good table. I plan to accompany
Uncle Thomas on his duties tomorrow, for two days in my room are more than
enough to drive me to distraction, as you can imagine.
Apart from my illness, I have
thoroughly enjoyed Barbados so far. The island is beautiful, as is the
plantation and I have been made to feel very much at home. Uncle Thomas and
Aunt Elizabeth send their regards. They have gone out of their way to ensure
that all of my needs have been met.
Please give my best regards to
Ann and let her know that I will write to her soon. I must confess that this
sickness has left me weak and it has been a challenge to even write this
letter. Also give my regards to Charles and Charlotte.
Yours respectfully
Richard
Richard folded the letter with a
thankful sigh. Although he was not fully recovered, he felt considerably better
than in the last two days and had therefore made the effort to write the tardy
letter.
If it was not for Jethro who
hardly left his side and Deborah with her teas which helped to settle his
stomach, he would have surely been a lot worse off.
She had come quietly, three times
a day with a pot of tea and left Jethro to help him sit up and drink it. He was
surprised at how much he looked forward to seeing her come in with the tray of
tea even though she didn’t stay. Her hair was always bound in a handkerchief
but he could not forget how glorious it looked bouncing against her back as she walked to the house.
Hattie came in both days to wipe
him down and get the stale smell of sweat off him, something he was sure that
Jethro could do. While he appreciated the bed baths, he found himself irritated
with her constant chatter and had to beg her to stop. Moreover he was surprised
that he was not the least bit aroused by her ministrations. He put it down to
the illness and hoped that it would pass quickly.
A knock on the door interrupted
his thoughts. Since Jethro had returned to his duties in the house and yard he
called, "Come in."
Deborah tentatively poked her head
around the door. Noticing that Jethro was absent she hesitated on the
threshold.
"Come in," he invited
again.
"The mistress got the cook to
make some broth to help you build back up your strength and she asked me to
bring it up.”
"Thank you. I am grateful for
all you did for me when I was ill."
He knew that he did not have to
pay her but he had put aside two shillings to gift her with.
"These are for you." He
offered her the coins.
Deborah's pride made her want to
refuse his money but the conversation she and her mother had had a few days ago
about buying their freedom made her hold her tongue. Which was more important,
pride or freedom?
"Thank you," she
managed, putting down the tray with the broth and taking the coins. She dropped
them in her pocket and was heading for the door when he stopped her.
"Read to me for a while. I'm
dying of boredom."
She hesitated, glanced at the door
she'd left open and back at him.
“Slaves are not supposed to read.”
"Just for a few
minutes," he coaxed with a charming smile. "You can read while I eat.
You had better close the door then so that no-one sees you."
This was said so differently from
the way William had ordered her to close the door that she obeyed with no
feeling of trepidation.
"Ok," she agreed looking
around for somewhere to sit. Did she really have any choice?
"I'll sit on the bed and you
can have this chair."
With that he crossed to the bed
and propped up the pillows so that he could sit up. Deborah handed him the bowl
of broth and took the book that was on the bedside table.
Turning the chair towards the bed,
she sat down and the warmth that had been left by his body in the chair
cocooned her, giving her an unwanted feeling of intimacy with him.
She read the title on the cover of
the book: “The True and Exact History of the Island of Barbadoes 1657 by Richard Ligon .”
"I've been increasing my
knowledge of Barbados," he said. "This book is very
Uncle Thomas on his duties tomorrow, for two days in my room are more than
enough to drive me to distraction, as you can imagine.
Apart from my illness, I have
thoroughly enjoyed Barbados so far. The island is beautiful, as is the
plantation and I have been made to feel very much at home. Uncle Thomas and
Aunt Elizabeth send their regards. They have gone out of their way to ensure
that all of my needs have been met.
Please give my best regards to
Ann and let her know that I will write to her soon. I must confess that this
sickness has left me weak and it has been a challenge to even write this
letter. Also give my regards to Charles and Charlotte.
Yours respectfully
Richard
Richard folded the letter with a
thankful sigh. Although he was not fully recovered, he felt considerably better
than in the last two days and had therefore made the effort to write the tardy
letter.
If it was not for Jethro who
hardly left his side and Deborah with her teas which helped to settle his
stomach, he would have surely been a lot worse off.
She had come quietly, three times
a day with a pot of tea and left Jethro to help him sit up and drink it. He was
surprised at how much he looked forward to seeing her come in with the tray of
tea even though she didn’t stay. Her hair was always bound in a handkerchief
but he could not forget how glorious it looked bouncing against her back as she walked to the house.
Hattie came in both days to wipe
him down and get the stale smell of sweat off him, something he was sure that
Jethro could do. While he appreciated the bed baths, he found himself irritated
with her constant chatter and had to beg her to stop. Moreover he was surprised
that he was not the least bit aroused by her ministrations. He put it down to
the illness and hoped that it would pass quickly.
A knock on the door interrupted
his thoughts. Since Jethro had returned to his duties in the house and yard he
called, "Come in."
Deborah tentatively poked her head
around the door. Noticing that Jethro was absent she hesitated on the
threshold.
"Come in," he invited
again.
"The mistress got the cook to
make some broth to help you build back up your strength and she asked me to
bring it up.”
"Thank you. I am grateful for
all you did for me when I was ill."
He knew that he did not have to
pay her but he had put aside two shillings to gift her with.
"These are for you." He
offered her the coins.
Deborah's pride made her want to
refuse his money but the conversation she and her mother had had a few days ago
about buying their freedom made her hold her tongue. Which was more important,
pride or freedom?
"Thank you," she
managed, putting down the tray with the broth and taking the coins. She dropped
them in her pocket and was heading for the door when he stopped her.
"Read to me for a while. I'm
dying of boredom."
She hesitated, glanced at the door
she'd left open and back at him.
“Slaves are not supposed to read.”
"Just for a few
minutes," he coaxed with a charming smile. "You can read while I eat.
You had better close the door then so that no-one sees you."
This was said so differently from
the way William had ordered her to close the door that she obeyed with no
feeling of trepidation.
"Ok," she agreed looking
around for somewhere to sit. Did she really have any choice?
"I'll sit on the bed and you
can have this chair."
With that he crossed to the bed
and propped up the pillows so that he could sit up. Deborah handed him the bowl
of broth and took the book that was on the bedside table.
Turning the chair towards the bed,
she sat down and the warmth that had been left by his body in the chair
cocooned her, giving her an unwanted feeling of intimacy with him.
She read the title on the cover of
the book: “The True and Exact History of the Island of Barbadoes 1657 by Richard Ligon .”
"I've been increasing my
knowledge of Barbados," he said. "This book is very
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