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Chapter 11
Herald sailed several times in his short life, but never on such a long journey as this. Although he was concerned about Elizabeth’s wellbeing, he could not help feeling excited about the opportunity for a new adventure. Not many young men of his age and station could boast such an experience. It certainly would help rank him higher within his circle of friends once he returned to relay the details of the journey to them. He spent his first day at sea quizzing Captain Sims as much as the old sea dog would allow. He was filled with curiosity about the ship and its navigational instruments. The grizzly old captain had never encountered a young man of such intelligence and, although he was not by nature the most hospitable of men, for the most part he enjoyed Herald’s youthful enthusiasm and eagerness to learn.
They were deep in the high seas when Herald overheard a conversation between Stephen and the captain that set him on his heels. In order to reduce their trave
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Love Misunderstood Chapter 12
Arthur paced the floor of his study while he waited for Paulette to enter. He opened the letter in his hand and folded it again with nervous agitation. When his sister finally did arrive, he tossed it into the fireplace, only to rescue it before the flames could do more than singe its edges.“Good heavens Arthur, whatever is amiss?” Paulette asked as she glided across the floor to stand next to him.“Two letters were delivered to this house this morning.” Arthur sighed.“And?” Paulette asked impatiently.Arthur reached in his pocket and handed a letter addressed to Paulette. It was the letter Stephen posted just before he set sail. Its seal was unbroken.“’Tis from Stephen!” Paulette squealed as she snatched the letter from her brother’s outstretched hand and held it to her chest.Closing his eyes, as if by doing so he could change the scene that was about to occur, he held ou
Love Misunderstood Chapter 13
Every muscle in his body hurt. What happened? Herald rolled over onto his side and looked around. He did not recognize his surroundings, nor could he identify its strangeness.His attempt to sit up was thwarted by a piercing pain in his skull. Raising his hand slowly, he felt the bandage covering the gash over his right eye. As he gradually grew more alert, he felt for more bandages. He found one on his right thigh. As he eyes slowly focused, he was able to look at his leg to see that it had not fared well.Herald struggled to recall the chain of events that led to his being trussed up like a mummy in what looked like a hospital bed, although he could not fathom what hospital it might be. As hard as he tried, he could recall nothing beyond the card game he was winning in Stephen’s cabin on board the Duke.The gentle rustling of skirts nearby caught his attention. His attempt to speak produced something that resembled a cross between a laugh and a moa
Love Misunderstood Chapter 14
Arthur returned saddened, defeated, and without his good friend. Finding his search produced no results, Paulette’s devastation caused her to be even more vicious than normal to those subservient to her.Fearing for the safety of her child, Elizabeth begged an audience with the plantation’s forlorn master. She could respect his sadness and need for mourning time, but this was a situation that could not wait. Paulette had already struck her and knocked her down several times in his absence. The last time caused her to fall against the railing of the second floor. She narrowly escaped tumbling down the steep flight of stairs. The old cook practically kept her hidden in the pantry the days following to protect her until the master returned.Being summoned strictly for his personal pleasures, speaking freely was a luxury Elizabeth did not enjoy while in Arthur’s bed. Although he agreed to allow her an audience and the opportunity to tell her story,
Love Misunderstood Chapter 15
Arthur did not call for Elizabeth’s pleasures after hearing her tale of how she came to be in his household. Instead, he spent the night pondering its validity. Her story was so preposterous that it just might be truth. The fact that she knew so much about Stephen Carlson and his family was remarkable. His mind wrestled with the amount of information she had been able to provide without a moment’s hesitation or slip of the tongue. Could she have discovered this from Paulette? He thought not. It poured forth like truth. Yet, he did not want it to be true. He did not want to believe it. He did not want her to be the wife of his best friend.His night of contemplation brought to light the fact that he had fallen in love with her. He held himself back from his true emotions by the fact that she was a slave, but now...Although crushed to discover that the one woman whose beauty confounded him almost instantly was not available, he was happy and delighted to hav
Love Misunderstood Chapter 16
Paulette lay outstretched on the grass wrapped in euphoria from of the visions that swirled in her head. She heard whispers from others in her social circle about mistresses bedding their stud darky, but she never really considered it a possibility for herself. Now, here she was contemplating that very thing!She shook her head to clear it. What was she thinking? Obviously, the combination of the shock and disappointment of Stephen’s disappearance, the theft of his letter by that wicked devil woman, and traveling in this intense heat in unfamiliar territory took hold of her senses. She pushed at Manley’s chest to create some space between them and rolled her back to him. He did not move. Why was he not moving? She could feel the heat of his breath on the back of her neck. It was sending soft shivers up and down her spine. This just was not fitting. She needed to stop before things went too far. Unfortunately, her body had other ideas and was responding to his near
Love Misunderstood Chapter 17
Stephen stood in the missionary office and watched Padre Rodriguez through the window. The black man, who looked to be the leader of the small band of Indians that stood a short distance behind him, hung his head low as he listened to the padre’s words and responded. The two were obviously deep in conversation.Stephen was pretty confident he knew the topic of discussion. After learning that he was in a mission just north of St. Augustine, he quickly explained himself and his circumstances to Padre Rodriguez and requested aid in returning to his plantation. It was his original intention to purchase a new frigate to make his way up coast, but his poor brother-by-law was not yet ready to brave the water. In a way, he could not blame the young lad. Instead, he requested the assistance of the good padre to help him find a guide and transport over land. It would take longer, but it was a small concession after what his brave companion suffered.At the sight of the pad
Love Misunderstood Chapter 18
Arthur’s search took him near the town of New Inverness with no sign of his runaways. As nightfall closed in around them and they found themselves still miles from town, he gave the order for his weary men to make camp in a clearing just off the main road. The fast flowing stream that was only a few yards away from the spot they selected for their camp provided fresh water for cooking and drinking, as well as a cool bath for those so inclined.Although he kept a steady hand with his slaves, Arthur was not as strict about segregation with his darkies as most of his fellow slave owners. He walked a fine line between their distinct opinion that a darky was born to work hard and would not be able to survive as a free man and his friend Stephen’s viewpoint of them being on the unfortunate side of a difficult lifestyle structure.He attributed his thinking to the many conversations with his father, who owned slaves out of necessity, but did not necessarily suppor
Love Misunderstood Chapter 19
The blistering sun was positioned in the sky high enough to cook an egg on a flat stone if someone so desired, but not high enough to indicate midday. Paulette was grateful for the cool water she stood ankle deep in and would occasionally dampen the cloth around her neck in as well. She hurt from her head to her toes. The pampered existence she led over the nineteen years of her life never once hinted of the trials she was enduring now. She questioned if even her strongest slave would possess the strength and stamina that these barbarians expected of her.Upon the thought of her slaves, she craned her head over the tall grass to see if she could locate Manley. Both edges of the river were filled with bobbing heads as the workers bent down, cut the reed at its root base with a sharp piece of bone, and then stood up to place it in piles to be bundled. They were gathering reeds for basket weaving. Some would be used by the village and others taken to trade for other supplies tha
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