The Abolitionist’s Secret (5 page)

David let his glance fall on the petite woman. “And we now know that’s not true, since you’re doing a fine job of talking to me right now. So, let’s discuss what is really at issue here.”

“You mean slavery?” Heather asked.

Surprised, David glanced at her. “Slavery? Is this about my opinion on slavery? All right, let’s discuss the issue. What would you like to know?”

Heather’s gaze skittered around the dance floor as the last strains of the waltz were played. She really did want to discuss slavery with a slave owner, but with this particular slave owner, all she really wanted to do was to taste one of his kisses. Her focus was not on slavery right now. She stammered, “I, uh, I don’t believe now is the correct time to be discussing such weighty matters, Lieutenant, but it is a subject that will continue to divide us.”

“May I call on you tomorrow, then, to talk about this?”

Heather sighed, and wished her mother could materialize right now to help her out. “I suppose so.”

David grinned. “You needn’t make it sound like you’ve just been sentenced to the guillotine. I’m completely harmless.” He accompanied Heather back to her brother’s side.

“Halwyn, this is Lieutenant Whitman, who was on the train in St. Louis with Papa and Ginger.”

The two men shook hands as Halwyn replied, “We heard the story of that disastrous trip, and of your heroism, many times over the winter. I’m glad to finally meet you.”

“It was a horrible ride, but it had one benefit in that it allowed me the opportunity to meet your parents. Your mother invited me to be here this evening, for which I am eternally grateful.”

“So Mother roped you into attending the ball tonight, did she?” Halwyn smiled broadly. “She can be most persuasive when she wants to be. Where do you hail from?”

The two men drifted off into their own conversation, leaving Heather to accept the invitation to dance from the next gentleman who had written his name on her crowded dance card. As they took their place with the other couples on the dance floor, she gazed over her shoulder at David and Halwyn. David flashed a grin in her direction, at which point she stumbled over her partner’s feet. David’s grin grew even wider.

Surprisingly for Heather, the evening continued without incident. She danced with every gentleman on her card, and responded to questions about Jasmine all night. She was on the dance floor for every number, and took a grateful deep breath when the musicians finally packed up their instruments. As people began to drift from the ballroom, she returned to her brother’s side one last time. He and David had continued their discussion and were still together. Halwyn turned to David as Heather gathered her cloak and reticule.

“Lieutenant, may I impose on you to see my sister home? Since Jasmine’s fall is the reason the good doctor’s wife has been left here unchaperoned, I must see her to her residence.”

“But, Halwyn,” Heather whispered, “You’re supposed to be in charge of
me
this evening, and so far, you’ve done a deplorable job. Now you must make certain I get home safely.”

Halwyn replied with a glint of humor in his eyes. “And I am doing just that. Do you mind, Lieutenant? I know it’s not customary, but tonight’s circumstances are not normal, either, what with Jasmine in the hospital and all.”

David drew himself up to his full height, and looked Halwyn square in the eyes. “It would be my pleasure, sir, and I’ll make certain Miss Fitzpatrick is safely returned to your home.”

“Thank you, my good man. I’ll be off then.”

Halwyn disappeared to help the doctor’s wife to her home, joining the throng of partygoers taking their leave. Hesitant, Heather looked into David’s eyes, and caught a flash of humor in them.

“Shall we take our leave, then?” he asked. “I’ll call for a hansom cab.”

Heather took a deep breath before she replied. She knew exactly what she wanted to do, although it was outrageous to suggest it. “Why don’t we walk?”

• • •

If the lieutenant was taken aback by her outrageous suggestion, he hid it well. He merely offered his arm and led her from the ballroom, as if walking the streets of New York at two o’clock in the morning with an eligible young lady was an everyday occurrence.

Now that they were actually doing what she suggested, Heather was at a loss for words. She never thought he would agree to such an outlandish idea as a stroll through the darkened streets at such an hour and would insist upon hailing a cab. Although she really did want to discuss slavery with him, she had never been alone with an eligible man before. She found the experience exhilarating and just this side of scandalous. She peeked over at him and her fingers began to itch as she noticed a curly lock of his brown hair had been tossed by the wind onto his forehead. She wanted to smooth it back into place. And to lose herself in his deep blue eyes. And to kiss him and see what his eyes would tell her then …

She shook herself to clear her head. David had been watching her much too closely.

