The Price of Freedom (25 page)

Pain seized her, causing her to
curl into a
foetal
position clutching the pillow that
he had slept on to her chest, as if it could somehow ease the pain there. 
His familiar smell on the pillow overwhelmed her and she buried her face in it
smothering the sobs that shook her body.

She had what she had always
wanted; her freedom. But now it was hard to rejoice when a part of her had been
torn away and was on the way back to Carolina.

Elizabeth stood at her bedroom
window and watched the laden cart crawl down the driveway under its load, with
Jethro handling the reins and Jacko at his side.  Sarah, Deborah and one of
the field slaves sat in the back squeezed into the small space that they were
sharing with their trunks.

She smiled victoriously. 
They were finally out of her house and out of her life.  She would have
preferred if they were leaving in the back of the cart of some cruel owner but
at least she didn’t have to put up with their hurtful presence any
longer.  She was now truly mistress of her own house again.

Thomas had said that he would buy
two more girls for the house and this time she would make sure that she was
there to pick them herself.  She did not want another Sarah on her hands.

He had not said so, but she was
sure that he had bought Sarah a house and given her some money to start
out.  She would have a look at the records in his office next time he went
out. He would no doubt be going into Town a lot more frequently now.  She
would be fooling herself if she thought that he had truly given up Sarah. 
At least she wouldn’t have to endure the humiliation of knowing that they were
together in his room.

The house seemed so empty now
without Richard around.  He had filled up the space and had fit in as if
he had always been here.  She was sorry that their relationship had become
somewhat strained towards the end but she could not condone him bringing that
slave girl to sleep in his room with no respect for her or her daughters. What
would his mother say if she knew, and he was betrothed at that? Had Barbados
corrupted him? It had a way of doing that; to the men especially.

Now that Richard had left and the
troublesome slave women were out of the house, she hoped that Thomas would
bring William back home.  She missed him terribly and she was sure that
two years was enough of a punishment for him for no matter what Thomas had
called it, she saw it as banishment for defiling his precious Deborah.  He
had a lot to answer for.

Deborah and Sarah looked around
their house in awe. Theirs! It was a quaint little wall and wood house with a
shop at the bottom and living quarters above it. There was a small kitchen with
a table and four chairs, a small parlor and a living room in addition to the
two bedrooms. The master had even bought some basic furniture for it.

They discussed how they could make
it attractive with pretty curtains, rugs and a few cushions to add some color
to the room. They would have to be quite frugal with the money the master had
given them but at least they had saved a little of their own over the years
that they could use. Just the freedom to decide how to spend their money was
exciting.

Deborah was delighted to find a
tiny enclosed yard where she could create a small garden and grow a few herbs.
At the back of the shop were a storeroom and two small rooms where Jacko and
Mamie, the slaves the master had given them, could sleep.

"I can't believe this
Deborah. Two years ago who would have thought that we would be free and have
our own house? You realize how things changed ever since Master Richard
came?"

Deborah's heart ached at the
mention of Richard's name and she wondered how he was and how far from Barbados
he had gotten in the four days since he had left. Was he thinking about
her?  Was he looking forward to getting back to Carolina and would he even
remember her in the months and years to come?

"I told him that I felt he
was sent here on a mission but he didn't take me seriously. I miss him so much
already I don't know how I will get through the next few weeks."

Sarah hugged her and said,
"Time will heal your heart, girl."

Deborah knew that but it didn't
make her heart hurt any less right now. With a determination that she had
learned over the years, she pulled herself together and took her mind from
Richard.

"Let's go in the shop and see
how we can set it up," she told Sarah. Sarah quickly agreed, excited about
buying material and making dresses to sell. She would earn her own money and no
one would be able to own her again. Soon she would be able to pay a lawyer to
prepare papers to free Mamie and Jacko. Perhaps one day they could buy Cassie’s
freedom as well.  Hattie would have to fend for herself but she was
resourceful, she would no doubt be looking to take her place with the master.
Sarah felt a twinge of jealousy at the thought but she had no illusions that
the master would soon be looking for someone to take to his bed; that was just
the way of things.

Looking out from the window of the
shop she gazed at the busy street, High Street it was called, with many shops
and taverns close together. It was a little overwhelming to think that they
would be living among the hustle and bustle of Town. It wasn't the peaceful
country life that she was accustomed to but she would rather be free in the
city than a slave in the country.

