Rose Hill, 1779
"I have a surprise for you," Quinn said with a grin, pulling an hesitant Rachel by the hand.
"Quinn, I hate surprises," she whined, trying to grab onto the walls to stop Quinn from pulling her. "What is it? Where are you taking me?" she asked.
"Well, you know how you complained that you didn't like doing nothing all day?" Quinn asked, and Rachel nodded with a small frown. "I got you something to do," she said as they stopped by the library's door. "I've got you a tutor! Didn't you wanna learn how to read?"
"Quinn, that's- that's great!" Rachel said with a gasp of surprise. "But you didn't have to! You didn't have to spend your money on me, I know things aren't exactly well right now. Abbie could have taught me, she was a great teacher before we had to stop our lessons!"
"Rachel, shut up," Quinn said softly with a giggle as Rachel rambled. "You don't need to worry about the finances, I'll take care of that. Just let me give you things, alright? I like giving you things," she said with a small shrug, grabbing Rachel's hand. Quinn had gotten a lot more daring now that she was in charge of the farm, and she wasn't as discreet as she had once been. Rachel didn't complain at all.
"Alright," she said with a sigh of admiration. After what had happened when people found out she had been taught how to read, Rachel never thought she would have classes again. She had even forgotten about that dream. But Quinn didn't. Quinn knew what she wanted the most, even more than herself. "Thank you, Quinn."
"You're welcome," Quinn replied with a small roll of eyes and the most adoring smile on her face. "Now go get inside, tutors usually don't like to be kept waiting. I definitely learned that," she said with a giggle. "If you need anything I'll be at my office, alright?" Quinn said, and Rachel nodded. This would be the perfect moment for a small kiss before they parted their ways - but they weren't so daring yet.
"You must be Rachel," said the tutor the second Rachel opened the door. He was tall and slim and wore round glasses at the tip of his nose. Rachel hadn't had the time to imagine what he would look like before she came in, but if she did, she would probably have imagined him exactly like he was. "Nice to meet you, I'm Alfred," he said, grabbing her hand.
"Nice to meet you too," she said shyly with a nod. He motioned to an armchair near a book full of tables, and Rachel sat down. She was excited, but she couldn't deny she felt somehow uncomfortable. It was not the kind of situation she was used to.
"I have made us an schedule with Ms. Fabray's help, and I would like to go through it with you before we start our classes, would that be alright with you?" he asked, and she nodded again. "On Mondays and Wednesdays we are gonna work on your reading. On Tuesdays we will have History and Mathematics. On Thursdays, we will work on your calligraphy. And on Fridays, dancing lessons. How does that sound?" he asked, and Rachel couldn't answer. All her words had disappeared at the realization that Quinn wouldn't only teach her how to read, but give her a full proper education. "Ms. Fabray said you could trade the dancing classes for painting lessons, if you'd prefer," said Alfred, upon her silence.
"No!" she intervened, a little bit too loud. "I mean, no. It's just perfect like it is. Thank you so much," she said, biting her lip nervously.
"Oh, you don't need to thank me, I'm just doing my job. You should thank your mistress, which, by the way, might be the kindest one to ever exist. I have never seen a master or mistress doing anything like this for a slave. You're a very lucky girl, Rachel," he said.
"I know," Rachel replied with a small smile and a nod. "She's the best."
"Miss Quinn, your guest is here," Lou Lee said, stopping the office's door.
"Thank you, Lou, you can tell him to come inside, please," Quinn replied, getting up on her feet and walking towards the door.
"Hello, Quinn," said a very big man as he walked inside the office, taking Quinn's hands on his and dropping a kiss on the back of her palm. "I'm Lewis. We have met before, but you probably won't remember it because you were just a tiny little girl back then."
"I certainly don't, but it's a pleasure to see you again," she said, pulling her hand back and walking back to her chair, motioning for him to sit across her desk. Behind the table, she wiped her hand clean on her gown. She hated when men kissed her hands.
