Midnight Rose (44 page)

He walked away, silently congratulating himself for a tale well told.

Erin was rigid. It was as though her veins had been embalmed with liquid malice.

So this was to be Ryan’s revenge for his wounded pride.

How foolish she had been to think it would make no difference to him.

And, as she had come face-to-face with the monster responsible for abducting her mother, there had been further revelation.

Erin knew she was capable of killing another human being.

She watched, unflinching, as the other man returned a short while later. Obeying orders, he hoisted her over his large shoulders and carried her out into the early sunlight. It was cold, and she shivered despite her self-induced paralysis of wrath. He felt it and assured her, “I’ll see that you get covered with something once we’re on our raft and sailin’ downstream. Even if I have to take off my shirt and cover you with that.”

She didn’t want his kindness any more than she wanted his shirt. It didn’t matter he’d tried to befriend her by untying her hands just before that devil had come in. He was still the enemy.

Coming out of her rage long enough to take in her surroundings, she was further assaulted by the indignity of it all to realize where they were—the old grist house. How fitting and ironic that it was also the place where Ryan had first approached her with seduction his intent. Oh, how she wished now he had succeeded. Far better it would have been, for never would it have come to this final tragedy.

“My name is Jason,” the big man told her as he laid her on the raft and whispered, “I’m going to look after you.”

I’ll bet! She let her hatred show in her eyes. He winced and moved away at shouted orders from his partner to cast off.

Turning her head, she saw the girl lying next to her, eyes closed. But Erin knew she wasn’t asleep, because tears were running down her cheeks, and she was trembling. She wished she could comfort her, but what would she say even if she could speak? Any hope attempted would be futile.

Erin noticed that, unlike herself, the girl’s mulatto status was obvious. Though her skin was light, it was still the telltale mocha shade. And her black hair was wiry. Was her husband selling her too, she wondered in shared pain.

She watched as the big man called Jason used a long pole to shove the raft away from shore, and soon they were caught up in the rushing current—to where? Erin did not know, was actually too lost in the poison of her loathing even to care. Only yesterday, she had felt remorse at never having confided to Ryan her love for him. Today, she yearned for the chance to convey her hatred.

As the morning passed, Erin struggled to come to terms with the fierceness of the turmoil within. She commanded herself to channel her energy from anger to the will to survive. Ryan Youngblood and everything he had ever represented were no longer a part of her world.

She comforted herself with the knowledge that this was the way her mother had been taken, and therefore her destiny would be the same. They would be reunited, Erin would lend her strength, and together they would find an escape from the madness that had befallen them.

The raft was stopped and tied at the jutting knee of a cypress at water’s edge. Erin’s chief tormentor roughly untied her and led her ashore to tend to her personal needs behind a clump of bushes. “Don’t try
to run away,” he warned. “If the moccasins don’t get you, I will, and it’ll be the last time you get to relieve yourself till we get where we’re going.”

Erin was not about to attempt escape, not when she was hopeful of finding her mother. The other girl, however, did make a break for it, and Nate promptly caught her and beat her mercilessly. Then he threw her roughly back on the raft and cursed her as he tied her so tightly Erin could see the blood oozing from around the ropes.

She noticed also that the other man, Jason he’d said his name was, watched the cruelty with narrow, condemning eyes. He even dared glance her way in shared sorrow for the girl, and she began to wonder just what his part was in all of this. Still, she was leery and not about to trust anyone.

At dark, they pulled up to shore, and she heard Nate tell Jason they would camp there for the night, and that he anticipated reaching their destination by noon the next day. Jason wanted to know if he’d be left there to handle the sale.

“Afraid so,” Donovan responded. “I’ve got to meet Burgess and the others below Norfolk tomorrow night. There’s a smuggle shipment coming in from Florida. Prime beef, I’m told.” He gave a nasty laugh. “Good, raw-boned women straight from Ghana. We’re gonna have us a little parry before we brand ’em and take ’em to auction.”

