Shifted By The Winds (55 page)

“Della is right,” Julia, a young-looking woman in her thirties, said. “Not dancing with our men seemed like a good idea when we had it.” She glanced toward the knot of men and then jerked her gaze back. “We may have done nothing but made it worse.” She bit her lip. “I hope not,” she muttered. “Stan can get real mad.”

“I ain’t leaving my Daisy and Chester there with Leon,” Mary said, speaking up for the first time. Her twenty-year-old eyes were far too old, and the lines on her face spoke of years of suffering in slavery.

Rose knew Mary had escaped from a plantation deep in Mississippi just before the end of the war. She and her husband, Leon, drawn by rumors of a plantation where they would be treated fairly, had walked all the way. Moses hadn’t had the heart to turn them away and had made room for one more man. Rose continued to beg silently for wisdom. “Moses and I will walk back with you,” she said. She was confident the men would not do anything if the women weren’t alone. Perhaps Moses could talk some sense into them.  She had thought about having the children stay in the house as well, but she suspected taking their children would enrage the men even more.  She desperately wished she knew the right thing to do, but she felt like she was casting around in the dark.

“That won’t work,” Morah whispered.

“How do you know?” Rose demanded, suddenly exasperated. “You’re saying all my ideas are bad, but you don’t have any of your own. Surely it won’t make things better for you to infuriate your husbands by not dancing with them, and then merely walk home with them hoping there won’t be consequences. I wish I could say they would all change and start treating you right, but you and I both know that isn’t true.” She took a deep breath, not questioning where the words were coming from. “Your husbands rule by fear. They do what they want because you are afraid of them. You are afraid to stay away from your home because of what they will do to your children. You are afraid to return home because of what they will do to you. They feel powerful, but they are really nothing but cowards,” she said angrily.

The four women stared at her, shocked into silence. They had never seen their teacher angry before.

“It’s time they learned they are not all powerful. Moses is their boss. They may have just finished the harvest, but they are still counting on Moses to give them a recommendation letter so they can find more work further south, and they are not being paid until tomorrow. It’s time they realize there are consequences for their actions,” Rose added. Her eyes swung toward Morah. “Moses and I have already talked about you. I believe that no matter what the other women choose to do, you should stay here tonight with your children. In fact, I believe you should leave Abraham and stay here permanently. Once he is gone from the plantation, you and your children can have your own cabin.”

Morah was already shaking her head, her eyes wide with panic. “Leave him? Stay here?” she whispered. “He’ll kill me if I do that, Rose. That idea is just plumb crazy.”

“What’s crazy is thinking you can go back there and have him treat you any differently. The other women have already said their husbands don’t treat them as badly as Abraham treats you. He beats you, Morah. He’s going to beat you if you go home tonight. You know he is!” Rose wanted to take the woman and shake her, but she knew that wouldn’t do any good. The abuse she had suffered had stolen every shred of self-confidence. She could only pray her words were getting through.

Della groaned and buried her face in her hands. “I thought the end of slavery was going to mean a better life. In some ways it be worse than when we was on the plantation.”

Rose took a deep breath. “Everything has changed, Della. For everyone. That means everyone is trying to figure out how to live their life. Men are trying to figure out how to live as free men. Women are trying to figure out how to live as free women. All the hatred and prejudice is making that harder. Just trying to figure out how to be free would be challenging enough. Now we have to add in that plantation owners aren’t willing to accept us as free, and they are making it very difficult to find work and fair pay. The men are angry and frustrated.” She shook her head. “That doesn’t mean they have any right to do what they are doing, but it does mean things aren’t going to change for them very fast. It’s not realistic to think they are going to just change into nice people. That means each of you are the ones who have to make the right decision for yourself and your children.”

Rose thought quickly. “Each of you can stay here on the plantation with your children where you will be safe. We’ll figure things out as we go.” She gritted her teeth as they all stared at her, shaking their heads in refusal. She knew she was speaking the truth, but she also knew their fear was too great for them to believe there was an answer. She stood reluctantly as she realized she was not getting through to them. “Let me know if there is a way I can help. Until then, I will be praying.” She bit back a scream of frustration when she walked away. There seemed to be no way she could help these women. It went against everything inside her to walk away, but she couldn’t help someone not willing to be helped.

Moses was waiting for her on the far side of the clearing, a questioning look on his face. Rose filled him in quickly. “What did the men say?”

“Not much,” he admitted, his eyes filled with angry worry. “I don’t know that I have much control over them anymore.”

