A Hope Beyond (7 page)
“Here we are,” Hampton said in a low, seductive voice. “And I see that we’re very nearly alone.”
Carolina glanced around the summer porch. There were huge potted trees and greenery, along with wicker settees and lounging couches. Carolina could see that the porch had been enclosed for winter, but it was still chilly, and the cold air rushed against her heated cheeks in a welcomed wave.
Hampton led her to a small settee, and Carolina gratefully took a seat. She knew Hampton would press her for conversation, but that was better than having to deal with Edith Baldwin. What would she say to the mother of the man who’d broken not only Virginia’s heart, but her own heart as well?
Hampton pushed out the long tails of his black frock coat and took a seat in a wicker chair opposite the settee. His tall, solid frame seemed too big for such a chair, but the wicker held and Hampton smiled lazily.
Carolina felt rather like the fly caught in the spider’s web. She tried to rationalize how she might convince Hampton to forget his romantic intentions, but when she looked at him, she thought of James. How wonderful the evening might have been if James Baldwin sat beside her instead of Hampton Cabot.
“I like it when you look at me like that,” Hampton said.
Carolina, feeling horribly embarrassed by the suggestion that such a look was for Hampton, shook her head. “Hampton, you must put such thoughts from your mind.”
His broad smile caused her to glance around. “What is it?” she asked hesitantly.
“You called me Hampton. No more Mr. Cabot for me. If I’d known that such an intimate setting would bloom the shy bud into a flower, I would have sought out such a place weeks ago.”
“Mr. Cabot—”
“Don’t,” he said firmly. “Don’t take on a pretense with me. I know you’re attracted to me, and I know that your father approves. I don’t want to play your society belle games—”
“How dare you!” It was Carolina’s turn to interrupt. “I’ve not given you any reason to believe me less than sincere in my regard for you. I very adamantly do not wish to be courted by you, Mr. Cabot. I cannot state it much clearer than that. I agreed to accompany you here tonight because my father desired it. He has had so very little pleasure in his life of late that even such a sacrifice as this seemed worthwhile.”
Hampton’s laugh made Carolina’s skin crawl.
“Your sacrifice, as you put it, seems not to have done you much harm,” Hampton insisted. “I think you are simply protesting out of ignorance.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Ignorance.” He stated the word with emphasis and leaned forward with a knowing look in his eye. “You are ignorant of the joys of love and the pleasures of romance and married life. You’ve no doubt heard all of those matronly horror stories whispered behind closed doors—”
“Stop it this minute!” Carolina exclaimed, jumping to her feet. “I will not hear such talk. My father should throttle you for such inexcusable behavior! I’m going to find Miriam and go home.”
She moved past him, but Hampton lurched to his feet also and pulled her, struggling, into his arms. “You may protest all you like, but I see something in your expression that tells me what your lips will not admit.”
“You see nothing that is real or intended for you, Mr. Cabot.” She put her hands against the rock-hard wall of his chest and tried to force some space between them.
“If you don’t want to make a scene, I’d suggest you settle down. I’m hardly going to force myself upon you in the middle of Gadsby’s Christmas party.”
Carolina calmed a little at this. Her father and mother would be mortified to find her in this compromising position. Maybe it was better not to struggle and attract attention to her predicament. She took a breath and tried to relax.
“That’s better,” he said, bending her slightly backward to accommodate his towering frame. Carolina had little choice but to look directly into his eyes. “You’ve had your head too long in your books,” Hampton continued. “Men and women have much better things with which to occupy themselves, and I intend to show you one of them right now.” Then before she could so much as utter a single word of protest, he crushed her lips with his own.
At first Carolina was desperately appalled and angry, but the longer the kiss lasted the more she had to make herself maintain her anger. Hampton’s kiss was not all that terrible. She didn’t actually respond by kissing him back, but neither did she fight. And when Hampton pulled away, she simply stared at him with an expression that surely must have registered the confusion she felt inside.
“Wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be, now was it?” Hampton asked, dropping his hold on her.
