Princess Ces'alena (53 page)

She didn’t wait for an answer, knowing none would come. Humming she went about her day…and soon…everything within Lena made her feel beyond a doubt, that Webster Fields was
her
home. As if Royal, had somehow blessed her presence, to back her, and no one would keep her from it. Hope as well, turned out to be quite the charmer.

Though her mother spent a great deal of time in the mansion when Morris wasn’t about, the men took over the care of her as well. Hope had Leon and Jordan wrapped around her little finger, not to mention Kayleen. All took part in spoiling her endlessly. Leon forgetting himself, once rode out to the field with her on his horse before the others gathered, and that was when Jacob and the other new overseers first laid eyes on her. All had grown quiet at the sight of her, Leon, too late realized what he’d done. Jordan stared at him. Jacob nodded his head understanding all without being told a thing. He’d been on Webster Fields long enough now, to have heard bits and pieces spoken here and there…about Master Manny and Lena. He knew about his boy being sold, and the events surrounding that day.

Now, he saw…as the other three overseers, the final piece to the big secret and mystery. Speaking to relieve the sudden tension, he advised Leon, “I think you best take her back to her mama…where she’s safest. And as for her wellbeing, now that we here…ain’t no harm gone come to her. But you best take her back.” Leon looked relieved but still worried, and then turned to Jordan. “Do what he say.” Leon turned with her on the horse and rode back towards the grounds surrounding the cabins and mansion. Jordan then looked at Jacob. “Who is you really?”

“In time Jordan. In time…you will know. Let us just say this, my mission in life, is to make life for that little one…free to be. All those like her, and like the other sons and daughters of Webster Fields…and plantations all over the South.”

Jordan sat knowing it was so. These overseers and their families were different from any white he’d ever known besides Manny and Ms Royal. He suspected that they were abolitionist speakers. Since the moment they came to work on Webster Fields, they had been supportive and even going so far as to give instructions in reading here and there…real careful like…just easing it into their thinking. Jordan had mixed feelings…those of curiosity and hope…but also of fear. He didn’t want anyone or anything coming here to mess up things for them. For now…he would watch silently just to see.

Before long, a winter had come and gone at Webster Fields. At the entrance of spring, Morris had been in Jackson for two weeks, caught up in his usual gambling trips, when he returned one Sunday night needing the assistance of Kayleen and Ma’Nicey…since she had been feeling poorly, Kayleen had to go get Lena.

She’d been getting Hope ready for bed when Kayleen came knocking.

“Honey, I need you to take sweetie to Mazie’s, I’m gon’ need your help!” She told her in a rush of words. “Morris just got home, and he done won hisself another slave, I swear that’s how he got all the others here.”

Kayleen cocked her hip to the side, giving her a Ms Haughty look as if to say, and
what’s it to you
, then followed it up saying, “Listen at you! Who you thank you is, Missus here? Ms Royal? Tha’s where Morris told them to take him, and that’s what they do! Now wrap that baby up
Ms Sanctifide
and come on now! He all beat up and in pretty bad shape and we gon’ have to doctor him. That’s why I need yo’ help.”

“What about Ma’Nicey?”

“She ain’t feeling too well. Come on now…hurry up, take the baby and come straight on!” She ordered, looking down at Hope as Lena brushed her shiny gold locks. “Go’ta bed, ma’leen, gi’kish.” Hope asked puckering up for one. Kayleen laughed and bent down. “Oh my little sweetie, mamaleen give you a kiss.” She sang joyfully, hugging and kissing the baby. Holding her, she rushed Lena, “Come on Chile, I got to get back to the house.”

“Alright, alright, I’m hurrying, I’m coming, I’ll be right on.”

The room where they took him, was a nice size and simple. A single bed on one wall, a dresser and mirror on another. Next to the bed, was a table with a lamp and in the corner, a wash commode. Morris stood in the door watching and telling them as they doctored on the new slave.

“Them that had him, roughed him up a bit because they said he tried to run away. But I won’t be having no trouble from him like that. Never had one slave that wanted to runaway from Webster Fields.” He bragged…then looked at Lena, as she looked back at him. “Except you that is!”

Lena grinned as she turned from Morris, which surprised them both, then asked, “So what are you going to do with him?”

“I’m gone have him work on them books. They a mess again since Manny left, and I don’t have no patience for stuff like that.”

“Why didn’t you ask me, I could have done them for you?” Lena volunteered. This time Kayleen and Morris looked at each other, and then at her. “What you know about’em?!” Morris asked.

“Look here, don’t you two be questioning me! I know what I’m doing! Your job to cook, -(this he pointed out to Kayleen)- and your job to clean.” He informed Lena. “Or vice versa, however you two do it! Leave them books to me and now him!”

“That still don’t mean he can do it!” Kayleen shot back.

“He can read can’t he? He can write can’t he? And cipher too — so that mean he can do them books!”

“How you askin’ me that?! I don’t know – and neither do you! You don’t know if he can read, write and cipher! Just cause somebody say he can…don’t mean it’s true! You got’im all beat up, how you know? He read to you on the way?!” Kayleen argued with her hands on her hips.

Lena bit hard into her lip not to laugh.

Morris looked kind of stumped when faced with that…how
did
he know?

“Emmm hm, you don’t know. Didn’t even ask, did you?”

Lena had to keep her face, turned away trying not to laugh out as Kayleen laid into him, she always got away with that, as no one else could – they were more like married watching them sometimes. Morris saw Lena grinning and it rankled him all the more. “Goddamn you Kayleen. Would you quit your questioning me, and just do what I tell you for once, and not argue with me! If I wanted you telling me what to do, I would ask you. Now tend him back to health! That’s what you do!” He scolded and left the room.

