This chapter is set during the events of Django Unchained!
Leo Moguy, who King had told Sara about earlier in the day after he and Django had checked out the mandingo fighters in town and announced that nothing anyone was selling was any good, was the attorney of Calvin Candie and had set up this rendezvous as to possibly get the business of such an influential money man, as the rumor went around town. He greeted them cheerfully and shook hands with King and Django before kissing Sara's knuckles and proclaiming her to be the most beautiful woman to grace the halls of the Cleopatra Club.
After their introductions to Mr. Moguy, Candie's lawyer, they started climbing the stairs, Coco, the girl in the French maid outfit Mr. Moguy had informed them her name, was following up behind them. "How long have you been associated with Mr. Candie?"
"Calvin's father and I must have been about eleven when we went to boarding school together. Calvin's father's father put me through law school. One could almost say I was raised to be Calvin's lawyer!" he laughed, obviously enjoying his audience who seemed interested in talking to him and not just Calvin.
"One could almost say you's a slave." Django replied, making everyone pause and look at him. Sara raised her eyebrows and looked at Mr. Moguy, who stared down at him in a brief moment of shock.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing- He's just being cheeky." King said quickly, trying to defuse the tension of the moment, and after a second Mr. Moguy turned around and started walking again, leading them to the Julius Cesar room. "Is there anything else about Mr. Candie I should know?" King asked as he tried to move them past that moment, giving Django a worried glance as they walked again.
"Well yes, he is a bit of a Francophile…"
"What civilized people aren't?" King replied smoothly.
"And he prefers Monsieur Candie to Mister Candie."
"Ce qu'il préfère…" King started, making Mr. Moguy pause and look at him again. They had paused outside of a room where Sara could hear grunts and groans. She stiffened and looked at Django who nodded solemnly and she nodded back before looking at Mr. Moguy who was talking to King again.
"He doesn't speak French, don't speak French because that'll embarrass him." Mr. Moguy said softly, holding up his hand.
"But of course." King agreed. Mr. Moguy turned around to open the door allowing King the time to turn and shoot both Django and Sara a slightly bemused look. Sara smiled back slightly before she straightened her face and glanced into the room.
The doors opened to reveal a billiards room, not exactly the décor Sara was expecting from a room called "The Julius Cesar room". Against one wall was a bar with a black man serving drinks, at the bar was a beautiful black woman wearing a very slinky dress making Sara stiffen slightly. She gave as little thought to the fight between the two men as the white men in the room and she looked Sara over with a slightly amused look, making Sara look away from her, as if that look was telling her that she, Sara, was weak for not wanting to look at the fight going on.
At the pool table stood a man wearing an ill fitting suit and a hat, and all the way on the other side of the room, with their backs facing the party were two men sitting on a couch, watching two black men in the middle of a bloody, bare knuckle fight, the source of the loud grunts and groans that Sara had heard she realized and felt her shoulders tense as she glanced at Django who was looking around the room uninterested in what was happening.
"Why do you want to get in the Mandingo business?" one of the men spoke up suddenly, without turning around.
"Won't you allow your second to make the proper introductions?" King asked with a small smile as he gestured to Mr. Muogy.
"Quit stallin' now. Answer the question." the man on the couch demanded. That was Calvin Candie Sara realized and she straightened her back slightly as she moved to stand next to King and wrap her arms around his left arm. He reached out thoughtlessly and patted her hands as he replied.
"Well truthfully… I'm bored." King shrugged, even though Candie did not see the gesture. "This seems like a good bit of fun."Calvin turned around with a smile and nodded as he looked at the group.
"You brought your Missus?"
"Yes, ah, she would never forgive me if she found out I came to the famous Cleopatra Club and didn't bring her along." King replied with a smile.
"Well, we got us a fight goin' on that's a good bit of fun." King looked to Sara who shrugged and then looked to the bar.
"Mrs. Schultz, won't you accompany me to the bar?" Mr. Moguy asked, holding out his arm. She smiled and slipped her arm through his outstretched elbow, leaving King to his good bit of fun.
"Roscoe, the beautiful Mrs. Schultz will have a Champagne, I'll have a sweet tea and bourbon, and you get Freeman Django here whatever he wants."
"I don't drink with ponies." Sara said suddenly as she stared at the black woman sitting there drinking her own bottle of champagne.