"I assumed so. It's harder for us to forget you, with your looks. You've certainly managed to become even more beautiful now that you've grown," he said. Quinn also hated to receive compliments from strangers, and always replied with a sheepish smile. She wanted to trust him. He was a friend of George's and he could potentially help her run the farm, if things went right. She had to trust him.
"Shall we get into business?" she said, grabbing a stack of paper from the bottom drawer and handing it to him. "Here you have the records of our production, from the very beginning in 1752 until our last crop. I have been reading and studying those numbers for weeks now, trying to understand what is happening and why things suddenly got so worse, but I don't seem to get to a conclusion."
"Wow," he said, furrowing his eyebrows and forcing his eyes as he went through the papers. "You had an amazing year in 1763. 7,000 tons! I have never seen such a big production, I'm very impressed!"
"I know," Quinn nodded. "It was the biggest production in the island. It might still be, even now. But you see, the numbers started dropping after that. It wasn't anything big, so we didn't worry about it. We were still selling well and getting a lot of money. But then, here," she said, pointing to a particular piece of paper. "1775. The production dropped to 3,000 tons. That's less than half of our biggest one. And it keeps dropping from then on. If we get to 1,000 ton this year I'll be surprised. I have no idea what happened, because we didn't change anything! It doesn't make any sense!"
"In fact, that's your problem right there," he said, and Quinn frowned. She didn't know what he meant. "The last years have been drier than average. We're not getting as much rain as we should be. Saint Domingue's production rose to the top this year, because the Frenchs invested in a very modern irrigation system."
"Well, that's easy then! We just have to do the same, right?" she asked, clinging tightly onto hope.
"No, not that easy. We still don't know precisely how it works, and as you may figure, the French aren't exactly willing to tell us. Especially now, with the war," he said. Quinn nodded. "But that's not your only problem. Besides that, we have the fact that sugar plantations are spreading around the world. Everyone wanted to benefit from the high demand, but that backfired. Now that there are many options from which to buy, Europe is able negotiate between the different farms and get a cheaper price."
That definitely would explain why their finances were dropping at very faster rate than the production. Quinn had spent nights and nights awake trying to figure it out, and it all sounded just so obvious now. She felt her feet getting cold in anxiety.
"But now, your biggest problem," he said. Quinn had thought he was done, but he went on. She was starting to feel lightheaded. Among the so many problems, she couldn't see any light. "Sugarcane exhausts the soil. It drains all the nutrients from the soil, and after a few crops it makes the soil simply too poor to grow anything on it. The smart way to avoid that would be to plant something else between sugarcane crops, but most farmers were just too awestruck with the amount of money sugar brought to even think of that. And now, I'm afraid it's too late."
"Well, what can we do, then?" Quinn asked, trying to hide the quivering of fear in her voice. They couldn't be doomed. That farm had been her father's dream. It couldn't be over so quickly. She needed to think of a way out of the mess they found themselves in. She had a child in the way, for God's sake. She needed to find a way of getting money back to that farm as soon as possible.
"There is one thing that you can do that will bring you money relatively fast. It's the only guaranteed way out of this crisis, because sugar just isn't gonna be viable anymore for you. You could start thinking of starting a new plantation, with different crops, but you would need a lot of money for that. Which leaves us with only one option, and I'm not exactly sure you will approve it," he said, lowering his voice. Her stomach sank. She had no idea what he would propose, but she had a bad feeling about it. A bad feeling that grew worse when she realized that regardless if she approved it or not, she didn't have any option.
"Tell me," she said. He smiled.
Rachel sat on the library, practicing her reading after her first lesson when Judy walked in. Judy gasped in surprise, to see Rachel so casually sitting in one of their chairs. Rachel considered to get up to her feet at the very same second she noticed Judy coming in - but her belly just made it impossible. It was too big to allow any sudden movements. Rachel sighed and closed her eyes, waiting to hear the scolding from Judy. But it never came.
"You know, I lost my first child because of a slave," Judy said, leaning against the door frame.
