Storm Clouds Rolling In (65 page)

Carrie turned to look into Robert’s eyes.
“Is he going to be all right?”

Robert shrugged.
“He’s a different man in Richmond. There are no memories assaulting him at every turn. Being there has been good for him. He grew increasingly tense the closer we came to Cromwell.”

“What can I do for him?”

“Everything you’re already doing. Love him. Support him.” Robert’s voice changed, and became deep with a different kind of concern. He took her shoulders and turned her to face him. “Hello, Miss Carrie Cromwell. It’s good to see you again. Enough about your father. How are
you
doing?”

The warm concern in his voice caused Carrie to smile.
She stared into his dark eyes for a moment and then did what she had been dreaming of for weeks. She melted into his embrace and allowed him to hold her for a long moment. Finally, she pulled away and looked up into his face. “Hello, Robert Borden. It’s good to see you again too.”

Robert’s eyes darkened and he pulled her close to him again.
Finally, he loosened his grasp and took her hand. “Ready to go in, Miss Cromwell?”

Carrie, her heart pounding, gazed into his eyes.
“Yes, Mr. Borden.” What she really wanted to do was beg him to take her away. To make all the misunderstandings disappear between them. To make them of one mind on the issue of slavery. To tear down all the walls that kept them apart. She knew what she believed. She also knew she loved this man.

Once inside they saw Thomas in the living room staring at the Christmas tree.
The colored pieces of glass caught the glow of the fire, casting rainbow images that danced through the air, only to be caught by the great boughs of greenery. Carrie moved forward and slipped her arm through his. She said nothing, and he seemed to not notice her presence. Robert remained where he was standing by the door.

“Abigail loved Christmas,” Thomas whispered.
His face sagged for a moment and then he straightened his shoulders and forced a smile to his lips. He turned his head to look down at Carrie. “The house is beautiful,” he said warmly. “Your mother would be very proud of you.”

“Thank you, Father.
I’m so very glad you’re home. I’ve missed you so much.”

Thomas smiled again, wrapped his arm tightly around her shoulders and said, “We have much to talk about.
You received my letter saying I could only stay until Christmas Day?”

Carrie nodded.
“It’s wonderful to have you home for
any
length of time.” Secretly, she had been relieved he couldn’t stay longer. She didn’t know how long she could keep the truth about Ike Adams and the missing slaves from him. If he knew there was no overseer, she was sure he would insist on hiring another one. Determined to run the plantation her own way, she could only hope the whirl of Christmas would keep him from asking too many questions.

Thomas moved to a deep chair and settled down with a sigh.
Robert and Carrie both took chairs nearby. A deep silence fell on the room—a peaceful quiet that all of them needed.

“We’re expecting another guest in a few days,” Thomas suddenly said.

“Oh?” Carrie replied with a lift of her eyebrows.
“One of your friends from Richmond?”

Thomas shook his head.
“I ran into young Matthew Justin at the train station a few days ago. He is on his way to cover the Secession Convention in South Carolina. He had no plans for Christmas, so I invited him here when he returns.”

“That’s wonderful
,” Carrie said warmly. She sincerely liked the straightforward redhead. “I’m glad I’ll have the opportunity to return some of the hospitality he showed me in Philadelphia.” She turned to Robert. “I’m sure you’ll be glad to spend time with your friend.”

Robert nodded.
“I will also be glad to hear his perspective on the situation in South Carolina. He seems to have a knack for seeing murky affairs a little more clearly than most.”

Carrie turned to look at her father.
“I hate to bring up politics so soon, Father. I know you’ve just gotten home, but I feel so out of touch here. What is going on in South Carolina? Are they really going to secede from the Union?”

Thomas nodded his head and sighed deeply.
“I’m afraid so, Carrie. They meet tomorrow, you know. One hundred and seventy of South Carolina’s best men will meet to determine the destiny of the state, and that of the whole country I fear.” He paused, his brow furrowed. “Supposedly the matter is still under consideration, but those men are meeting to vote for secession. I know they want it done peacefully. In their heart of hearts they believe it will turn out all right. They are not prepared to compromise, and they seem to have the kind of courage that keeps forlorn hopes alive beyond rational expectations.”

“You don’t agree with them?” Carrie asked.

Thomas shrugged his shoulders. “They are convinced the rest of the South will follow them out of the Union. They believe that with such a united front, the United States government will make no effort to stop them.”

Robert spoke up
then. “I’ve talked to Matthew. He feels their optimism is wildly overstated. He doesn’t believe Lincoln will sit idly by and watch the Union disintegrate.”

“What about Buchanan?
He
is
still our president,” Carrie said.

Thomas grimaced.
“Yes, I suppose he is. Buchanan is a good man and a strong Southern supporter, but he has taken no action to reverse the flow of the tide. He seems as bewildered as the rest of the country as to how to stop the course of events sweeping our country into war.”

Carrie frowned.
“You still believe we are headed for war?”