"Oh, of course, Sheba," Mr. Moguy nodded away from the bar. She wordlessly stood up, picking up the bottle of champagne and walked over to a set of couches near the fight and sat down. Roscoe popped the cork on another bottle of champagne and poured Sara a glass before putting the bottle into the ice Sheba had left. "Mrs. Schultz, I'll leave you in Roscoe's capable hands." He turned to the bartender. "Anything she wants." He reminded the man who nodded.
Django wordlessly offered Sara a cigarette, she nodded and he rolled one for her before striking a match. She leaned forward, lighting her cigarette off of his match and then he rolled and lit one for himself.
After the fight was over, the Italian man who had been betting on the loser of the fight walked over to the bar. He cast Django a curious look, likely not used to seeing a black man standing and drinking at a bar so freely. "What's your name?" he questioned.
"Django."
"Can you spell it?"
"D-J-A-N-G-O. The D is silent."
"I know." He replied before gesturing to his men and saying a few things in Italian to them before they all left the room.
"Moguy, I want you to take care of my new boy here. Find him a room with a soft bed, and bring him up a pony to lick his pole." He turned his attention to the tall man, Big Fred Sara heard him call the taller man. "We're gonna be traveling to Candieland tomorrow now you hear?"
"Yes sir." He replied.
"Oh before you go, Roscoe, get Fred here a tall beer." Roscoe handed the black man the beer and Candie smiled. "You enjoy that boy. You've earned it."
"Yes sir." Fred replied before walking out, followed by Mr. Moguy. Candie turned around and looked at Sara.
"Well I don't think we were properly introduced," he smiled charmingly as he looked Sara over. "Dr. Schultz, you truly have an eye for beauty, and beauty such as yours comes from only one place, tell me Mrs. Schultz, you must be French."
"Is that a compliment, or do you truly find only the French to be beautiful?" Sara asked in her Irish accent, making Calvin Candie's ears turn pink.
"Of course not my dear, it's just so rare to find one as striking as yourself; my mind instantly associates it with the second most beautiful place I know of."
"The first being?"
"Candieland." he grinned revealing his discolored teeth, making Sara cringe on the inside. She simply batted her eyelashes and smiled.
"If France is a second to your home, I hope to see it one day." she replied. He smiled tightly before turning his attention to Django.
"What's your name, boy?" he asked.
"His name is Django Freeman," King said as he walked around the couch. He had watched the encounter with Sara and Candie, frozen in his spot as Sara became her character quite easily.
"Where did you pick him up?" Candie asked.
"A fortuitous turn of events brought Django and myself together."
"I've heard tell about you," Candie continued as he walked towards Django. "I heard you been telling everyone them Mandingoes ain't no good, tellin' them what nobody's sellin' ain't worth buying, I'm curious, what makes you such a Mandingo expert?"
"I'm curious what makes you curious." Django replied as he turned around and stared at Calvin Candie without blinking.
"What did you say boy?" the man with the ill fitting suit turned away from his pool game.
"Calm down Butch," Candie said, not breaking eye contact with Django. "No offense intended, and none taken." he seemed surprised, like he hadn't expected any sort of comment like that, and Sara realized, he most likely didn't- he was used to being the king, and not used to anyone, black or white who dared speak against him.
"Oh, Monsieur Candie, I'd appreciate it if you could direct your line of inquiry towards me." King spoke up, wanting to defuse the situation, and turn the conversation back to a ground that he was more in control of. King was so used to being the charming man with the plan, that the situation happening out of his control was not something he could have anticipated.
"One, you do not have a drink, can I get you a tasty refreshment?" Calvin turned to King with a smile and King smiled back, sure he was getting back onto a friendly ground with the man.
"Yes! I'll have a beer." King smiled.
"Oh Wunderbar, Roscoe, a beer for the man with the beard and I will have a Polynesian Pearl diver and do not spare the rum." Candie looked at the bartender who began to prepare the drinks, pausing only when Sara set her almost empty glass of champagne on the bar, and he stopped preparing the men's drinks to refill her glass. She nodded to him and then turned back to the scene while Roscoe finished making the drinks.
"Doc," Candie spoke as he turned to King. "I am a seasoned slaver. You are, well, you are a neophyte, I'm just trying to ascertain if this cowboy here is taking advantage of you."
