The Book of Night Women (22 page)

—Splendid. I’m not one for niggers who kill themselves. Messy business, very heathen-like. And those Coromantees are far more trouble than they’re worth. Akan, you say? Well, she is to be sent directly to Coulibre, where my mama will teach her some social graces. Despite her horrendous behaviour she may still be of use. I will certainly have use for her in the near future.

Homer and Lilith perplex.

—I shall make a little lady of you. Aren’t you thrilled to hear it, Lilith? she say.

Lilith don’t say nothing. Homer try to nudge her without Miss Isobel looking. Lilith stand still looking at the ground. She don’t say nothing.

—Yes, ma’am. She plenty joyful, ma’am, Homer say.

—Splendid. Just splendid. I have been watching you, Lilith. Watching you very closely.

—Ma’am? Homer say.

—Oh, yes. Of course you would never have noticed, occupied as you were, watching somebody else.

Lilith say nothing. Homer say, Me no know—

—That’s the lot of all niggers: little knowledge, less sense. Some of you even think you can aspire to something greater than your fate. Do you know what aspire means, child?

Lilith say nothing.

—She never did born too righted, ma’am, Homer say.

—Just as well. I trust that there was nothing about her behaviour she understood, nevertheless, she’d do well to remember her place if she knows what’s good for her.

—Mistress, me don’—

—And another thing, Homer, since the fool can’t speak for herself. That... dress she wore with her bosom all tumbling out and embarrassing decent people? Get rid of it. She’s so clear to me she might as well be glass. A woman knows another woman’s heart, eh? Well, Lilith, you failed, and it will be my task to remind you of that failure. And of your place. In quick time you will be my shadow, Lilith. I’ve decided to keep you closer than a brother. Very close, she say.

 

 

The hill flatten out
and the carriage come to a stop. A breeze cold like rain make Lilith shiver. She look around and see the place for the first time.

Coulibre.

Lilith was thinking that Coulibre was goin’ look like Miss Isobel in some way or the other. Coulibre look down on her through sixteen black window and a wall that not whitewash in a long time. Coulibre not like Montpelier that have a ground floor that cut from stone and two top floor that make from wood. Coulibre is all stone. There be a ground floor all seal up except for the wide staircase that run from the ground, over the ground floor and up to the first floor, where it end in front of two big black door. Four window on the left and four window on the right and all of them dark. The next floor have nothing but window, but they a little lighter. The roof was dark brown to black and point to the sky like church. Robert Quinn waiting on her.

Lilith grab her bundle and jump out of the carriage.

—Be a good negro to yer new masters and misfortune shall not befall ye, Quinn say. Lilith stare at the ground. When she look up he turn away from her quick. Lilith start to head to the door.

—Lass, unless ye want to begin yer stay by meeting the cowhide, I suggest ye use the rear, say Robert Quinn.

Lilith step down the front step. Robert Quinn rub him palms. Nobody look at nobody. Good day, he say and turn round the carriage and leave. Lilith turn to go round the rear of the great house and hear the carryall stop. She know he looking. Lilith walk a wide length from the house and hear nothing. Just right then a negro girl, her hair plait tight and her dress white and torn, burst through a side door and run down the steps. She lose her foot when she near the bottom and trip. The girl pick herself up and still crying. She push past Lilith, who did walk to the steps to help her. Lilith watch her go to the shed nearby and hear noise inside the house. She step inside slow.

—Come now, you stinking child! A fortnight it’s been, high time for a bath. Good lord, smell those dirty arms and feet! Abominable! Just abominable! this white woman say. The little boy she talking to have hair yellow like Miss Isobel. He jumping up and down naked even though he much bigger than baby. Spots all over him face that white people call freckle. He bawling and screaming because the white woman hand grab him ears and twist.

—God’s words! Do you take your mother for a stupid nigger? she say. The boy still be screaming.—Speak when you’re spoken to, answer when you’re called. Do you take your mother for an imbecile? she say.

The boy shake his head.

—Well, relieved am I to hear such a thing. Now, upstairs with you, and have yourself a good proper cleaning before I take the switch to you, she say. She let go him ear and the boy grab it and sniffle.

—I hate you! the boy shout.