“Are you chilled? Here, put this around you.” He proceeded to take off his fine uniform jacket and draped it around her shoulders as they walked. He was in his shirtsleeves, which allowed Heather to see the play of muscles in his chest as he moved.

The jacket was still warm from his body, and it smelled of him. A hint of starch combined with a musky sandalwood scent played havoc with her senses. She weaved a bit on her feet. He reached out to steady her as they continued to walk in silence, with Heather’s hand draped over his arm.

After several awkward minutes, David looked at her. “I think you had a brilliant idea, to walk home in the night. The streetlamps cast a beautiful glow on your face.”

Blood rushed to her cheeks at David’s comment. She was grateful it was dark so he wouldn’t see the blush. “You sound almost poetic.”

“I could blather on for days, if you’d like. I’ll write stanzas about your lovely eyebrows and how when you smile, even just a little, I want to kiss your lips … ” He trailed off as his gaze shifted to her mouth.

Heather removed her hand from his arm as she stiffened at his praise. No one had ever taken such liberties with her before. Of course, no one had ever found her attractive before, either. On the one hand, she was thrilled by his comments. On the other hand, she was alone with him on the streets of New York at two in the morning. He could easily drag her into an alley and have his way with her. The mere thought made her head swim. And her other body parts jump. What had she been thinking?

“I see I’ve made you uneasy, and I apologize. Not for what I’ve said, because I meant every word, but I can tell you’d be more comfortable if we were discussing a more neutral topic than your great beauty. Do you want me to begin the conversation again, then?”

Startled by his astuteness, she nodded.

“Okay, then, let me tell you what life on a plantation is like.”

“Yes, I’d like to hear it from your point of view.” Heather managed to get the words out as she took a shaky breath.

“It is not easy being a plantation owner, even though most of you northerners believe we live a life of leisure. Some plantations have as many as two hundred Negroes as a workforce, which is necessary for the manual labor that is prevalent on a farm. And yes, the slaves are in the fields from sunup to sundown, and work hard.”

Heather nodded. It sounded like a page from
Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

David continued, “But as an owner, in exchange for their labor, we are responsible for their care, clothing, food, and shelter. The slaves don’t have to worry about getting food in their bellies, or clothes on their backs, or a place to sleep at night.” He glanced over at Heather. The night air teased the ringlets that fell around her face.

“I hadn’t thought of that,” she admitted.

“My father and I have discussed at various times how much easier things would be if we employed Negroes only during the growing season, and then they could fend for themselves for their basic needs the rest of the year.”

“So why don’t you do that? Free all of your slaves? If you offer them the great life you think you do, wouldn’t they want to stay and work for you? Especially if you explain to them what life on their own would entail?” Heather shook her head vehemently as she peppered David with one question after another.

“Wouldn’t life be better for all of you if you surrounded yourself with people who actually wanted to be there, who labored hard for an honest dollar, and who were treated with respect and dignity?”

David grinned. “You may be quiet to start with, but you make up for it when you do finally open your mouth. So many questions.”

Heather was startled as well by the frank questions that came pouring out of her. “Well, it is a subject I feel particularly impassioned about. I’m sorry if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“It’s just a bit unexpected, that’s all. How did you become so active in the abolitionist movement?”

Heather squirmed in his jacket. She needed to deflect his observation. “I’m not, not really. I simply have a great deal of trouble understanding how one person can claim to own another. But you are sidestepping my question. Why not free all of your slaves? If their life is as easy as you paint it, they’d want to stay and work with you, wouldn’t they?”

David took a deep heavy breath as he matched his footsteps to hers. “Possibly some of them would. But until the Negroes are better educated on how to provide for themselves instead of having us do it for them, we need to keep them on the plantations. The first step toward their independence is teaching them to read, write, and do math, and right now, it’s illegal to do that in Georgia.”