"With all due respect, Monsieur Candie, I did not seek you out for your advice. I sought you out to purchase a fighter at above top dollar market price, now I was under the impression that when you granted us an audience it would be to discuss business." King gave him a charming smile at the end of his sentence while Roscoe set down the drink Candie had ordered.
"No, we weren't talkin' business yet. We were discussing my curiosity." Roscoe walked out from the bar to hand King his drink, a glass and a bottle of cold beer. "Roscoe, Coco, go outside and play. Sheba," he looked over at the woman sitting on the couch. "You stay right there."
"I knew you didn't mean me." She replied smugly and Sara turned back to the bar and picked up her drink before taking another sip of it.
"Now Mrs. Schultz, I know this all must seem terribly uninteresting to you," he looked at Sara who shrugged as she lowered her glass.
"While business is not my strongest sense, a lady does not enter or exit a room without her escort." She replied and he smiled.
"Of course." He nodded before looking back to King.
"Prost," King tilted his glass towards Candie.
"German." Candie tilted his glass, uninterested. "Not according to Moguy, if I do business with you, I'm doin' business with both of y'all." He gestured between King and Django. "You do the eyeballin', he's the billfold, is that it?" he asked Django.
"You don't make it sound too flattering, but more or less, yes." King chuckled as he poured himself some more beer from his bottle.
"So, bright boy, Moguy tells me you looked over my African flesh and you was none too impressed huh?"
"Not for top dollar." He replied as he sat down his drink.
"Then we've got nothing more to talk about." Candie replied as he stood up. "You see you want to buy a beat ass fighter from me, those are the beat ass fighters I want to sell so-"
"He don't wanna buy the fighters you wanna sell," Django looked at Candie. "He wants the fighter you don't want ta sell."
"Well I don't sell the fighters I don't want to sell." Candie hissed.
"Well, you won't sell your best," King walked over to the bar and set the bottle of beer down as Candie walked away from the bar. "You won't even sell your second best, but your third best- you don't want to sell him either- but if I made you an offer so ridiculous, you'd be forced to consider…." He let out a laugh. "Who knows what could happen?" he held his hands up. Candie turned around slowly, trying to look uninterested.
"And what do you consider ridiculous?" he asked, rubbing his nose, before turning his back again.
"For a truly talented specimen… The right fighter…" he sighed as he thought before looking to Django. "How much would you say Django?" he asked, making Django look down in thought and sigh, before looking back to Calvin Candie's back.
"Twelve thousand dollars." He announced. There was the sound of air being sucked through Calvin's straw as he turned around.
"Gentlemen," he looked between them. "You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention."
After having dinner with Calvin, Mr. Muogy, Sheba, and Coco, they had drinks and found themselves talking into the night, before Calvin officially invited the party to Candieland the next morning.
Sara, King and Django went back to the house, to prepare for the journey, and Sara instantly went to Ilsa who was sleeping. She picked her up and cuddled her daughter lightly before putting her back on the bed that had been Mrs. Hunt's children's bed. It had raised walls on the sides so the baby would not be able to roll off the bed. Sara kissed Ilsa lightly before going to her and King's room where King was undressing.
He was trying to untie his tie making Sara chuckle lightly and walk over. He let go of it and obediently stood there as she untied it for him. "You did wonderfully tonight," she told him and he smiled lightly.
"As did you- how you were able to channel such a character, you never cease to amaze me," he chuckled as he helped unbutton the back of her dress. She stepped out of the dress itself and he picked it up, laying it on the couch in their bedroom. He unbuttoned the top of her hoop skirt and let it fall around her feet, before he started to unlace her corset. He was good this time and didn't tear away at the strings binding it together, and when he finished Sara let out a long sigh, before taking a deep breath while he held her steady. She leaned back against him, resting her head on his shoulder as he gently stroked her cheek with his fingertips. "Why do you wear such a thing?" he asked and she smiled lightly.
"You know why." She replied.
"I do," he nodded. "I've been thinking, when this is all done, all of it…" he continued as he helped her slide the corset off. "We could settle down, perhaps, find a home out west." He offered making her look at him in surprise as he stepped away from her and picked up her nightgown, handing it over to her. He had spoiled her before getting to town, buying her new clothes to fit this new character.
