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Stopping at the door, his buoyant mood shifted. “The Confederates plan to call up more men in a couple of months. That’s the rumor, at least. They’ll need resources.”
“Like plantations.”
“Yep, the bigger the better, and yours will do just fine,” he said matter-of-factly. “Have you had any more inquiries?”
“Some from the north, but no real buyers yet,” I replied. “I’ll sell what equipment I can at the auction.”
“It’s real hard to sell a plantation of this size with no negroes thrown in,” Rozier reminded me.
“If free labor is what they want, they can supply it themselves.”
“Well, with all this war talk, it also means no morehidingthe nigras.”
“Yes, I had considered this,” I said slowly.
“You best be careful, ya’ hear,” he said gravely, looking me square in the eye. “I can’t say it enough. The Confederates are getting stronger every day and they’re going to be on the hunt for men like you. And me, too, for just sitting next to you.”
“I appreciate the warning,” I said. “Is this coming from anyone in particular?”
“Just telling you to watch your back is all,” he said as he took his hat and coat from Patrick. “And get some rest. You’re starting to look as old as me.”
Watching him climb in the carriage, I wondered what he would say if I told him I had no intention of ever conceding to the Confederacy.
Chapter Three
After Joseph left, I walked down the long hall to the sitting room that had once belonged to
my father, barely noticing the rare books that lined the wall or the luxurious carpets under my feet. The mansion and everything in it belonged to me now but there was no comfort in that. I had gone through so much over these last few years and learned, somehow, to cope with all the unpleasant memories, which even now, persisted and pursued me.
Entering the sitting room, I pushed aside the heavy maroon drapes, all the while wishing I could somehow find comfort on this cold, gray day. Outside, in what remained of my mother’s garden, the roses and azaleas, once considered Bellevue’s most prized assets, were slowly dying, leaving behind them a look of desolation. As I drifted deeper into melancholy, Lizzie entered the room and quickly began to draw the heavy drapes.
“I’m doin’ this for ya’ own good,” she said sharply when I asked why. “Now ain’t the time to be on display like some prized rooster. Eyes are watching.”
It was clear that Lizzie was in no mood to be contradicted as she briskly lit lanterns and took a poker to the fireplace. Lizzie often got testy like this when her intuition was high.
“Make sure to keep this fire fed, too,” she instructed. “It was hard to start what with all that wood still being wet.”
“Here,” I said, “let me do this.” It was clear she had other things on her mind besides keeping a fire lit.
“About Joseph and what he said earlier,” I said. “You’ll have to forgive him.”
She clucked her tongue. “I ain’t worried about him and you shouldn’t be either,” she snapped. “Dere’s other things to be thinkin’ ‘bout. Today was a hard day and it’s gon’ only get harder ‘round here. You gotta take in everythin’ dat people do and say even more than you did before. It’ll save you a lot of time and heartache.”
“We’re being watched.”
“Hmph, you was always bein’ watched,” she said. “But dis time you gon’ see it. Now, I ain’t gon’ say more ‘n dat. Sometimes all ain’t clear in the third eye.”
“But you seesomething,” I said, pressing her for more information that only she could see.
“A man gotta find his own way sometimes,” she replied.
“A man should also avoid trouble if he can.”
“For true,” she said. “But destiny got her ways and you cain’t stop her when she determined. All I can say is,be careful. Your higher one sees betrayal. Friends are enemies and sometimes enemies can be friends. Either way, dey can hurt ya.’ Plan your moves wisely and keep ‘em to yourself. Otherwise...”
“Otherwise what?”
She looked at me straight on, her eyes dark and resolute. “Otherwise you’ll never set foot off
