Wilde, Jennifer (27 page)

"Randolph?
I don't understand."

"Ben
Randolph. He'll be coming to pick up his property."

"You—"
I hesitated. A hand seemed to clutch my heart.

"I'm
selling Adam," he told me.

"Derek!
You can't do that!"

"I
have no choice," he said. His voice was cold, hard. "Randolph'll give
me two thousand pounds for the buck. He's been after me to sell him for the
past two years."

I
was standing now, trembling. My knees felt weak, and it seemed the floor was
about to drop from under me. I caught hold of the bedpost for support, gripping
it tightly.

"Cassie's
expecting a baby! You can't separate them! They—they love each other. It's
inhuman. It's—"

"God
knows I don't want to sell him. I have no choice. I tried to get a loan in
Charles Town. I couldn't. I tried to get a mortgage on Shadow Oaks. That fell
through, too. I have to have money, Marietta, and I have to have it now, or
we'll all starve."

"You
can't do it—not Adam. Derek, you simply can't—"

"I
told Randolph about Cassie, told him she was expecting, offered to sell her,
too, so they wouldn't be separated, but he wasn't interested. It's something I
have to do, Marietta."

"You
can't! Ben Randolph—Maud told me about him, told me how he mistreats his
slaves. The man's a sadist, a—"

"He
isn't going to mistreat Adam. He's investing two thousand pounds."

"I
won't let you do it!"

"Goddamit!"
he exploded. "Do you think I
want
to sell him? Do you think I
haven't gone through all the agonies of hell? It's the toughest decision I've
ever had to make in my life, but I had to make it! I could sell Adam, or I
could sell you! Randolph'd buy you in a minute, or Jason Barnett, or a dozen other
men I could name! I prefer to sell Adam."

"He—he's
a human being. He's a husband, and—and soon he'll be a father. There must be
something else you can do. It's—"

"It's
done," he said crisply.

He
turned then and left the room abruptly. I heard him striding briskly down the
hall, heard him enter his room and slam the door shut behind him. I stood there
clutching the bedpost, tears streaming down my cheeks, so distraught I could
hardly think coherently. I cried, and then I wiped my cheeks and turned out the
lamp and went to sit in front of the window. I stared out at the night, and I
was a part of the darkness, filled with an anguish almost impossible to bear.
Hours passed, and dawn came. Reason returned. It would kill Cassie if she lost
her man. It would destroy Adam, too. That majestic splendor would vanish and he
would be a mere shell. I couldn't let it happen. I couldn't.

I
thought of Elijah Jones then, and I knew what I had to do.

"Stop
crying, Cassie," I said sharply. "That isn't going to help matters at
all, and—and it's beginning to irritate me!"

"You
don't
care,"
she wailed. "Th' master done put Adam in chains
an' locked him up out in th' shed, and dat man's goin' be here tomorrow to take
him away."

"I'm
fully aware of that, Cassie."

"Why'd
he have to put Adam in chains? Why'd he have to lock him up like dat? Adam
wuzn't goin' run away. He has pride, Miz Marietta. Chainin' him like dat done—
done make him feel like some worthless nigger. He's goin' die o' shame, and I'm
goin' die, too. If they take my man away, I'm goin' die sure as faith—"

"Shut
up,
Cassie."

I
felt wretched speaking to the girl like that, but I simply couldn't abide her
sniveling any longer. Cassie retreated to the other side of the kitchen and
stood wringing her hands, her eyes abrim with tears. I wanted to gather her in
my arms and hold her close, comfort her, but I couldn't. This was no time for
any kind of emotional indulgence. I had a great deal on my mind, a great deal
to do, and it would take all the strength and courage I could muster. I knew I
had to remain as cool, as calm as possible.

"It's
wicked what he's doin'," Cassie sobbed. "Th' master's always been
good 'fore now, always been fair, and now—"

"I'm
going out to see Mattie for a few minutes," I interrupted. "The
master will be coming in any time now, and he'll expect his dinner to be ready.
Set the table, Cassie, and then take the beans off and check on the cornbread.
Have you sliced the meat?"

