Queen (63 page)

    room.

    Throughout it all, Lizzie had been an island of calm in the hurricane of

    her mother's chaos. The arrival of the invitation had caused her heart to

    flutter, for she guessed precisely what it implied, and a later note from

    Sally had effectively confirmed this. Suddenly, all Lizzie's fears and

    anxieties about being left on the shelf flooded out of her; the years of

    chase were to yield their prize, and it was a considerable one. She bore

    her mother's panic with grace and humor, and massaged her father's temper

    when he despaired of Becky's improvidence. When she was alone in her room,

    she looked in the mirror for hours at a time, critically examining every

    fault she could see, ruthlessly demanding much of herself, and sedulously

    schooling herself not to simper, for she knew it drove Jass mad.

    Still, she was not immune to a sense of excitement, but it was a private

    one, detached from her parents'. She lived through the days tingling with

    joy, and as their carriage drove up the long drive to the house that would

    soon be hers, Lizzie experienced a sense of hope for a happy life that she

    had seldom known before.

    Upstairs in her room at The Forks, she took great care about her toilette,

    and came down to the veranda in a demure dress of palest yellow, offset

    with little bows of apple green. Sally, she could tell, was pleased, and

    Jass, when he turned to her, seemed to see her with new eyes.

    "Why, Lizzie," he said, "you look absolutely lovely." In a sense, he was

    seeing Lizzie for the first time, at least in her new role. They had not

    met since he had written the invitation, and his attitude toward her had

    changed. Whereas before he had looked on her as a friend, to go riding

    with, to escort to balls when he had no other young lady on his arm (even

    though it was a friend with whom he had a curiously. intimate

    relationship), now he had accepted that she was to be his wife

    MERGING 379

and his expectations of her had radically changed. She understood these

expectations exactly, was determined to fulfill them, and, if first

impressions were anything to go by, succeeded with honors.

They decided not to go riding-the day was too warm and Lizzie's dress

unsuitable. They took a turn about the lawn instead, and when Lizzie

casually slipped her arm through Jass's, for his protection, he chuckled.

It

was exactly the picture that had come to his mind ten days ago, and it

seemed right and natural. All that was missing was the slave nurse carrying

their infant son. Perhaps she was his destiny, after all.

    It was about this time that Easter's waters broke, and she yelled to Cap

;n

    Jack to fetch Tiara.

    Jass looked at Lizzie. "I have something very important to say to you," he

    began, but didn't finish.

    Lizzie was so excited she almost simpered, but took stem control of

    herself.

"Yes," she said breathlessly, looking into his eyes.

    "Ask you, I mean," Jass continued. "But I should speak to your father

    first."

    "Oh, poor Papa is so distracted by business affairs." Lizzie was anxious

    for it to be done. "I'm sure there's no need to bother him. He will be

    content with whatever I decide."

    Jass grinned. They both knew, and each knew that the other knew.

"And your mother?"

    "Will surely have an attack of the vapors if you don't ask me soon," Lizzie

    giggled. Suddenly she found she was enjoying herself. And enjoying Jass's

    company. And even enjoying being Lizzie, which was a novel experience to

    her these days.

    Jass looked about him. The setting was pretty, but not quite what he

    wanted. If he was going to do this thing, and he was, then he might as well

    do it properly.

    "Not now," he said. "This evening. Before dinner. In the moonlight. "

    Lizzie laughed again, and pretended, and made sure he knew she was

    pretending, to the vapors, in imitation of her mother.

380 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN

    "Why, sit," she said. "I hope your intentions are entirely honorable. "

    Jass was enjoying it as much as she. "Oh, they are," he laughed.

    "Entirely honorable."

    In a sense it was done already, and they both relaxed and spent a

    pleasant hour chatting about inconsequentials, for they could not yet,

    of course, discuss the future.

Then they parted and went upstairs to dress for dinner.

Jass was angry. His, bath had not been poured, nor his clothes set out.

He rang for Cap'n Jack, but it was Parson Dick who came to explain and

apologize. Cap'n Jack was at the weaving house with Easter, and Oliver,

who should have taken over, was sick. Parson Dick had been on his way -up

to attend to things himself when Jass rang the bell. Jass climbed into his

bath, while Parson Dick laid out his clothes.

    "You'll be one slave richer tomorrer, Massa," Parson Dick chuckled. "I'm

    afraid Missy Easter's yelling fit to bring the roof down. "

    He was puzzled by Jass's response. At first there was silence, while Jass

    soaped himself and assimilated the news.

    It was an extraordinary world, he thought, soaping himself luxuriantly.

    He was proposing to one woman in an hour or so, while another gave birth

    to his baby. Easter's timing was, as always, flawless. He started to

    laugh, and ducked his head under the water.

    All Parson Dick heard, in the bedroom, was the laughter, and then a

    curious gurgling sound.

Easter screamed in pain. "Lordy, Lordy," she cried. "I cain't stand it!"

    Tiara was calm, mistress of the weaving house for this little while, a

    couple of other slave women helping her.

    "Yo' gwine yell a whole lot more afore you're done," she said. "It like

    shittin' a watermelon. It big and it gotta come out. It'd help if you

    breathed steady."

    She breathed, long and slow, with Easter, to help her along. "Steady now,

    steady," she said.

    Cap'n Jack had been barred from their presence, but was outside, peering

    anxiously in through a window. Would the child never come?

    MERGING 381

Jass was waiting on the veranda when Lizzie came to him. The night was still

and fragrant with the scent of wisteria. He looked very handsome in his

formal evening clothes, and happy, for his sense of humor had stayed with

him.

