The Widow of Rose Hill (The Women of Rose Hill Book 2), стр. 52
“Welcome back, Colonel.”
Corporal Banks crossed the yard to take the reins of his mount. A group of men played a game of horseshoes nearby, and the twang of a shoe hitting the metal stake resounded in an otherwise tranquil camp. With their days starting long before the sun came up, most of the men were ready to crawl into their bunks the moment it grew dark.
“Thank you, Banks. I don’t mind confessing it’s good to be back.” With stiff movements, he climbed from the horse. “I’ll brief you on my meetings in the morning. Our orders haven’t changed, but there is new information to discuss.”
“Yes, sir.” Banks didn’t turn toward the barn. The play of expressions across his face told Levi something was amiss, but he was too exhausted to deal with any new challenges just now.
“I’m going to bed, Banks.” He strode to the steps of the manor. “Whatever has you fretting like an old lady can wait until morning.”
“It’s about Mrs. Ellis, sir.”
That stopped Levi. He turned and retraced his steps. “What about Mrs. Ellis?”
A look of guilt washed across the corporal’s face. “There’s been an incident.”
Levi didn’t like the sound of that. “Out with it.”
“One of the new field workers—the man with the brands on his face—attacked Mrs. Ellis in her bedroom. Miss Carolina and I were just coming in when we heard her call for help.”
The blood drained from Levi’s face. “Attacked her? Is she …?” He couldn’t finish the question.
“It shook her up, but she’s all right. At least, she said she was when I left there a little while ago.”
“Are you telling me this happened today?”
Banks nodded. “Around noon. I had our men and Moses search the plantation for Jezro, but we didn’t find him. I suspect he’s long gone by now.”
A sick feeling swirled in Levi’s gut.
He’d felt sorry for Jezro. He’d wanted the branded man to know there were white people whom he could trust, but Levi had never considered whether or not he could trust Jezro. Or any of the others, for that matter. He’d simply assumed the Negroes’ gratitude would keep them in line. What a fool! His carelessness had put Natalie in danger.
“I need to see her.” The words were out of his mouth before he realized it.
Banks nodded. “I’ll get you a fresh horse.”
As the sun disappeared, Levi raced away from Langford Manor. He gave his mount the lead despite the growing darkness, flying over the dirt road and turning everything around them into a blur. He berated himself the entire way for not providing more soldiers to watch the workers, for hiring unsuitable men, for not being there when Natalie needed him most.
Rose Hill came into view over the next rise, bathed in the silvery glow of a half-moon.
He slowed the horse as he entered the long tree-lined drive, not wishing to alarm anyone with a wild entrance. From this distance, the house looked dark, and it occurred to him Natalie might have turned in already, especially after such a harrowing day. Even so, he needed to have a talk with his men—one they would not soon forget. Jezro should have never made it to the main house without someone noticing.
His heart lurched.
What if Banks and Carolina hadn’t gone inside? What if …?
An urgent need to see Natalie filled every corner of his mind. He nudged his horse. “Let’s go, boy.”
Dark house or not, he intended to speak with Natalie tonight. He wouldn’t leave Rose Hill until he knew she was safe.
The night sounds, normally so familiar and soothing, kept Natalie on edge as she sat motionless in the swing, too afraid the creaking chains would prevent her from hearing other more sinister noises. She’d thought to come out to her favorite spot to help calm her nerves after a trying day, but the shadows and sounds did exactly the opposite.
Was Jezro still out there? Corporal Banks, Moses, and even Carolina didn’t believe so, but something in Natalie could not rest until she knew for certain he was not coming back. The cold look in his eyes when he’d listed the sins of his former owners made his hatred for white people ominously clear. There was no trusting a man like that.
Her thoughts turned to Corporal Banks, as different from Jezro as night was from day. He’d searched the plantation for hours in the heat that afternoon, doing his best to offer Natalie reassuring words each time he came back to check on her before riding off in a different direction. When Cousin Eunice eventually returned from town, he’d dealt with her hysterics with more patience than Natalie knew was possible. Eunice vacillated between accusing him of conspiring with Jezro—“they’re all the same, you know”—and demanding that he stay to guard them, declaring they would all be murdered in their sleep otherwise. The judge, she’d said at least a half-dozen times, would have hunted down Jezro and put a bullet between his eyes. She advised the corporal to do likewise then proceeded to barricade herself in her room.
Stifling a yawn, Natalie knew she should turn in, but the thought of going up to her bedroom sent a wave of panic coursing through her. Moses had quietly locked all the doors leading into the main house before he’d turned in. Since he, Harriet, and Isaac slept in the room above the kitchen, they wouldn’t need inside the house until morning. She knew he’d done it to help her feel safe, but her mind’s eye still saw Jezro standing in her room, his hands on her belongings.
On her.
She shivered and glanced at the rifle leaning against the wall next to the swing.
Maybe she would sleep in Samuel’s room tonight. He’d gone to bed upset with her because she wouldn’t let him run down to the barn to