Shifted By The Winds (52 page)

Carrie felt a thrill of accomplishment, but her attention was already on the next tilt as she cantered over to the starting line after Abby had counted her rings. Only when she was lined up did she realize there were only five of them left. In the past, tournaments had been prepared for with months of practice. None of the knights, with the exception of Amber, had been able to do that. They had ridden for fun. Now those who had failed in their quest were lined up along the arena fence, cheering on the remaining competitors.

Carrie allowed her focus to diminish just long enough to identify the remaining riders—Robert, Susan, Amber, and Clark, one of Moses’ seasonal field hands. Clark looked surprised to still be in the field, but he was clearly eager to win.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the third tilt is about to begin. The rings have been reduced to one inch in size,” Thomas called out. “You have before you five very talented knights.”

The start flag waved, and Susan tore down the list on Lucky Lady. Carrie couldn’t be sure, but it looked like she only got two rings. She pushed aside all thoughts of anyone else and let her entire attention settle on the list.

“Knight Carrie Borden!” her father called.

Granite and Carrie, linked as a single unit, thundered down the list again. Carrie, her mind calm and focused, watched as all three rings slid easily onto her lance. She trotted to the judges’ table, nodded her acceptance of their congratulations, and then returned to the starting line. Her father’s voice broke through her concentration.

“What you are seeing here today is the reason women were banned from competition for so long,” Thomas said, his face wreathed in a proud smile.

The crowd laughed loudly and clapped. Only then did Carrie look around. Susan and Amber were the only other knights still with her. Her eyes widened with both surprise and delight. “May the best female win!”

“May the best female win!” Amber laughed.

“May the best female win!” Susan echoed.

Then all three of them shut out the crowd and focused.

Carrie was not happy to be first in line. She had no way of knowing if the other two knights would miss any of the rings. All she could do to insure her continuation was to capture all three rings again. She cleared her mind and settled deeper into her saddle. “Good boy, Granite,” she said softly. His ears flicked to show he was listening, but his entire concentration was on the list stretched out before them, his muscles bunched tightly in anticipation.

Not waiting for her signal, he surged forward the instant the flag started down, giving them a precious advantage. Carrie caught her breath, ignored the fatigue in her arm from holding the lance, and set her eyes on the first ring. She could no longer afford to watch to see the results. She simply had to ride as fast as she could. They raced to the end of the tilt before Granite slowed and turned toward the judges’ table with no urging from her. Carrie threw back her head with a joyful laugh when she realized all three rings were on her lance.

“Congratulations!” Robert called.

Carrie grinned at him, nodded to the cheering crowd, and then rode over to have her rings counted. When she returned to the starting gate for the final tilt, only Amber was still in the competition.

“It’s just you and me!” Amber crowed.

“That it is,” Carrie acknowledged, feeling a twinge of nervousness for the first time. Amber was completely confident in her ability to capture rings of any size, and Eclipse seemed to have a smug look on his face. Granite snorted and bobbed his head. Carrie felt the nervousness dissipate as her horse assured her they could handle whatever was waiting for them. She flexed her right arm to relieve muscles tired from holding the lance, and took deep breaths.

When Carrie lined up for the fifth and final tilt, she reflected that the finish was just what she had dreamed of for years. The only part that hadn’t figured in her fantasies was the fact that she was competing against a ten-year-old black girl. The reality made it even more special, but it did nothing to diminish her determination to win.

The crowd’s noise had died away to a silent hush as the new rings—just one half inch in diameter—were placed on the tilt. Everyone seemed to hold their breath collectively. Carrie felt herself tighten but forced herself to try to relax. “Good luck,” she murmured to Amber as her father waved for the little girl to advance.

“You too,” Amber replied, her eyes staring forward. The flag waved. Eclipse seemed to float down the list.

Carrie was being waved forward before there was time to hear Amber’s results. She gripped the lance tightly but kept her touch on the reins very light. “We can do this, Granite,” she said confidently.

Again, he surged forward with no signal from her. Carrie honed in on the rings but honestly couldn’t tell if she had captured any of them at all. Even when Granite reached the end and turned to trot over to the judges’ table, she couldn’t see the tiny rings on the end of her lance. Her heart sank as she realized she must have missed all of them.

“Two rings!” she heard Matthew sing out as Amber trotted away from the table, a frown on her face as she looked back over her shoulder.

Carrie opened her mouth to call out her congratulations but closed it in surprise when Louisa stepped forward and pulled two rings off her lance.

“Two rings!” Louisa called out, holding them up triumphantly. She leaned close to Carrie and whispered. “My bet is on you and Granite.”

Carrie laughed with both relief and incredulity as she saw the two glimmering rings in Louisa’s hand. It seemed somehow incredibly fitting that there was a Blackwell judging the tournament.

“Now this is what I call competition!” Thomas yelled out, his voice tight with excitement. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen tighter competition than this.” He raised his hand. “May the best female win!”

“May the best female win!” the crowd roared back.

Carrie looked at Amber. The little girl’s face was flushed with pride and happiness. For just a moment she considered deliberately missing a ring, but then pushed the thought aside. She was too much of a competitor for that, but she also knew Amber would suspect if she didn’t win fairly. She moved up close to Amber. “You’re amazing,” she said quietly. “May the best female win.” The simple statement had become the mantra of the day.

“May the best female win,” Amber replied. “Thank you, Carrie.” Her voice was husky with emotion.