Thomas stood and walked closer to the fire.
He didn’t answer for a long time. When he spoke, his voice was heavy and old. “I believe South Carolina is right. The cotton states are determined to leave the Union. They will follow South Carolina’s lead. I agree with Matthew that Lincoln will not stand idly by. He is definitely not another Buchanan. The whole country is sitting on a keg of dynamite, and the fuse has already been lit. Each day it grows shorter.” He stared down at the fire. “It’s just a matter of time before the whole thing explodes.”

“Will Virginia secede?”
Carrie couldn’t stop her explosion of questions now that she had the chance to voice them.

Thomas returned to his chair.
“Right now there are still enough reasonable men to keep it from happening. The voices for secession are growing loud, but our voices are still louder. Only time will tell...” His voice trailed off.

Carrie suddenly noticed how tired he looked.
She jumped up from her chair, hurried over, and laid her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Father. I know you are exhausted. We can talk in the morning. I’m sure you could use a good night’s sleep.”

“I’m tired,” Thomas admitted with a small smile.
His eyes took on that haunted look as he glanced at the stairs.

Carrie spoke quickly.
“I had the blue guest room prepared for you, Father.”

Thomas turned to gaze down at her.
“Thank you,” he said simply. “I will see you in the morning.”

Carrie watched as he slowly ascended the stairs.
She had known intuitively that he would not want to be in the room he had shared with his wife, but she also knew he would have plenty of other ghosts to fight. She breathed a quiet prayer as she noted his heavy steps.

Robert was sitting quietly in his chair when she returned to the living room.
Carrie watched him, undetected in the shadows, for a few moments. The light played on the strong angles of his face and glinted off his dark hair. His eyes were closed as he relaxed in the cozy warmth of the room. His face had an almost little-boy vulnerability to it. Carrie felt a warm surge of love shoot through her. The suddenness of it startled her and caused a deep flush to rise to her cheeks. She was grateful for the obscurity of the shadows.

“Are you going to stand there all night?”
Robert opened his eyes with an amused smile. “I’d much rather have you in the room with me.”

Carrie laughed at the impish look in his eyes.
She moved quickly across the room and sank down into the chair next to him.

“Tell me how you’re doing,” he invited.

The next hour passed in quiet conversation.
Not once did they draw near to dangerous topics. Sam entered the room twice to throw additional logs on the fire, but they barely noticed so completely were they involved in each other.

Carrie covered her mouth as a giant yawn escaped.
She glanced at the clock and her eyes opened wide. “My goodness, it’s getting late!”

Robert nodded.
“I think it’s time we called it a night. You need your rest so that you’ll be ready for the Christmas dance day after tomorrow.”

Carrie nodded.
“I haven’t danced since our trip down the river on the
John Marshall.”

Robert snorted. “That was a mere fling. I understand that the
ball at Berkeley Plantation is quite the social event around here.”             

Carrie nodded.
“I look forward to it every year. People come all the way from Richmond.” She was looking forward to it even more this year because Robert would be her escort.

“Has your father asked about Adams yet?”

Carrie shook her head as Rose twisted her hair into a bun. She had learned how to do it herself, but it was nice to have it done for the dance. “No. He hasn’t asked once about things here on the plantation. He seems content to sit in his library and go through the volumes of papers he brought home with him.” She frowned. “He did say something yesterday about how good the place looked, but nothing beyond that.”

“Does that bother you?”

Carrie shrugged and smiled ruefully. “I guess I’m prideful enough to want him to tell me what a wonderful job I’m doing, but the rational side of me knows that the less interested he is, the easier it will be to keep our secret.”

Rose just nodded and kept jabbing pins.
Carrie knew her thoughts were back in the quarters with Moses. Rose’s being back in the big house was temporary, just to keep up appearances for Father, but surely she longed for Moses. As soon as the bun was secure Carrie spun on her seat to look up at Rose. “We won’t be home until very late tonight. No one needs to know you’re not snug in your little room.”

Rose stared at her for a moment and then a wide smile lit her beautiful face.
“Thank you, Miss Carrie.”

Carrie shook her head.
“There is nothing to thank me for. The three of us are partners in this little charade we are pulling off.” She stood, walked over in front of the mirror, and gave a quick twirl, laughing as the red folds of her satin gown swirled around her. She stared into the glinting glass and noticed with satisfaction that the edging of green velvet along the neckline reflected her eyes.

“You look like a woman in love, Miss Carrie.”

Carrie caught her breath, turned away from the mirror, and laughed. “I suppose I do, Rose.” It was the first time she had admitted it out loud.

Rose looked at her closely.
“Is Robert Borden the one you want to spend the rest of your life with?” Her eyes were inscrutable.

Carrie turned back to gaze into the mirror.
Was he?
A deep silence filled the room. When she spoke, it was very slowly. “I know I love him more than any man I’ve ever known.” She paused, troubled. Why wasn’t that enough? What was causing her heart to hold back? She sighed deeply. “There are things that may be impossible to make right between us.” Images of their past arguments rose up to taunt her. An exploding ember flew from the fire and brought her mind back to the present. She shook her head firmly. “It’s Christmas. I’m just going to enjoy it.”

“You look beautiful, Miss Carrie.
I hope you have a wonderful time at the ball,” Rose said warmly.

Carrie could easily push away the uneasiness eating at her heart when she thought of the splendor of the Berkeley Ball.