—Nor do I find you agreeable myself, but God has yoked us together, so together we shall be. Now, off with you, you little shithouse, before I grab the other ear, she say.

The boy run off and a little old negro woman run after him, clutching her bosom that flap up and down hard under her frock.

—Heavens! So you’re the unseasoned nigger my daughter has foisted upon me? From Montpelier? You’re a full day early! God’s words, what am I supposed to do? the woman say. Lilith don’t know what to say. She remember somebody saying this be Mr. Roget second wife but didn’t remember that she look so much younger than Massa Humphrey mother.

—You, you girl who just stepped inside my house, she say, pointing with her finger. The other negroes in the room look. Lilith look at the negroes dressed so good, only black skin stop them from looking white. Two negro mens by the window putting up a new curtain. One chubby negro woman on the floor trying to hush a baby. One old negro woman over by the big table in the middle of the room taking more curtain out of a chest.

—You, you nigger by the door. Yes, you. Are you deaf as well? Is there no limit to the trials my stepdaughter will put me through? Does she not know how much I suffer? she say.

—Ma’am? Lilith say.

—God’s words! It speaks. At least that’s one thing I shall not have to whip out of you. For, make no mistake, I shall whip you in earnest as soon as your master bids me! Do you know why you are here, girl? she say.

—Yes’m.

—Well, at least you think you do, if you blackies think at all. Quite the problem you were at Montpelier. Nothing but source of trouble and humiliation, not to mention grievous harm to Isobel’s chaperone, Miss Holliflower, the incident which I saw myself. You had every single lash coming to you, and mind you, I shall show the fullest extent of my discipline if I ever sense such defiance again. Uppity nigger indeed. To think you’re estate born, yet still you need to be seasoned. I tell you, I’ve never heard of such a thing. But seasoned you shall be, and sooner rather than later too. Do we understand each other?

—Yes’m.

—Of course not, your negro head has never been to a Christian school. And . . . oh, hurry up, Bessy! Hurry up!

The old negro woman put down her bundle of curtains and run out of the room.

—Now you. Work and work hard, harder than everybody else, and I shall be kind to you. Do otherwise and I shall be most unkind and—Oh goddamn, Matraca, will you shush that damn little hellion!

The chubby negro woman on the floor with the baby look up. Her eye wide open and her mouth tremble.

—L-1-lawd, mistress, he, he, he don’t want be hush, mistress, she say.

—For heaven’s sake! the mistress say and go over to the negro woman and the baby. The mistress put the baby on her shoulder, then she slap the negro woman in the face.

—Imbecile, the mistress say.

The negro woman grab her cheek and cry quiet. But she look up two time to see if the mistress was looking at her and scowl when she see only Lilith. The negro mens put the curtain on the window, and the old woman come back with a chest full of more. The mistress walk over to Lilith and shove the crying baby in her hands. Lilith grab the baby quick, lest she drop him and start the day with a whipping. Lilith cradle the baby soft in her arm and the baby cry a little, then stop. As the baby stop the whole room go quiet.

—You may be of some use after all, the mistress say. Now off to the kitchen with you, she say and point to a door behind her.

The kitchen half the size of the one at Montpelier and look like not much cooking be doing in there. All sort of pot and pan hang from the ceiling and the counter make out of the same stone as the rest of the house. The room be hot from the brick oven. Lilith have her bundle in one hand and the baby in the other.—Set down wherever you choose, the mistress don’t care, somebody say. Lilith look round and don’t see nobody. The kitchen door swing open and in she step. She taller than Lilith but thicker, like a young man almost, with wide shoulder but thin waist. Her hair in all wild direction but it direct eyes to her face, the prettiest Lilith ever see on a negro. Lilith didn’t know God portion out them kinda prettiness to negro people. Lilith perplex a little, ’cause the girl lips thick and dark and her nose flat till it disappear between her eye. She didn’t have good hair and her skin too dark. But the girl was the prettiest woman Lilith ever did see. Lilith perplex, ’cause the arrow from ugly to pretty was from black to white. Her bearing not like a Montpelier negro. Plus, she dress in a deep blue frock, complete with petticoat and lace trim. Not even a chaperone dress up like that.

—Set down you things and grab dis here bucket, she say.

—The baby? Lilith say.

