He had longed to tell her that her loyalty to Jay was misplaced. All the slaves had known for months that Jay was spending his nights in a cottage with Felia, a beautiful and willing girl from Senegal. But he had felt sure Lizzie would find out for herself sooner or later, and sure enough she had, two nights ago. Her reaction had been characteristically extreme: she had locked her bedroom door and armed herself with pistols.
How long would she keep that up? How would it all end? “Run away to the frontier with some ne’er-do-well,” he had said, thinking of himself. But she had not responded to the suggestion. Of course it would never occur to her to spend her life with Mack. No doubt she liked him; he had been more than a servant to her; he had delivered her baby; and she enjoyed it when he em braced her. But all that was a long way from leaving her husband and running off with him.
He was lying restlessly in his bed before daybreak, turning these things over in his mind, when he heard a horse whinny softly outside.
Who could it be at this time of night? Frowning, he slipped off his bunk and went to the cabin door in his breeches and shirt.
The air outside was cold and he shivered when he opened the door. It was a misty morning with a fine rain, but dawn was breaking and he could see, in the silver light, two women entering the compound, one leading a pony.
A moment later he recognized the taller woman as Cora. Why had she ridden through the night to come here? Bad news seemed likely.
Then he recognized the other one.
“Peg!” he cried delightedly.
She saw him and came running to him. She had grown up, he thought: she was inches taller and a different shape. But her face was the same and she threw herself into his arms. “Mack!” she said. “Oh, Mack, I’ve been so frightened!”
“I thought I’d never see you again,” he said. “What happened?”
Cora answered his question. “She’s in trouble. She was bought by a hill farmer called Burgo Marler. He tried to rape her and she stabbed him with a kitchen knife.”
“Poor Peg,” said Mack, and he hugged her. “Is the man dead?”
Peg nodded.
Cora said: “The story has been in the Virginia Gazette and now every sheriff in the colony is looking for Peg.”
Mack was aghast. If Peg were caught she would certainly be hanged.
The other slaves were woken by their conversation. Some of the convicts came out and recognized Peg and Cora, and there were happy reunions.
Mack said to Peg: “How did you get to Fredericksburg?”
“Walked,” she said with a laconic touch of her old defiant personality. “I knew I had to go east and find the Rappahannock River. I traveled in the dark and got directions from people who are out at night—slaves, runaways, army deserters, Indians.”
Cora said: “I hid her in my house for a few days—my husband’s in Williamsburg on business. But then I heard that the local sheriff was about to raid everyone who was on the Rosebud.”
“But that means he’ll come here!” Mack said.
“Yes—he’s not far behind me.”
“What?”
“I’m pretty sure he’s on his way now—he was mustering a search party when I left town.”
“So why did you bring her here?”
Cora’s face hardened. “Because she’s your problem. I’ve got a rich husband and a nice house and my own pew in the church, and I don’t want the sheriff to find a murderer in my damn stable loft!”
The other convicts muttered their disapproval. Mack stared at her in dismay. He had once thought of spending his life with this woman. “By God, you’re hardhearted,” he said angrily.
“I saved her, didn’t I?” Cora said indignantly. “Now I’ve got to save myself!”
Peg said: “Thank you for everything, Cora. You did save me.”
Kobe had been watching the proceedings silently. Now Mack turned to him automatically to discuss the problem. “We could hide her over at the Thumson place,” he said.
“That’s all right, so long as the sheriff doesn’t search there too,” Kobe said.
“Damn. I never thought of that.” Where could she hide? “They’ll search every inch of the quarters, the stables, the tobacco sheds.…”
Cora said: “Have you fucked Lizzie Jamisson yet?”
Mack was taken aback by the question. “What do you mean, ‘yet’? Of course I haven’t.”
“Don’t act stupid. I bet she wants you to.”
Mack resented Cora’s unromantic attitude but he could not act innocent. “What if she does?”
“Would she hide Peg—for your sake?”
Mack was not sure. How can I even ask the question? he thought. He could not love a woman who would refuse to protect a child in this situation. Yet there was a doubt in his mind as to whether Lizzie would agree to do it. For some reason this made him feel angry. “She might do it out of the kindness of her heart,” he said pointedly.
“She might. But selfish lust is a more reliable motive.”
Mack heard dogs barking. It sounded like the deer-hounds on the porch of the big house. What had disquieted them? Then there was an answering bark from down by the river.
“Strange dogs in the neighborhood,” Kobe said. “That’s what disturbed Roy and Rex.”
“Could it be the search party already?” Mack said with heightened anxiety.
“I think so,” said Kobe.
“I was hoping for time to figure out a plan!”
Cora turned away and mounted her pony. “I’m getting out of here before I’m seen.” She walked the pony out of the compound. “Good luck,” she called softly. Then she disappeared into the misty woods like a ghostly messenger.
Mack turned to Peg. “We’re running out of time. Come with me to the house. It’s our best chance.”
She looked scared. “I’ll do whatever you say.”
Kobe said: “I’ll go and see who the visitors are. If it’s the search party, I’ll try to slow them down.”
Peg held Mack’s hand as they hurried through the cold fields and across the damp lawns in the gray light. The dogs came loping down from the porch to meet them. Roy licked Mack’s hand and Rex. sniffed curiously at Peg, but they made no noise.
Doors were never locked here, and Mack led Peg in through the back entrance. They crept up the stairs. Mack looked out of the landing window and saw, in the black-and-white tones of dawn, five or six men and some dogs coming up from the direction of the river. As he watched, the party split: two men headed for the house and the rest turned toward the slave quarters with the dogs.
Mack went to Lizzie’s bedroom door. Don’t let me down now, he thought. He tried the door.
It was locked.
He tapped gently, fearful of waking Jay in the next room.
Nothing happened.
He tapped harder.
He heard soft footsteps, then Lizzie’s voice came clearly through the door: “Who’s there?”
“Hush! It’s Mack!” he whispered.
“What the devil are you doing?”
“It’s not what you think—open the door!”
He heard a key turn, and the door opened. In the gloom he could hardly see her. She turned back into the room, and he stepped inside, drawing Peg behind him. The room was in darkness.
Her footsteps crossed the room and a blind was raised. In the pale light he saw her, wearing some kind of dressing gown, looking deliciously tousled. “Explain yourself, fast,” she said. “And it had better be good.” Then she saw Peg, and her attitude changed. “You’re not alone.”
“Peg Knapp,” he said.
“I remember,” Lizzie said. “How are you, Peggy?”
“I’m in trouble again,” Peg said.