“Lord have mercy, I swear ‘fore God, that man ain’t got the sense of a butterfly. Don’t know what Royal saw in him!” Kayleen grumbled. Lena smiled peacefully and said, “I do, and don’t forget, she hadn’t chosen him, there would be no Manny…and there would be no Michael, or my Hope. She knew what she was doing.”

“Lo-o-o-ord…what has gotten in to you?” Kayleen asked shocked shifting to one hip. “Since when you on his side?” Lena didn’t answer; she only shrugged and carried on.

Wringing out the cloth in the bowl again and returned to cleaning their patient as she kneeled beside the bed.

Carefully Lena washed his face, neck, chest and arms. She couldn’t help noticing the dark smoothness of his brown skin, and the feel of his muscular sleek arms. By the evidence on his face, and chest, he looked as if he’d been dragged. There were scratches and burns in a consistent pattern on his stomach and side as well, and some under his arms.

“Sugga I’ll be back, I got to get him some clothes.”

“Alright, I’ll finish cleaning him up.” Lena murmured softly. After she finished his upper body, she moved to the lower, covering him with a sheet for modesty sake as she worked beneath it blindly to remove his tattered, dirty pants. This she struggled with because he was so heavy, but soon they were free and she pulled them off of his legs. Dropping them on the floor next to the bed, she sat back on her haunches looking up towards the head of the bed at him.

Because he was unconscious, she was free to observe him closely… and realized though scarred, bruised and dirty, he was an extremely good looking man. His skin was very smooth and evenly toned outside of his injuries. His hair was a coal black, shiny, wavy with some curls. It was cut very neatly, complimenting his very male features. His brows were naturally shaped and thick, perfect in their shape so it seemed. And the eyelashes on him were amazingly long, which set up a curiosity in her to see his eyes.

His nose was straight and prominent, almost European in its lines - above sensually shaped full lips. To Lena’s astonishment, he had a moustache that was full in growth…that was something one didn’t see on black men who were slaves. Manny or Morris had never cared one way or the other, but most master’s or white men in general would not let a black man have facial hair. That was a privilege belonging to “real men” only, and a Negro male was not considered that, to walk about so…would bring unwanted attention. Noticing this…sent Lena’s mind to thinking. His body was lean and strong, and by the lay of him on the bed, he was over six feet in height, but not as tall as Manny. Lena shook her head realizing she was comparing the two. She picked up his hand; his fingers were long and slender, and another shocker…no calluses. His hands were soft. Which meant he was not a man of manual labor. His fingers moved and she gently placed his hand back down by his side. Reaching down, she squeezed out the cloth once more and began laying it gently on his eyes, pressing it softly to his face, cheeks, chin and neck. She kept doing this, rewetting the cloth, dabbing and cooling his skin as he slowly came to. His head moved next, letting out a dry and painful moan.

He began working his mouth, attempting to wet his lips; his hand rose towards his face, then up to the throbbing lump on his head…he flinched when his fingers made contact.

His eyes started trying to flutter open, and he let out another moan…trying in vain to wet his dry split lips. Lena sat back as he opened heavy lidded eyes, it was apparent he was trying to focus. Lena smiled at him.

“Well hello, so you’ve decided to awaken. I thought you might sleep the night through.” Again she smiled as he stared up at her, his eyes were black and deep. Sighing, Lena couldn’t help but see, that he was indeed a very handsome man.

“Here…I know you’re thirsty.” She turned and took the pitcher of water from the side table by his bed and poured him water in a cup. “Now…I’m going to help you lift your head so you can drink…so let’s be careful.” She put her hand gently under his head and lifted it placing the cup to his lips. His eyes would not leave her face, until the cool refreshing water ran over his lips and into his mouth, then he turned to the cup drinking so fast, his eyes closed as he tried to suck in as much as he could - it tasted and felt so good going down.

“Slow down, you’re going to choke, there’s more here, much more.”

She informed him, refilling the cup continuously until he’d gotten his fill. Finally she felt his head give against her hand…he was done for now. She let his head fall gently to the pillow and sat the cup on the floor next to her. He took a shaky deep breath, turned his head back to her, his focus clear now, and asked, once again staring. “Where — where am I?”

“Webster Fields plantation.”

He didn’t respond immediately for staring at Lena. She felt herself blushing under his close inspection. The face he was looking at, so beautiful and those eyes left him breathless.

He couldn’t resist slowly raising a hand towards her face, he just wanted to touch her to see if she was real, or was he dreaming. She drew back as his fingers made contact, softly brushing her cheek, to then weakly fall back at his side. “You are real. Webster Fields must be a place in heaven, and I somehow made it there.”

“No, this is not heaven and yes, I am real. Now, how badly are you hurt?”

“I wish I knew…is there a body left beneath my head? I know my head is still here, the pain and pounding tells me so.”

She smiled at his sense of humor when no doubt he was in a lot of discomfort. “Your body is still here, and seems to be in one piece.”

“My God – you are - beautiful.” He had to say it. Lena bowed her head blushing. “Thank you…now can we stick to how you’re feeling?”

“Because of you, I’m just fine. Having survived one hell of a nightmare, my reward is to open my eyes to such a sight. Aye, you do well for what ails a man.”

Staring at him, listening to the few words spoke, this man was different from any there at Webster Fields, few there had really reached out to flirt with her – mainly, because of Manny. She couldn’t help but feel a bit curious about him. Back at her Island home, she had been too young, shielded and protected to encounter the ways of men. Then there were the occasional lustful leer from those upon the ship, they too desired to bed her, but were not allowed. Finally, following all of that, she’d ended up with Manny. Since he’d taken possession of her, no one had dared to really talk to her as this man did. Even Gabriel who she knew desired her, never really made an attempt to act on it because of what he knew between her and Manny.