I did not like how Hackett was looking at the three of us. Not one but. Especially Hannah. He leered when escorting us to and from the plantation. He leered when Mary was preaching and he most defiantly leered when we bent down to pray. I did not know of the others had noticed, but I certainly did. I squinted at him in the bright sunlight as Mary droned on and on about repentance or penance or something. He had been watching Mary for some time, but he must have felt me staring because his gaze switched to me. He raised an eyebrow and smirked, I frowned to let him know I wasn't happy, then, a few seconds later, I saw his horrible tongue snake its way out from between his foul yellow teeth and rub itself over his dry, cracked lips. My lip curled in disgust and I looked away.
On the way back to the house, Hackett blocked my way into the gardens.
"What?" I said rudely.
"That's not very friendly, is it now?" he grinned, "And I thought you was a fine lady of decorum and that."
I gave a little snort of annoyance. He knew fine rightly I was no such. He had seen my scarred face hidden under heavy make-up, metallic mouth, scrawny body, and how I took too much care in what I said.
"Yes" he said again, looking me up and down, "A fine lady"
I pushed past him, blackmail was something I would not tolerate, "Take care Hackett….and watch yourself."
"I always do Miss Crugg" he called after me.
Later, after dinner when we usually retreated to the drawing room, I decided to confront Mary. Hannah was absent, complaining of a slight headache and going to bed early and both Meredith's had gone on a fashionable week long stay to Charlestown, due to be back the next evening, so it was just us.
"Why, Mary?" I said, setting down the book I had been pretending to read.
She did not look up from her sewing, "Why what?"
"Why are we doing this?"
Still not looking up, she decided to play the idiot, "I have no clue to what you are taking about Marion."
"Yes you do" I snapped back, "These people are desperate, they need aid."
"And aid is exactly what I'm giving them" she said stiffly.
"They need help and care, Mary, not religion!" I said loudly, "We've been here nearly three weeks now, and they are no better now than before we arrived!"
"Marion, keep your voice down!" Mary snapped her head up, her cheeks flushing pink with anger, "The Lord's word will help them a great deal more. What do you know of salvation anyway? I've seen how you roll your eyes and sigh when I speak. What sort of support is that to give your sister?"
"I won't support you in something I don't believe in!"
She gasped, "Take that back this instant!"
"No!"
"You do not know what you are saying! You are one of God's followers. Repent at once!"
I screwed up my face and said childishly, "Repent, repent, repent! That's all you go on about! I'm not going to because I'm not a good Protestant, in fact, I'm not a Protestant at all. Haven't been for years"
Mary was bright red by now, "Go to bed at once you ungrateful wretch!"
I stood, "Gladly!" and stamped out of the room and up the stairs, for another night's sitting up and waiting for Jack whilst watching the point of that odd compass swivel around that dial. I wasn't bothered at all that I had upset Mary. What I was more bothered about was that I was saying all these things about helping the slaves, but wasn't doing anything about it. So, after a few hours of confirmation that Jack defiantly wasn't coming, I quietly snuck out of my room. I tiptoed carefully down to the kitchens which were now dark and empty of servant and went to the bench where half a loaf of bread, apples, cold plantain, potato peelings a small pot of goats cream that had curdled slightly and nearly a whole joint of roast lamb left over from dinner had been set out for the waste. I wrapped all of this in a cloth, minus one apple which I ate myself. I heard the clock in the hall strike two as I left the house and headed for the gardens leading out to the plantation.
Creeping out, I saw glowing dots of torchlight moving around the border of the plantation which I presumed were men keeping watch. Stuffing the package down my tunic, I began to crawl along towards the huts that bordered the crop itself. Every so often I would freeze and listen to make sure no one had noticed me, but most of the men on watch seemed to be sticking to where the plantation bordered the jungle and I guessed this was to make sure that none of the slaves tried to make a run for it.
I was only a few feet from the cluster of huts when a series of soft moans startled me and made me draw my pistol. I looked around but could see nothing. Whatever it was moaned again and I realised that the noise was coming from above me. I slowly looked up, rather scared, and saw a large, oblong cage hanging from a sturdy palm tree. I squinted into the darkness and realised with horror that I was looking at some poor man trapped inside. He moaned again.
I slowly stood and whispered, "Hello?"
Another moan. I looked closer and saw that his skin was peeling and he was painfully thin. His head was lolling from side to side and his startlingly white eyes kept rolling back in his skull, he was obviously dying. I went to speak again but one of the orbs of light was getting closer than I would have liked, so I had to go.
"I'll be back" I promised uselessly, as I darted towards the huts. I pressed my back against the hard mud wall of the closet hut and slid around the side until I reached the door. I let out a grunt of annoyance when I saw it was bolted the padlocked. I looked in the small, square, glassless window. There were at least three different families all sleeping in the small, cramped space. I checked the next hut, and the next and all were the same- locked and housing several families at a time.
I went back to the first hut and decided that I was small enough to crawl inside. I pulled the food-sack back out from my tunic to lessen my bulk and sticking my arms through the window I gave a small jump and started to crawl inside. I was wriggling away quite successfully when I felt myself become stuck. I looked around and realised the both cutlasses on the belt around my waist had become jammed and were preventing me from moving any further. I widened my eyes in panic as my rear end was now sticking out of the hut while the rest of me was inside. I pressed my palms on the wall behind me and began to push, but it did no good. I tried again, but still no luck. I relaxed out of breath and went to try for a third time when I noticed that I was being watched.