Cassie
nodded wretchedly, and I felt like a traitor as I stepped outside and started
across the yard toward Mat-tie's cabin. I hadn't revealed my plans to Cassie,
nor had I said anything to Adam, afraid they might inadvertently give something
away. I had confided in only two people: Mattie and Elijah Jones. Last night, at
great risk, I had slipped out of the house after Derek had gone to sleep. I had
walked all the way to Elijah's farm, returning just before dawn. Everything was
ready. I just prayed that I would have the strength to go through with it.

Derek
and I had had a violent argument this morning. I felt it unnecessary to put
Adam in chains, but Derek insisted it was a precaution he had to take. Adam was
dumbfounded when Derek led him to the shed and placed him in shackles, for
neither he nor Cassie had had the least inkling that he was to be sold until
then. Cassie had been wailing all day long, and when I had taken his lunch out
to him Adam had been silent and sullen, desperately trying to conceal his
anguish. As soon as I stepped out of the shed, Derek had taken the key from me
and locked the door again. I had swept on into the house, refusing to speak to
him.

Caleb
was lingering outside Mattie's cabin, as stunned and frightened as all the
other slaves. They found it hard to believe that Adam was locked up in the shed,
that tomorrow he would be taken away, never to return. A tense atmosphere
prevailed. No half-naked children played on the steps. There was no warm,
friendly chatter among the women as they went about their work. A great pall
had fallen over everything, the silence broken only by the clucking of the
chickens and the grunts of the pigs in their pen behind the cabins.

The
curtains were drawn inside Mattie's cabin, and it was so dim I could hardly
see. Mattie climbed heavily out of her chair and came toward me. She was
nervous, her eyes wide with fear as she handed me the tiny packet.

"Is
this it?" I asked.

Mattie
nodded. "You just puts it in his coffee."

"It—it
won't hurt him, will it?"

"Won't
do nuthin' to him but make him feel drowsy an' tired. He'll be fast asleep
'fore an hour goes by, an' when he wakes up late tomorrow mornin' he won't even
have a headache."

"You're
sure?"

"I'se
sure, Miz Marietta. I was pickin' herbs an' grindin' 'em up long 'fore you wuz
even born. He'll just get sleepy, an' he'll sleep like a lamb all night,
wouldn't even wake up if there wuz an earthquake. You just puts it in his
coffee like I says. He won't even taste it."

"I
hope you're right, Mattie."

"I
knows my herbs, gal."

"You
haven't—said anything to anyone?"

The
fat old slave shook her head. "When he finds them two niggers gone, th'
master's goin' be furious, goin' question us all, thinkin' we wuz onto it. None
of 'em but me's goin' know a thing, and I can keep my mouth shut. Long as none
of 'em see you or hear you tonight, none of 'em's ever goin' know you had
anything to do with it."

"That's
the way I want it," I told her. "He—he mustn't find out."

"You's
doin' a mighty risky thing, gal. Mighty brave, too. Reckon I'd be scared clean
outta my breeches. Them two's lucky to have someone like you on dere
side."

Derek
was coming back toward the house as I crossed the yard. He looked weary, his
old white shirt clinging across his back damply, his breeches dusty. I hurried
on into the house, not deigning to speak, and later on, as I served his dinner,
I maintained my silence. He had cleaned up and changed, but he still looked
exhausted. I knew this was very difficult for him, knew he hated to part with
Adam, and I had to steel myself to keep from sympathizing. I was concerned
about Adam and Cassie now. Later on I could be concerned about Derek. My hand
shook ever so slightly as I carried the pot of coffee into the dining room. The
liquid was thick and hot, steaming as I poured it into his cup. I was relieved
to find that I experienced very little guilt.

He
was already yawning when I returned with the rice pudding I had made for
dessert. His eyelids were heavy, and I could see that he was struggling to stay
awake.

"Are
you all right?" I inquired. "You seem—unusually tired."

"I
must have worked harder than I thought. I can hardly keep my eyes open. I'll
skip dessert, Marietta. I'll —just go on up to my room, get to bed early."

