Shifted By The Winds (50 page)

Amber relaxed and then eyed the two strangers. “Are you the two that bought Oak Meadows?”

“We are,” Mark replied as he continued to gaze at Eclipse. Finally he turned his attention to Amber. “And you must be Amber. Robert told us about you.”

Amber lost her suspicious look. “I’m one of Robert’s trainers,” she announced. “My brother, Clint, is the other one. He’s down helping to get the arena ready for the tournament.”

“I bet you’re excited to watch it,” Susan said.

Amber grinned. “I’m not watching. I’m riding!”

Carrie understood when Susan and Mark gaped at her.

Susan was the first to recover. “And who are you going to ride?” she asked.

Amber laid a proud hand on the Thoroughbred’s neck. “Eclipse,” she answered firmly.

Carrie finally took pity on Mark and Susan when their silence continued to stretch out. “Amber can handle Eclipse,” she assured them. “This horse would do anything for her.”

Susan smiled. “It’s about time this ridiculous sport was open to women,” she declared.

“And to girls!” Amber added seriously.

“And to girls!’” Susan agreed. Her attention turned back to the pasture. “You helped train the colts and fillies?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Amber said. “Are you the ones my mama said was going to come buy them?”

Carrie tensed, but relaxed again when Susan and Mark merely smiled.

“Let’s just say we’re in the market,” Mark murmured. His eyes caught Carrie’s over Amber’s head.

Carrie shrugged. “No one other than my father and Abby had any idea you were coming. Polly is Amber’s mother. She has been telling Robert all summer that someone was coming to buy the horses.”

Mark nodded. “No one will buy them because you choose to treat blacks equally?”

“That’s about it,” Carrie agreed, not wanting to say any more until Robert had returned. She could hardly wait to see his face when he spied his friends.

Mark nodded, seeming to know she wouldn’t say anymore. He turned back to Amber. “Will you tell us about the ones you have been training?”

Amber nodded and hopped down off the box. She unsnapped Eclipse’s lines and led him into his stall, her slim, small form making him look even more massive. She reached up to pat his neck, murmured something to him that made him duck his head, and then pulled the door shut. Eclipse stuck his head out immediately and blew softly into her hair. Amber giggled and reached up to pat his nose. “Right this way,” she called.

Carrie watched, a sense of something close to awe flooding her as she watched Amber’s face fill with determined purpose. She joined Mark and Susan at the fence as Amber clambered up to perch on top.

“That is Eclipse’s Sparkling Lady,” she began, pointing out a powerful sorrel filly with an etched, refined head. “She was the first to be born this spring. She was also the first to learn to lead. She’s already used to the halter and bridle, and I’ve been putting the saddle pad on her for several weeks now. She’s spirited but friendly. She’s got her sire’s fire, but she is also as gentle as her dam.”

Amber shifted to point toward a prancing bay with two white stockings on his front legs. “That’s Eclipse’s Jim Dandy.” She launched into her explanation of where he was in the training process, her voice confident and smooth.

“And that one?” Susan asked when Amber finished.

Carrie hid her grin as her eyes followed Susan’s pointing finger.

“That’s All My Heart,” Amber said.

“She’s beautiful,” Susan murmured, her eyes taking in the filly’s perfect conformation with hungry eyes.

“And she’s mine,” Amber added. “Robert gave her to me.” Her voice was thick with pride and love.

Susan turned to gaze into Amber’s eyes. “You are a very lucky little girl.”

“Luck had nothing to do with it.” Robert strode up and put his hand on Amber’s shoulder. “I owe this little girl more than I can ever repay, and All My Heart is in the best hands possible.”

Amber grinned and ducked her head, but not before Carrie saw the sheer adoration she had for Robert on her face. Once again she battled her fear they may never be able to have children. Her husband should have the chance to be a father.

Robert turned to shake hands with Mark. “What a surprise!” He embraced Susan. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”

Susan exchanged a glance with Mark. “Should we tell him now?”

A clatter of wagon wheels and the pealing laughter of children filled the air.

Amber slid down off the fence, her face glowing with excitement. “Everyone is here!” she cried. “The Harvest Celebration is beginning!”

Carrie watched as a steady stream of people, laughing and talking, poured into the yard. Their arms were full of blankets to sit on. “The Harvest Celebration has begun,” she agreed. She understood the look on Robert’s face. “You can stay here and talk to Mark and Susan while I go greet everyone.”

Robert hesitated, his expression saying that was exactly what he wanted to do, but he shook his head. “This day is too important.” He turned to Mark. “We can talk afterwards?”

“Absolutely,” Mark agreed. “Thomas told me this is the best tobacco harvest he has ever had.”

Robert nodded. “And all these people are the ones who made it possible. We’re going to give them the party of their life!” He turned to Carrie. “Finish getting Granite ready. Thomas, Abby and I will greet everyone. Moses and Rose will be here in just a minute. They are finishing up down at the tournament arena.”

“I’ll come with you,” Mark said. “I’m eager to see Moses.”

Robert grinned. “He is going to be thrilled you are here,
Captain
Jones.”