"You want to settle down?" she asked. "But what about all of our work, all of our searching?" she asked with a frown as she took the nightgown from him.
"Well, it's like Marshall Gus said, I've got a daughter now. I can't keep looking for revenge that may never come." He shrugged. "For all we know, he could be dead already."
"For all we know, we spoke to him tonight." She replied quickly and he smiled softly with a sigh before nodding as he stepped over to her and ran his hands over her arms.
"I know you are quite invested in this, but I feel as though Klaus is telling me, it is almost time to move on." He told her and she sighed before it was her turn to nod. "Arms up," he said and she lifted her arms, allowing him to help her out of her chemise.
"I can feel that." She replied softly as he ran a hand over her chest gently, his other hand moving up from her hip and both of them slowly closing over her breasts, running his thumbs over her nipples before she asked. "What about Django?"
"What about him?" he asked, looking up from her chest.
"Where will he and Broomhilda go?" she asked as she started to unfold the nightgown and he dropped his hands for her.
"Well I- I was hoping they might come with us." He shrugged, making her smile before she threw her arms around him, drawing a small chuckle from him as he wrapped his arms around her middle.
"We'll have to ask them both though," she reminded him. "After all, they will be free to go wherever they want."
"This is true." He smiled. "Come, get some rest dear, we have to leave early in the morning." He reminded her. She sighed and nodded before she got into the bed. He finished changing for bed and then slipped in on the other side before blowing out the flame on the lamp next to his bed.
"King?" she asked softly and he shifted as she moved up next to him, allowing him to wrap his arm around her shoulders, and she laid her head on his chest.
"Yes Darling?" he asked.
"Django is family, isn't he?" she asked and he nodded after a moment of thought.
"Well, yes, I suppose he is." He agreed.
"I want to make him Ilsa's godfather." She told King who thought for a moment before looking down at her.
"Are we having her baptized?" he asked and she sighed as she looked back up at him.
"Well, I suppose we should." She agreed and he shrugged, ever the agnostic that one. "When we find where we want to settle, but honey, do you think it's a good idea?" she asked and he smiled as he stroked her hair.
"I could not think of a better one if I wanted to." He assured her, making her smile. "Now go to sleep. We need to be up soon." He told her before kissing her gently. She smiled, giving him one last kiss before she curled up and fell asleep.
The next morning Sara was seeing to Ilsa while King and Django went over their plan one more time. They had packed everything they needed for the trip, intending to stay only one night, and then they would all make their getaway to a more progressive, free state of the country.
There was a knock at the front door and King rose to answer it, Mrs. Hunt had graciously gone to church a bit early that day, giving them time in the house to prepare. "Ah hello Monsieur Candie," he smiled.
"Good morning Doctor, Bright Boy." He nodded to Django who sat at the table, enjoying his coffee.
"Won't you come in?" King offered, holding the door open for their guest.
"Thank you," Candie walked into the house. "Are you quite ready?" he asked and King nodded.
"We are, my wife is just attending to the baby's needs before we set off." King explained before he went to a door and knocked on it. Sara walked out, wearing a brand new dress she had gotten the day before. It was a soft white with long tiers of fabric and ruffles down the skirt, and ruffle sleeves, with blue flowers printed against the white all over the dress. On her head she wore a stiff white bonnet to protect her face from the sun, and she held a white fabric umbrella.
"Good morning Mrs. Schultz, if you aren't a vision in white." Candie smiled.
"Good morning to you Monsieur Candie," she replied with a smile before looking at her husband, with a look of disinterest. "My trunk is prepared." She told him.
"An entire trunk?" he asked with an amused laugh.
"My daughter and I are ladies, and ladies do not travel without being prepared for every situation." She replied.
"Ah yes, where is the child?" Candie asked, looking uninterested. The polite question made Sara smirk lightly, before grinning widely.
"Why I just laid her down on the bed, you simply must come say hello! Though we will be quite close over the next few hours, I think you'll grow very fond of her!" Sara announced as she latched herself to Calvin's arm and dragged him into the bedroom where Ilsa was laying on the bed her parents had shared the night before.
"She's quite… Charming." Candie forced a smile as he looked at Sara who smiled back at him.
"Would you like to hold her?"
