Glimmers of Change (6 page)

“
That’s
working well,” Carrie interjected sarcastically.

“Then there are the Republicans who are livid with Johnson,” Matthew continued. “They refuse to let the years of war be for nothing. They will fight him with everything they have and work to convince everyone else to join them.”

“Politics…” Jeremy muttered. “It was the politicians who allowed slavery and got us into the war in the first place.”

“Yes,” Matthew agreed. “But it’s the only system we have to create change. Against all odds, it was politicians who declared emancipation for the slaves. They created the Freedmen’s Bureau. I have to believe they will see it through.” His voice grew stronger. “
We
have to believe they will see it through. And we have to do everything we can to help make it happen.”

Abby focused her clear gaze on him. “You have a plan.”

Matthew smiled slightly. “Let’s just say I’m going to make sure everyone in the North knows what is really happening down here. I’m not going to let it slip to the back of their minds. In addition to writing the book I’ve been commissioned to write, I’ve been offered the opportunity to write a column for the major newspapers in the North. I said yes.”

“That’s wonderful!” Abby cried.

“It will give me a platform to let people know what is really happening,” Matthew said firmly.

“And in the meantime?” Jeremy asked.

“In the meantime, everyone has to be careful,” Matthew replied reluctantly. “We’re
all
in danger. We need to be aware, and we need to be careful.”

“Will that do any good?” Moses asked bitterly, almost as if he didn’t expect an answer.

Matthew gave him one anyway. “In spite of the threats this morning, you are safest here on the plantation. Even though Thomas will be in Richmond, Cromwell Plantation is well-respected. I believe anyone will think twice before they come here. I’m sure it doesn’t hurt either that everyone in the area knows the entire work force served as soldiers who saw battle. They may hate you more for it, but they aren’t going to want to come under your fire.”

“So the fight continues,” Moses said wearily. Then he straightened his shoulders. “It’s not like I didn’t know it would. I guess I just hoped for a longer respite,” he said ruefully.

“We’ll take care of our own,” Simon vowed.

“We’ll be ready,” Gabe said gravely.

“And I’ll stand with you,” Robert said. “This isn’t just a black fight. It may have taken me a while to understand basic human rights, but all of you are my friends and family. I will do whatever it takes to help protect you.”

“And yourself,” Matthew reminded him. “Your very attitude makes you a target.” His eyes swung to Thomas. “Just like it does for you and Abby.” Then he looked at Jeremy.

Jeremy held up his hands. “Don’t worry. I know I’m a target. I won’t run and hide, but I’ll be as careful as I can be.”

Carrie took a deep breath of the crisp, cold air as she and Robert stepped out onto the porch under the glitter of millions of twinkling stars. It was still frigid, but a soft breeze had blown away the brutal cold of that morning.

Robert smiled down at her. “Sure you want to do this?”

“Absolutely!” Carrie responded enthusiastically. “We haven’t taken a nighttime ride in a long time.”

“And remind me why we have chosen one of the coldest nights of the year?”

Carrie laughed. “Getting soft on me?”

“I would prefer to say I am getting older and wiser as I age,” Robert responded smugly. “Not something you would recognize, though, I’m afraid.”

“Insult me all you want,” Carrie scoffed. “You’re still going to have to keep your promise. Not to mention the promise I made to Granite when I slipped outside earlier to give him his New Year carrots. Soft or not, we’re going for a ride.”

“Annie told me I couldn’t talk you out of it,” Robert said resignedly, his eyes lit with laughter as he grabbed her hand.

“You’ll be glad you couldn’t,” Carrie promised. “I have something to show you.” She hoped the slightly warmer air hadn’t taken away the surprise she had for her husband. The crunch of frozen grass under her feet indicated it had not.

Minutes later they were mounted, shunning saddles and riding bareback to take advantage of the horses’ body heat. Granite pranced excitedly, his arched neck glistening in the lantern light of the barn. Robert was mounted on a bay mare named Diamond because of the single white marking that decorated her forehead. Her expression was one of confusion as she gazed wistfully at the rest of the horses staring at them from their protected stalls. Clearly she did not share Granite’s anticipation of going out into the dark cold.

“Where are we headed?” Robert asked.

Carrie held a finger to her lips, beckoned to him to follow, and pushed Granite into an easy canter, once again giving thanks she had turned her back on sidesaddle riding. Being astride Granite in warm breeches was the only way to ride. Her friends in the South still looked askance at her when they met on the road, but women in the North had embraced the freedom years ago.

She took long breaths as they cantered side by side down the road leading toward the woods. Carrie could feel Robert looking at her curiously, but he said nothing. She knew he expected her to take them down to the river. Instead, she was heading toward a thick patch of woods she suspected Robert had never explored. She was glad the Christmas snow had melted away before the latest wave of cold swept in. It had been years since she was in this part of the plantation — she was certain she couldn’t have found the trail if it was buried under snow. As it was, she worried it would be too overgrown for her to find now.

Carrie slowed as she reached the edge of the woods, her eyes trying to penetrate the darkness and heavy brush. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a faint trail leading deeper into the trees. Holding up her hand for continued silence, she edged Granite forward at a steady walk. Moving slowly, they dodged overhanging branches and made their way carefully around fallen trees. The glow of the half moon was just enough to light the way. The frozen ground echoed back the thud of hooves, and brittle branches snapped in the cold as they pushed through them. Finally they broke out into a clearing. One look told Carrie her surprise was waiting.

