and was not disagreeable to him. He turned and saw Easter, some distance
away, walking with Tiara.
Easter was full and fat now, and for a moment, and for the first time in
his life, the image of her was imperfect. That she was big-bellied with
his child was precious to him; he had fussed over her through the early
days of her pregnancy, determined she should not miscarry again. As the
child had grown and the danger receded, he had worried less but loved the
experience more. He had spent hours in the weaving house, sitting close
to Easter, his hand on her stomach, a huge grin suffusing his face when
he felt the baby move. At night he would lie with her, caressing her
fullness, and he had learned how to make love to her with greatest
convenience and satisfaction despite her swelling body. He longed to know
if it would be a boy or a girl, but as much as he wanted a son, he was
realistic enough to appreciate that a girl would present fewer probl-ems.
He wanted a son he could present to the world, while any child of Easter's
must be hidden from view. It was this thought, coupled with the image of
Easter, that brought home to him, with unshakable clarity, the truth of
his situation.
Waddling along with Tiara, Easter looked to be exactly what she was, a
slave who could never be more than his paramour. Much as he loved Easter,
much as he desired her, even in this condition, as intensely as he ever
had, she could never be mistress of his household, she could never walk
beside him, arm in arm on the lawn, in the cool of the evening. Nor could
she ever give him what he so dearly needed in a child. He might love the
baby of the union, with all his heart, but he could never admit that love
to anyone, except perhaps Easter. Ultimately, he realized, he could not
admit the love to the child, for then the child might expect more from
him than Jass could give.
The proof of his fecundity, in Easter, and the understanding that he had
signally failed to do his duty, which was to provide an heir, spurred him
in a way that little had done since his father died.
Easter was his to love and cherish for as long as they both should live,
and the child was his gift of love. But the days
MERGING 377
of his youth were over; he had sown his wild oats. Duty must be attended to
now.
He went into the house and found his mother.
"I thought we might have a dinner next week," he said, with a briskness
that surprised her.
"For the Perkinses."
Lizzie arrived looking lovely. Since it was too far, and too unsafe, to
drive home again at night, they would stay over. They came in the afternoon
and were shown to the rooms, and met Sally and Jass later, on the veranda,
to take tea.
Becky Perkins was agog with anticipation. A formal invitation from Jass
could mean only one thing. She had lectured her daughter for days on her
proper behavior, had vetted every item in Lizzie's wardrobe, had supervised
the packing of the chosen garments, and had lost her temper several times
every day with each and every one of her slave retinue, which caused them
all to shout at each other. And then her dear, longsuffering husband had
actually raised his voice to her. She had taken to bed with a sick headache
but got up again an hour later because she realized she had not organized
her own wardrobe for the occasion.
Mr. Perkins was used to domestic chaos, but his wife's present hysteria
caused his ulcer to go wild. His adventures in the land trade had leveled
off, he had made his fortune and now stood in awe of it, and his abiding
obsession at present was the maintenance of that fortune, which, to his
consternation, proved far more difficult than the making of it. An
ill-timed sale of a few acres, resulting in a small loss, sent his stomach
haywire, and he lived in the constant fear that he might completely lose
his sense of timing, and with it everything he had acquired. He was not
particularly excited about the visit to the Jacksons. While he wanted to
see his little girl manied, young Jackson had kept her on a string for so
long that he hardly believed this invitation signified what his wife
insisted it did, and he was concerned at the cost to him of a suitable
wedding for Lizzie if she did marry into such a station. On top of all
this, he would be away from his study, from his ledgers, for two whole
days; the price of land could collapse around him, and he would be unable
to salvage anything from the wreck.
378 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN
He was so distracted, he shouted at several of his wife's slaves, for the
first time, although their very presence infuriated him. The cost of buying
them had been a huge outlay, and the cost of maintaining them was the stuff
of his nightmares.
"How many damn niggers do you need?" he had yelled at his wife, who had
stared at him in astonishment, burst into tears, and gone upstairs to her
room.
Throughout it all, Lizzie had been an island of calm in the hurricane of
her mother's chaos. The arrival of the invitation had caused her heart to
flutter, for she guessed precisely what it implied, and a later note from
Sally had effectively confirmed this. Suddenly, all Lizzie's fears and
anxieties about being left on the shelf flooded out of her; the years of
chase were to yield their prize, and it was a considerable one. She bore
her mother's panic with grace and humor, and massaged her father's temper
when he despaired of Becky's improvidence. When she was alone in her room,
she looked in the mirror for hours at a time, critically examining every
fault she could see, ruthlessly demanding much of herself, and sedulously
schooling herself not to simper, for she knew it drove Jass mad.
Still, she was not immune to a sense of excitement, but it was a private
one, detached from her parents'. She lived through the days tingling with
joy, and as their carriage drove up the long drive to the house that would
soon be hers, Lizzie experienced a sense of hope for a happy life that she
had seldom known before.