Carrie tore her eyes from the list. “For what?”

“If it hadn’t been for you, Moses would never have brought Robert to us. None of this would be happening.”

Carrie blinked her eyes, her thoughts spinning to Biddy’s Bregdan Principle. Truly, nothing happened in a vacuum. “You’re welcome,” she said, suddenly realizing that no matter who won, they were
both
the winners. The knowledge completely relaxed her. “Go out there and have fun,” she said.

Amber grinned and nodded, moving forward when she was called to the starting line. Once again, Eclipse seemed to float, not merely run, down the list. Amber looked to be just a small speck carrying a very large lance.

Still relaxed, Carrie advanced to the line. “Show them what you can do, Granite,” she called, letting out a whoop as they sprang forward. Her arm held steady as they flew toward the first ring, but just as they reached the second ring she felt her grip slip on the lance for just a moment. She didn’t have time to bemoan the fact before the third ring was rushing toward them. She tightened her grip, eyed the ring, and then flew down the rest of the list.

All the judges were standing quietly beside the table as Carrie rode forward. Again, she couldn’t tell what was on the end of her lance. Suddenly, after years of wanting nothing more than to win the tournament, it no longer mattered. She smiled as she approached Matthew. Only then did she realize Louisa was just walking up to Amber. They had waited for her to finish her tilt before they counted either of their rings.

Matthew reached for her lance. “Two rings!”

The crowd held its breath as Louisa reached for Amber’s lance. A look of astonished admiration filled her face. “Three rings!” she called as she held them to the sky triumphantly.

The crowd exploded with applause and cheers.

Amber’s face burst into a grin. She caught Carrie’s eye just a second before Clint ran up to Eclipse and pulled her down into a long hug. “I won!” Amber cried. “I won!”

“That you did!” Clint told her. “You deserved it, little sister. I’m proud of you.”

If possible, Amber beamed even more brightly as she wrapped her arms around her brother tightly.

Carrie joined in the cheering, her heart swelling as she looked around at the mass of faces, both black and white, celebrating an extraordinary accomplishment.

Moses had never felt such a deep sense of satisfaction as he gazed around the plantation grounds.

Rose walked up and slid her hand in his. “Look at them. They are so excited.”

Moses nodded. “They should be. These men have never earned anything other than what the army paid some of them.” He didn’t add that many of them had left the army being owed money for work done. Now was not the time to look backward. He would only look forward. He had just told his workers the final numbers for the harvest and handed out slips of paper letting each of them know how much they had earned. It had been pure joy to watch their faces. Now all the men were huddled with their wives and children, excitedly talking about the future. As his gaze continued to rove, he suddenly tightened.

“What’s wrong?” Rose asked, and then she sucked in her breath when her eyes followed his. “Morah…”

“I thought I got through to Abraham,” Moses said through clenched teeth as he saw the fear on Morah’s face. Abraham was clutching his piece of paper with fierce pride, but there was no joy in his eyes. He was staring at his wife with a look full of angry power. Morah seemed to shrink away from him, clutching her children to her tightly. They watched their daddy with wide eyes, sadness etched on their faces as the other families celebrated together.

“She’s terrified,” Rose whispered.

Moses searched his mind for what to do.

Rose read his expression. “Don’t do anything right now,” she whispered. “If you draw attention to him, he will take it out on them later.”

Moses ground his teeth, but stayed where he was because he knew she was right. He thought about the letter of recommendation he had written Abraham just a few days earlier, after the man assured him all was well in his home. He realized now that it had been a blatant lie. He had not given him the letter yet, but he had planned to. Now he didn’t know what to do.

Rose continued to read his mind. “If you don’t give him the letter, he will be angrier and more desperate. He will take it out on Morah and the children.”

“So I do nothing?” Moses growled.

“We offer Morah and the children the opportunity to stay here.”

“Without Abraham?”

“Without Abraham,” Rose said firmly. “He must be told to leave.”

Moses looked at Morah. “Do you think she will do it? Stay here without him?”

Rose sighed heavily. “I don’t know. She’s become so much more confident in school, but she’ll be terrified by what we’re proposing.”

“Perhaps Janie could talk to her,” Moses suggested.

Rose smiled at him. “That’s a very good idea. Janie has been through what she is experiencing. Perhaps that will give her the courage to make another choice.”

A voice broke into their conversation. “I knew you would make me proud, Moses!”

Moses spun around and accepted Captain Jones’ firm handshake. “Thank you, sir.”

Mark grimaced. “Are you ever going to lose the
sir
?”

Moses grinned. “It was rather ingrained for almost four years. It may take a while.” Somehow it seemed wrong not to address him as Captain Jones or show the proper respect.

“Work on it!”

“Yes, sir!” Moses responded automatically.  Both Rose and Mark started laughing.

“You’ve done a remarkable thing here,” Mark commented, his eyes sweeping the men. “You were a natural leader in the army, but you have created something here that I wish the rest of the country would emulate.”

“You and me both,” Moses said. “Most of the problems in the South would disappear right now if everyone was treated fairly. The whites are terrified because they have lost what they consider the only way of life they have ever known and they have no idea how to live any differently. The blacks are terrified because they have no idea how to live in this new world that the white folks don’t want them in. The terrors are colliding into each other.” He couldn’t hold back the scowl that accompanied his words. More reports had been coming in, but so far he had kept the knowledge to himself.