'Thank you, Miss Perry,' Abram said. 'If you ever need anything, remember we owe you a great debt.'
Perry could tell from the way Abram shifted that he was a landlubber, in a great hurry to be off the ship before they sailed. 'I'll be fine, Abram, I'll be home soon.' Perry turned from him and moved below. She could hear the crew getting the ship under way. She couldn't watch with the others on deck as the ship left the city… as she left the terror of Wade Williams… as she left Hunter forever.
The ship was rocking by the time Perry reached the plain little cabin where her trunk had been deposited. Somehow all that had happened since she'd left Ravenwood seemed unreal. Maybe Hunter was right, she thought. Reaching up to her throat, she tugged at Hunter's chain around her neck. She held the small medallion tightly in her fist. If it were not for this necklace and the thin scar along her left palm, Hunter could have been only a dream.
Perry spent the days aboard tie ship in a thoughtful mood. She took her meals alone in her cabin and walked on deck only a few times each day. The other travelers were a mixture of Northern and Southern families who seemed content to stay within their own small groups. The war might be over, but bitter feelings died hard. No one on board, including the captain, talked to her. She could feel their eyes watching her as she walked on deck, but she kept to herself. The shi» was carrying her from one way of life to another. The South she'd known was dead. When she returned home, it would be to a new era, and Perry knew she must faced the change.
Three days later Perry stood alone on the sandy beach with her one small trunk beside her. She guessed she was over the Virginia line into North Carolina as she watched the ship pass out of sight beyond the rocks. Only a few passengers had even been curious enough to come on deck when she'd left. That all had their own lives and destinations to think about.
Perry felt abandoned, even though the captain of the
He'd set her ashore and rowed back to his ship without giving her another thought. A vacant road stretched ahead of her, a wooded area spilling toward the water, now behind her. As she stood alone, Perry wondered if something could have gone wrong and her grandfather hadn't been notified of her coming. What if he knew and did not want to see her?
Ignoring the ache in her side, Perry lifted her trunk with one hand and her skirt with the other. She moved onto the road. There was nothing to do but walk. According to the captain, her grandfather's farm was ten to fifteen miles due west. She could walk every step if she had to.
Before her slippers were even dirty, Perry lifted her head to see a buggy approaching far off in the distance. At first she was overjoyed, then she realized she knew neither of the elderly people moving toward her.
The old buggy stopped a few feet from her. An aging man slowly climbed down, unfolding his body with the care one might use opening yellowed paper. He was tall and thin, his white hair combed neatly back away from his tan face. 'Are you Perry McLain, miss?' he asked, then laughed. 'Well, of course you are. Who else would be standing out on this abandoned road?' His rich laughter spread to the lady in the buggy.
Perry nodded and found herself unable to speak as she stared into the old man's gray eyes. It was as though forty years had gone by and an aging Hunter stood before her.
'I'm John Williams, Miss Perry. I live a few miles northwest. My grandson, Hunter, sent me a message to get in touch with your grandfather. I'm sorry to say, my man reported that your grandfather is ill. My wife and I would be honored if you'd allow us to drive you to his home.' His thin lips spread into a wide smile that couldn't have been anything but honest. He lifted her trunk into the buggy. Perry didn't miss the strength in his aging frame.
'This is my wife, Mary.' John Williams winked at the small woman sitting in the buggy.
She was short and plump, with eyes that danced in her wrinkled face. Her voice was musical as she spoke. 'Nice to meet you, Miss Perry. We don't see many pretty young ladies in the country. Now you climb right in beside me so we can talk.'
Within an hour Perry felt she had known the Williamses for years. They were warm, friendly Southern people with the skill to make her feel at home. They were both in their late sixties and in good health. John attributed this totally to his wife's great cooking. John Williams had retired and sold most of his farmland three years before the war. Though they felt the war deeply, in their isolated home they had seen very little fighting.
Mary Williams asked, 'Do you know our grandson well, Miss Perry?'
'No, ma'am,' Perry lied. 'Abram, his friend, probably sent you the message. I only met them a week ago.'
'Abram. I remember Hunter writing of a man by that name. He's a self-educated black who lives with Hunter.' As Perry nodded, Mary continued. 'My dear, we may sound curious, but we are starved for news of our grandson. We haven't seen him since he was a boy, and very few letters have reached us during the war.''
Perry smiled. 'I'll tell you what I know of him. He was a balloon surveyor in the Union Army, with Abram at his side. I understand there were only four such balloons in use.'
John Williams interrupted and said, 'Hunter always did like the adventurous life.
'You know, the South had one of them air balloons,' John continued as he tapped his chin with his index finger. 'We built a balloon out of ladies' old ball gowns, we did. I think it was named the
Mary Williams spoke up. 'John, please, Miss Perry was telling us about Hunter.' Turning to Perry, she said, 'You'll have to excuse my John, he always remembers details. When Hunter was a boy with us, he and John had such fun playing games to see who could remember the most about this or that.'
Perry wiped the perspiration from her forehead. 'I guess a mind for detail would be an asset to a surveyor.'
Mary's head bobbled up and down. 'Right. See, John, Hunter inherited more than your gray eyes. Perry tell us what Hunter looks like now that he's full grown.'
'He's tall and slim with blond curly hair, and you're right: He has the most wonderful gray eyes.' Perry paused to look at John. She was about to say Hunter looked much like a younger John Williams. However, turning toward them, she realized they were both smiling at her.
Perry's face reddened. They must think her a silly, moonstruck schoolgirl.
Mary Williams patted Perry's hand softly. 'It's all right, dear. Don't be embarrassed. There is nothing wrong with admiring a handsome man. I've been doing it for almost fifty years.'
Perry glanced up in time to see her wink at John. She realized these two sweet old people were still very much in love, living in a special world of their own where all others were outsiders.
For the remainder of the drive she told them all the stories Hunter told her about ballooning. If they had heard the tales, they were both too polite to say so.
She fell silent for a few minutes, thinking of those few days with Hunter and his stories. She remembered one of their conversations, which had ended in laughter and waking Abram, who had looked at them as if they had both gone insane. Hunter had been telling her about the first big balloon ascent. A pair of brothers named Montgolfier were going to demonstrate their skill to King Louis XVII. They wanted to go up as passengers, but the king was violently opposed. The brothers had to pass the honor of becoming the first air travelers to a sheep, a rooster, and a duck.
Perry remembered Hunter's laughter as he speculated about which of those animals he was descended from. He had told her everyone thought him crazy with his love for balloons.
Glancing back at John and Mary, Wade Williams's name crossed her mind and she decided to ask about him. 'I met a Captain Wade Williams once. Is he any kin to you?'
Mary's sunny smile dimmed slightly. She didn't answer. However, after a pause, John spoke. 'Wade is my brother's son. My brother, Adam, remarried after his first wife died. All his children were grown and he wanted a companion. His second wife was twenty years younger than he was. So Adam became a father when he was almost fifty. Wade was raised like an only child and given everything. They even sent him North to the best schools. In his teens he was wild and caused my brother much heartache. But he matured. The army did much for him, even though joining the Union Army broke his father's heart. We received word yesterday that he'll be stationed in this area now, helping to get everything back in order.''
