here."
"Thank you." Tears swam, clouding her vision. Wiping them furiously, Annalisa turned away. With a lump clogging her throat, she murmured, "Thank you, Delia. For giving me back my mother."
The girl left quietly, while Annalisa searched her bureau for a handkerchief.
It was not unexpected when Hattie Lee knocked a few minutes later and entered her bedroom. Seeing the opened trunk, the black woman nodded.
"I am not surprised, Annalisa. The others told me you were packing. When do you wish to leave?"
"I’m not certain," Annalisa said softly. "I’m not certain of anything anymore."
One black eyebrow lifted. Seeing the young woman’s bowed head, Hattie Lee studied her carefully.
"The women here seem to have loved my mother," Annalisa said, sniffing into her handkerchief.
"We did."
"They even trusted her with their futures." Annalisa lifted her face.
"We all admired Sara for the way she salvaged her life. And she earned the trust of everyone here," Hattie Lee added.
"I feel so ashamed for what I was thinking about her. I have no right to this house or the people in it, Hattie Lee. My own life has been so sheltered. I’ve never had to face what the others have. I don’t know what my own mother went through, but I could never take her place."
Hattie Lee thought a moment. "Corinna was here when your mama came to us. Would you like her to tell you about it?"
Annalisa nodded.
Opening the door, Hattie Lee signaled for the orange-haired woman to enter. Leading her to a chair, she said, "Annalisa would like to know about her mother. Why don’t you tell her?"
The folds of the old woman’s chins wobbled as she chewed on her lips. Her voice when she spoke was clear and strong.
"Your mama was on her way to New Orleans to search for a brother. Alone, and expecting a baby very soon, her carriage encountered a vicious highwayman. For years afterward, your mama had nightmares about that man. He stole her jewelry and money, then cut away her clothes with a knife. Even when he realized that she was heavy with child, he—abused her."
Annalisa felt the shock, swift, strong, as she imagined her mother’s suffering.
"The monster left her for dead. She dragged herself to town and collapsed on this very porch."
Hattie Lee chimed in, "Corinna found her and summoned me. The two of us carried her to bed while one of the servant girls ran for the doctor."
"Dr. Lynch," Annalisa interrupted.
"Yes, child. Dr. Lynch. By the time he arrived, Sara was in hard labor. We all figured her baby wouldn’t survive the ordeal."
Corinna nodded, tears filling her eyes. "We stood around the bed, breathing with her, straining with her, feeling a kinship with what is uniquely a woman’s suffering." She wiped her eyes. "We all knew we would never have children."
Annalisa began to ask why, then stopped herself.
"When we heard that little baby’s cry, we all wept openly. We shared her relief that the ordeal was over." In hushed tones, Corinna added, "I washed you, and wrapped you in one of my fancy lace shawls. And we all took turns holding you, cuddling you, lending you our warmth, our love. Your mother was in her bed for weeks, while Dr. Lynch nursed her back to health. We all thought that the only reason she even tried to regain her strength was for your sake."
"Did they ever find the highwayman who savaged my mother?"
The women shook their heads, hearing the thread of anger in the young woman’s voice.
"What of my father?"
Hattie Lee regarded her kindly. "Your mama told me that he had died. There was no one left except her brother here in New Orleans. When I inquired about him in town, I discovered that he’d died, and his widow had sold his land and gone north. Your mama was left in delicate health with a tiny baby and no family. Her future looked bleak, until we discovered that she was educated and good with figures. Miss Hannah Elliott, who owned this house, offered her a job keeping the books, figuring she added an air of
"Thank you." Tears swam, clouding her vision. Wiping them furiously, Annalisa turned away. With a lump clogging her throat, she murmured, "Thank you, Delia. For giving me back my mother."
The girl left quietly, while Annalisa searched her bureau for a handkerchief.
It was not unexpected when Hattie Lee knocked a few minutes later and entered her bedroom. Seeing the opened trunk, the black woman nodded.
"I am not surprised, Annalisa. The others told me you were packing. When do you wish to leave?"
"I’m not certain," Annalisa said softly. "I’m not certain of anything anymore."
One black eyebrow lifted. Seeing the young woman’s bowed head, Hattie Lee studied her carefully.
"The women here seem to have loved my mother," Annalisa said, sniffing into her handkerchief.
"We did."
"They even trusted her with their futures." Annalisa lifted her face.
"We all admired Sara for the way she salvaged her life. And she earned the trust of everyone here," Hattie Lee added.
"I feel so ashamed for what I was thinking about her. I have no right to this house or the people in it, Hattie Lee. My own life has been so sheltered. I’ve never had to face what the others have. I don’t know what my own mother went through, but I could never take her place."
Hattie Lee thought a moment. "Corinna was here when your mama came to us. Would you like her to tell you about it?"
Annalisa nodded.
Opening the door, Hattie Lee signaled for the orange-haired woman to enter. Leading her to a chair, she said, "Annalisa would like to know about her mother. Why don’t you tell her?"
The folds of the old woman’s chins wobbled as she chewed on her lips. Her voice when she spoke was clear and strong.
"Your mama was on her way to New Orleans to search for a brother. Alone, and expecting a baby very soon, her carriage encountered a vicious highwayman. For years afterward, your mama had nightmares about that man. He stole her jewelry and money, then cut away her clothes with a knife. Even when he realized that she was heavy with child, he—abused her."
Annalisa felt the shock, swift, strong, as she imagined her mother’s suffering.
"The monster left her for dead. She dragged herself to town and collapsed on this very porch."
Hattie Lee chimed in, "Corinna found her and summoned me. The two of us carried her to bed while one of the servant girls ran for the doctor."
"Dr. Lynch," Annalisa interrupted.
"Yes, child. Dr. Lynch. By the time he arrived, Sara was in hard labor. We all figured her baby wouldn’t survive the ordeal."
Corinna nodded, tears filling her eyes. "We stood around the bed, breathing with her, straining with her, feeling a kinship with what is uniquely a woman’s suffering." She wiped her eyes. "We all knew we would never have children."
Annalisa began to ask why, then stopped herself.
"When we heard that little baby’s cry, we all wept openly. We shared her relief that the ordeal was over." In hushed tones, Corinna added, "I washed you, and wrapped you in one of my fancy lace shawls. And we all took turns holding you, cuddling you, lending you our warmth, our love. Your mother was in her bed for weeks, while Dr. Lynch nursed her back to health. We all thought that the only reason she even tried to regain her strength was for your sake."
"Did they ever find the highwayman who savaged my mother?"
The women shook their heads, hearing the thread of anger in the young woman’s voice.
"What of my father?"
Hattie Lee regarded her kindly. "Your mama told me that he had died. There was no one left except her brother here in New Orleans. When I inquired about him in town, I discovered that he’d died, and his widow had sold his land and gone north. Your mama was left in delicate health with a tiny baby and no family. Her future looked bleak, until we discovered that she was educated and good with figures. Miss Hannah Elliott, who owned this house, offered her a job keeping the books, figuring she added an air of
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