“Selling at Tarter’s place?”

Erin wondered if it was her imagination as she heard Jason’s question, or if there was really an edge to his voice.

“Yeah. It’s the safest. Only the most trusted traders know about it, and we always have a good turnout. I’m getting my pick of the litter, as usual, to take back to Richmond for my regular buyers.”

Erin felt sick to her stomach. Slaves smuggled in to be sold cheap. That was Donovan’s stock in trade.

Tossed to the side of the camp like extra firewood, Erin could only wait to see what would happen next. She could smell smoke, knew a fire had been started. Then there came the sound of bacon sizzling. She could smell the delicious aroma, and her mouth began to water. Her only nourishment the day before had been the few bites of Eliza’s spice cake—and the tea.

After a while, Nate appeared to yank the gag from her mouth. “Well, aren’t you going to start screaming and yelling now that you can?” He started untying her wrists.

Her steady, venomous glare was her silent message of warning.

He gave a mock shudder. “My, my, those dark eyes do flash fire, don’t they? I’ll bet you burn in a lot of places, don’t you?” He pinched her breasts, and she slapped his hand away. He snickered. “Maybe you need to have that fire put out, sugar baby, and I’m just the man to do it.”

Despite his threat, Erin would not give him the pleasure of showing fear.

He went to his other prisoner. “Well, well, Lucy Jane. I reckon you’ve learned your lesson, and I can untie you long enough for you to eat.”

The minute her gag was out of her mouth, she began to sob wildly, clutching the front of his shirt as she begged, “Please. Let me go. This isn’t fair. If I’d known he was going to sell me, I’d never have married him. I was safe in New York. No one cared that I passed for white. But he said he loved me, and he promised me—”

Nate suddenly squeezed her throat to silence. “I don’t want to listen to any of this shit, you hear me? ’Cause I don’t care. My job is to see you sold to the highest bidder, take my cut, and give the rest to your husband. You’ll bring a nice price for a fancy girl, unless I have to keep beating on you, and if that happens, you’ll be sold to a whorehouse, where you’ll be used up within six months and then have your throat cut before you’re tossed out in the ocean to feed the sharks. If that isn’t what you want, you’d best just cooperate and keep your goddamn mouth shut.”

She rolled to her side and covered her face with her hands and wept.

“Bastard!” Erin hissed, unable to keep silent any longer. “I hope you rot in hell—”

He backhanded her, sending her sprawling to the ground. Straddling her, he cried, “I don’t listen to that kind of talk from slaves, understand? Now didn’t you just hear what I told Lucy Jane over there? The same goes for you, too. And your husband won’t give a damn what I decide to do with you, because I don’t have to give him any money for what I get outta you.
He
paid
me
to get rid of you. That makes you mine to do with whatever I choose, and you’d best remember that and hold that sharp tongue of yours.”

He laughed, a nasty, guttural sound, and began to squeeze her breasts roughly. “You like that, sugar baby? You want some more?”

Suddenly, Jason appeared to announce tersely, “Supper. They haven’t eat all day, Nate.”

“Sure, sure.” He got up. “We might just finish this later.”

Erin cringed, but at the same time did not miss the sympathetic way Jason was looking at her.

She ate the bacon and eggs, but not as ravenously as Lucy Jane. She had no appetite, despite the gnawing in her stomach. Nate had a jug of whiskey and guzzled that between bites of his food. She knew he was well on his way to being drunk and could only pray he’d soon pass out, because there was no mistaking his intent as he stared lustily at her every so often.

When they finished eating, Nate retied Lucy Jane, gagged her, and dragged her to one side and told her she might as well go to sleep. He walked over to Erin and grinned. He started to unfasten his trousers.

Jason glanced up sharply from where he was sitting near the fire. “Ain’t you forgetting something, boss?”

Nate thought a minute, then made a face. “I was hoping you’d forget about that.”