Heather stole a glance at David. “I have so many questions about
Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Is the book factual or fabricated? Did Mrs. Stowe make up the evil southern traders who traffic in human flesh? I think it must be at least somewhat factual, otherwise why would so many Negroes risk their lives to escape to Canada in search of freedom?”

“Not having read the book, it’s my understanding Harriet Beecher Stowe describes some good plantation owners, but she dwells on the bad ones. Makes for a better read that way, I suppose. Most of us are merely trying to run our operations the best we can. We need manpower to make those plantations productive, and slaves are the best, most efficient way to go. If all the slaves in the south were freed at one time, there would be no more plantations.”

David pointed out a large puddle of water on the sidewalk. “Watch your step here. I don’t want you to fall tonight, too.”

David smiled as Heather picked up her skirts and tiptoed around the puddle. He continued.

“If the plantations disappear, it would be disastrous for the nation’s economy. The tobacco that your father fills his pipe with suddenly would be in limited supply. The entire way of life in the south would disappear. This is my worry. That the notoriety given to the abuse of slaves, which is only done on a handful of plantations, would result in the crumbling of an entire empire.”

“But it’s going to happen, don’t you think?”

“Only if the north keeps poking its nose in where it doesn’t belong.”

“Well, in order to keep us northerners in line, you’ll have to stop making life so miserable for the slaves so they stop fleeing to us,” Heather replied, heatedly. “When we see the faces of those poor people, who have run hundreds, or thousands of miles, being trailed the entire distance by people who want to do them harm, one can’t help but think their lives aren’t all that rosy.”

“And how many of those faces have you actually seen?”

Heather’s mind flashed back to the alley, where she held the baby boy while his mother lay in the cobblestones in exhaustion and hunger. “I’ve seen enough,” she whispered.

They walked in silence for several minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. David looked at the storefronts they passed. “Oh, there’s Downing’s Restaurant, where we first met. You know they supposedly have the best oysters in New York. Since Savannah is near the ocean, we lay claim to good oysters, too. They are a favorite delicacy of mine, and I wanted to compare north to south.”

“At least you got to eat your meal before your friends disrupted the kitchen to search for your slave!”

“I apologize for my friends’ behavior. May I accompany you and your parents there one evening, to make up for having your meal interrupted?”

Heather hesitated. “I’ll have to check with Mother.”

“I’d greatly appreciate it if you could find an evening to dine with a poor, lonely military man in between your full schedule of operas and balls.”

Heather gazed up at him, and decided that she didn’t want to fill up her evenings with more dances and social gatherings. What she wanted was many more lively conversations with this man. And to find out what his lips tasted like.

She smiled at him. “On the contrary. I think my season has come to a crashing end for this year, after only the one ball. So I should have plenty of time for a ‘poor, lonely military man,’ but only if he’s at least a lieutenant.” She smiled up at him.

“You think just because Jasmine is done for the season, you will be too?”

“Well, yes, of course. We do everything together. So, if Jasmine can’t participate in the season, I will not be doing so, either.”

“I would think the reverse. If Jasmine can’t participate this season, you’ll have the spotlight all to yourself. This is your moment to shine. But then again, if you sit out this season, and still allow me to call on you, it may be the best of situations for me.”

“I don’t want the spotlight. I have lived in the shadows all my life.”

David stopped walking and turned to her. He took her hand in his, leaned over and kissed her wrist. A jolt emanated from his lips to the tips of her toes as he lingered over her delicate flesh.

“Like it or not, Miss Fitzpatrick, I think it’s your turn to take center stage. You are a most unusual lady, and I am entranced by the many layers of you that I’m uncovering. We are almost at your doorstep, and I’d like to be assured that you’ll welcome me tomorrow if I call on you.”

Heather’s knees threatened to buckle. She was grateful the hoop under her wide skirt helped prop her up, as she reacted to David’s boldness. The kiss sent a current of warmth shooting up her arm, and his words melted her heart. She was a most unusual woman? And he was entranced by her? She should not encourage this relationship, since their views on slavery were so diametrically opposed.