Under the cover of nighttime, 19 year old Charlotte slipped into the dying man's bedroom. "She whispered, "papa"?
"So, you're calling me papa now?" His voice barely ekes from his fevered, parched lips."
"I've decided it's time I did," she lowered her eyes .... kept her face motionless. "Do you mind?"
After carefully maneuvering a planned last will and testament he drafted straight from his war chest, he offered her tightly rolled papers fastened with twisted blue ribbon. "Take these, put them in your pocket."
She tried to read his expression.
"What I have written here will keep you free." Fluid gurgled in his lungs sounded like wine siphoned thorough a hose would have. "Be sure to keep them safe. Some will have no qualms obliterating you. Do you understand Charlotte?"
His words left her wondering but she'd soon understand their meaning.
"Did you think I wouldn't know you were telling me a lie Hannah?" He brushed loose hairs from his trouser legs.
Hannah knew Aaron didn't listen to old Tom. Whenever she was behind the house she was aware of his presence ... how he watched her.
"Master told me to keep to my place in the back yards but I got eyes to see," Aaron said.
That evening Hannah thought of when she was barely 14 years old and what happened to slaves who tried to escape their masters. She remembered punishments meted out right on his farm.
"You're young, healthy and pure. You could ... you know." Rachel's hands trembled.
Hannah leapt to her feet. "Oh no. You can't mean for me to have a child by him. He's like a father to me. That's incest and we'll all go to hell ... won't we?" There were angrier words in her throat but she swallowed ... fought to keep from screaming them.
"Let me have her." Rachel undid the child's blankets ... words caught in her throat. "Did you get a good look at her? She is smooth ... white as a Lily.
Sally pointed a scrawny finger at Betsy. "Tell 'er Betsy, tell what we seen..
Betsy reached for Sally ... yanked the small woman from Gincy's grip by the dingy collar of her drab-colored dress.
"Hush your mouth." Whap! whap! whap!" She raised her ever present walking stick and struck Sally across the back,
"Someone 'bout dis place gon' get b'trayed an' soon." Sally kept her eye on Charlotte. "De will's been said. Jus' you wait. It's a'comin'."
Charlotte's heart skipped a beat. Before she could stop them, angry words tumbled from her mouth.
"Servant?" She patted her chest. "Look at me. I'm old master's blood. Where do you think I came from? Do you think I fell from out the sky? I'm not the blacksmith's daughter." Charlotte read Sarah's look ... felt glad she confronted her; bit her with the hidden snake of truth.