"No- er- Rather, we haven't the time right now, we should really be going if we're to get to Candieland with time to spare." He explained.
"Well fine then," Sara agreed. "Will you have one of your men bring my truck?" she gestured to it.
"Of course Mrs. Schultz," Candie nodded, happy to have dodged the baby bullet. He walked to the door and looked out to the street outside. "Billy, Hoop, come carry Mrs. Schultz's trunk back to the carriage," he called to the men, and a moment later two men walked into the house. They nodded to Sara who smiled and nodded to the first man before her eyes landed on the second man and her stomach churned.
"Ma'am," he nodded to her and she nodded back, her smile faltering as she looked at him. She couldn't tell what it was, but there was something about this man that made her blood run cold, something that made her nauseous to just stand near.
After having two men bring the trunk out to the carriage and loading it under the back of the carriage on the trunk stand, and strapping it down, Mr. Candie escorted Sara and Ilsa out to the carriage and held his hand out for her as she stepped into the carriage while Mr. Moguy stood until she was sitting.
When everyone had gotten all settled, King and Django both were riding their horses, while Sara sat in the carriage across from both Candie and Mr. Moguy. As they got going King and Django walked behind the carriage, but in front of Butch, the slavers, and the slaves. While they were getting settled Sara held the baby to her chest as she opened her umbrella to hide them both from the sun and looked over at the men behind the carriage, each of the slavers was talking to the others, not paying her too much attention,
The one that made her blood run cold was sitting on a beautiful painted horse, and Sara felt her heart stop as her throat went dry. She tried desperately to catch King's eye, but before she could she felt the carriage start to move and she looked back at Candie and Moguy as they chatted with one another, excited to be starting the ride back to Candieland.
After a ways of riding while Sara tended to the baby, and kept her entertained, and chatting with Mr. Moguy and Calvin, the man seemed to grow bored and looked over his shoulder at the driver. "Willie, slow down." He ordered. "Dr. Schultz, why don't you take a ride with us?" he called to Sara's husband who let out an astonished chuckle.
"Oh, thank you very much." He smiled and dismounted Fritz.
"You can tie your horse up back there." Candie told him, and King moved to do just that. He looked over at Django who had dismounted as well, seeing as they were paused, and was feeding a handful of grass to Tony. "Django," he called, making the free man look up. He tipped his hat, making Django return the gesture. "Bright day huh bright boy?"
"The sun is up." Django replied.
"It's shinin' on all of us." Candie replied, before looking at Dr. Schultz. "Moguy, scoot over, let the doctor sit across from his wife." Candie ordered, making Mr. Moguy move over to sit next to Sara. "Have a seat Doc."
"Oh thank you, what an honor." King replied as he closed the door to the carriage.
"The honor is all ours." Candie replied with a smile as he patted King's knee.
"The name of the game is keep up, not catch up." One of Candie's slavers called to Django who was adjusting his saddle. Sara turned, she had been sitting with her back to the other men the entire ride, so she had to turn to see what was happening, and what she saw was Django finished what he was doing and casually walked over to one of the other men on his horse, before he grabbed the side of the saddle and yanked it so hard the entire horse fell onto its side.
"-Woah!" the rider barely had time to get out before hitting the ground with a groan. King jumped up as everyone started drawing their guns, while Sara covered her mouth in surprise.
"Everybody calm down!" Candie called. "I saw the whole thing, no harm done!"
"Are you- Are you kidding me?!"
"This n-"
"I said 'no harm done'!" Candie insisted as King sat back down, Django stood there holding his pistol, waiting for one of these men to disobey their boss so he could put whatever white bastard it was in his place. "Now take your hand off your pistol!" The men slowly let go of their pistols. "Butch! That means you too! Everybody stop antagonizing my guest." Django released the hammer and slowly put the gun back in his gun belt. "Hoop, get back up on your horse."
"He broke my collarbone!" the man called from the ground making Calvin roll his eyes.
"For god sake, will somebody please help Hoop here back on his goddamn horse?" Candie, exasperated, gestured to the man on the ground. Everyone started moving again making Candie look at the driver. "Willie, take us home." He ordered. "I am sorry about that Mrs. Schultz," Candie looked at her. "These backwood men, they just don't know how to treat guests." He shook his head. "Not that we get many guests like Bright Boy at Candieland."