For Carolina it was the first time a man had kissed her lips, and much to her surprise, it truly wasn’t as bad as she’d presumed it would be. Hampton Cabot was quite accomplished in the art of kissing, or so she decided for herself. Having nothing else on which to base her assumption, Carolina nevertheless found her mind overflowing with thoughts and emotions.
“Well, say something. Surely I’ve not managed to tame that sharp tongue with one simple kiss.” Hampton stared at her oddly, as though trying to decide what to do next.
Carolina’s pounding heart seemed to slow a bit as her breathing came in less ragged gasps. Was Hampton right? Had she simply focused too long on her studies and missed out on the magic of coming of age? She thought of her girl friends and their giggled conversations of stolen kisses and moonlight walks. Always before, Carolina had found these things boring at best, but now she wasn’t so sure. Perhaps her viewpoint had been totally wrong.
“Carolina?” Hampton’s face seemed more apologetic now. “Are you ill?”
She managed to shake her head. How could she explain any of this to Hampton? To admit that she actually found his kiss tolerable would only encourage him to do it again, and
that
, she decided, would be absolutely intolerable. Struggling to clear the webs of doubt from her mind, Carolina reminded herself of the importance of remaining true to her dream. Her independent nature worked its way back to the surface of her mind, although now it was slightly tempered with questioning thoughts. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to marry and raise a family. It was, after all, something she’d always figured on doing. And if she was fortunate enough to find a man who believed in her dream of participating in the development of the railroad, then she would truly have it all.
James.
She wasn’t at all surprised that his name came to her now. He believed in her dream. Again, when she glanced upward to Hampton, it was James’ face she thought of. “James,” she whispered faintly.
“What?” Hampton asked, leaning down. “What did you say?”
Carolina shook her head. “Nothing. I . . . I’d like to go home now. Please.” To her surprise, Hampton’s expression showed sudden sympathy.
“I’ll find our chaperone and call for the carriage,” he said, sounding genuinely concerned with her reaction. “Wait here and I’ll return in a moment.”
Carolina nodded and watched him walk away. Several other couples moved about the porch. Some secluded themselves behind trees for moments of pleasurable interlude. Carolina was fascinated by this. For all appearances, should anyone have seen her with Hampton, they would have presumed them to be very much in love.
But of course, she reminded herself, that was quite impossible. Hampton might kiss very well, but he wasn’t James, and he didn’t know her heart. With a heavy sigh, Carolina was surprised to find herself very close to tears.
“But surely you see the benefit of rail service,” Joseph Adams stated firmly, eyeing Hampton from across a coffee table in the Oakbridge drawing room.
Hampton lifted a cup of coffee to his lips and shook his head. “Too risky. The economy is in grave danger of falling apart. Should just the right elements come together, we will be in for a tremendous financial depression.”
“But how can this be?” Joseph asked, motioning to a slave to refill his own cup. “The country has actually been out of debt and running with a surplus.”
Hampton smiled tolerantly. “Joseph, you pay me well to keep you advised on such things, and that is what I am trying to do even now. The railroad is an interesting investment to say the least. I see the potential and the probability that this venture will develop into something of mass proportions, but I also see more. The railroad has an extremely slow record of turning a dividend back into the hands of the investor. You might well give over hundreds of thousands of dollars and never see a single cent of return for years.”
“That’s true,” Joseph replied, stirring cream into his coffee. “However, I feel confident that whether I reap the benefits or not, my children and grandchildren will one day be greatly benefited by my risk.”
Hampton could only think of the large amounts of capital being wasted. He was desperate to convince Joseph that heavy investments in the railroad were foolish, but none of his arguments seemed to register even moderate interest or concern in his employer’s mind.
“I suppose my real worry comes in the fact that so many other elements come into play in the financial world. You have built for yourself a strong empire. Besides Oakbridge Plantation, you have vast holdings of land in the West, with a great many interested parties who would very much like to help you develop your property. I’ve been approached by four very respectable Englishmen who are intrigued by the idea of building factories on your Chicago properties.”