Twelve pairs of saucer-like eyes were all staring at me from the floor and had obviously been watching my little performance.
"Oh" I said quietly, and paused trying to think what to say, "Hello. Um….English anyone?"
There was a series of murmurs and some shuffling before a young man on my left stood and said quietly, "English, yes"
I smiled, and whispered back, "Help. Help me please"
He gave a nod and said something to a slightly older and stronger looking man who stood and grabbed me by the armpits and gave a few sharp tugs before I tumbled inside. I stood quickly and dusted myself down.
"Thank you" I said gratefully and stuck my hand out to sake his, but he flinched and stepped away. I then realised that I was an intruder in their home, a white one at that, covered in weapons, no one would be shaking my hand in a hurry. I turned to the man who spoke English again, "I'm not here to hurt you. I have brought food"
The man blinked, "Food?"
I nodded, "Yes. Look" I bent down and showed then the parcel of things I had taken from the kitchen. Everyone pressed to get a closer look.
The man looked at the food then back at me, "You are woman who talks to us every morning"
"No. I am her sister." He didn't seem to follow so I pointed at two young girls who appeared to be from the same family, "Sister"
He nodded in understanding, "Why bring us food?"
"Are you not hungry?"
"Hungry, yes" some of the others who understood English mumbled in agreement. I bent down and pulled strips of meat off the joint and grabbed handfuls of the other fodder and handed it out. They began to split it between themselves and chewed at it gratefully.
"I have to go" I said to the young man.
"Thanking you miss" he said between mouthfuls of apple.
"You can't tell anyone I was here" I put my fingers to my lips and he copied.
I then went from hut to hut, handing out morsels of food and swearing then to secrecy, but I then realised after the tenth hut that I hadn't brought nearly enough to feed the other twenty. Feeling guilty about that apple I nicked earlier, I turned and headed back to the house undetected.
"Marion! Are you awake?" there was a sharp rapping on my bedroom door that woke me from a deep sleep.
"What? Yes." I said groggily, rubbing my eyes and sitting up.
"The whole household must report to the yard as soon as possible" Hannah's voice told me, "Hackett's orders"
I frowned, wondering what it was about, "Thank you Hannah!" I called back and I hurriedly began to get dressed. I couldn't get my hair to stay pinned up so I stuffed it into a bonnet instead and the dress I had thrown on was too big so traces of the tattoo on my back kept creeping up around the neck-line. I threw a heavy shawl over my shoulders despite it being very warm outside and went downstairs.
Hannah was right; the whole household really had been called outside. I had not realised that Hackett had the authority to do that. I followed two of the butlers through the gardens, who were discussing what it could be about. The yard was a wide open and dusty space which was either used for packing the sugar or severe punishment of the slaves and I had a feeling that we hadn't been called out to help parcel up the sugar crop.
I joined Hannah and Mary, who deliberately failed to acknowledge my presence and turned her head instead, at the front of the group to see what was going to happen. Hackett was standing there looking rather smug along with his colleagues and nearly all of the slaves. Standing on a crate, he waved his arms and gave a small cough as a request for silence before he began.
"This morning it was reported from the kitchens that several items of food, along with a joint of lamb were missing, presumed stolen during the night. Then, an hour ago this-" from behind his back he pulled a large shoulder joint and waved it around, "-was found in one of the huts."
Everyone began to mumble amongst themselves. I stared at the joint in horror. How could I have been so stupid as to leave it behind? It was practically a death sentence for them. My mind began to race on what I could do.
Hackett continued, "There is clearly only one explanation. Thievery. And this crime will not be tolerated on the Meredith plantation as long as I'm in charge. But thankfully, the culprit has already turned himself in"
My eyes widened in shock, what was he talking about? But when the young English-speaking man that had assisted me the night before was pulled forward, my question was answered an di understood. I had done more harm than good trying to help them and this man knew that it was better for one to suffer than all of his people to be punished. I felt great respect for him, but at the same time my stomach knotted as I was thankful I didn't have to take the blame. I was such a coward.
Hackett had turned to the others, "Let this be a lesson to the rest of you. Anyone caught stealing will be punished severely!"
The man was pulled towards a wooden stump with a metal hoop attached. His hands were tied to it and a great, hulking man stepped forwards holding a whip.
"Fifty lashes" I heard Hackett say and the man raised the whip above his head. I rapidly spun away and all I could hear was the thrashing of that whip. The man did not whimper once.
That evening, after the Meredith's had returned and many "ooh's" and "ahh's" had escaped from Hannah's lips over Agnes's new dresses. I pretended to be tired and said goodnight, but instead of going to bed I headed for the gardens. It was dark and quiet outside, the only sounds being the clanks and clangs coming from the kitchen. As I reached the bottom of the garden I stuck my head around the edge of the shrubbery to look out into the yard. The man's body was no longer there, but even in the darkness I could see where the ground was stained red. I went to take a step forward, but I was stopped when I pair of strong, calloused hand's sun me around and pinned me against the garden wall.
Who is it? Where is Jack? Will our heroine make it out unscathed? Will I ever tidy my room? All these questions will be answered, (except maybe the last one to which the answer is 'no'), when you tune into the next exciting chapter. Review please!