"Well they obviously don't know how to act in the presence of a woman." She replied as she stroked Ilsa's hair softly. "Or a child." She added.
"It will be taken care of." He promised her before looking down at Ilsa. "Tell me Schultz, why did your nanny not accompany you?"
"Well, to be perfectly honest, we don't have one-"
"Because I fired her." Sara spoke up. "The little bitch was stealing."
"Sara-" King chuckled uncertainly.
"Oh tosh," she waved her hand at her husband. "Mr. Candie understands all about theivin' slaves I'm sure." She looked back to look at Calvin. "I'd have bought one in Greenville while we were there, but my husband has an obsession with our children learning German." She shook her head. "German I ask you, as if we are ever going to Germany." She shrugged.
"Not many slave girls speak German huh?" Mr. Moguy asked with a chuckle. "What you want to do is buy 'em young, teach 'em as they grow, ya know?" he asked.
"I don't need to be looking after two children; the idea is that I won't have to look over one." Sara replied haughtily.
"Doesn't one of them gals I got speak German?" Candie asked, making King perk up.
"Which one?" Moguy asked curiously as he took himself a drink that he'd brought with them.
"Oh god, what's her name, the one with the whips all over her back." He snapped his fingers. "Oh it don't matter, she speaks German though."
"My goodness, I haven't heard German in many a year." King chuckled.
"Your lovely wife hasn't learned German?" Calvin asked as he looked from King to Sara who made a face.
"Ah, no," King shook his head.
"May I ask; how did you two end up married?" Mr. Moguy asked.
"Sara was the daughter of a business partner of mine. As an act of good faith, he promised me the hand of his loveliest daughter," he lifted Sara's hand and kissed her knuckles lightly. She smiled though Candie could see she did not look entirely pleased.
"That was a year ago." Sara added.
"Well Doc, you wasted no time on this one now did you?" Mr. Moguy asked with a laugh as he gestured to Ilsa.
"He wanted a boy." Sara muttered, making King shoot her an exasperated look.
"Sara, that's enough." He spoke sharply before smiling at the two men, giving them a look as if to say 'Women, what can you do?', which they both smiled back at.
When Calvin announced they were close to the house Sara frowned hearing the sounds of barking dogs faintly. "I'm sorry, sometimes business cannot wait." Candie chuckled, before ordering, "Willie, go on over and see what the fuss is about."
"Yes sir." The driver replied before guiding the horse team towards the sound of the barking. They got to an area with a small, run down looking house, the entire outside of the house was filthy, making Sara imagine what the inside looked like. There were about six or seven men walking around the property, each more disgusting than the last. When they got to the source of the commotion, it was a black man in a tree, three dogs were surrounding the tree, barking, yipping and jumping.
"Now D'Artagnan, what you do a thing like run off for?" Calvin called to the man in the tree.
"I can't fight no more Monsieur Candie!" D'Artagnan called back.
"Yes you can!" Candie replied. "You might not be able to win, but your ass can fight! Now- Mr. Stonesipher, can you shut up these dogs I cannot hear myself think!" Calvin sounded exasperated as he turned his attention from the man in the tree to one of the disgusting men who started to yell at the dogs.
"Hush up Marsha! Marsha! Hush up! Marsha!" the man shouted at the dogs before looking at another of his cohorts. "Hey, get these dogs away from this goddamn tree!" he ordered before handing off the dogs to the other man.
"Well now boy, Come on out that tree." Candie ordered D'Artagnan.
"Yes sir." He weepily replied before stepping out of the tree. He dropped to his knees in the mud as Candie took his hat off and ran a hand over his perfectly oiled hair as he stepped down from the carriage and then through the mud, to Mr. Stonesipher. For a few moments Sara could not hear what they said until he called back over.
"Mr. Moguy, who was D'Artagnan supposed to fight?"
"One of these new lot!" Moguy replied, gesturing to the men who had been walked back from Greenville to Candieland.