—Cain’t see he making much protest, the girl say.

Lilith set the baby on the table and take one of the buckets from the girl. The thing so heavy that she near drop it on her toe.

—Montpelier cain’t even give a nigger some shoes? the girl say. Lilith wondering why she wearing such stoosh clothes just to go fetch water. Lilith grab the bucket and set it on the counter.

—Dem call me Dulcimena, but everybody done call me Dulcey, she say.

—Lilith, Lilith say.

Dulcimena pour milk into a pot and set it to boil.—To kill out the nastiness in it. White people drink it straight from the cow, the nasty bastards, she say. As soon as she set the milk ’pon the stove, she turn to Lilith and ask if she suckle. Lilith don’t know what she mean.

—Me mean if you did breed lately, Dulcimena say.

—No, baba, me never do them things, Lilith say. Dulcimena take one look at Lilith then throw her whole head back laughing. Lilith relieved. This woman look at her too long when she ask a question, long enough that Lilith sweat feel cold.

—Excuse me, please? How you manage dat deh miracle with nasty backra and nasty nigger around? Down dere sew up?

Lilith don’t say nothing.

—Not even de overseer fuck you? Dulcimena grabbing her waist now.—Not even de slave-driver? You means to tell me that plenty mens look ’pon pretty gal laka you and no try to take de pussy? You diseased, gal?

—No!

—Dis no sound right. Eh-eh, dis mighty peculiar. Well, anyway, God know best, or God don’t know a raas.

Dulcimena laugh again. She laugh haughty and loud and the kitchen shake with her. Lilith laugh but it come out soft. Dulcimena look at her so long that she look away first. Lilith wonder why she thinking of a sour white man with yellow hair and cold sweat and sailor speak. Dulcimena did call her pretty. She take the baby off the table and plop a titty out of her dress. She hold up the white baby to her black nipple and the baby grab quick and greedy and suck so loud the whole kitchen feel like it soon get suck in. Lilith have to push her own mouth back shut.

—Jesus Christ! They make you do that?

—Dem people would sooner give him donkey milk if it be more easy. Dem don’t care and he? He nah remember ten, fifteen year from now when he same one whipping de life out o’ me.

—How come you have breast milk? You have a young’un too?

—Did have two. Twin. Massa Roget sell dem last fortnight. Or he kill dem, me no know.

Dulcimena give Lilith a chuckle but it weaker than before and she look away from Lilith quick, dart back and look away again. Then she let out a loud laugh, though the kitchen didn’t shake.

—Nigger life! What you gone do? she say.

Dulcimena boil the milk, then set sweet potato on the stove. Dulcimena go outside to feed the chicken in the coop and tie off three goat. Dulcimena rub down and feed Massa Roget special black horse, throw scrap corn give the hogs, then go upstairs to prepare the bed for Massa Henri Roget, the son who ears did get a proper squeezing not long ago. Then she come back to the kitchen when the sun gone and give Lilith a pan with sweet potatoes and a jar of cow milk. Eat now, Dulcimena say. You going be sleeping over there, she say, pointing to the floor by the kitchen door. Lilith look ’pon the woman like she mad and the woman laugh.

—Excuse me please, you was expecting bed? The mistress like her nigger to sleep where dem work so dem can work early, Dulcimena say.

Is night and the great house quiet. Homer did say Coulibre was an estate but is not an estate at all. No sugar be growing in this place, nor tobacco, nor cotton neither. Massa Northbert Roget work in Kingston as magistrate for the crown. He make him money from that and from what Dulcimena say is one thousand a year that he get from him papa who dead long ago and eight hundred a year that he get when he married him second wife near ten year now. Isobel was little girl when the new mistress come, a year after the old mistress dead and Dulcimena never say how she know so much ’bout massa affairs, except that the man take to talking too much any time she suck him proper.

There be seven slave at Coulibre. Sacco and Thunder, who work the grounds; Habakkuk, who clean and drive the barouche. Bessy, the old nigger woman with a hump in her back, do little things, but mostly nothing. Matraca, who take care of the young massa and him baby brother. Francine, who wait on the mistress. Then there is Dulcimena, who do everything else, including all the kitchen work, cooking and whatever the other niggers forget to do.