Jason’s giggle was forced, but only he knew that as he got up and shuffled over. “Now how could I forget a thing like that? Besides, you were the one that said we should take turns with who gets first choice, and since it’s my turn this trip, I choose her.”

Erin closed her eyes and dared to think it might be a blessing if she just dropped dead then and there.

Irritably, Nate went to his liquor jug and took a long swig before heading over to where Lucy Jane was lying in terror.

Jason lifted Erin in his arms and said, loud enough for Nate to hear, “I’m takin’ her in the bushes. I ain’t like you. I don’t like an audience.”

But Nate was paying no attention. He was busy untying Lucy Jane’s legs and positioning them the way he wanted, as she sobbed against the gag in her mouth.

Erin was gathering her strength to resist with everything she had, the very second she was untied. But strangely, in the deepening twilight, as Jason walked farther and farther from the campsite, she sensed an anxiety in him, and frantically wondered what it could mean.

At last he laid her gently on the ground. Dropping to his knees beside her, he leaned over so close she could feel the warmth of his breath against her skin. “Listen to me, girl, listen good, because I can’t take a chance on him sneaking up behind me and hearing this,” he whispered.

Erin bit back an oath. She wanted him to believe her submissive, so he’d untie her, yet wondered why he was acting so weird and not attacking right away.

“Midnight rose,” he said, eyes anxiously searching hers for response.

Erin was stunned. It had to be a trick.

“You
know what that means, don’t you? Midnight rose,” he repeated, taking on a desperate note. “Come on, Erin. I know about you because we’re fighting for the same cause. The slaves have started referring to you as Midnight Rose, because a rose left at a special place at Jasmine Hill is a signal to you for help.”

She did not realize she had even been holding her breath till it escaped her in one, long, ragged sigh. “How…how did you know?” she stammered.

He started untying her as he spoke rapidly, rushing to confide everything while he had a chance. “I’m a Free Soiler, too, Erin. I only pretend to be a big dummy so Donovan won’t suspect anything.”

With hands free, she clutched his to beg, “Tell me what happened to my mother. If you were with him when he took her, then you’d know.”

He nodded vigorously, happily. “Oh, yes, I was with him, all right, all the way to the coast, and as soon as he took off, so did I, heading straight north for my first contact point, and that’s where I left your mother.”

Erin swayed in stunned disbelief, prayed she wasn’t dreaming, that he spoke the truth, and her mother was indeed safe.

He saw her reluctance to believe after the nightmare she’d been through. “Erin, it’s true. Arlene is safe.”

“Bless you,” she was finally able to whisper through her tears. “Bless you, Jason. Dear God, it’s just unbelievable. All of it.”

“I managed to get word to Sam Wade which route I sent her on, and I imagine he’ll be right behind her to see she gets on the first ship out—”

“Out to where?” she wanted to know at once, alarmed all over again.

“I felt it would be taking a chance merely to put her in a colony somewhere. Your stepfather is a vicious man, and I wanted to make sure if he found out she hadn’t wound up where Nate was supposed to deliver her, that he’d never be able to find her. That’s why I recommended she be sent to Africa.”

“Africa?” she echoed incredulously, stunned, unable to envision such a destination for her mother. Worriedly, she pointed out, “But she’s sick, and she’ll never be able to make that long a voyage.”

“There was no other choice, and she agreed it was the only thing to do. She’s got a lot of spunk. A lot of courage. She was plenty mad over what Tremayne did to her, and I think maybe she figured it best she get out of the country as fast as possible, or else she might be tempted to go back and take revenge on the son of a bitch. She also knew for your sake, she couldn’t go back and make trouble. She even told me she was praying Zachary wouldn’t tell you about your mixed blood. She was afraid you’d hold it against her.”

Erin was quick to let him know, “I’d never do that. I love my mother, no matter what, and none of it was her fault anyway, though I wish she’d told me long ago. I’m afraid her prayers went unanswered, because he told me, just like he told…”