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He gathered himself. “I, um, hope so. My companions and I seem to be lost.”
Out on the road was a large fancy buggy. The lowered canopy hood showed a man, dressed similarly to the one on the porch, holding the reins. Behind him sat a young woman wearing a pert navy blue hat. Her coat, a matching blue, was edged with black fur.
“Where are you traveling to?”
“Paradise.”
“You’re on the right road. You’ll come to a fork in another mile or so. Take the one on the left. It’ll lead you straight into town.”
“Thank you.” He looked her up and down. The speculative gleam in his eye gave the impression that he liked what he’d seen. “May I ask you a question?” he asked.
“Yes?”
“Are there many of your kind here?”
“My kind, meaning women?”
He chuckled. “No, I—I mean Coloreds?”
“Will the answer alter why you’re going to Paradise?”
Her serious tone seemed to give him pause. “Well, no. I just... You’re a very striking woman and I’m wondering if you ever entertain—”
“Remember to take the left fork.”
His thin lips tightened, and the gleam was replaced by what may have been anger or embarrassment. “Thank you, miss.”
He left the porch. She closed the door and returned to the kitchen.