For a second, Rachel thought perhaps Judy was talking to someone else - but they were alone. Rachel frowned and set her book on the nearby table. Although she had noticed Judy's behavior changing after Quinn put her in her place, she had no idea why Judy was talking to her. It scared her that she had no way of running away if she needed to. Not with that belly. The belly. Rachel's hand rest protectively over it. Rachel didn't say anything, but Judy went on anyway.
"I was pregnant with Quinn. It was early on. I had a lot of cramps way before I should, and it scared the doctors. I was put on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy and I couldn't even get up for baths," she said. Rachel shivered. She knew she didn't have it bad, but hearing what could have happened to her made her understand why Quinn was so protective of her. "Frannie kept asking me if I would take her to the beach. We were having an unbelievable hot summer that year. I would have loved to have gone to the beach with her - but I couldn't. So she went with a slave."
The spiteful way Judy said the word slave made Rachel's stomach twist. She didn't need to hear the rest of the story. She could imagine how it had went. She knew Judy wasn't worth of her pity, but still, the mere thought of losing her child - the one she hadn't even met yet! - sounded like the most terrifying nightmare. However, it didn't excuse any of Judy's later actions. Rachel just wanted to get out of that room, but again, she couldn't.
"That was Russell's mistake - he always trusted slaves. Frannie never came back. The slave said she drowned, but I'm sure she didn't. That slave killed her to get back at me, because I was the only one firm enough to give slaves their punishments back then," she said, taking in a deep breath before going on. Rachel could almost swear she saw a tear glistening in Judy's eyes, but she wiped it before Rachel could be sure. "I never got to see her tiny body again. I never even got the chance to bury her. I don't even remember if I said goodbye before she left for the beach, because I was curled up in bed with hurtful cramps," Judy said.
"But Frannie may have drowned. There's no way you'll ever know," Rachel said. It sounded unfair that Judy said with such certainty that a slave had killed her daughter. "Besides, even if she did, you can't blame all slaves for a single one's mistake," she said. She had no idea where she had gathered the courage to talk so openly to Judy, but once she started talking, the words just slipped out of her mouth.
"Oh, I don't blame the slave - although I did kill her. Slaves are dumb. She might have killed my daughter or not, but nothing would have happened if I were the one at the beach with my daughter. I blame Quinn," she said. Rachel felt a tug in her heart. She wanted to stand up for Quinn, like Quinn had done for her before, but Judy interrupted her before she could even start. "If it weren't for Quinn, I would be there. But that's not the point. The point is I lost my first child because of a slave, and it's happening again. I'm gonna lose Quinn because of you," she said.
"Quinn was never yours," Rachel said. It was all she could gather. Judy wasn't wrong. If things worked out the way Rachel wanted them to, they would soon enough be moving abroad and away from Judy. She wouldn't kill Quinn, but she would take her away from her mother. And she knew it was the best thing she could do for Quinn.
"You're right. She wasn't. I never wanted her. I was plenty happy with my two babies. A boy and a girl. That's every woman's dream. But Russell knew from the very beginning that George would never take over the farm. He just never had the hand for it. And Frannie," she said with a small hurtful chuckle. "I had bigger plans for Frannie. I wouldn't let her stay here. So Russell wanted another child. When Frannie died, he kept saying we were getting another girl to replace her. I kept praying we wouldn't. That God wouldn't do that to me. But He did."
It was unconceivable for Rachel to understand Judy. She simply couldn't get how she could even talk like that. Rachel hadn't ever touched her baby, and she already loved the tiny thing more than her own life. It hurt her to hear Judy talk about Quinn like that. It made her want to run away and wrap her Quinn in her arms and tell her how loved she was. It made her want to grab Quinn and run away the fastest and the further they could away from Judy.
"Quinn was Russell's from the start. I could never love her. But still, I know Russell did. I don't care about Quinn and whatever it is that she decides to do with her life," she said. Rachel swallowed dryly. It was almost as if Judy knew about them. It scared Rachel to death. "I don't care about Quinn, but I care about this farm. It was Russell's legacy, and although we had our problems, he was my husband. I have to honor him. I have to make sure this farm thrives - but you're gonna ruin it, you two. Quinn ruins everything from the second she was born. This house was never the same after her. Not even the roses bloom anymore."
