Warning this chapter implies rape and racial cruelty.

For Alastor's dinner that evening, Charlotte had decided to cook a stew that she was certain would be tasty and have enough to help whoever consumed it restore their strength. For the meat she used leftover venison from the picnic. She made sure that the meat was nice and tender, not at all tough or lacking in flavor. For the stew broth she used juice from a barrel of apples that had been purchased which she then mixed with some herbs. Apples were indeed an excellent food source of health so she was certain that this stew would make Alastor well again. That is if he would eat it.

She wasn't sure what to do about all of this. She knew that she was the cause of his sorrow and she so desperately wanted to tell him how much she loved him but the fear of shaming him still had a strong hold on her.

"You are cruel to him." A voice said.

Charlotte was alone in the kitchen stirring the stew in the pot when she realized that it had become dark outside and Rosie appeared in mist of fireflies just as she had done many times before.

"Truly what you are doing to him is awful." The dark skinned woman scolded. "He spends day and night pinning away for you and yet you ignore him. How can you be so cruel hearted?"

"I am cruel hearted?" Charlotte said. "You are the one who pushed me into his arms even though our positions would eventually keep us apart."

"My child the only thing keeping the two of you apart is you. He said that he loved you and he asked you to be his wife but you ran from him. He has spent weeks searching for you but you hide from him. You have broken his heart and it is killing him. Do you not see that?"

"I do now but I...I...I don't know what to do about it."

"Is it not obvious? You must go to him and you must love him. That is the only way he will recover."

"But what if he doesn't want me? The real me."

"You are letting fear and insecurities keep you from happiness. I give you my word that no matter what he learns about you it will not change his feelings toward you."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because he knows all too well how it feels to be rejected and considered lower than dirt."

"What do you mean?"

Rosie sighed then sat herself down on a chair that was right next to the fireplace. Her hands gently took hold of Charlotte's and looked at her as a mother would when she is about to enlist wisdom to her child.

"I have a story to tell you. A story about myself and my nephew. A story that will explain what it is I need you to do for me." She explained. "You see my dear girl I was not born in this land. I come from a place across the sea where the grass is tall and the sun is most hot. I lived there for four years but then my own father sold me and my mother into slavery. For years we were bought and sold by many masters, the lot of them were very wicked to us and the most vile of them all spent many nights violating my mother which sadly is how my sister was conceived. The many years of hard labor, beatings, and violating took a great toll on my mother. A toll so strong that she died the very night my sister was born."

"I am so sorry for your loss." Charlotte said empathizing with Rosie.

"That night I had to go from sibling to parent and I raised my sister alone without any help. I loved her dearly and did my best to ensure that she grew up loved. When she was still a child we finally came here to be the slaves of Eli Devalcourt. A bigoted man but he was the least horrible of all the masters I had known. When my sister became a woman she was a real beauty and she attracted many male gazes. One of which happened to belong to our master's son. Everyday he'd come around our little quarters, acting all sweet on her. I knew he was trouble and I told my sister to avoid him however she could not resist the lure of romance."

"So what happened?"

"Well after the war ended that boy surprised everyone on this plantation by deciding that he was going to marry her. But again his father was bigoted and he refused to allow that union. So they never married but they did have one type of union and that is what led to my sister birthing my nephew nine months later."

Upon hearing this Charlotte put two and two together.

"Alastor is your nephew?"

"Yep." She confirmed. "Lord I'll never forget the day my little sister told me that she was going to have that baby. I thought I would die of a heart attack right then and there. I couldn't believe that she would have actually done something so foolish. But what was done had been done and all I could do was just help her take care of that little baby and I did. I loved him like he was my own son and when his mother took ill I promised her on her deathbed that I would look after him. Growing up he was often treated very badly by others because of his background. They would throw rocks at him, call him names, sometimes a group of his peers would hold him down and roughly scrub his body with dirt or ice water."

"Oh my goodness." Charlotte said trying hard not to picture her beloved being subjected to such vile actions.

"It wasn't until he inherited his father's land that everyone just turned around and started being nice to him. But he was no fool, he could see through them which made him a very smart young man but unfortunately it also made him decide to never marry which would give him a very lonely life and I couldn't allow that. So naturally when my nephew reached marriageable age I made it my goal to find him a suitable wife but I had to ensure that said wife would only love him for who he is instead of what he had inherited and that's where you came in. From the moment you gave that apple to me I knew that you would be the perfect bride for him."

"But I am worthless." Charlotte protested. "My father has left me with nothing to offer him."

"Honey what you have to offer him is the one thing no one has ever given him apart from myself and his parents. Love and acceptance. When you first met him you didn't know he was the master of the house but you could tell right away that he was a person of mixed European and African descent but instead of being disgusted by him, you were charmed by him. You thought that he was the most wonderful man in the world and it wasn't because of his wealth. And it did not matter to you that his ethnicity was something high society frowned upon. That in itself makes you more than worthy enough to marry him."

"I suppose. But what if...What if he doesn't accept me?"

"Can you love and accept him even if the world sees him in a negative light?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm sure that he can love and accept you even if the world sees you in a negative light. I know my nephew and he is not so shallow and vain."

Rosie then changed Charlotte's dress back into the same lovely white gown she had worn the last time she was with Alastor and cleaned up both her hair and face.

"This time when the morning star fades do not run away." She said. "Stay with him. Stay with him and tell him what's in your heart."

"But I'm still so afraid. Won't you come with me?"

"No. I've helped you when you needed it but for this part you'll have to do it on your own. Have courage and trust in love."

And just like that Rosie was gone again.

"Hey Apple Cheek!" Charlotte heard Husk call from the end of the hall. "Is the master's dinner almost finished? It's getting late."

"Yes." She called back.

"Alright I'll send Niffty in."

"Actually, may I take supper to him? I want to see if I can convince him to eat it."

"You may try but I doubt you'll succeed."

She carefully poured a good portion of stew into a bowl which she then placed on a tray set with silver ware and a cloth napkin. On the side was a cup of freshly brewed tea and a few slices of bread that had just came out of the oven.

Before leaving, she put her hands over her heart and began to say a small prayer. She prayed that Rosie's words would prove to be true. That once Alastor saw her after the morning star faded he would still love her as much as he said he did the other night. She prayed that he wouldn't reject her love and send her away just as her father had done to her. But most of all she prayed that God would give her the strength and the courage to continue with her choice to approach Alastor and stay with him, that she wouldn't back out.

With her prayers said she picked up the tray that held the meal she had cooked and carried it as she proceeded up the stairway.

"I am coming my darling." She whispered. "Tonight you shall suffer no more."