Princess Ces'alena (9 page)

Chapter Three

When Lena reached her cabin with her son, she quickly latched her door, dropped to her knees and tearfully gave him a relieved hug, so frightened that Morris would whip him. But that was over and they were in the safety of her cabin now. Murmuring softly, with tender care, she stripped him of his clothes, wiped him down, and massaged him with a salve for his aching body. She bound his ribs just in case, donning his night shirt, and put him to bed. She joined him there cuddling him close to her; lightly stroking his hair, lulling him to sleep. “You all right mama?” He asked in a soft concerned voice.

“I’m all right baby.” She whispered in return. Mike swallowed his tears. “I’m sorry mama.” She kissed the top of his head. “No need baby, now go to sleep. Everything will be just fine.”

“I love you mama.” Lena smiled. “I know, I know…sleep now.” Sore and exhausted, he did just that. Lena held him, with so many thoughts running through her mind. One being, how sorry she was for doing as Kayleen had accused. Instead of protecting her son, she was exposing him to dangers because of the way things had been in her early childhood. But this was a different world from the one she’d lived in on Makia Island; a world where her father ruled; where she was revered by many. She closed her eyes remembering the clean white sandy beaches where she and her brother were forbidden to run if those appointed to protect them weren’t around.

To get around that,
they dressed as peasants and did so anyway. She missed her brother Catamon… tears came to her eyes. Lost in the dreams of Makia Island, she dozed off to sleep. Unaware of the time gone by, Lena sat up when the light rap at her cabin door stirred her awake. She took one look down at her sleeping son, and slowly eased herself from the bed so as not to awaken him, then pulled the long screen across his section of the large cabin closing him off. Silently, treading gracefully across the floor, she reached the door asking softly, “Who is it?”

“It’s me…Manny.”

With heart pounding, she opened the door looking up at him feeling sorry for the problem she’d caused. Manny stepped in as she closed the door behind him. “Where is he?” He asked immediately. “Sleeping, I bathed him, and put him to bed.” She answered as he made his way to the other end of the cabin to check on him. A few moments later, he came out walking back towards her as she remained by the door with her back to it. “Are you all right?” He asked softly. She nodded. He stood before her a moment gazing down into her eyes as they watered up. “Man - Manny…I – I am so sorry. I never meant to … cause-…”

“Shhh, I know.” He returned huskily with a finger to her lips. Lena’s heart pumped heavily from the look in his eyes. He had a way of looking at her that made her feel devoured whole; a look of total possession. Just the nearness of him made her senses soar. Manny took a deep breath to gain control of his body’s response being so near her.

“I need to talk to you, it’s important.” She smiled weakly and nodded…leading the way to the table that sat by the door. It’s long side against the wall, with three chairs at its open sides. Lena sat in the center chair and Manny in the one near the door. His head fell back exposing his strong thick neck; he blew out, as if relieving pent up pressure. Looking back at her, he began. “Morris and I had a talk. He’s agreed to certain things and I’ve been forced to agree to certain things as well. One of them being a decision I’ve made concerning Michael.”

“
What about my son!”
Lena sat forward with wide eyes…fear racing as she immediately thought the worse. Manny quickly relieved her fears. “I’m not talking about sending Mikey away…nothing of the sort. Never worry over that…I thought you knew that?” She nodded agreeing, feeling better already. “Then what else could it be?”

“I’ve decided to claim Michael as my legal son Lena. I want him to carry my name. He’ll be registered free, as Michael Ramsey Webster…I’m going into town tomorrow to have it done.”

Lena sat back stunned…staring at him. When realization struck that he was serious and what this would mean for her son…both hands flew to her mouth one crossing the other as tears of joy welled up…she couldn’t believe her ears. Manny smiled, nothing yet felt quite as good, as seeing joy on her face, knowing that it was something he did to put it there. He never once questioned why pleasing her, brought him such pleasure. There had never been any reason to question it, things were kept simple… and he liked them that way. But now…that would all change. The look on his face was an indication of more to come, and whatever it was, it would not be good. Lena sobered up as she wiped her eyes readying herself. “There’s more, tell me…what is it?” She asked hesitantly lowering her hands to her lap. He swallowed down the lump in his throat, this was going to hurt her, but he had no choice. “In order to keep you and Mikey here,
safe
…and to have some sort of control and say about the way things are run at Webster Fields, I … I have to … to marry…before the year is up.”

Silence…

She stared, trying her hardest not to show the true impact of that kick to the stomach. She fought back tears of hurt and humiliation. Her chest felt as if something was rapidly growing there…and she couldn’t get it to stop.
‘Marry… he will marry another… marry.’
Her mind agonized. Manny stood from the table, he wanted to comfort her, but he thought it best to leave. As he reached the door, he turned to look at her. That was his undoing; she was looking at him with those eyes, hurt, full of pain. He went back to her, pulling her from the chair, crushing her body to his as if to absorb it himself. She clung, trying unsuccessfully to hold back sobs; her head to his chest, his fingers tangled in her hair as the other stroked her back, he begged that she understand.

“There’s nothing I can do Lena, I don’t want to do this…but there’s nothing I can do! I have no choice…” He pulled her head back gently by the hair to look down into her face. Her tears ran freely from the corners of her eyes, disappearing into her hairline. “I have no choice!” He groaned, suddenly attacking her mouth with his own; pulling her slender frame up against his as he ravished her mouth. Her arms went around his neck as he rained kisses over her face, down her chin onto her throat as she threw her head back exposing all to him. A feeling of hopeless abandonment washed over them like a tidal wave, intensifying the need one had for the other. Manny walked with her to the bed, laying her there, he laid down upon her…and for the moment…all was forgotten.