"I'm sorry for you, Judy," Rachel said, a hush of courage running through her veins. "I'm very sorry for you because you were so caught up in your resentments that you never had the chance to even meet Quinn. To really get to know your child. And that's your loss, because you're missing out on knowing one of the most wonderful person in this world. But you know what, it doesn't matter. She turned out fine, even without you. And she's gonna save this farm because it is hers, and not become she owns you anything."
"You know, I could kill you for that," Judy said with a gasp, taking a step forward and towards Rachel. Rachel's spine ran cold, but she kept a straight face.
"You sure could," she said with a nod. "But even if you did, it wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't make you happy. Even if you killed me, you'd never get one shred of the happiness I have. You're just doomed to spend the whole rest of your life alone in your misery."
Again, Rachel waited - although she didn't know what for. She expected anything. She expected anything but that Judy would turn around and leave the room without saying anything else.
When Rachel walked inside Quinn's bedroom, she found Lou Lee kneeled on the ground in front of Quinn untying the laces of her shoes. Quinn jumped in startle as the door opened, and Rachel bit her lip to suppress a smile.
"Oh, so that's why you're keeping me busy all day! You're having an affair with Lou!" she said, doing her best to keep a straight face as she said so. Lou Lee's eyes shot wide open and she shook her head quickly, taking a few steps back and away from Quinn but tumbling against a chair and falling on to the ground. Quinn didn't look any less scared, and Rachel couldn't hold her laughter any longer. "I'm only joking," she said with a giggle. Quinn sighed deeply and sat on her chair with a hand covering her face.
"God dammit," she whispered to herself. "You almost killed me here. I had no idea how I would be able to prove you that there was nothing between Lou Lee and me." Rachel and Lou Lee chuckled for a few more seconds, and Quinn was finally able to let out a small giggle as she rolled her eyes. "You're dismissed, Lou Lee. Thank you for your help," Quinn said, and Lou Lee left, leaving them alone.
Rachel walked towards her and sat on Quinn's lap. She wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck and stayed there, quietly admiring Quinn with the most devoted smile on her face as she digested everything she had been told. At first, Quinn stared back at her, smiling just as big. But as Rachel wouldn't even blink, Quinn started to feel shy and looked down before placing her hands to cover Rachel's eyes and avoid the gaze.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Quinn asked, burying her face on Rachel's neck to hide herself, and dropping a kiss there.
"Just because," Rachel answered with a shrug. "Hey," she said, trying to get back Quinn's attention. Quinn looked up hesitantly with a shy smile. "Thank you," Rachel murmured, leaning in for a peck in Quinn's lips.
"For the classes?" Quinn asked with a small huff when she pulled away from the kiss. Rachel missed her lips instantly. She only noticed how long a day had been when they met again at night and she realized how much she had missed Quinn. "You already thanked me for that," she said.
"No," Rachel replied, shaking her head. Quinn frowned in confusion. Rachel decided to not let Quinn know about her conversation with Judy. She knew Quinn would be upset, even though she claimed not to feel a thing for her mother. Rachel knew she still craved for approval, even if only unconsciously. "For being who you are. You're amazing and you've grown so much since we met. You are so strong and you became such a kind and caring woman, even with everything life threw your way. I love you so very much," she whispered, pampering kisses all over Quinn's face.
Quinn rolled her eyes again. She didn't know how to deal with compliments. She never received any truthful ones - before Rachel came along, they only ever concerned her appearance. But deep down, Rachel knew she was happy to hear them. She was flattered.
"You are the best gift I ever got," Quinn replied with a small shake of her head. Rachel smiled and nodded. Quinn's words rubbed her the wrong way. It was at perfect moments like those when Rachel almost let herself forget she was a slave. But it was in sentences like that, that Rachel remembered that regardless of how much they loved each other, at the end of the day that was still all she was.
Quinn's property.