Half
an hour later I crept into his room. He was stretched out across the bed on top
of the covers, sound asleep. He had pulled off his boots and shirt, but he
still wore his breeches, and he had left the lamp burning. I blew it out, and
as the moonlight poured into the room I swung his legs around and propped his
head on the pillows. Derek moaned and made a face as I spread a light quilt
over him, but he didn't awaken. I left him there in the darkness and hurried
down to the kitchen where Cassie was washing the dishes.

"I
want you to listen to me carefully," I said. "Don't ask any
questions, just do as I say. Go to your cabin and bundle up your things.
Adam's, too. Do it quietly. Don't let anyone see you or hear you. Then meet me
at the side of the barn, in the shadows."

"I—I
don't understand, Miz Marietta. What—"

"Don't
ask questions, Cassie! It's important you do exactly as I say."

The
girl understood then. She looked incredulous, then frightened, and then she
nodded and gave me a quick hug, holding me tightly for a moment as the tears
spilled down her cheeks. I blew out the lamp in the kitchen, and Cassie slipped
out under the cover of darkness. With luck, all the other slaves would already
be in their cabins. Peering out the window, I could barely see the girl as she
moved across the dark yard, keeping to the shadows. I suddenly realized the
enormity of what I was doing, and doubts besieged me. He would indeed be
furious when he discovered the couple gone. He would mount an extensive search.
What if he discovered I was responsible... Again I steeled myself. I couldn't
afford to think about possible repercussions, not at this point.

Moving
quickly down the hall, I stepped into the study. The lamps were burning,
filling the room with a mellow golden light, and all the draperies were open.
Guiltily, I closed them so that no one could see into the room, and then I
stepped over to the desk and opened the bottom drawer, taking out the cigar
box. They would need a certain amount of money before they finally reached
safety. I didn't intend to take much. Derek probably wouldn't even miss it, I
told myself, gingerly removing several of the bills. I folded them up and
slipped them into my skirt pocket, then put the box back and closed the drawer.

I
was still nervous as I went outside and moved through the darkness toward the
barn. Despite my resolution, despite the belief that right was on my side, I
felt a tremulous quaking inside as I stepped into the pitch-dark barn and
groped my way over to the shelf where I had placed the hammer and chisel
earlier on. Chickens were roosting in the barn. They stirred noisily as I ran
my hand over the shelf, finally locating the tools. I had been framed and
sentenced for a crime I hadn't committed, and now I was committing a crime
which, legally at least, was far more serious.

Clutching
the tools, I left the barn with its fetid smell of old leather and hay and
stole silently away toward the shed. There was too much moonlight, and the shed
was far too close to the slave quarters. The horses moved restlessly in their
stalls as I passed the stables and an owl hooted, giving me quite a turn. The
front of the shed was bathed in luminous silvery moonlight and spread with lacy
black shadows that shifted and swayed as the tree limbs moved in the breeze.
Peering up at the sky, I could see that the moon was about to disappear behind
a bank of clouds. I waited.

Each
minute seemed an eternity, for time was of the essence. Elijah couldn't risk
hiding them in his secret room, not in such close proximity to Shadow Oaks. He
would have to transport them to a farm some fifteen miles away and then return
to his own farm before morning. He couldn't afford to be away from his place,
come morning, with so much suspicion already directed against him. It would
take most of the night for him to accomplish his mission, and every minute that
passed was cutting his chances of getting back before first light.

Wisps
of cloud floated over the face of the moon, and the gleaming silver began to
fade. In a few moments there was a deep velvety blackness, the cover I needed.
I stepped to the door of the shed, inserted the edge of the chisel between the
wood and the edge of the hasp and began to tap with the hammer, afraid to risk
making too much noise. I couldn't have taken the keys, for Derek kept them in
the pocket of his breeches, and even had it been possible I couldn't have
risked it. This must look as though Adam himself had broken loose with Cassie's
help. The hasp must be torn loose, the wood splintered as I was splintering it
now.