“Factories? What kind of factories?”
Hampton shrugged. “They’ve not given me the details of their interest, as I was uncertain that you would want to sell. Chicago has doubled in size in the last couple of years, and there are many rumors to suggest that great improvements and extensions to the National Road will be funded and built to connect the eastern cities to that booming town.”
“I see,” Joseph said, considering Hampton’s words. “The railroad would no doubt be of benefit to such a project as well.”
Hampton frowned. The railroad was once again his nemesis to battle. “I’m certain the railroad will one day be a consideration, but the average citizen cannot afford such luxury. What they can afford is to use their own wagons, horses, and oxen to move them where they desire to go. If the National Road is extended and built to include a number of adjoining roadways, the people of America will not only find travel more available, but also more affordable.”
“I suppose both are really necessary.” Joseph looked thoughtfully into his cup. “Eventually, the railroad would provide speed and be able to haul a great deal more in a shorter time than teams of oxen upon the trail.”
“Yes, but if I correctly understand the lay of the land, you own some of the very property that will be affected by the National Road expansion. Think of the hotels you could build and the services you could offer to the weary traveler. As far as sound investments go, this would turn you a solid profit as soon as the road and establishment went into place.”
“I don’t know. I suppose it is something to think on.”
“Well, for now, as your commission merchant, I am advising you to be cautious with your investments. I didn’t want to share bad news right away, especially given the holiday spirit and all, but things could be better.”
“Better? In what way?”
“There are problems with this country’s economic foundation that might well erupt over time to encompass the financial affairs of the average man. And while you are a man of means and prosperity, that could all change tomorrow.”
“It is truly as bad as all that?”
“I’m afraid so,” Hampton admitted. “As you know, last year’s cotton crop was destroyed by New York’s business district fire. Add to that, this year’s crops were bought at only marginally acceptable prices, and if it weren’t for the high percentage of English investors, we might not have seen a profit at all.”
Joseph shook his head. “Sometimes I’d like to walk away from everything.” He put his cup down and stared at the ceiling for a moment. “There are tremendous responsibilities with a family this size. Not to mention the obligations of the plantation system and the people here who are dependent upon us for their every need. Our northern brethren may curse slavery, but I ask you, where would these people go? How could they possibly care for themselves? Would northerners so generously take in and patiently support an uneducated man who only knows the skills of the field? No one stops to think on those things. Now with Mary gone and Margaret devastated by the loss, I want only to pull the rest of my family closer, and yet they all seem to be slipping away.”
Hampton realized the opportunity Joseph’s frank discussion had lent him, and he seized upon it. “What of your sons? Do they not plan to return to help with the plantation?”
Joseph’s expression was one of bittersweet reflection. “I don’t imagine they will. I was forced at an early age to assume the responsibilities of Oakbridge. I met the challenge and did as I knew I should, but in the course of events I lost a great deal that was important to me.”
“Such as?” Hampton questioned, unable to look at the wealth around him and imagine what was lacking.
“I lost my dreams. I’d always desired to go west and explore the country, but a man of responsibility cannot very well leave his wife and family to fend for themselves.” Joseph paused and smiled rather apologetically. “That’s behind me now, but the reason I brought it up has more to do with your question than you might imagine. I won’t force my sons to take on the duties of plantation owner when their hearts clearly lie elsewhere.”
The conversation was taking on new and exciting possibilities for Hampton. Always before, he’d presumed that his advance to fortune and fame would end when Joseph died. He had believed it necessary to lay in store for himself a great treasure of wealth and the security of a socially acceptable bride. Marrying one of the Adams girls would not only assure his place in proper company, but might offer him a means of expanding his meager holdings as well.
Finally he asked Joseph, “Who will follow then after you are gone?”
“That’s a good question. With Maine completely devoted to the work of God, and York ensconced quite happily in the political arena, it will most likely fall into the hands of one of my daughters and her spouse.”