Lily (Song of the River) (8 page)

“Here’s your fan.” Tamar’s words snapped Lily out of her pensiveness.

Jasmine turned from the dressing table, her mouth forming a perfect O. “You look beautiful, Si—Lily.”

“Thank you.” Lily took a deep breath. “I suppose it’s time for me to go face the music.”

“There’s going to be dancing, too?” Camellia’s voice was full of envy.

A nervous giggle bubbled up and escaped Lily’s throat. “It’s just a saying. Think about it. Have you seen any musicians coming to the house?” She pointed to the black material of Camellia’s dress. “You know dancing wouldn’t be proper while we’re in mourning.”

Camellia hunched a shoulder, but Lily ignored her ill temper. She hugged both of her sisters tightly. “I wish you could come downstairs with me.”

Jasmine threw her arms around Lily’s neck and hugged her with enthusiasm. After a brief hesitation, Camellia returned her hug, too. Lily’s heart throbbed. She wished the moment of total accord could last forever, but the sound of a carriage announced the arrival of Mr. Marvin’s children. Lily straightened and headed for the door, a smile pasted to her lips and a prayer in her heart.

“You need to move away from that window, young lady. What if your guests saw you spying on them?” Tamar tried hard to hold on to her frown. She understood Miss Jasmine’s curiosity, but if Miss Dahlia caught one of her nieces staring out the window, she would scold Tamar. “Come over and sit beside Camellia.”

Jasmine turned, a pronounced pout evident. “But I won’t be able to see Mr. Marvin’s sons.”

“They’ll be up here with us soon enough. In the meantime, you should work on your sampler.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Young ladies must learn how to make neat stitches, or you’ll never get married.” Camellia’s voice was a perfect imitation of her aunt Dahlia’s.

Tamar shook her head. “Miss Jasmine is much too young to be thinking on such things.”

“Aunt Dahlia says one is never too young to be a lady.”

“I’m sure she’s right, Miss Camellia, but that doesn’t mean your little sister should be worrying about marrying.” But that day would come. Miss Lily was likely to be wed before the year was out, and no one could doubt Miss Camellia would be snapped up before she was eighteen.

It seemed like only yesterday when the three girls had come to live with their grandpa and grandma. So sad they’d been to lose their ma in that terrible storm. Tamar’s heart had been torn by their tears, even though she’d never rightly known her own ma. That was to be expected for a slave. But not for the privileged white children of a wealthy family. Then they’d lost their pa, too. She’d heard the others slaves say Master Isaiah had made him promise to stay away. Such a sad thing—

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door to the nursery burst open, and two young men stepped inside. One sported a thatch of straight red hair while the other had a head of dark, curly hair. But their relationship was obvious in their facial features and stocky, square bodies.

The older one sketched a bow and advanced to the sofa where Camellia and Jasmine sat. “I’m Adolphus Marvin Jr., and this is my little brother, Samuel. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” A smile of assurance turned up the corners of his mouth.

A handful that one would be. Tamar shook her head and picked up Miss Jasmine’s porcelain doll, placing it carefully on a shelf. He was the type who would catch a girl in the shadows and steal a kiss or even more, if possible. She might be a slave, but she could recognize trouble when it walked into the room.

The younger boy wore an expression of admiration as he watched Adolphus Jr. talking to the two girls. It seemed Samuel was likely to follow in his older brother’s footsteps.

Tamar continued to move around the room, straightening the books and toys that had not been put away as she listened to the children getting acquainted. They talked about whether they would become related and how odd it would be if the two girls were to become their aunts. A smile touched her lips at the idea.

“I brought my marbles.” The younger Marvin boy held out a hand to show off four shiny orbs. “Do you want to play?”

“Of course they don’t want to play, Samuel.” The older boy rolled his eyes. “They’re girls. They can’t sit on the ground to play.”

“I can.” Jasmine put down her sampler and slid from the sofa to the wooden floor. “See?”

Tamar stepped toward her. “Now, Miss Jasmine, you’re going to get your dress all dirty.”

Adolphus Jr. sneered. “Leave her alone, slave. It’s not up to you to tell your betters how to act.”

Tamar stepped back as though she’d been slapped. She might be a slave, but as the maid to the beloved granddaughters of the Blackstone home, she had earned a place of respect. Miss Dahlia might scold her for some perceived infraction, but no one ordered her around like one of the field hands.

Both Marvin boys laughed. Camellia giggled, but Jasmine stood up. “You don’t talk that way to Tamar. She’s my friend.”

Camellia’s face went slack with surprise. She glanced from her little sister to the two boys, who were laughing. “Stop laughing.”

Samuel made a rude noise. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

Tamar knew it was her duty to maintain order in the nursery, but she
was
only a slave. She didn’t need to make any enemies, especially if these boys were going to visit often. She had heard below stairs how much Miss Dahlia and her husband wanted Lily to marry Mr. Marvin. They might not react well if she defied the man’s children and the boys complained.

All four children were glaring at each other. Jasmine made a fist and shook it at them. “You’re dreadful, mean boys.”

“I can do whatever I want.” The younger Marvin boy took a step toward Jasmine, but the dark-haired girl stood her ground.

“Leave my sister alone.” Camellia put a hand on his arm.

Tamar gathered her courage. “The good Lord must be shaking His head at you boys. What are you going to do? Have a fistfight with girls?” She hoped her words would ease the tension in the room.

The redhead looked at her, his gaze inscrutable. Then his shoulders relaxed. He cuffed his brother on the shoulder. “Put your marbles away. We’ll find something else to play with.”

