When she faced him, she offered a tight smile. “I hope you’ve brought promising news, Colonel.”
“I suppose that will depend upon you, Mrs. Ellis, and whether you willingly accept or fight against what cannot be changed.”
Though he hadn’t intended to sound harsh, even Banks glanced at him with a quizzical expression. Levi ignored the corporal and dismounted, his mood significantly darker than when they’d first set out for Rose Hill.
“I take it the Army has no plans to vacate my property?”
He met her angry gaze with one of his own. “No, they don’t. However, General Granger sent an offer you may find beneficial.”
Her brow puckered. “I don’t see how. I don’t need anything from the General. What I need is the peace of knowing the Union Army is no longer encamped on my land.”
“Do you want to hear the General’s terms or not?” When Banks sent him another look, Levi tempered his testiness. “Trust me, the Union Army will do as they please, so it would behoove you to comply with whatever they want, for as long as they want. It will go much easier for you in the end.”
They stared at one another, each unhappy with the situation but for very different reasons. Levi could pinpoint the rise in his ire to the moment he’d seen Lopez on the porch. That he was obviously jealous of the Tejano galled.
“Very well.” She indicated a grouping of wicker furniture on the porch. “Please, come in out of the sun. Would you and your corporal care for something to drink?” Her stiff good manners revealed her displeasure, but he had to give her credit for them nonetheless.
“We would, thank you.” He ascended the whitewashed steps, Banks behind him, while Natalie disappeared into the house. Removing his gloves, he remained standing. This was no social call. The sooner they determined how she wished to proceed with the compensation, the sooner they could leave. Coming to Rose Hill had been a mistake. From now on, he’d let Banks handle the delivery of any messages for Mrs. Ellis.
Several minutes ticked by before Banks broke the silence. “When we were in Louisiana, I heard someone say they paint the ceilings of their porches blue to keep ghosts away. It doesn’t make sense to me. Why would a ghost care what color the ceiling was painted?”
Levi turned to find Banks staring upward. He glanced at the painted planks above them, boasting a coat of soft blue-green paint. He’d heard similar stories during the war as the Northern army had worked its way south. He was about to tell Banks the stories were stuff and nonsense when Natalie returned, her hair freshly combed and free of the hat, bearing a tray with two glasses of water and a plate of dark cookies. That she carried the refreshments herself surprised him. He’d expected her to fetch a maid for the task.
“Harriet baked a batch of molasses cookies yesterday,” she said, setting the tray on a small table. Settling on the sofa, she looked up at the men. “She’s a master at turning the simplest ingredients into something quite delicious. Please, help yourselves.”
Banks looked like a kid, all big-eyed and licking his lips, but he kept himself in check, waiting for Levi to give permission to indulge in the sweets. When Levi gave a nod, the corporal snagged a large cookie, grinning.
“Thank you, ma’am,” he said before he stuffed the entire thing in his mouth.
“I couldn’t help but overhear your comment regarding our blue porch ceilings.” She looked up, as did Banks. “Supposedly the restless spirits—haints, as some folks call them—see the blue color and are fooled into thinking it’s water. Haints, it is said, cannot cross water.”
Banks gulped down the cookie.
Levi nearly chuckled. He didn’t believe for a moment someone as sensible as Natalie Ellis fell for such superstition. “If the two of you are finished telling tales, I would like to get to the matter at hand.”
Natalie and Banks exchanged a brief look, and if he wasn’t mistaken, a small smile passed between them too.
“General Granger’s orders are clear. The Union Army will remain at Langford plantation indefinitely.” When Natalie opened her mouth, Levi raised his hand. “Hear me out, Mrs. Ellis. While the Union Army is occupying your land, you are to be compensated.”
Her fine brows shot to her hairline. “Compensated?” She blinked several times before a look of interest sparked in the blue depths. “Are you saying the Army will pay me to use my property?”
The hopeful tone in her voice was unmistakable. “I am saying the Army will compensate you in some form, but I would not expect a large sum of cash, if that is what you ultimately demand.”
“If not cash, then what could the Army possibly offer?”
Levi had anticipated the question. General Granger was tight-fisted when it came to Union funds, so handing over a fair amount of cash to a widow wasn’t something he’d expect to happen. But just as Natalie and other plantation owners could find creative ways to pay newly freed slaves for labor without cash on hand, the Army could do the same.
“While I don’t know what your plans are for the future, I believe we can help with your immediate needs.”
“And what might they be?” Skepticism rang loud and clear.
“Your fields are full of cotton plants that will require harvesting. The Army would hire free Negroes to bring in the crop. Some of my men are accustomed to farming and could oversee the endeavor, all the way to market if you so choose. By order of the president, all southern seaports will resume trade on July first.”
Levi watched as her eyes narrowed in thought. She glanced out to the emerald fields, which extended far beyond what they could see from