“I didn’t even know this was here!” Robert exclaimed as he gazed at the small lake nestled in the woods.

“I hoped you hadn’t discovered it,” Carrie said with delight.

“This is a great surprise.”

“Oh, this isn’t your surprise,” Carrie murmured as she swung off Granite’s back and tied him to a hanging branch. She waited for Robert to dismount and tie Diamond, then she took his hand and led him forward to the edge of the lake. “
This
is your surprise,” she announced, waving her hand over the lake. The lake caught the moon and sent it shooting back as diamonds glittered from along the entire shoreline.

“Look at that…” Robert said slowly, amazement filling his voice as he leaned down. “The whole lake is surrounded by ice sculptures! I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Carrie nodded happily. “The conditions have to be just right. If the air is cold enough, and the wind blows strongly enough, the water forms ice sculptures on everything it hits. I discovered them for the first time when I was thirteen.” She paused. “I’ve never shared them with anyone but you.” She gazed up at Robert, her eyes soft with love. “I used to dream of bringing my husband here to see them. This is the first opportunity.”

Robert leaned down to kiss her warmly, holding her face as he peered into her luminous eyes. “You are one in a million, Carrie Borden. Thank you for loving me,” he whispered.

Grabbing her hand, he began to walk along the edge of the lake. “This one looks like a cluster of grapes.”

“A cluster of grapes full of diamonds,” Carrie agreed. “Look how they are reflecting the stars.” She pointed further to the right. “That one looks like a heart. See how it is wrapped around the branch suspended above the water?”

“Magnificent,” Robert muttered, his head swinging as he tried to take it all in. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen anything more beautiful,” he murmured.

Carrie felt the sudden tension grip his body. “Robert?” She knew so many different things could trigger the pain and agony of the last four years.

Robert stood on the shoreline and took several deep breaths until he could speak. “This time last year I was hauling frozen carcasses out of the Petersburg trenches. Men I had eaten with the night before had frozen to death,” he said slowly, his voice laced with pain. “I just can’t believe there can be so much pain and fear in the midst of such beauty,” he muttered as he leaned down again to touch an ice formation that looked like a bird in flight. “It seems to me that if people could simply absorb the raw beauty of God’s world they would find a way to live in harmony. They would see their own fears and greed as being so tiny and unimportant if they could truly grasp God’s power.”

Carrie knew his thoughts had never strayed far from Matthew’s announcement this morning. Somehow all of them had been able to push aside the reality and bring laughter to the rest of the day as they played games and ate around the fireplace, shoving aside their turmoil for the children’s sake. But she had seen the trouble lurking in her husband’s eyes. She knew it was more than memories of the war. “You’re afraid it will come to Cromwell,” she said.

Robert looked down at her. “I think 1866 is going to be a year of challenges,” he finally acknowledged solemnly, but he said no more.

Carrie tried to swallow the surge of panic that rose in her throat as she wrapped her arms around Robert, letting him hold her close. “I don’t want to leave you,” she whispered.

“You’re not going anywhere for four more months,” Robert said roughly, his lips pressed against the top of her head as he rubbed his hands down her back.

“One day, or four months. I can’t imagine saying goodbye again. I can’t imagine not knowing what is going on with you every day.” She fought against the images of marauding vigilantes sweeping the countryside.

Robert held her back and stared down into her face. “We will not let fear rule us,” he stated firmly. “If we do, they will have won. We have to live our lives as if there is no fear.”

Carrie held his eyes, trying to slow the pounding of her heart. Finally she managed a small smile. “Old Sarah used to tell me that fear does nothing but keep me focused on the past or worried about the future.” Her smile grew as she remembered. “She told me if I could acknowledge my fear, I would also realize that
right now
I was okay. That right now I am alive. That right now I can see the sky and all the ice sculptures nature has created. That
right now
I am still with the man I love more than life itself.”

She felt her anxiety lift as she spoke the words. Once more she turned her face up, losing herself in a kiss that completely blotted out her fears.

Janie was shivering uncontrollably as she walked the last block toward home. She was wearing two layers of clothes, had on her warmest coat, and was bundled with gloves, scarf, and a warm hat, but she was sure nothing could keep out the biting cold. She was quite sure it was cold in Richmond, but she was also convinced she had never been in a city as cold as Philadelphia. Gray snow, turned grimy by coal dust, blanketed everything in sight. Workers had tried to clear the sidewalks, but there was simply nowhere to put the mountains of snow that had been piling up for the last two months. The sixteen inches that fell shortly before Christmas had been packed down by sidewalk traffic, but her feet kept pushing through, causing her to walk very slowly. Her thick boots were no match for the cold that had seeped through to every pore of her body.

The sidewalks were peppered with people, but no one spoke. Heads down, hands shoved deep in pockets, everyone was simply intent on getting where they were going. Janie was so grateful she had a home to look forward to. She wondered how many of the miserable looking people were going to a home that was barely warmer than the brutal outdoors. She knew the suffering in the city was terrible. She walked the last hundred feet rapidly, drawn by what she knew awaited.