Upstairs in her room at The Forks, she took great care about her toilette,
and came down to the veranda in a demure dress of palest yellow, offset
with little bows of apple green. Sally, she could tell, was pleased, and
Jass, when he turned to her, seemed to see her with new eyes.
"Why, Lizzie," he said, "you look absolutely lovely." In a sense, he was
seeing Lizzie for the first time, at least in her new role. They had not
met since he had written the invitation, and his attitude toward her had
changed. Whereas before he had looked on her as a friend, to go riding
with, to escort to balls when he had no other young lady on his arm (even
though it was a friend with whom he had a curiously. intimate
relationship), now he had accepted that she was to be his wife
MERGING 379
a
nd his expectations of her had radically changed. She understood these
expectations exactly, was determined to fulfill them, and, if first
impressions were anything to go by, succeeded with honors.
They decided not to go riding-the day was too warm and Lizzie's dress
unsuitable. They took a turn about the lawn instead, and when Lizzie
casually slipped her arm through Jass's, for his protection, he chuckled.
It
was exactly the picture that had come to his mind ten days ago, and it
seemed right and natural. All that was missing was the slave nurse carrying
their infant son. Perhaps she was his destiny, after all.
It was about this time that Easter's waters broke, and she yelled to Cap
;n
Jack to fetch Tiara.
Jass looked at Lizzie. "I have something very important to say to you," he
began, but didn't finish.
Lizzie was so excited she almost simpered, but took stem control of
herself.
"Yes," she said breathlessly, looking into his eyes.
"Ask you, I mean," Jass continued. "But I should speak to your father
first."
"Oh, poor Papa is so distracted by business affairs." Lizzie was anxious
for it to be done. "I'm sure there's no need to bother him. He will be
content with whatever I decide."
Jass grinned. They both knew, and each knew that the other knew.
"And your mother?"
"Will surely have an attack of the vapors if you don't ask me soon," Lizzie
giggled. Suddenly she found she was enjoying herself. And enjoying Jass's
company. And even enjoying being Lizzie, which was a novel experience to
her these days.
Jass looked about him. The setting was pretty, but not quite what he
wanted. If he was going to do this thing, and he was, then he might as well
do it properly.
"Not now," he said. "This evening. Before dinner. In the moonlight. "
Lizzie laughed again, and pretended, and made sure he knew she was
pretending, to the vapors, in imitation of her mother.
380 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN
"Why, sit," she said. "I hope your intentions are entirely honorable. "
Jass was enjoying it as much as she. "Oh, they are," he laughed.
"Entirely honorable."
In a sense it was done already, and they both relaxed and spent a
pleasant hour chatting about inconsequentials, for they could not yet,
of course, discuss the future.
Then they parted and went upstairs to dress for dinner.
Jass was angry. His, bath had not been poured, nor his clothes set out.
He rang for Cap'n Jack, but it was Parson Dick who came to explain and
apologize. Cap'n Jack was at the weaving house with Easter, and Oliver,
who should have taken over, was sick. Parson Dick had been on his way -up
to attend to things himself when Jass rang the bell. Jass climbed into his
bath, while Parson Dick laid out his clothes.
"You'll be one slave richer tomorrer, Massa," Parson Dick chuckled. "I'm
afraid Missy Easter's yelling fit to bring the roof down. "
He was puzzled by Jass's response. At first there was silence, while Jass
soaped himself and assimilated the news.
It was an extraordinary world, he thought, soaping himself luxuriantly.
He was proposing to one woman in an hour or so, while another gave birth
to his baby. Easter's timing was, as always, flawless. He started to
laugh, and ducked his head under the water.
All Parson Dick heard, in the bedroom, was the laughter, and then a
curious gurgling sound.
Easter screamed in pain. "Lordy, Lordy," she cried. "I cain't stand it!"
Tiara was calm, mistress of the weaving house for this little while, a
couple of other slave women helping her.
"Yo' gwine yell a whole lot more afore you're done," she said. "It like
shittin' a watermelon. It big and it gotta come out. It'd help if you
breathed steady."
She breathed, long and slow, with Easter, to help her along. "Steady now,
steady," she said.
Cap'n Jack had been barred from their presence, but was outside, peering
anxiously in through a window. Would the child never come?
MERGING 381
Jass was waiting on the veranda when Lizzie came to him. The night was still
and fragrant with the scent of wisteria. He looked very handsome in his
formal evening clothes, and happy, for his sense of humor had stayed with
him.
Lizzie had changed into an evening gown of gentle, rustling blue satin,
with a simple rope of freshwater pearls around her neck. It was a clever
piece of jewelry, for Jass had given her the pearls a few years ago,
casually, for they were of no value, as if he didn't know what else to do
with them. They were pretty little things, and Jass was charmed that she
wore them now. She stood looking at Jass for a moment, and he at her. If
anyone had been watching, they looked to be a perfect couple. And several
people were. A couple of guard slaves had stationed themselves under the
magnolia tree, to see, at least, and, they hoped, to hear some of the
conversation, for all the slaves knew what was going to happen, and someone
had to report back to them what the Massa said.
