Darkness

Homochitto

Gregor

The crew is taking a well-deserved break, enjoying the lavish picnic spread that our kitchen prepared for us. We made so much progress this morning I can hardly believe it. Even with half a dozen men missing, the floor is complete, the walls are framed, and the roof is going on. With all the materials delivered and waiting, this project is proceeding very quickly.

While the men take their rest and their lunch, I head over to the house for a visit. I want to update Samuel about what is going on with the yellow fever in town. And of course I want to spend time with Ayola.

I have to knock on the door. Normally when I arrive they hear my horse or carriage and come out to their porch to greet me, but just walking along on my own two feet doesn’t attract the attention of the household.

The door is opened by their butler, James. He smiles when he sees me. “Hello, Mister Gregor,” he tells me, “welcome!”

“Thank you,” I say.

And of course before I get the chance to ask if I may see the Duncans, I hear Ayola squealing “Woosh!” Her tiny pounding footsteps announce her arrival, and she is leaping into my arms, as James laughs, and as Stephen pokes his head around the corner.

“Thank you for announcing me, Ayola,” I tell her, grinning at Stephen.

“Hello, Gregor,” he says, “I’m glad you came by. I’ve been wanting to come out to see the progress on the cabin, I’m just bogged down in accounts at the moment.”

He moves into the parlor, and I follow him in, as he offers me a seat.

“Margaret is resting,” he tells me, apparently to excuse her absence in greeting me. “Or she was,” he adds, looking at Ayola with some humor, “before your noisy welcoming committee greeted you.”

Ayola is not even two years old yet, and although she is incredibly advanced, she doesn’t pick up on this subtle criticism. Until Misty obviously tells her, for a moment after Stephen speaks, her eyes grow huge and she claps her hands over her mouth. She looks over to the man who is her Master, although I doubt she really understands the nuances of that either. “I’m sorry,” she squeaks out from behind her fingers.

If he was irritated with the child, he cannot maintain that in the face of this sweetness. “It’s all right, little one,” he says, “just try to keep your voice down next time.”

He is affectionate, and kind, and gentle with the child, even as he gives her a mild reprimand. Honestly, as far as I know he is this way with all of his slaves. But he can’t seem to take the next step, of opening his eyes and seeing the truth that the very act of owning them is repugnant. I don’t know whether he will ever come to that realization.

Maybe, over time. He has made progress. His acceptance of the marriage of Moses to Dalila is certainly evidence of that. Most slave owners would never dream of permitting such a thing, because it would be seen as undermining their authority. So yes, progress is being made.

Now is not the time to harp on that, though. I turn to the topic at hand. “The crew is making terrific progress on the cabin for Moses and Dalila,” I tell him. “I came up on lunch break to tell you about it.”

“Oh?” he says. “Are you hungry, or did you already eat with the men?”

I evade the question. “I am quite fine, thank you.” Eating is not usually a big priority for me, any more than sleeping. “I also wanted to tell you about what’s going on in Natchez. Your brother is seeing to a number of new yellow fever patients.”

He sighs. “I thought that might happen, after I heard about the first couple of cases. How bad is it?”

“About half a dozen patients as of this morning, none of them critically ill. I have put our new boarding house extension at Samuel’s disposal, and he is using it as a sick ward. If necessary he can treat twenty patients there. I left several of my crew members behind to help him with anything he might need.”

“That is very considerate of you, Gregor,” he says. “Having a place for a substantial infirmary will certainly be convenient for Samuel.”

Ayola looks back and forth between us as we are speaking, still sitting on my lap, but she remains silent after having been chided for making too much noise. The sweet little thing is trying to learn, and trying to be acceptable to Stephen.

I stay for about half an hour, explaining the progress of the cabin construction. I give Ayola one last squeeze before I go, shake Stephen’s hand, and bid them farewell.

As I am walking back to the site, Wolk says, “I have news from Natchez, beloved.”

“Oh?”

“Harriet reports that Ben appears to have developed yellow fever. Nadine determined that he had a high temperature, and Rosalind had Jake accompany him home to rest. He does not appear to be terribly ill, and did not wish to trouble Samuel. He is apparently sleeping at home in their rooms over the medical offices, while Samuel continues to tend the patients. They currently have seven patients installed in the boarding house extension for treatment.”

Goodness. What a lot of information, and how nice to have it now, rather than not knowing any of this until I returned. Rosalind’s suggestion is already changing things for me.

“Please tell Harriet thank you for me,” I tell Wolk. “Have her let me know if anyone seems sick enough to need me to hurry back to Natchez.”

“Of course, darling.”