Susan waved as Robert and Mark left the barn, and then she turned to Carrie. “Can I stay here with you?”

“I would love it!”

“Me too,” Amber said shyly.

Susan put a hand on Amber’s shoulder. “Will you introduce me to All My Heart?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Carrie smiled, knowing Susan had made a friend for life. She suddenly couldn’t wait another moment. “If I promise not to say anything to Robert, will you tell me why you’re here?”

“And me too?” Amber cried. “My mama was right, wasn’t she?”

Susan smiled. “When we got your father’s invitation, we were intrigued. We became more intrigued when we learned Eclipse’s lineage.”

“He’s out of Lexington,” Amber boasted. “My brother, Clint, had Abby buy him when Robert was still real sick.”

Susan looked at Carrie with surprise. “Is that right?”

Carrie nodded. “Clint is a very gifted horseman. He spent the years during the war studying everything he could get his hands on about horses so he would be prepared. He fell in love with horses when Robert taught him how to ride. He never gave up hope that someday he would work with Robert.”

“And now he is,” Susan murmured before she turned to Amber. “Your brother made a very wise choice.”

“Yep.”

Susan grinned. “As I said, we were intrigued enough to make the trip down. We recently decided to expand. Thomas’ letter came at the perfect time.”

“What did my father say?”

Susan shrugged. “Just that the folks around here were too stupid to recognize the best horseflesh he had ever seen.”

Carrie laughed. She could hardly wait to tell her father she wasn’t going back to Philadelphia. She wouldn’t be in Richmond, but she would see him far more often. “He does know how to encapsulate an issue,” she said.

Susan turned back around to stare into the pasture. “He was right.”

Amber stepped up to tug on her arm. “Miss Jones?”

Susan looked down. “Yes, Amber?”

“You can’t have All My Heart because she’s mine. And you can’t have Dandy Delight, either. He belongs to my brother,” she explained earnestly.

Susan nodded. “Which one is Dandy Delight?”

Amber pointed toward the tree where a sorrel colt rested in the shade, his head lifted to attention as he watched everyone arrive. “That one!”

Susan chuckled. “Why am I not surprised the two of you chose the best ones of the bunch?”

“They’re all fine colts and fillies,” Amber promised. “Any one of them would be a fine addition to your stable.”

Carrie’s heart swelled with love. “You are absolutely right, Amber.” She turned to Susan. “Do you have any idea how many you want?” She could hardly wait for Robert to discover some of them were going to have a home. Perhaps that would open the gate for other buyers.

Susan hesitated. “I should probably wait for Mark…”

“Or just tell us since we’re all women here,” Amber broke in. “We have to stick together, you know!”

Carrie laughed. “She listens to Rose and me.”

“And to June, and Annie, and my mama,” Amber added. “Are they right?” she demanded.

“They’re right,” Susan chuckled. “I really
should
wait for Mark, but I already know we are in agreement.”

“So how many?” Amber pressed, her eyes fixed intently on Susan’s face.

“All of them.”

A long silence fell on the barn as more people streamed into the yard. Carrie finally found her voice. “Did you say
all
of them?”

“
All
of them?” Amber echoed in a whisper.

“Well, all of them except All My Heart and Dandy,” Susan responded. “Unless you decide to change your mind and sell her to us, Amber,” she teased.

“No, ma’am,” Amber said, but a wide grin was spreading across her face. “Robert is sure going to be happy!”

Carrie had dozens of questions swarming through her mind, but Thomas, Abby, Matthew and Janie were walking out onto the porch. It was suddenly important to be with them. Granite was ready for the tournament. Now that she wasn’t going back to Philadelphia, she wanted to take a more active role on the plantation. “You’ll have to excuse me,” she said quickly. She wrapped Susan in a hug. “Thank you,” she whispered. Then she turned and hurried across the yard.

Granite snorted and pranced as the crowds pressed closer to the arena. Carrie couldn’t hold back her grin as she felt him move beneath her. After years of dreaming about it, she was finally going to compete in a tournament. She knew Granite was just as excited as she was.

It was a perfect day for the Harvest Celebration. The early morning chill had retreated with the sun, but the air was still crisp and cool. The aroma of roasting pigs seemed to fill every inch of the plantation. The men had dug pits for four huge hogs, to make sure there was enough for everyone. The long tables groaned under the weight of all the food, but the feasting would not begin until someone had been crowned the winner of the tournament.

She watched as the crowd talked and laughed. She couldn’t help comparing the spectators to those from the Blackwell Tournaments of years past. The Blackwell Tournament and Ball had always been an event where every woman from surrounding plantations strove to outdo the others who would attend. They chose their resplendent gowns carefully, always wore hats to protect their delicate complexions, and would never be seen without a frilly parasol. Men wore elegant suits and chatted with friends they saw only a few times a year.

Carrie chuckled. What a difference six years could make. The dresses surrounding the arena were just as colorful, but there were no fancy gowns, and not one woman wore a hat or carried a parasol to protect their ebony skin. The look of happiness on their faces was the only adornment they needed. The men, forged by months of working together under brutal conditions, wore justified expressions of pride as they laughed and talked.