"Well the way he looks now a blind Indian wouldn't bet a bead on him." Calvin sighed as he looked down at the man. Sara listened as the man in the dirt began to beg. She turned slightly, looking at her husband out of the corner of her eye and found he was watching the entire scene intently. Candie spoke lowly, so lowly that no one could hear what he was saying, until-
"So the fact remains! I paid five hundred dollars, I want five goddamn fights!" Candie announced to the Mandingos. "So what about my five hundred dollars, huh?" He turned and looked back at D'Artagnan. "What about my five hundred dollars? You gonna reimburse me?" he paused before speaking again. "Do you even know what reimburse means?" he asked with a sly smirk making most of the men on horses start to giggle. King looked around at everyone, and at D'Artagnan before standing up, and before Sara could stop him, he announced;
"I'll reimburse you!"
"You will?" Candie asked, turning to King with a look of surprise and disbelief while Sara stared up at her husband in horror as he removed his billfold from his inner pocket.
"Yup."
"You'll pay five hundred dollars for practically a one eyed old Joe ain't fit to push a broom?" Calvin walked closer to the carriage, before looking at Sara who looked at D'Artagnan and swallowed lightly before she shook her head.
"No he won't." Sara announced making King look over at her and she looked back at him sharply. "I let you do many things, drinking, going to fights, dragging me out to the middle of nowhere," she gestured around them. "But not this. We have no need for him; all he'll do is lose fights."
"But I-"
"That's right, he won't." Django added sternly. "He just tired of you toyin' with him is all." He told Candie as he leaned back in his saddle slightly. "Matter of fact, so am I. But we ain't payin' a penny for that pickaninny. Like Missus says, ain't got no use for him, ain't that right Doc?" Django called, giving King a moment to come to his senses and realize he had just done the one thing he always, always preached never to do; Break Character.
"You heard them." King put his billfold back in his pocket and sat down next to Sara this time. Candie stood there for a moment before nodding to the man behind him as he looked at Django.
"You're going to have to excuse Mr. Stonesipher's slack jawed gaze. He ain't never seen a man like you ever in his life." Calvin smiled. "Ain't that right Mr. Stonesipher?" The man responded by spitting a long yellow line of tobacco stained saliva from his mouth.
"Tha' Right." He replied, muddling his worse so viciously, it made Sara's Irish accent sound like the perfect example of clear speaking.
"For that matter," Candie continued as he walked over to Django. "Nor have I." The two spoke softly for a moment, before Candie, without breaking eye contact with Django called out. "Mr. Stonesipher, have Marsha and the bitches send D'Artagnan to slave heaven." Without looking away from Django, Candie listened as they riled the dogs up, getting them excited before letting go of the leashes.
Sara let out a small sob at the sight before turning, burying her face in King's shoulder, she couldn't help it, and he wrapped an arm around her, holding her close as Ilsa started to cry.
Shrieks of pain and horror filled the air as well as the sounds of growling, tearing, and cheering from the backwoods, inbred group of hillbillies that lived in perpetual filth and hunted down slaves who had escaped.
King looked around as people watched, cheered, and laughed. The Mandingos who were coming to Candieland, either for the first time, or coming back were standing in a line still, muttering to each other, either looking, or looking away, occasionally looking. This sight right here would serve its purpose showing what happened when a slave tried to run away.
It also served its purpose showing what kind of man Calvin J. Candie truly was.
"I'm so sorry you had to see that Mrs. Schultz," Calvin told her as he got back into the carriage, she still had her face buried in King's shoulder and peeked out at Candie who smiled at her apologetically. "I'm sorry, I know things like that are hard for the gentler sex to see, but sometimes, work cannot be prolonged. I only hope you do not hold it against me."
"Only if you do not hold my husband's outburst against us," she replied as she moved away from King, as if she were just realizing what she was doing. "We are good people, but I cannot have a slave unfit to do his job in our home." She explained.
"And quite right." Candie nodded before looking down at Ilsa who was still crying away.
"She'll settle down." Sara told him easily making him shoot her a meek smile before looking at Mr. Moguy who let out a small chuckle, as if the past twenty minutes had never happened, soon they were engaging in small talk, chatting about stories of growing up on the property and things they had seen, done, adventures they had shared while another man was dead and being ripped to shreds by dogs.
Would they even bury the body?
No, Sara decided. They would let the dogs eat their fill, and then let it sit, maybe only move it if it started to smell too badly.
With that sickening though, it was then Sara knew how dangerous of a man Calvin Candie truly was.
Huh what's up with that guy Sara doesn't like? I wonder what that's about!
Let me know what you think in the comments!