Part 23 (1/2)
He yanked me closer and hissed, ”No regrets? None at all?”
”No, not even one.” I delivered my answer with bristling callousness, causing him to release his grip.
He stepped back and drew in a strained breath. ”Give consideration to the outcome of drawing attention to Livetta at a time when so many suspicions have been raised. Tempers are hot, and questions unanswered. If you are indeed her friend, then do not bring trouble to her door. Esther Mae will send Tessie to stay with Livetta until I can sort out a way to convince my father to let James return to Mud Run. We must tread carefully and not push too hard. If they ever filled in the gaps, we would all be found out.”
The spark of flint a half dozen paces to our left tore open the night as a small ball of flame lifted to reveal w.i.l.l.y Jack's expressionless face. He laid the flame to his pipe and took two deep puffs, releasing the aroma of sweet tobacco into the air.
I did not need Colt's hand squeezing over mine to tell me this was bad, but his grip betrayed his panic. w.i.l.l.y Jack was close enough to have heard our conversation, a conversation that left nothing unrevealed.
My instinct was to remain nonchalant, even though my insides had twisted head to toe. ”How long have you been standing there, w.i.l.l.y Jack?”
”Long enough.” He grinned with the pipe clenched in his teeth.
”What, exactly, did you hear?” Colt said in a tone that made me think he might consider killing w.i.l.l.y Jack.
”Oh, I hear lots o' things . . . here, there, and everywhere.”
Colt pulled a small pistol from inside his coat. ”I could shoot you if I felt threatened. Why are you beyond West Gate's limits? That alone is cause for severe punishment.”
w.i.l.l.y Jack paid him no mind and continued talking as if thinking aloud. ”Yas'sah, I hear lots o' things. Most talk I keeps to myself; den thar's some talk that be so troublin', I jes' gots'ta repeat it.”
Colt c.o.c.ked the pistol and pointed it toward w.i.l.l.y Jack's glistening forehead, but it did not stop him from continuing. ”So when I hear somethin' that needs repeatin', I jes' go off on a walk in de dark and talk to de wind. Can't help it if de wind carries dem words to ears dat know what to do wit' it.”
I noticed my heart had stopped pounding; my fear was replaced with curiosity. I touched Colt's arm, and he lowered the gun. ”w.i.l.l.y Jack, what are you going on about?”
”Jes' like last night, after I cut James from de rafters,” he said, puffing anxiously. ”Ma.r.s.e be mighty furious dat Ma.s.sa Reynolds let Mista Colt have his say-so. But Ma.s.sa Reynolds tol' Ma.r.s.e dat was jes' fo' show, so Mista Colt didn't fuss. Ma.s.sa said he is gonna make it up to Ma.r.s.e by doin' somethin' worse. Somethin' to show de lot o' you de way o' things.”
”Is that why you are here?” I said. ”To give us warning?”
He looked me deep in the eyes. ”Dey is comin' fo' de baby.”
”My G.o.d, he wouldn't,” Colt muttered in disbelief.
”Ma.s.sa Reynolds say de chile belongs to him. He say James never been no trouble till he married up with Livetta. He tol' Ma.r.s.e to sell de baby south. He say dat will break de both of 'em worse than strikin' a whip. Ma.r.s.e say when Mista Colt finds out he got de upper hand after all, it's as good as tying Mista Colt Mista Colt to the whippin' post too.” to the whippin' post too.”
”He cannot sell a newborn away from its mother,” I said, hoping to bide time. ”The child could not survive. No one will throw away money on a doomed child.”
Colt's expression told me I was wrong. ”Most plantations have at least one slave who has given birth within a year. As long as she can draw mother's milk, any woman can suckle a child.”
”When do they plan on taking Jameson?”
w.i.l.l.y Jack stared off toward West Gate. ”I best be gettin' back. I walked as far as I can go. I had my mama took from me, and no chile should be without his mama. Jes' needed to set dem words off on de breeze. No, sah, I can't help if de wind carries dem words to ears dat knows what to do wit' it.” w.i.l.l.y Jack doused his pipe and hesitated. ”Ain't never walkin' this way again, so don't 'spect it no more.” Then like the breeze he spoke of, w.i.l.l.y Jack disappeared into the shadows.
Colt and I stood in disbelief, stunned that vicious w.i.l.l.y Jack had warned us of what Twitch had in store for Livie's child. ”Do you think he is telling us the truth?”
”He has nothing to gain by lying,” Colt said, running a hand through his hair. ”Besides, he undoubtedly overheard our conversation. He could have us by our throats right now if his intentions were against us.”
I thought about the welts and bruises marking w.i.l.l.y Jack. He was not used to having the whip put to him. Twitch had turned on him in anger and would have happily killed him had w.i.l.l.y Jack not s.h.i.+fted the blame to James. Perhaps being on the wrong side of a las.h.i.+ng had s.h.i.+fted his loyalty a bit, but the how how and and why why mattered not. It was mattered not. It was what what w.i.l.l.y Jack revealed that tightened a knot in my stomach. w.i.l.l.y Jack revealed that tightened a knot in my stomach.
”I must find a way to protect Livie and Jameson. Let's go talk to your father.”
