“What is wrong—”
“Señora Ellis? Are you there? I cannot move another inch, else your dog will take a bite of my leg, I am sure.”
Was that Señor Lopez?
“Ebenezer, come.”
The dog bounded to her, tongue hanging out of his mouth, tail swishing happily. He sat, looking up at her expectantly. A moment later, Alexander rounded the house, dressed in his usual impeccable style. Considering the man dealt in cattle, he always looked more like a banker. Ebenezer growled again, but Natalie shushed him with a snap of her fingers.
“Señora.” Alexander moved cautiously toward her while his gaze flicked from her to the dog and back. “I came as soon as I heard Federal soldiers were in Texas and the slaves had been freed.” He looked behind her to where Harriet and Carolina stood. “I am glad to see you have kept some of yours from running away.”
“Señor Lopez.” She glanced at the women, who looked as worn out as she felt. “Harriet and Carolina are free women now. They chose to remain at Rose Hill and work for me.”
Alexander’s forward progress halted when the fur on Ebenezer’s neck stood. A low growl rumbled in his throat. What had gotten into the dog? When she pointed to the ground, he plopped down again.
“And what of the others?” Alexander asked, glancing at the empty cotton fields closest to the house. Where most days found dozens of slaves working each field, none could be seen now.
“Twenty-five men remain in the quarter.”
He nodded, then his eyes travelled over her, seeming to just now notice where she was and what she was doing. His brow arched. “Señora Ellis, surely it is not necessary for you to do such strenuous labor. It is not fitting for the lady of the manor to work alongside the servants. Come, let us sit on the porch and enjoy some refreshments while we talk.”
Annoyance at the man’s presumptuous attitude rose to the surface, but manners instilled in her from the time she could walk kept her from voicing it. She turned to the women, who were back at work. “Please, take a rest while I see to our guest.”
Both of the women nodded, but Natalie didn’t miss the brief look that passed between them. She could guess at what it meant. She’d never before invited them to rest nor had she tended to a guest on her own. Well, nothing was the same as it had been. They all might as well get used to it.
“Samuel, come with me, and we’ll share one of your oranges with Señor Lopez.” She stretched out her hand, expecting her son to take it enthusiastically, especially if it meant getting to eat one of the treasured treats.
But Samuel scowled, his dark gaze landing on Alexander. “I don’t wanna share my or’nge with him. I don’t like him.”
“Samuel! That is not polite.” She turned to Alexander, embarrassment heating her already warm face. “I must apologize. I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”
“It is all right, Señora,” he said, presenting a tight smile to Samuel. “He can stay here with the servants while we discuss business.” He held out his hand to her. “Shall we?”
Although she needed to speak to Samuel about his rude behavior while it was fresh, she didn’t want to offend the man further. To be sure, her son would get a firm lecture on manners the moment Alexander left. Accepting his hand, she allowed him to lead her toward the front of the house.
“When I heard the news of Yankees in Texas,” he said, tucking her hand into the crook of his arm, “I had to be certain you were safe. Have they been here to Rose Hill?”
“A company of soldiers brought news of the proclamation two days ago.” They rounded the corner of the house and ascended the steps. Sweat continued to trickle down her neck and back, and she desperately wished she could go inside and mop her face with a cool cloth.
“It is astonishing, is it not? All the slaves, free. I rode past dozens of them lining the roads, heading to Austin and San Antonio. It was a sight I did not think to ever see.”
Natalie settled on a wicker chair. “I can’t say I’m surprised. President Lincoln vowed he would set them free. It is a pity he didn’t live to see his wish lived out.”
Alexander’s brow creased as he leaned against the porch rail. “You do not sound disappointed to no longer own slaves.”
She gave a slight shrug. The past few days had her emotions and thoughts whirling to the point she wasn’t sure what she felt or believed anymore. “I’m happy for them to gain their freedom from slavery, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t wish them back. I don’t know how we’ll bring in the cotton crop in a few weeks with barely two dozen people.”
“Your government has put you in a difficult position.” He wore a grave look. “To take away the slaves is to take away your livelihood.”
She pondered his statement. George’s father had always declared Rose Hill would go bankrupt if they had to pay the slaves a wage, yet hadn’t he faced bankruptcy anyway because of his own mismanagement of Rose Hill funds? Luther Ellis struck a bargain with Marshall Brevard, a fellow planter, to save the plantation, practically selling his own daughter to the man. But when Adella ran off with Seth Brantley, thus nullifying the arrangement, George had to step in and increase the profit shares Marshall would receive over the next decade in order to save the deal. The one and only reason Natalie no longer had to do business with Marshall was that he was dead. Southern sympathizers had hanged him when they discovered he was supplying Union troops
