“Tonight,” she said firmly.
He chuckled. “How about in the morning? By the time everyone leaves—”
“Tonight, Daniel.”
Daniel quieted. He sensed her anger and determination. “Sure, Belle. Whatever you want,” he told her softly.
She turned away. “I never want to hear myself called an ignorant, illiterate slave ever again.”
His lips thinned. Promise or no promise, he was through with Francine. How could she be so cruel? Belle had never hurt anyone. In fact, she’d gone out of her way to be as helpful and as nice as she could. “Do you want me to sit with you?”
Belle shook her head. “No. You go on back. I need to be by myself for a bit.”
Daniel didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay and comfort her, hold her until the hurt passed and her smile returned. “I’ll see you later then?”
“Okay.”
After he departed, Belle sat alone in the dark, but she wasn’t alone for long.
“Belle?”
Belle looked up. It was Mrs. Best.
“Hello,” Belle replied.
Mrs. Best came and sat beside her. “Jo told me what happened.”
“Lord, who didn’t she tell?”
“Don’t be upset with her. She loves you very much, and she was real angry with Francine. I had to send her in the house just now.”
“Why?”
“Wouldn’t stay out of Francine’s face. Caused quite a scene, actually. Even made up a story about Francine making time with the teacher, Mr. Hood.”
“She didn’t make that up.”
Mrs. Best went absolutely still. “What do you mean?”
“According to Jo and Trudy, Francine’s been hanging on Mr. Hood since he arrived. Brings him lunch. They’ve even seen the two kissing.”
Mrs. Best stared. “Are you sure?”
Belle shrugged. “As much as I can be. Jo doesn’t like Francine, but she’s not the kind of girl to go around making up things. She didn’t want to tell Daniel or you, so she told me. It was keeping her awake at night.”
“Why didn’t Jo tell me?”
“She thought you’d turn Francine into stone.”
Mrs. Best chuckled. “That child knows her mama well.”
They both smiled. Mrs. Best draped an arm across Belle’s shoulder and pulled her close. She kissed Belle’s forehead. “You know,” Cecilia said, “folks like Francine and her friends will be with you until you die. All you can do is improve yourself as much as you can, and then hold your head high.”
Mrs. Best pulled back a bit so she could see Belle’s face. “I know she hurt you, but you can’t run and hide. Not you. You walked all the way from Kentucky, young lady—that shows strength, fortitude and determination. Don’t you dare let gnats like Francine make you doubt your worth. We are all precious in His sight, and Lord knows, you’re terribly precious in mine.”
Belle was crying again.
Mrs. Best opened her arms and enfolded Belle with more love than Belle ever knew existed in the whole wide world. Mrs. Best whispered, “We love you very much, Miss Belle. Don’t ever forget that.”
As Belle’s tears ran down her face, she thought about what Jojo said about her mama’s hugs. Jojo was right; her mama’s hugs were wonderful.
A few moments later, after blowing her nose on Mrs. Best’s clean handkerchief and composing herself again, Belle declared, “The first thing I want to do is to learn to read. Daniel said he’d help.”
“That’s my girl. We’ll all help. When shall we begin?”
“I told Daniel tonight, but I’m calmer now. We can start tomorrow.”
“Good. Learning to read is the first step in improving yourself and in fighting back against all the Francines.”
“Well, I’m ready to arm myself.”
Mrs. Best nodded approvingly, then said, “In the meantime, what in the world do I do with this news about Francine and Mr. Hood?”
Belle shrugged. “Did Daniel hear Jo’s accusations?”
“No, he was out walking the Morgans to their carriage, but everyone else still there certainly did. Won’t be long before someone tells him.”
“Do you think he’ll believe them?”
“I don’t know,” Cecilia replied truthfully. “He’s been talking of marrying that girl since he was fourteen.”
Belle longed to reveal the promise Daniel had made to Francine’s drying mother, but because he’d asked her to keep his secret, Belle kept quiet on the matter.
Mrs. Best stood. “Well, I won’t meddle unless it becomes absolutely necessary. Daniel will come to me or his father if he needs guidance.”
She looked down at Belle. “All of our guests are gone home now, so how about we head back to the house and see if Jo’s still sputtering? Trudy’s spending the night. I’m hoping that will give my hotheaded daughter something to do besides plot Francine’s demise.”
Belle chuckled. “Jo’s a loyal friend.”
“That she is, and Francine’s going to think twice before taking her on again. Jo went at her like a terrier. Even though as a parent I had to send her to her room, I was very proud. Very proud.”
The laughing women struck out for the house.
Once upstairs, Belle stuck her head around Jojo’s partially closed bedroom door. “Knock, knock,” she called out.
Both girls looked up with grins. Jojo was doing Trudy’s hair. The room was thick with the smell of the smoky curling irons. Jojo asked, “How are you, Belle?”
“Much better. I just came to say thanks for standing up for me.”
Jojo said bitterly, “She’s a witch.”
Trudy added excitedly, “Oh, Belle, you should’ve seen the Queen’s face when Jojo dropped Mr. Hood’s name into the conversation. She went still as a post. I thought she was going to wither up and blow away.”