    Lizzie had changed into an evening gown of gentle, rustling blue satin,

    with a simple rope of freshwater pearls around her neck. It was a clever

    piece of jewelry, for Jass had given her the pearls a few years ago,

    casually, for they were of no value, as if he didn't know what else to do

    with them. They were pretty little things, and Jass was charmed that she

    wore them now. She stood looking at Jass for a moment, and he at her. If

    anyone had been watching, they looked to be a perfect couple. And several

    people were. A couple of guard slaves had stationed themselves under the

    magnolia tree, to see, at least, and, they hoped, to hear some of the

    conversation, for all the slaves knew what was going to happen, and someone

    had to report back to them what the Massa said.

    Mrs. Perkins was trying to watch, but was having difficulty finding a

    suitable vantage point without appearing too obvious. She'd come into the

    hall with Lizzie, feeding her daughter instructions as they made their way

    downstairs, but had stayed at the door, trying to get a glimpse of Jass.

He

    was in the wrong position for her to get a good view of him, so she went

    into the sitting room, and could just see him from that window, but then

    Sally came in and wanted to talk. She managed to keep a weather eye on the

    happenings outside for a few seconds, but then Jass and Lizzie walked along

    the veranda, away from her and out of her sight.

    "I guess you know what I'm going to say," Jass began, after some trivial

    talk of the weather.

Lizzie saw no need to speak, but smiled, demurely.

    "We've known each other for so long, you must think I'm an awful slow

    coach," Jass continued. "But everyone's always said we make such a splendid

    couple, so why don't we prove them right?"

    With exquisite formality and regard for the romance of the situation, he

    dropped to one knee.

"Will you marry me, Lizzie?" he said.

Lizzie smiled down at him. " I thought you'd never ask- 382 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN

    And then something odd happened to her. It was so perfect, and such a

    relief, and held such tremendous promise of future happiness for Lizzie

    that she started to cry.

    She looked away, to regain her composure. Jass had done everything

    perfectly, and she wanted to let him know how very much she appreciated

    him, and what he was offering her. Even his delay of the proposal from

    the adequate afternoon to the romantic evening was in impeccable taste.

    The only thing that puzzled her was the constant screaming she could hear

    from some distant place on the property, but no one else seemed to be

    aware of it. She imagined it was a slave being flogged, but even so she

    was surprised because she didn't think Jass whipped his female slaves,

    and certainly it was a woman's pain.

    She turned back to Jass, and spoke as seriously as she had ever done in

    her life until then.

    "I'll try to be a good wife, Jass," she said. "And give you fine sons."

    He stood up, took her into his arms, and kissed her tenderly. Lizzie gave

    herself to him, and wanted the moment to last forever, but then there was

    a discreet cough.

    Parson Dick was standing in the main doorway. Of all the listening ears,

    he had managed to hear the most, and had goodly gossip for Tiara.

" I'm sorry to intrude, sir, " he said. " But dinner is served.

    Jass laughed. "Thank you, Parson Dick," he said, and offered Lizzie his

    arm. She laughed, took the proffered arm, and they walked into the house.

    And she heard that screaming again, louder than before, and could not

    imagine what it was, but hoped that she never experienced a pain that

    would cause her to scream like that.

    47

One mo' push, a big un, " Tiara urged.

    Easter had lost all sense of place and time. She was lost in a sea of pain

    and pushing, and coaxing from the women, as the monstrous giant inside her

    refused to leave its lair.

    "It nearly there," Tiara insisted again. "Push, c'mon, push! "

    Easter pushed with all her might, and felt a slithering between her legs,

    and the baby plopped out onto the bed. Tiara snatched it up.

"My lordy, it's a sweet I'd girl," she told them all.

    Easter sighed, and lay back on the pillow, in relief and exhaustion, glad

    it was over. She was happier still it was a female baby. Like Jass, she

    knew a boy child would have had a more difficult life on the plantation.

A

    girl could be more easily hidden from view.

    The other women tied and cut the cord, and Tiara cleaned the gunk from the

    baby's mouth and eyes, and smacked her hard on the bottom.

    There was a great, indignant cry from the ugly, scrunchedup moppet who had

    just been bom, but, like Oliver Twist, if she had known what life had in

    store for her, she might have yelled even louder.

    The women washed the baby, and when her skin was clean, they stared at her

    in consternation, and then at Tiara, who took command. She wrapped the

    child in swaddling clothes, and gave her to her mother.

"Purty I'il thing," she said. She looked carefully at Easter.

"An' white as cotton," she added, unwillingly.

    At that moment, Easter didn't care; she hardly heard what Tiara had said

    but wanted her baby in her arms, safe, where she was meant to be. The

    infant sought her mother's breast,

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384 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN

and snuggled there, content. Easter stared at her, and Tiara's words

formed meaning in her mind.

    It could not be denied. Although it was still impossible to tell what the

    eventual color of her skin would be, she was the palest child any of them

    had ever seen delivered from a slave.

    A tiny fear shimmered through Easter's heart, not for herself but for the

    baby. Life was especially hard for those of light skin. She hugged the

    baby to her, to protect her from life's storms.

    "Mebbe she darken up," Tiara comforted, but neither she nor Easter

    believed it.

    "It don't make no never mind," Easter said, a little defiantly. "She

    beautiful."

"Ain't she jus'," Tiara smiled.

    Outside, Cap'n Jack was doing a little hop of glee. He wanted to tell the

    world, shout at the moon, that he was a gran'pappy. This was his life