Later that day…

Lena sat on the porch watching the slaves come in from the field. Manny had left an hour before after their love making. Earlier Morris had gone out to see their progress on building a fence; Manny, Amos, Jordan and Henry were working on it in the far east field. They grew tired of going after cattle that continuously wandered off and it was that that he’d left her to return to.

Her body still felt the glow and throb of their love making and his overwhelming possession of her. She still couldn’t believe they’d made love with Mike there in the cabin. Thank goodness he didn’t wake up. Usually they made love only in the deep of the night when Mike was spending the night at Johnnypoe’s.

Or when Kayleen would come for her after Mike was asleep, staying there with him after Manny pleaded with her to watch him for them. It had become the way for them, when she showed up; Lena would grab her wrap and head for the big house kitchen door. There Manny would be waiting for her on the porch, leaning against the railing where he’d grab her in his arms kissing her breathlessly.

They would then enter going straight to his room, where the night would be spent with him making love to her. She smiled thinking about the times he’d sneak in from the fields to carry her off to a secret secluded spot by a pond where they swam in the nude and made love out in the open.

Lena sighed, waving at various slaves coming in from a day in the fields tending and cultivating whatever they were appointed to. All had smiles on their faces. Some men were being greeted by their mates who did not work in the fields, but around the barnyards, or in the weave houses. There was also smoke houses or the tallow house where they made soap and candles for all those who lived on Webster Fields.

There were slaves who also tended bee hives, and the house garden in addition to the small gardens along various cabins. Everyone was allowed to grow a small garden of whatever they wanted right near their cabins. Various women, including some of the older ones, voluntarily tended those. Then there were the members of the sewing circles…who stitched everything from ornate quilts, curtains and mattresses, to dresses and trousers. A store of them had been stocked so all had quick access were some type of garment needed. There were also those who did the washing and dying of fabrics made from the cotton grown there. And men that did the carpentering and building as well as patching up, fixing up, or building new cabins. Which were all wind secure, weather proofed and white washed within.

They also made furniture, and furniture repairs. All had a part in making Webster Fields, clean and orderly to thrive with a superior self-sufficiency assuring that they all lived very well compared to plantations and slaves elsewhere.

There was a steady growing noise stirring as more and more poured into the area of where their cabins were located. If one looked down at Webster fields from above…the mansion which faced south, flanked on both sides by cabins with more to the rear. North of the mansion were the servants who cared for the live stock, barns and orchard fields. The west cabins housed the field hands dealing with all crops…whatever they might be.

On the northeast corner, set off a distance from the slave quarters, was the carriage barn, horse stalls and corral, the black smith, carpentry house and smoke house. Down from there…the butcher house with attached pig pen for the prize hogs and pigs. Further to the North, the chicken coops.

In the northwest of the slave’s quarters was the weaving house. And next to it, the cabin where they made all the soap, candles, and jarred preserves from the orchard or vegetable gardens.

As Lena sat, the children seemed to come out of the woodwork from every direction, many from eight and older who wanted to go out and work, did so with their parents. The younger men of teen years were chasing each other to and fro, tackling one another roughly as they came along. She couldn’t help but laugh to see them healthy and happily playing, flicking each other with their shirts, which were off because of the heat. She knew watching them, that it was not the case on other plantations – that brought her a sense of pride in Webster Fields and the man who ran it. A few times Manny went into town, with Kayleen, Lena and a few of his men would ride on the back of the wagon to pick up needed supplies they were running short of at Webster Fields. She’d seen first hand the harshness done to many slaves at the hands of their masters; sending her spiraling down into such a depression…it would take Manny days to bring her out of it – for that reason, she avoided ever going again. The world outside of Webster Fields served as no interest to her, it was her world and she was content to remain there.

Lena thought about her own son as she pulled her knees up to wrap her arms around them. One day he would be tall and lithe; vibrant and strong…just as these beautiful young men were. Oh how handsome she knew he would be, and yes…free. He would be free and not just becase she’d always told him that he was! Now that Manny was going to claim him as his legal son, releasing him from being a slave – it would be truly so.

“Afternoon Ms Lena!” Candice, a young - newly married slave girl called to her who’d just come in from the fields after going there to meet her husband. She was heavily pregnant, expecting the baby any day now. “You back from the house early today, what’s wrong Ms Lena, you ailin’?” She asked approaching the porch. She was on her way to the kitchen because Kayleen was making a special cake for her husband…it was the day they’d chosen for his birthday…neither of them knew when it was, since he’d escaped from some other plantation further east near Jamestown making it to Mississippi. He hadn’t known where he was going when he ran. Nor the direction he was running in, all he knew is that he’d collapsed in a field where Amos found him, brought him to, and delivered him to Manny. He’d been there ever since.

“Ah’right then, I hope he get t’feelin’ better soon. Let me get goin’. I tol’ Einnes I be back in no time…and he ain’t got no patience to wait!”

“You sho’ right I ain’t…I knew you wasn’t comin’ right back! Hey Ms Lena!” Einnes snuck up behind Candice surprising her, speaking to Lena. Candice spun in his arms that he wrapped tightly around her. Lena grinned withholding her greeting, they were no longer aware of her presence.