Jojo took up the tale. “Then she tried to call me a liar, but—”
Trudy giggled. “The damage was done.”
Jojo set more hair in the curler. “We think Mr. Hood stayed around because he was hoping to see Francine home, but when his name came up, he hotfooted it back to his horse so fast, you’d’ve thought he had Watson on his tail.”
Belle chuckled. “Sounds like I missed a good one.”
Trudy agreed. “Oh, you did. I’ll bet the Queen won’t have anything to say to Jojo after this.”
Jojo added sagely, “Not unless she wants more of her business spread.”
Belle shook her head with amusement. “Remind me never to get on your bad side, Josephine Best.”
Jojo smiled. “No danger of that, Belle. Belle’s going to be my new sister-in-law, isn’t she, Trudy?”
“Sure is,” Trudy agreed happily.
A laughing Belle rolled her eyes. “I’ll see you two in the morning. Good night.”
“Good night,” both girls called back.
Belle headed down the hall to her own room.
True to his word, later that night Daniel knocked on Belle’s door, ready to begin her reading lessons.
“Come in,” she called.
He opened the door to find the room empty and dark but for a small light from a lamp on the stand beside her bed. Then he saw her standing outside on the small porch attached to her room. “Belle?” he questioned softly.
She turned. “Hi, Daniel.”
“How are you?”
“Okay. Come join me.”
Daniel crossed her room, then walked outside to stand beside her at the thick wood railing.
The stars were out, and the night was filled with the call of crickets. She said, “The warmer it gets outside, the more I enjoy this porch.”
“My grandmother always did. Papa built it for her when she got too sick to come downstairs. I remember her reading to me out here. Then as I got older, I’d read to her.”
“I didn’t know my grandmother,” Belle confessed. “Was yours as kind as grandmothers are supposed to be?”
“Kind and fiery. She was Pa
pa’s mama, and a Tory.”
“What’s a Tory?”
“Someone who supported the British during America’s War for Independence.”
“I know a little about that. July fourth, right?”
“Right. Only we in the North don’t celebrate that day.”
Belle was confused. “Why not? It’s my favorite holiday. All the fireworks and the food.”
“How can a country celebrate its independence while keeping three million souls captive?”
She now understood. “Never thought about it in those terms.”
“We celebrate August first instead.”
“Why August first?”
“Because on August first, 1834, the British freed its slaves in the West Indies. It was the beginning of slavery’s end in Great Britain, and abolitionists everywhere celebrated. Now it’s a holiday. There are parades and picnics and rallies all over the country.”
“But no July fourth?”
“Not for us, no.”
Belle thought on that for a moment. “I guess there are always two sides to things.”
Daniel nodded.
Belle looked up at the sky. It was such a beautiful night. “Are there books that can tell me the names of the stars?”
“Yes.”
“The only one I know is the Freedom Star.” Belle scanned the sky until she found the constellation she knew as the Drinking Gourd. “There.” And she pointed at the star they’d followed North. She wondered if her father was following it North right now.
Daniel nodded. “The North Star’s one of the only ones I know, too.”
“Really?” Belle was surprised. “I always thought you knew a lot about everything.”
“I’m flattered, but nobody can know everything. It’s impossible.”
“Why?”
“There’s too much to learn. Most folks concentrate on learning school things first, like reading and mathematics, and then more about the things they really like. Stars, for instance.”
“I see. So maybe, once I learn to read, I could go on and learn everything I can about sewing?”
“I don’t see why not.”
Belle found that interesting.
“Did you still wish to begin tonight?”
She shook her head. “No. It’s been a pretty long day. I was real upset when I asked you earlier, but I’m better now. How about tomorrow, after church?”
“Whatever you want.”
“Tomorrow.”
“Okay,” he agreed. Silence settled between them again, then a few moments later Daniel asked, “Did you hear about Jojo going at it with Francine?”
Belle answered carefully. “I heard bits and pieces. I wasn’t there, though.”
“One of Mama’s friends was, and she said Jo accused Francine of seeing the new teacher behind my back.”
“Really?” Belle answered, hoping she sounded innocent enough.
“Yes.”
“Do you think it’s true?”
He shrugged. “I know Jo and Franny don’t get along, but Jojo wouldn’t make up something like that.”
“No, she wouldn’t.”
He shook his head. “She’s a pest sometimes, but she isn’t a liar.”
“And so?”
“So?” He shrugged again.
Belle’s heart went out to him. “Did you speak with Francine?”
“No, she was gone by the time I got back from walking the Morgans to their carriage. They both said to tell you good-bye, by the way, and thanks for all the biscuits.”
“They’re welcome.”
Daniel continued his chain of thought. “Francine leaving was probably best, though. After that mess with you, I wasn’t speaking to her anyway.”
Belle was glad to hear that. “So what are you going to do?”
“Tell her I don’t want to marry her anymore.”
Belle studied his face as well as she could in the dark. “Are you sure?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Don’t you want to give her a chance to tell her side?”
“I’ve tried, but every time I go by her house, Hodges says she’s not home. Two plus two is always four, Belle. No matter how you add it up.”
“I’m sorry it worked out this way, Daniel.”
