Natalie refused to acknowledge the blatant hint. She addressed Alexander. “My brother-in-law is raising horses in Oregon, but in Adella’s last letter, she said the desperate need for beef in the northwest has convinced him to try his hand at cattle. Perhaps you have some advice I can pass along to Seth.”
Before he could reply, Eunice tsk tsk’d. “Such a disgrace, Adella Rose running off with that overseer. And taking a Negro baby with her. Why, whatever was she thinking?”
The clock on the mantel ticked in the awkward silence.
“I am sure your relative will do well,” Alexander finally said, as though Eunice had never spoken. “Grass and water are all cattle need.” He stood, much to Natalie’s relief. She certainly did not wish her cousin to continue her remarks regarding the Negro baby Adella was raising. No one, to Natalie’s knowledge, knew the truth about Mara’s parentage, but one could never be certain.
“Ladies, I wish to thank you for the delicious meal.” He came around to assist first Natalie with her chair and then Eunice.
The plump woman seemed pleased by the gentlemanly gesture. “I hope you will stop by again, Señor. I should like to get to know Natalie’s suitor.”
Natalie’s eyes widened. “Cousin Eunice, you are mistaken. Señor Lopez is a friend, that’s all.”
Alexander reached for Natalie’s hand and dropped a kiss on the back of it. “I confess I hope to change that.” He let go of her hand and turned to Eunice. “My sincere wish is to court your cousin. It would be my honor to get acquainted with you when I visit.”
Eunice’s stubby lashes fluttered under the handsome man’s attention. “Of course, Señor, of course.” She faced Natalie. “My dear, as your mother’s closest relative, I give you permission to accept this man’s request to court. I will act as chaperone, of course. A woman widowed after only two years of marriage is more vulnerable to temptation than a maiden, I should think.”
Heat flooded Natalie’s body. Whether it was brought on by fury or mortification, she knew not. Turning to Alexander, she didn’t meet his gaze, too embarrassed over Eunice’s insinuation. “Thank you for stopping by to check on us. I need to see to Samuel now. Good day, Señor.”
She fled the dining room knowing she’d been incredibly rude and wishing she could find the nearest hole and crawl inside.
A few minutes later, while she sat with Samuel at a small table in his room, she heard the sound of a horse galloping away from the house. She could only hope her cousin hadn’t humiliated her further after she’d escaped their presence, but she wouldn’t put it past the meddlesome woman. She had yet to find an opportunity to sit Eunice down and discuss the future, but suffice it to say, Natalie was considering taking drastic measures to rid herself of her relative. She just didn’t know exactly what those measures would entail.
“Mama, what’s this letter?”
Natalie looked down to where Samuel’s pudgy finger pointed to the letter K in his primer.
“That is the letter K. If you were a prince, you would grow up to be a king. King starts with the letter K.” She made the sound a K makes.
Samuel watched her mouth. “Like cat.”
“Yes, they make a similar sound, but cat begins with the letter C. Do you remember how to spell it?”
With slow, careful strokes, Samuel set out to write the word they’d practiced on his slate. She smiled, full of motherly pride. Her son was growing up so fast. These were bittersweet days for her. While she wanted him to keep his childish innocence and his need for her intact, she couldn’t help but marvel at the growth that had taken place in the last few months, not only in his stature but in his independence. Colonel Maish’s words reminding her that her son would be a man before she was ready pushed forward. Once again, she wondered if he spoke from a father’s perspective.
A movement at the open door drew her attention.
Carolina stood in the hallway with her lips pressed together and an odd look on her face. Natalie could only guess what mischief the young woman had found. “Yes, Carolina?”
She took hesitant steps into the room. “Miz Natalie, I’s wonderin’…” She bit her bottom lip.
“About?”
“I’s wonderin’…” Her eyes darted to Samuel, who continued to work on forming the letter A, his small tongue poking out the corner of his mouth. When Carolina met Natalie’s gaze again, she brought her shoulders back. “I’s wonderin’ if you would teach me to read.”
Natalie stared at the servant. The request was certainly not what she’d expected. In all her days, it had never entered her mind to teach a Negro to read. She had a suspicion her sister-in-law had defied the rules and taught Jeptha—a Rose Hill slave until he ran away—but Natalie hadn’t seen the need to tempt fate with such an act. Slaves had no reason to learn their letters anyway. It wasn’t as though they needed that knowledge to pick cotton.
Shame pierced her conscience.
Wasn’t that the mentality that kept people in bondage? A mentality she herself had subscribed to until recently? An entire war had been fought, thousands of lives lost, because of that sort of thinking. She considered Moses, in possession of a Bible all these years with no way to read the precious words. She glanced at her son, who was busy drawing the childish image of a cat’s face next to his correctly spelled word. Why shouldn’t Carolina and Moses and the others have the same opportunity as her son to learn their letters? In their newfound freedom, who knew what prospects might come their way if