“But they haven’t gotten their letter of recommendation yet,” Rose protested. “Surely that is worth something.”

“I’m hoping so,” Moses said. “The other men may consider that, but Abraham is infuriated by the humiliation of Morah refusing to dance with him. I don’t know that he can control the rage brewing in him right now, even if he wanted to.”

Rose said nothing, very much afraid he was right, and knowing that neither of them could do anything if Morah refused to let them help her. She stared across the clearing where the four women were still huddled together, her mind racing to find a solution.

Moses was relieved when the night finally wound down. The Harvest Celebration had been a huge success, but he was exhausted and he was also worried about Rose. He had seen the look in her eyes when she was watching the four women. His beautiful wife had something planned, and his instincts told him it was going to mean trouble. He chatted easily with everyone as they left, most of them carrying their sleeping children as they walked away, but he also kept an eye on Morah and the others. He knew the instant they stood up, and he was not surprised when he saw Rose step up to join them. He couldn’t hear anything they were saying, but he knew they were arguing with her. She merely shook her head and fell into step with them when they started to walk away, their children in tow.

Moses smiled and nodded at a few more people, and then he slipped into the woods, grabbed what he had sequestered there, and quietly followed the women on a trail that ran almost parallel to the road down to the quarters. He had already decided his presence might be more intimidating than helpful, but he was not willing to let Rose go by herself. He was quite sure she had decided to walk the women back to their cabins with the hope that her presence would offer them protection. His eyes cast around for their husbands, but they were nowhere in sight. He wasn’t sure what that meant, but he was positive it was nothing good.

The women walked quietly, their children stumbling along almost half-asleep. Morah clutched her baby close to her breast and gripped her son tightly by the hand. Her frightened look said she was expecting Abraham to come for her at any moment.

Moses was surprised when they were left alone to walk home, but then he realized the men would hardly accost them when there were so many people around. His skin prickled as he searched his mind to figure out what they were likely to do. He knew Rose had tried to convince the women to stay behind at the house. All of them had refused. His only job now was to protect his wife.

He watched as Rose stood at the door of each cabin with the women. The cabins were all dark, but it was impossible to know if they were empty. She hugged them all briefly and then turned to walk back home when the last woman was in her cabin. She waved to others drifting into the quarters, but she didn’t tarry to talk. Moses could tell by the stiffness of her posture that she was nervous, but she held her head high as she started back home.

Rose was grateful for the half-moon that illuminated the road. She was already berating herself for not telling Moses where she was going, but it was too late to change her actions now. She straightened her shoulders and walked briskly, fighting the urge to break into a run. She also scolded herself for her fear. These men were Moses’ workers. Surely they would do nothing to harm his wife. Besides the fact that he partially controlled their future, surely they knew his wrath would fall on them if they dared to harm her. Her fear faded a little as the certainty restored her courage.

She was halfway home when she looked up and saw three men blocking the road.

Rose faltered, and then continued to walk forward, acutely aware all the families had made their way home. She was alone with three of the husbands who had been publicly humiliated by their wives—the same women she had walked home with. A quick glance told her Abraham was not with them. The instant of relief was followed by the terrible realization he was probably with Morah. She tightened with anger, reminding herself these men were nothing but cowards who abused their wives. She lifted her head high and cast them a withering look, and then reached slowly for her pocket, glad for the pistol Moses had insisted she carry.  She prayed she wouldn’t have to use it, but she was certain she would if she had to.

The men remained silent as she got closer, but she could feel the anger coming off them in waves. Rose considered walking around them, but she was quite sure they wouldn’t allow that, and it would also indicate she was afraid. These men operated off fear. Her best strategy was to not show them any. She stopped in the middle of the road about five feet from them, grateful for the light from the moon, and regarded the men steadily. “Hello, gentlemen. What can I do for you?”

Dexter had evidently been designated the spokesman for the group. He edged forward, his eyes glinting angrily. “You can leave our wives alone, Mrs. Samuels. We don’t appreciate you turning them against us.”

Rose stared at him. “You three men turned your wives against you all by yourselves. I had nothing to do with it.”

Dexter shook his head. “Our wives were just fine until they started going to your school,” he growled.

“The same school where I taught
you
how to read?” Rose asked him, striving to remember Dexter’s eager excitement when he had finally learned to make sense of the letters. Beneath the anger suffusing his face, there was a good man. At least there was once a good man. She remembered Moses telling her that sometimes men couldn’t come back from the anger and bitterness.