He didn’t reply. “In a way, I am, too, but in a way, I’m not.”
Their eyes met, and all those unspoken words and feelings returned. Belle wondered what would happen now that Francine no longer stood between them. When he leaned her way and kissed her softly on the forehead, the sweet feeling made her eyes close.
“Thanks for listening, Belle. I’ll see you in the morning. Good night.”
For Belle, the kiss coupled with seeing him draped against the stars made her wish he would stay, but she knew it wasn’t proper for them to be out here this way, so she whispered back, “Good night, Daniel.”
And he was gone.
The next afternoon, on the ride home from church, Belle received further news of her father. According to the communications received by the committee, he’d been moved to a safer location, just as Mr. Best predicted. In the month since his escape, the conductors in Ohio were slowly bringing him North, but because slave-catcher gangs were still prowling the main roads from Dayton to Toledo, a direct route to Michigan was out of the question, so he had to be taken Northeast first to avoid detection.
As Mr. Best drove them over the bumpy road, he told Belle, “At last report they’re heading to Ashtabula.”
Belle asked, “Where is that?”
“Northeast Ohio,” Mrs. Best replied. “We lovingly call Ashtabula Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard.”
Belle thought it a funny name. “Why?”
“After a conductor there—a White man named Colonel William Hubbard.”
Daniel told her, “Ashtabula’s one of the safest hiding places on the road. The folks there take abolition very seriously.”
His father added, “The newspaper there once declared, ‘The voice of the people is, Constitution or no Constitution, law or no law, no fugitive slave can be taken from the soil of Ashtabula County back to slavery.’”
Daniel finished the quote, “And—if anyone doubts this real sentiment, they can easily test it.”
Belle was impressed.
Jojo smiled Belle’s way before asking her father, “Where will Belle’s papa go after that?”
“Well,” her father said, “they’ll probably put him on a steamer and take him to Canada first, then he’ll come here.”
Belle asked, “A steamer?”
“Yes, we’ve a few lake captains working for our side. In fact, Colonel Hubbard has a tunnel that runs from his barn to the shore of Lake Erie and he rows his freight out to the ships.”
Belle never knew the tendrils of the Underground Railroad extended even out to the water. Where would escaped slaves be without the help of so many people of all races? “So do you have any idea how long it will be before I see him?”
Mr. Best replied, “Truthfully, no.”
Belle tried not to let her disappointment show. After all, her father was alive and, so far, still free. She knew the conductors were moving him along as quickly and as safely as they could, but Lord, she wished they’d hurry so she could see with her own eyes that he was alive and well.
fifteen
After the return from church, Daniel and Belle began her lessons. It was a nice warm June afternoon so they took advantage of the weather and sat in the sun on the steps of the back porch. Once they were comfortable, Daniel put a sheaf of paper atop a thin, book-sized piece of wood, and began to print a series of letters.
Belle watched. “What’s it say?” she asked curiously.
“Belle Palmer,” he told her. He showed it to her, then pointed out each letter. “B-E-L-L-E P-A-L-M-E-R.”
Belle took the wood from his hand and closely examined what he’d written on the paper. None of the curves and stick figures meant a thing. “I’ve never seen my name before.”
&n
bsp; When she looked up, Daniel wondered if she knew how beautiful she was. “Well, that’s what it looks like. Hand me the board back.”
Belle did, then looked on as he made a lot more sticks and curves. He told her, “This is the alphabet. There are twenty-six letters, and they make up all the letters in all the words.”
“Only twenty-six. For some reason, I imagined there’d be many more.”
“Nope. Just twenty-six.”
He handed her the board. Belle took a moment to look at the twenty-six letters, and then told Daniel firmly, “I can do this.”
His eyes shone with approval. “I don’t doubt it for a minute.”
So for the next few days, Belle spent all of her time working with the letters of the alphabet, and practiced printing her name. Everyone in the Best household pitched in to help, but all stayed within the parameters of Daniel’s prepared lessons. In reality, he was the most educated person in the family. His Oberlin certificate made him amply qualified to teach, and so everyone deferred to him as to how best to teach Belle.
By the end of June, Belle had all the letters memorized, and could call them out by sight. Mrs. Best refused to let her do any housework, saying Belle had a more important job to do. No amount of protesting from Belle would make Cecilia change her mind, so Belle gave up and went back to her lessons.
A few days later, Daniel was out at the pump washing off the sawdust when he saw Belle running toward him. She was waving a piece of paper and calling excitedly. Smiling because she seemed so happy, he waited for her approach. When she got near enough, she stuck the paper in his face. “Look, I did it. All by myself!”
Daniel saw that she’d written her name. Belle Palmer. The letters were a bit crude, but that didn’t matter; she’d get better. He smiled proudly. “Congratulations. Did you show this to Mama?”
“No. I wanted you to see it first.”
She looked ecstatic and he felt the same way. Next thing he knew, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly on the cheek. “Thank you, Daniel. Thank you so much! I have to go show your mother.”
In a flash of blue skirts she was gone. Daniel, bowled over by the fact that she’d kissed him, watched her flight with a smile in his eyes and in his heart.