and slaves. Then they hire an overseer and remain in town while the Negroes do their work and are sometimes abused. But that doesn’t make slavery a bad thing. It simply means there are people in the system who abuse the power God has given them.” He paused to dump the ashes from his pipe and then carefully repack it. He seemed lost in thought. Robert and Carrie waited for him to continue. “The truth is, the slaves quite simply couldn’t exist outside the world of slavery. They need us. Left to their own devices, they have neither the mental ability nor the motivation to survive. That’s why it is part of my destiny to care for them. I freely acknowledge that all I have is due to the work and effort they give me, but that is simply the fulfillment of their part of the plan of destiny.”

Unbidden, vivid images crowded into Carrie’s mind.
The intelligent shine of Rose’s eyes. The eager thirst for knowledge as they studied together. Old Sarah bent over the fire in her cabin reading her Bible. Miles carefully crafting new shoes for a tiny foal born with a twisted leg. Were these people of mental inferiority? Were they incapable of taking care of themselves? Somehow she knew the images crowding her mind were the source of her most recent questions.

Carrie’s father continued, pulling her thoughts back to the table
. “Take the load of slaves I purchased yesterday—”

“You’ve purchased more slaves, Father?”
Carrie didn’t know why the idea bothered her. It never had before.

“Yes, Carrie.
There are several owners in Virginia who are afraid war may be coming, so they are selling their slaves to large plantations farther south in order to recoup some of their investment. I think differently. I hope with all my heart that war will not come, and I will fight with everything I have to keep that from happening. But if war does come, the South will be victorious. Of that I am certain. It makes sense to buy as many slaves as possible for that time. There was a fine lot being offered today. I purchased ten—six women and four men.”

Carrie merely nodded, her face impassive.

Robert, however, grew enthusiastic as Thomas talked. “I’d never thought about it that way before, sir. When I return from Charleston I intend to strengthen the stock I have. My brother and I have both been in school lately and have not been able to attend to crop planting as much as we would desire. We have kept my mother very comfortable with breeding.”

“Breeding?”
Carrie had never heard of such a thing. She noticed her father open his mouth as if to stop Robert’s explanation and then he shut it again, sitting back in his chair to listen.

“Yes,” Robert responded casually with a touch of pride in his voice.
“My brother and I buy mostly female slaves. They usually prove to be quite prolific in their production of children. The market for young slaves is quite strong. We do quite well selling off our stock on a yearly basis.”

Carrie couldn’t stop the feeling of bile rising in her throat.
Robert raised black children simply to sell them away from their mothers? She had developed a genuine liking for Robert as she had listened to his conversation with her father. Confusion rose to choke her as she stared at him. How could anyone do such a thing?

Thomas seemed to sense her disgust and spoke quickly, his voice soft but firm.
“It is necessary to do what we must. All of us. Destiny is a hard taskmaster, even when quietly and philosophically obeyed.” His voice deepened. “Resisting our destiny would cause destruction and mayhem. Some say we should set the slaves free to flounder in their very freedom. I think not. Our destiny is linked with theirs. We are bound to them and wisdom teaches us not to cut them loose. It is in this way that we truly show our respect for the Negro.”

Carrie, under his watchful eye, nodded once more but the fire of controversy in her heart was raging.
Why was she suddenly so uncomfortable with what she had accepted all her life?

Just then
, Robert, seemingly oblivious to her turmoil, turned to her with his most charming smile. “We seem to have eaten up the entire night with politics. I had hoped you would be able to show me the beautiful horses you have here.”

Carrie, eager to leave the current conversation behind, shook off her somber mood and turned to him with a smile.
“We have the best in Virginia,” she stated quietly.

“Is that the truth?”
Robert laughed. “With that being the case, would you consent to my riding one of them in the tournament tomorrow? I received an invitation to participate in the Blackwell’s event, but my trip to Charleston made it impossible to bring my horse along. I hadn’t planned to ride, but suddenly I feel the desire.”

Carrie nodded eagerly, her thoughts now focused on Robert’s request.
“You may ride Granite. There is none better.” Carrie saw her father’s surprised look but kept her eyes on Robert. Her decision to let him ride Granite was as unusual as all the other thoughts rampaging through her mind, but she had spoken and couldn’t take it back now.

“And who is Granite?” Robert asked.

“He is my horse. The finest in the state. He will give you a smooth ride and he is fast as lightning.” She spoke with confidence and felt only a twinge of remorse at the vindictive feelings rising in her. A Blackwell horse always won the annual event, but only because Carrie could not ride Granite in the competition. Females were not allowed to compete in the tournament. Even if she couldn’t be the rider, it would do her heart good to see a Cromwell horse win. As long as Robert was a good competitor—which, without any reason, she somehow suspected he was— Granite would do his part.