Tamar’s heart sank at his calculating expression. What was he planning to do? The younger one, whose dark curls had made her think he might have a sweet temperament, birthed a smile of pure evil.

“Maybe over here.” Adolphus went for the shelf of dolls, pushing them onto the floor. When the shelf was empty, he looked around for another target.

His brother mimicked him, attacking the books on the other side of the room. Soon they were in a heap on the floor.

“Stop that!” Camellia ran after Adolphus, swatting the boy around the head and neck. He shrugged off her blows and kept up his destructive actions.

Jasmine took a step toward them, but Samuel grabbed her arms in his chubby hands. “What do you think you’re going to do?”

“Let me go!” Jasmine struggled to get free. “Let go.”

Another crash sounded as Adolphus jerked a drawer loose and emptied its contents on the floor.

Tamar’s instinct took over. She stepped forward to pull Jasmine free of the younger guest’s grasp. Jasmine must have decided to take matters into her own hands. She kicked the boy holding her. He howled and bent over Jasmine, his mouth locking onto her arm. Jasmine screamed and began crying, falling to the ground when Samuel released her.

“Let me see your arm.” Tamar cuffed the boy before scooping Miss Jasmine into her arms. She didn’t care if she got in trouble. No one was going to hurt one of her girls.

Startled by Jasmine’s cries, Adolphus had stopped strewing the girls’ belongings and watched, his eyes traveling from Tamar to Samuel to Jasmine. “Quit being such a baby.”

Camellia picked up a parasol from one of the heaps on the floor and used it to attack him. “You’re a boorish oaf.” She landed several blows on his head before he wrested her weapon out of her hands. Undaunted, she pointed at him. “I hope my sister never marries your pa. Get out of my house.”

Tamar was proud of her. Camellia was finally showing her true mettle. She watched as the two boys slunk away. “What should we do now?” She stroked Jasmine’s shoulder and whispered comforting phrases in the little girl’s ear. But Jasmine would not be comforted.

“Do you want me to go get Aunt Dahlia and Uncle Phillip?” Camellia fell onto the sofa as though exhausted.

Tamar shuddered at the thought of breaking up the dinner party downstairs. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Maybe I can draw Lily away without too much commotion. She always knows how to calm Jasmine, and she can make certain the others know exactly what happened.”

Camellia nodded. “Come here, Jasmine. Let Tamar go downstairs and get your sissy.”

Tamar left the two of them leaning against each other on the sofa and went in search of Lily. This night could not end fast enough.

A
nd that’s the way I found him almost two hours later.”

Everyone seated at the dinner table laughed at the humorous story Mr. Marvin told about his oldest son, Joshua. Lily had to admit he was a gifted storyteller who had kept them enthralled with tales of his travels and his sons. He had a self-deprecating air, as though he was grateful for whatever attention he received.

Lily realized she liked Mr. Marvin. If only he weren’t so old.

“Adolphus, I don’t know when I’ve laughed so much.” Grandmother took a sip of water before returning her goblet to the table. “When Dahlia told me she wanted you to come over for dinner, I had my doubts. But after what we’ve been through recently, genuine laughter is a welcome diversion.”

“Thank you.” Mr. Marvin captured Grandmother’s hand in his own. “I was so sorry to hear of your loss. If I’ve helped in even a small way, I will consider the evening a momentous success.”

Was that a blush on Grandmother’s cheeks? Lily’s heart pounded when Grandmother looked toward Aunt Dahlia and nodded. Was she trying to signal her approval of Mr. Marvin as a suitor for Lily? What a frightening turn of events. No matter that Mr. Marvin seemed to be a nice man. She had no interest whatsoever in marrying him. Ever.

Grandmother pulled her hand from Mr. Marvin’s. “That’s very kind of you, Adolphus. We must have you over again soon.”

Uncle Phillip nodded his agreement. “I concur, Adolphus. You should consider yourself a member of the family.” Lily’s heart sank further as she glimpsed the determination on her uncle’s features. She had always thought of him as a weak man, controlled by Aunt Dahlia’s whims, but recently she had seen him in a different light. He was the man of the family now that Grandfather was dead, and he seemed eager to embrace the role. That would not have bothered her except that his primary objective seemed to be arranging a marriage between her and Mr. Marvin.

Mr. Marvin glanced at Lily. “I would like that very much.”

“Shall we retire in the parlor while the men gather in the study?” Satisfaction had settled on Aunt Dahlia’s face.

Lily slid her chair out quickly, ready to escape the dining room. How had this happened? Grandmother was supposed to be on her side. It was bad enough she had to worry about Aunt Dahlia and Uncle Phillip trying to hurry her off into a loveless marriage. Now Mr. Marvin had managed to turn her only ally against her.

“Are you enjoying your evening, Lily?” Grandmother sat down on the black horsehair sofa and patted the place next to her. “I found Mr. Marvin engaging, didn’t you?”

“She ought to fix his interest.” Aunt Dahlia took a seat in the red brocade chair on the opposite side of the sofa table and reached for her sewing bag. “You could do a lot worse than marry him, you know.”

Feeling besieged, Lily tried to come up with an answer that would satisfy them. A knock at the door followed by Tamar’s familiar face seemed like a reprieve. “What’s wrong?”

Tamar stepped inside the room. “It’s Miss Jasmine. She’s crying for you.”

Lily stood.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Her aunt’s voice halted her escape.

“I’m going to see about my sister, of course.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Aunt Dahlia stabbed at the sampler with her needle. “I doubt there’s anything terribly wrong with her, but if there is, Tamar or another of the girls can see to her.”