Chapter 11
Chapter 12 Riding home in a hack they had hailed outside Archer’s hotel, Sable glanced over at her silent husband and considered the advice Hester had given her. Sable had to admit that seducing him had already crossed her mind once before—but on that particular night, she’d wound up being seduced instead. Not that she had any complaints—he could seduce her any time he desired, a small voice crooned inside. Sable put away her yearnings, chastising herself for being such a wanton, and settled in for the return to Juliana’s. But it appeared they were headed elsewhere. She knew the city well by now, and when the driver did not turn onto the street he should have taken, she asked her husband, “Where are we going?” “I promised you a bath,” he replied in a voice that stroked her senses. “Remember?” Yes, she did, and sudden anticipation dissolved her into a puddle right there on the seat. He slid a finger over the soft rise of her cheek. “Our marriage has gotten off to a good start in some wa
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Chapter 13 Like everyone else, Sable was stunned by Circular 15. Obviously President Johnson had not taken the race’s concerns to heart. Already in New Orleans patrols were beginning to act upon the change in policy, herding freedmen into wagons and taking them from the city. Last week, a woman who’d come to New Orleans searching for her husband, who’d never returned after the war, had finally found him just as he was being carted away along with dozens of other men. She’d run after the wagon screaming for the driver to stop, but he’d never even slowed. Her efforts to find out where her husband and the others were being shipped had been met by a wall of silence from the military and indifference from the city fathers. The Freedmen’s Bureau had eventually intervened and learned he’d been sent to a plantation out past the city where he and the others would be forced to sign work contracts heavily weighted in the planter’s favor. Sable’s main concern was the children living on the streets
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Chapter 14 Louisiana’s long-anticipated Radical Convention convened two days later. Raimond had been chosen as a member of the state’s delegation and was appointed to the committee that would draw up the convention’s closing declaration. Sable and Juliana took the children to hear some of the speakers, but most days they left them in Mrs. Vine’s care and joined the hundreds of other observers in the gallery. Speaker after speaker, representatives from all across the South, stepped up to the podium to demand eloquently that Blacks of all backgrounds be given the rights promised by the Constitution. The name of Lincoln was invoked many times over and the name of his successor damned. President Andrew Johnson had not halted his pardoning of Rebel leaders and supporters. Even those who’d been termed traitors less than six months ago now had only to write to the former slave-holding president to receive absolution. Many Confederate military officers and government officials were now back in
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Chapter 15 They spent the remainder of their holiday in a beautiful hotel suite making love, eating the gastronomical delights prepared by Archer’s chefs, and never straying far from bed. Raimond sensed danger on the horizon and so kept Sable near, as if his arms alone would keep her safe. When the time came to return home, they were both a bit sad, but they’d had a wonderful time, and Fate willing, they would again. They stopped at Juliana’s to pick up Cullen and the girls before heading home. After parking the carriage out front, they started up the walk. Blythe came barreling out of the house like a miniature train and just about knocked Raimond down with her happy greeting. Hazel stood on the porch smiling with Drake at her side. They found Cullen inside, playing backgammon with Henri, while Juliana sat nearby offering encouragement. The rest of the Brats were also in attendance, as was the custom on Sundays after church. After dinner, Raimond took his brothers into the study and t
Chapter 15
Chapter 16 Sable and her children had been in Paradise for over two weeks. Morse forced them to clear land from dawn to dusk. They’d all become slightly thinner due to the lack of quality meals, but Sable’s baby was still kicking and growing so she assumed it was fine. She guessed that Raimond had returned from Mobile by now and was half out of his mind with worry. She hoped he wouldn’t fault his brothers for her disappearance. She could only blame herself for not listening when the Brats expressed their well-founded concerns. Sable’s biggest concern at the moment had to do with the way Morse continued to stare at Hazel. He watched her with the same intensity he’d watched Sable when she’d been Hazel’s age. Hazel ignored him, but Sable did not. Remembering the rumors from back home surrounding the deaths of two of his young female slaves, she made a point of keeping her daughter in sight at all times. Cullen seemed to be of like mind. Sable noticed that whenever Morse approached Hazel a
Chapter 16
Avon Books by Beverly Jenkins
Beverly Jenkins, Through the Storm
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