Love's Conquest
Chapter Ten: "Pelican House"
Nakisaie had promised Josiah a son but instead she gave birth to Lilly, the first of two daughters. Maggie (Margret) would be born two years later.
They had seen peace and prosperity until they awoke that fateful morning to gunfire! Two years ago they had the advantage of a warning, not so this time. The attackers that had included Alvarez had returned; this time with more men and two four-pound cannon, they could not withstand that kind of assault.
To the sound of gunfire and cannon shot, they jumped out of bed. "As planned…we'll meet in Haiti" Josiah was already dressed. He kissed her goodbye. "Be safe" Nakisaie called to his retreating back. It would be four months before she saw him again.
The plan was for Josiah to lead the workers into the woods, hopefully drawing the attackers to follow them while Nakisaie would take the children, house staff and several trusted slaves with her. "Quiet! Move along quickly!" She ushered her little group along with little Maggie in her arms, toward the coast where they built a signal fire for the Spanish gun ship on patrol.
Upon receiving an 'all clear' from the ship, she had the slaves row their small band out to the ship; once she was sure her children and slaves were safe, she convinced the captain to allow her to lead a counter attack, to destroy the big house. "I'll not have my home used as a fort to attack my friends" she informed the captain.
She and the military men she led returned to the ship where the captain met her with, "You promised a destroyed house…I see no smoke!"
"A moment please, I had to set a delayed fuse to allow us time to escape" she requested. White smoke could now be seen drifting over the house.
"A delayed fuse? With what?" the captain asked.
"Let's just say my husband will have to buy me some new pantaloons" an explosion threw the roof of the house into the air, the upper walls collapsed in on itself. Two more explosions announced the destruction of the cannon.
"We can leave now" she announced. She turned away, leaving the deck to check on her children.
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Josiah and Nakisaie re-united in Haiti. They would return to Florida to rebuild Live Oak a year later; although Live Oak would flourish again, it never reached the affluence of its earlier days.
Florida became a state in 1819 and immediately began to pass laws to separate the races. Josiah and the children were protected by being citizens of Spanish Florida. Nakisaie and their last child, a son, Maxwell, born in 1824 did not share in that protection.
In 1842 they made the trip to Florida to visit friends and family; Josiah complained of indigestion and weakness during the trip and upon arriving at Live Oak took to bed to rest. He passed away in his sleep of a massive heart attack. He was seventy eight; Nakisaie was fifty, still beautiful and along with her daughters, one of the richest women in Florida. She had the slaves move her things out of the Master's room; she never slept there again.
Immediately Nakisaie found herself in a court battle with Josiah's white sister who endeavored to have Josiah's will overturned. It would be six long years before the courts would settle in Nakisaie's favor. She would now have to petition the courts to have the will executed.
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The men milled around awaiting Nakisaie to give the duties of the day. P'ter, old and white haired, shoulders bent in old age, shuffled into the house asking Cook about Nakisaie. "She says she wants to sit in the parlor" Cook informed him. He shuffled into the parlor, kneeling beside her chair. He touched her wrist, searching for a pulse he knew he wouldn't find. Two scenes came to mind; the first was the first time they had met.
Oh, not that time at Live Oak when he was asked to take the shackles from her neck; further back, to that day when a beautiful Princess dared custom to lift her eyes to look at a visiting Prince. He had dropped his eyes, raising them to smile at her. She had smiled back, and he had fallen in love with that smile; he had dared to touch her fingertips as he accepted the offered food.
Funny that she had never recognized him in all these years…
The second scene, at the makeshift shooting range where he had taught her the handling of the white man's guns. He had decided to tell her of his love for her. He started to tell her when she had touched his lips then caressed his cheek with two fingers. "I know…" she had whispered.
P'ter kissed her cheek, reached to close the sightless eyes, and looked out of the window to see what she had been looking at. Pelicans flew in a 'V' formation, folding their wings, diving into the water for fish only they could see.
P'ter rose, straightened his shoulders, and walked out of the room. He would grieve later…when he was alone…alone with his memories of a beautiful African Princess; now there was work to be done.
The year was 1870. The African Princess was seventy-seven years old. From that time on the big house was known as… "Pelican House".
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"Pelican House", Present Day
Hanna was nervous. They hadn't planned on going out, so elaborate party dresses weren't required. Hanna knew that Daphne would wear purple with Velma in green so she chose a simple blue skirt and blouse that would be the perfect backdrop for her necklace that Tommy had given her. He would be giving her the matching engagement ring after the party. She put her nervous feelings down to that and tried to enjoy the party.
Every one had sung the traditional "Happy Birthday" but she had run out of the room when Tommy said he got to give the birthday spanking. Long John and Mari had corralled Sam when she returned to open presents; "No lingerie until the bridal shower!" her mom proclaimed, laughing.
She should be having a wonderful party but the nervous feelings just would not go away. She stood to thank everyone for all the magnificent presents when her peripheral vision turned black; narrowing to tunnel vision, the room began to spin and the blackness wrapped its warm comforting arms about her…
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Author's note: This story is a work of fiction; but the characters of Josiah and Nakisaie along with Live Oak Plantation are loosely based on the real people of Anta(Anna) Madgigine Jai Kingsley and Zephaniah Kingsley and their life at the Kingsley Plantation in Florida. "Notes on the Life of Anna Kingsley" by Daniel Schafer, Univ. Press of Florida, 1903 and "Admiration for a Former Slave's self-Disciplined, Tenacious life" by Mary Jo McTammany served as the inspiration for my story. I have taken the liberty to change names, dates and location of their story to tell mine.
On an ironic footnote, while Anna traveled extensively after her husband's death, she never returned to her homeland in Senegal; nor did she remarry, if she took a lover, no one has voiced such a rumor.
A last thought: Anna (and Nakisaie) may have been the victim of their time but any thought of surrender were swept away…while they danced with the moon.