Mrs. Perkins was trying to watch, but was having difficulty finding a
suitable vantage point without appearing too obvious. She'd come into the
hall with Lizzie, feeding her daughter instructions as they made their way
downstairs, but had stayed at the door, trying to get a glimpse of Jass.
He
was in the wrong position for her to get a good view of him, so she went
into the sitting room, and could just see him from that window, but then
Sally came in and wanted to talk. She managed to keep a weather eye on the
happenings outside for a few seconds, but then Jass and Lizzie walked along
the veranda, away from her and out of her sight.
"I guess you know what I'm going to say," Jass began, after some trivial
talk of the weather.
Lizzie saw no need to speak, but smiled, demurely.
"We've known each other for so long, you must think I'm an awful slow
coach," Jass continued. "But everyone's always said we make such a splendid
couple, so why don't we prove them right?"
With exquisite formality and regard for the romance of the situation, he
dropped to one knee.
"Will you marry me, Lizzie?" he said.
Lizzie smiled down at him. " I thought you'd never ask- 382 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN
And then something odd happened to her. It was so perfect, and such a
relief, and held such tremendous promise of future happiness for Lizzie
that she started to cry.
She looked away, to regain her composure. Jass had done everything
perfectly, and she wanted to let him know how very much she appreciated
him, and what he was offering her. Even his delay of the proposal from
the adequate afternoon to the romantic evening was in impeccable taste.
The only thing that puzzled her was the constant screaming she could hear
from some distant place on the property,
but no one else seemed to be
aware of it. She imagined it was a slave being flogged, but even so she
was surprised because she didn't think Jass whipped his female slaves,
and certainly it was a woman's pain.
She turned back to Jass, and spoke as seriously as she had ever done in
her life until then.
"I'll try to be a good wife, Jass," she said. "And give you fine sons."
He stood up, took her into his arms, and kissed her tenderly. Lizzie gave
herself to him, and wanted the moment to last forever, but then there was
a discreet cough.
Parson Dick was standing in the main doorway. Of all the listening ears,
he had managed to hear the most, and had goodly gossip for Tiara.
" I'm sorry to intrude, sir, " he said. " But dinner is served.
Jass laughed. "Thank you, Parson Dick," he said, and offered Lizzie his
arm. She laughed, took the proffered arm, and they walked into the house.
And she heard that screaming again, louder than before, and could not
imagine what it was, but hoped that she never experienced a pain that
would cause her to scream like that.
47
One mo' push, a big un, " Tiara urged.
Easter had lost all sense of place and time. She was lost in a sea of pain
and pushing, and coaxing from the women, as the monstrous giant inside her
refused to leave its lair.
"It nearly there," Tiara insisted again. "Push, c'mon, push! "
Easter pushed with all her might, and felt a slithering between her legs,
and the baby plopped out onto the bed. Tiara snatched it up.
"My lordy, it's a sweet I'd girl," she told them all.
Easter sighed, and lay back on the pillow, in relief and exhaustion, glad
it was over. She was happier still it was a female baby. Like Jass, she
knew a boy child would have had a more difficult life on the plantation.
A
girl could be more easily hidden from view.
The other women tied and cut the cord, and Tiara cleaned the gunk from the
baby's mouth and eyes, and smacked her hard on the bottom.
There was a great, indignant cry from the ugly, scrunchedup moppet who had
just been bom, but, like Oliver Twist, if she had known what life had in
store for her, she might have yelled even louder.
The women washed the baby, and when her skin was clean, they stared at her
in consternation, and then at Tiara, who took command. She wrapped the
child in swaddling clothes, and gave her to her mother.
"Purty I'il thing," she said. She looked carefully at Easter.
"An' white as cotton," she added, unwillingly.
At that moment, Easter didn't care; she hardly heard what Tiara had said
but wanted her baby in her arms, safe, where she was meant to be. The
infant sought her mother's breast,
383
384 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN
and snuggled there, content. Easter stared at her, and Tiara's words
formed meaning in her mind.
It could not be denied. Although it was still impossible to tell what the
eventual color of her skin would be, she was the palest child any of them
had ever seen delivered from a slave.
A tiny fear shimmered through Easter's heart, not for herself but for the
baby. Life was especially hard for those of light skin. She hugged the
baby to her, to protect her from life's storms.
"Mebbe she darken up," Tiara comforted, but neither she nor Easter
believed it.
"It don't make no never mind," Easter said, a little defiantly. "She
beautiful."
"Ain't she jus'," Tiara smiled.
Outside, Cap'n Jack was doing a little hop of glee. He wanted to tell the
world, shout at the moon, that he was a gran'pappy. This was his life
now, this was his hope for the future, this would be his reason for
living. Most of all, he wanted to tell Jass.
Julie, the cook, had done the family proud. They'd had a soup of crawfish,
caught in the dam by Ephraim, and a leg of mutton, attended by two roast
capons, with new potatoes and sweet potatoes, fresh string beans and baby
carrots, all with a thick, delicious gravy.
The table looked elegant, the room warm and imposing. The men wore formal