Colt shook his head. ”It's to our advantage that he doesn't know we are aware of his vindictive scheme. Though it sickens me, he is closer in moral fiber to Twitch than he is to me. If he plans to take James and Livetta's child, it is not solely to appease Twitch. I am certain it is in response to the slave disappearance. Father knows there is a threat from within, and he could be ruined if he is labeled a slave rustler who lines his pockets with ill-gotten ransom squeezed from fellow planters. He is using the child as a display of power and sending the message that he will strike out if challenged again.”
”I will never forgive myself,” I said with a sickened heart. ”I left Livie vulnerable in the worst possible way. I would tell her to run, but childbirth has drained her strength. Without sufficient knowledge of the mountain terrain, Livie would have little chance of escape, especially with a newborn to keep content and quiet. My G.o.d, Colt, what can we do?”
”I think we should talk to Augusta.”
”Have you gone mad?” I huffed in outraged amus.e.m.e.nt. ”Aunt Augusta hates Livie as much as she does me. The two of us are an abomination in her eyes. After the argument we had inside, Aunt Augusta would garner great satisfaction in seeing me punished at Livie's expense. She is not going to help us.”
”Well, we are not going to solve this tonight,” he sighed. ”But I beg you not to exacerbate the situation by going down into Mud Run. Livetta is settled in for some much-needed rest, and she will surely sense your anxiety.”
”How much time do we have?”
”Probably not much time at all. I suspect they have already made some preliminary inquiries through Twitch's contacts. For the right price, any slave trader would take the child and sell him downriver. They could make it happen quite suddenly, although I hope they would have the sense to give the child a couple of weeks for healthy growth.”
”Good sense is not Twitch's forte.”
”True,” Colt said with disconcerting frankness. ”For now, allow me to take you back inside. You look exhausted. With a night's rest, our thoughts and alternatives will be clearer in the morning.”
Colt bid me good night when we entered the house. His words were tired and resigned with foreboding expression, leaving me chilled as I ascended the stairs. I did not hear him make his leave by way of the front door. He may have thought it wise to smooth Aunt Augusta's ruffled feathers on my behalf. It was of no use. Aunt Augusta and I had reached a parting of the ways. I no longer planned on living in contrite obedience to her rule. She, on the other hand, commanded compliance or expulsion. I believed we both recognized the impa.s.se between us, but ever the peacekeeper, Colt would attempt to negotiate a truce. I loved him and pitied him for wanting it to be so.
I battled my way through a fitful sleep marred by night terrors. Livie crept into my dozing thoughts, the sight of her bringing me comfort, then heartbreak as the shadows of my mind transformed into the menacing image of Twitch. His vile presence in my dreams chased Livie into the darkness. I called out to her, but my voice echoed through the emptiness surrounding me. My hands trembled as I felt my way through the blank surroundings, not fearful of being alone, but terrified of not finding my way back to Livie. A distant cry heightened my urgency, but the darkness swallowed me deeper. My footsteps took me closer to the restless whimper, yet I could not locate it in the night. I spun round and round until a hand jerked me from my nightmare.
The soft flame s.h.i.+mmering from my bedside lamp cascaded a warm glow across my bed. Livie stood over me, one hand on my shoulder, the other cradling her son. Jameson squirmed and fussed while she swayed to comfort him. I recognized his intermittent cries as those heard in my dream. Livie must have entered my room and was watching me sleep. Dawn had not yet lifted from the shadows, so her presence startled me.
”What is it, Liv?” I said, s.h.i.+fting upward on my pillow. ”You should be resting. I am not experienced with the ways of birthing, but Esther Mae says the lying-in period is important to your health.”
”Jameson was fussin', so I walked the floor fo' a spell, then decided to walk your way.”
”You look troubled.”
”So much is happening,” she said, easing onto the edge of my bed with the now-dozing baby. ”Too much . . . too fast. Can't rightly get my thoughts straight in my head.”
I was certain she was not aware of w.i.l.l.y Jack's warning. However, I understood her dismay. In barely two days' time, she had given up her dream of leaving with Marcus, her husband was severely beaten, she gave birth to her first child, and now James was s.n.a.t.c.hed away, leaving her alone and unsure of their future. Guilt coursed through me. I leaned over to kiss Jameson on the forehead, then did the same to Livie's cheek.
”I am so sorry for the heartache my naivete has brought on you, Liv. You have suffered great loss on so many levels, and I bear responsibility for the pain you are harboring in your soul.”
”Don't wanna hear none o' that talk, girl,” she interjected, not knowing she had yet another blow to endure. ”You been good to me. You care about me with the heart of a friend, same as I do you. Don't never forget that.”
”I promise you I will find a way to bring James back to Mud Run.”
Livie snuggled Jameson into my arms. He opened his eyes and stared up at me, and then he wriggled his body with a sleepy stretch. One arm broke free of his blanket, allowing me to touch his tiny hand and raise it to my lips to kiss each finger. When I looked up to smile at Livie, her eyes were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with heavy tears.
”Look at my beautiful boy.” She sniffled with a mother's pride. ”He is makin' a promise bridge with you. He's givin' thanks and sayin' the goodness we shared will live in him too.”
Livie slipped her arms around me as I cradled Jameson and wept on my shoulder. I nestled my head against hers and rocked; however, neither she nor I could be comforted as easily as Jameson, who blinked wearily, then drifted off to sleep.