Thomas was surprised at how
desolate and lonely he felt without Sarah.  It was not that he used to call
her for every day, but somehow just knowing that she was available if he called
for her was a comfort.  Now she was far away in Town and the house seemed
empty without her.

The thought entered his mind to go
in to Elizabeth but the truth was he felt a deep resentment towards her that
left him cold to any attraction he may have had for her in the past. 
After all, if it had not been for her, Deborah and Sarah would still be there.
Perhaps he would send for the newest one, Hattie, to ease his loneliness and
take his mind off Sarah for a short while at least.

He missed Richard as well, for he
had come to enjoy his company and their talks in his office after dinner most
nights. Now that he had gone and Deborah was no longer on the plantation, he
would write to William and tell him to come home.  He hoped that England
had civilized him and that their relationship would improve when he came back.
Maybe he would be more interested in helping on the plantation.

He opened a drawer and took out a
sheet of paper and dipping his quill in some ink, started the letter right
away.

July 7, 1696

The Acreage

St. James

Dear William

I hope this letter finds you in
good health. I know that writing is not your strength, and in that you take
after me, but thankfully your aunt and your mother have been in communication,
so that we have been appraised of any news concerning you and we are pleased
with the good reports that we have had.

Your mother misses you a great
deal, especially now that your cousin Richard has returned to Carolina. 
I’m sure she would have mentioned him in her letters.  He spent three
months with us to learn the workings of the plantation and now he has gone back
to run his father’s business until he gets married later in the year, after
which he will take over his father-in-law’s plantation.  He is a fine
fellow and was a great help to me these last few months.

We have had quite a few changes
on the plantation, with some new additions to the slaves.  Jacko lost his
hand in the mill during harvest this year so I have had to buy a new boy to
replace him.  We also have a new house girl, Hattie, and I am looking to
buy two more since Deborah and Sarah have been freed. Your mother has long
desired to have them removed from the house so I recently agreed to her
request. I gave Jacko and one of the women from the field to Sarah and they
have settled in Town.

We had a good crop this year
and profits should be up since the demand for sugar continues to increase in
England.  You may well be drinking sugar from our own plantation in your
tea or coffee every day. The rum is also doing well and continues to expand. I
will soon need someone to manage either the rum or the sugar since I can no
longer do both.

I believe that the time has
come for you to return home and start to apply some of what you learned in
England.  As I am getting older, I would like you to be more involved in
the running of the plantation as it will be yours one day.  I will
therefore arrange passage for you on my ship at the end of October, once the
hurricane season has passed. Please take this opportunity to put your affairs
in order so that you can return then. I look forward to seeing you in a few
months and may you have travelling mercies. 

Your father

Thomas Edwards

He had hesitated a few minutes
before signing the letter, not really sure how to sign it.  What a sad
testimony of his relationship with his son.  He would have to make a
greater effort to spend time getting to know him better when he returned, as he
had with Richard.

William read his father’s letter
and smiled.  He was being summoned home. Thank God he would be soon far
from this place. The servant girls left him as cold as the miserable weather,
the food was tasteless and the people unfriendly. His cousins and their friends
thought that they were all above him because he had been born “in the colonies”
as they said. He was as much a part of the gentry as they were, after all, his
father had been born in England and was one of the elite.  It was ironic
that they acted so superior when his family was probably far wealthier than
theirs.

He wished it was October already
because he could not wait to leave. His father had hoped this stay would make
him more civilized? Well he certainly knew which wines went with what meal and
how to dance all kinds of reels and waltzes so if that was his idea of
civilization he was, but he certainly missed the life in Barbados and he
couldn’t wait to get back to it.

So Sarah and Deborah had managed
to persuade his father to free them. He was sure that his mother had wanted
them sold rather than freed.  Nevertheless, he was glad that they were
gone; maybe his mother would now be spared further humiliation, but he didn’t
hold out much hope that his father had changed.  There would soon be
another Sarah to take her place. He would bet that his father had bought them
the house in Town and it wouldn’t be that hard to find them. He would pay them
a visit to offer his regards when he got back. He was sure that Deborah was
even more beautiful now than when he had left.

He glanced at the letter again.
Who was this cousin of his that his father called a “fine young man”? 
When had he ever called him that?  Even without meeting his cousin, he
resented him.  He had no doubt been sleeping in his bed and taking his
place in his father’s affections, if he ever had a place in them, he thought
bitterly. For all he knew, he probably even had permission to bed Deborah when
she had been forbidden to him. It was just as well that he had gone back to
Carolina.