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“I want to apologize for earlier,” he said, his voice low and deep. “I shouldn’t have said all those things. You’ve been nothin’ but kind to me.”
“It’s alright. A lot is being asked of you.”
Josiah moved in even closer and held Lizzie in his arms. Her body shivered as he began to run his large hands down her body.
“Come with me, Lizzie,” he whispered in her ear. “That’s all I been thinking about since I first laid eyes on you.”
She turned to face him. “I cain’t leave. At least not yet.”
“Why, what’s holding you back?”
“I gotta keep helpin’ folks like you.”
“All these slaves here, somebody will take your place.”
“It’s not time yet.”
“When will it be?”
Lizzie paused. “I don’t know.”
“I don’t wanna leave you.”
“You have to. If you don’t, your massa will find you and ain’t no telling what he’ll do to you then.”
“Then come with me,” he pleaded, his voice full of desire.
“I’ll be behind you soon enough. Just ask for Mr. White when you get to Boston like instructed. He will help you. He’s a good man who knows a lot of people.”
Josiah took Lizzie’s face in his hands and kissed her deeply. “I’ll be waiting for you,” he said.
Lizzie knew he meant every word. “No, I want you to go and live your life. Don’t worry about me.”
“There’s no life without a good woman in it,” he said. “And that’s you, Lizzie. Only you.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Elizabeth couldn’t sleep. The more she thought about Jeyne’s letter to Thomas, the more agitated she became. It wasn’t so much the letter as it was that Thomas had kept it, cherished it. She imagined him reading it over and over and reminiscing about old times. Were there other letters? Had he been writing to her after all these years? Had she written him back? There were so many questions with no answers and she was driving herself mad with frustration.
Elizabeth slid out of bed and put on her robe. She needed to calm her nerves somehow. Thomas hadn’t arrived from New Orleans but she suspected he would be home by tomorrow afternoon, if not by the morning. As she made her way down the spiral staircase to the kitchen, Elizabeth saw dark figures moving in unison out the back door with what looked like Lizzie following close behind them. Scared to her wits end and unable to fully interpret what she was seeing from her angle, Elizabeth shouted out Lizzie’s name.
When Lizzie heard Elizabeth voice, she turned to the runaways. “Go on and never look back,” she ordered them. The husband and wife began to run, but Josiah just stood there staring into her eyes, not wanting to leave. Lizzie felt her face go flush.
“You gotta go,” she said.
Without warning, Josiah grabbed Lizzie and kissed her hard on the lips with a passion so fierce she thought she would faint right there in his arms. He released her and made his way quickly out the door. Lizzie stood there for what seemed like an eternity as the emotions she didn’t know existed overcame her. Lizzie was supposed to be their guide on their journey for at least a mile, but with Elizabeth spotting her, there was no choice but to let them travel the initial leg of the journey alone. All Lizzie could do now was stand there in the doorway and watch on helplessly as the man who had melted her heart disappeared into the woods.
“Lizzie, what in the hell is going on? What are field niggas doing in this house so late?”
Lizzie’s voice was calm and quiet as she stood in front of Elizabeth. “They were hungry and I was just feedin’ ‘em, is all.”
“Who gave you the right to do that? And who were theyt? John? Franklin?”
“I’d rather not say, Missus White. Every man should be allowed to keep his dignity.”
Elizabeth bristled at Lizzie’s comment. “Even while he’s stealing from my kitchen?”
“I wouldn’t look at it that way, Missus White,” Lizzie said, her tone direct. “They just need more in their bellies. They’re working for free so that everyone can eat, especially for men who ain’t out in them fields.”
