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The short journey to his pick up point was nothing new. The items left by way of a payment for services rendered the previous day when he had taken the cart horses scraped their hoofs and replaced their shoes..
Chains, a pile of chains. Metal items and other sundries a blacksmith could use. He started to load them onto his wagon.. dragging them and cursing at the same time thinking to himself that he could have done with help from his sons.
Still, he was by no means weak. For some time he had managed to successfully load the wagon before shifting towards some long grass.. Reaching to part the grass, he stared, frozen to the spot?
Something moved and it was definitely no wild animal.
Cautiously he moved in closer as his eyes focused he was caught off guard as the female YES FEMALE tried to hide from him to no avail. Pointless as he now stared she stared back at him. Who was more surprised was probably not a truth at all.
SHE had seen him arrive, watched as he had dragged the chains from the pile thinking there was nothing her close to her of any value that would see him heading in her direction? BUT Joseph knew sometimes, the long grass, could hide items placed there, with the sole intent of hiding them!
THIS however, had him caught off guard. He sat down opposite her. For some minutes saying nothing.
Voices. Two males headed in his direction. He stood up put his fingers to his lips.. QUIET! he hissed at her.
“You need help with any of that lot?” It was David and his sidekick doubting Thomas who stopped a short distance from him.
“Typical of yous to turn up after the work is done!” “Then we, will be on our way..” Turning away from him heading up the hill towards the big house some distance away. He watched them disappear over the top to return to the stranger.
“Well whoever you are I doubt you would understand me anyhow.” He shifted closer to her.. looking her over and now more than convinced of the truth. A slave from the Arabella. She was no wimp he noted her muscles probably why she had managed to survive in the waters to swim to the rocks?
HOW, she, had managed to evade capture, was he had to admit, something to be admired. IF they had and he echoed his thoughts as he whispered. “You were lucky NOT to have been caught by them, they would have slit your throat.” He could swear her eyes flickered, then she spoke.
“Why did you hide me from those men?” He said nothing for a moment. “You speak English?”
“My massuh, teach me, the works of the Lord. I sir, am no heathen. He told me I had to learn, as my new mistress would want me to be a God fearing woman.”
“They would have killed you! I am not one for this you lot are all heathens and going to hell..
Those around you all condemned to eternal damnation. Hereabouts there are those of your kind working the fields
Fenales to service the masters as and when they desire and when they get older farmed out to service the bucks and have more slaves, for their masters to sell at auction.”
YOU, he thought to himself, would have fetched a decent price. IF and he accepted the logic of IF, you had NOT been from the Arabella. The moment any of them realize that she was dead. Not even he could save her.
To hide her from them was foolhardy.
“Am I to be yours Massuh?” He sat down, grabbed some grass to chew on it deep in thought.
Was he really being too stupid for words? His loins were stirring, the sight of her and he was a MALE with all of the male traits when sat in front of a female let alone a SLAVE?
Yet Joseph was a religious man. NOT overly religious but enough to understand right from wrong and this for all of its carnal benefits, he could take her with NO regard to who or what she was and YET?
He felt he liked her. Had recollection of her and how she must have jumped that wreck into the water not knowing what her fate would end up as being?
HE too remembered, fighting for his life in those same waters attempting to rescue some kids who had been stupid enough to attempt swimming only to feel the ‘undertow’ as we would know it now.. almost pulling them under. Tying a rope to the rocks he had taken the rope out to the kids.. saving their lives.
“Seems the good Lord, did not want you to die in those waters.” He paused. “Which is wrong, for you, to end up dead, out of them, because of that lot, who would and make no mistake woman. see you dead.”
She was starting to shake, fear?
“We are going to leave this place. YOU are going to be hidden in the cart. UNTIL I tell you to move YOU do NOT do you understand me? “ She needed to know how she must stay quiet! OR she would end up dead.
As he, started on his way he was muttering to himself. “I must be crazy.“
At least he lived on his own AND he had a cellar where he could hide her, well for the time being.
One of his friends had two negros and had bought false bill of sale papers for them. NO one asked questions about them. He would find out more.. Having her around, would be good for his faith in being merciful to those who he considered were not so fortunate in life.
Those, who believed, in the emancipation of slaves? Loading the female, who he told, would now be called NAOMI he beckoned over to him. Some of the chains with the shackles dangling in front of him as she moved closer her arns outstretched?
He stared at her wondering what was going on as she pulled at the shackles he stopped her.”NOOO.”
Grabbing them, to throw them onto the cart. He arranged some sack cloth and hay for her lie on, helped her onto it and lightly covered her over.
Lifting her onto the cart, he had seen the scars across her shoulders, from the chains.. So many of them, where she had been dragged, beaten ? Her spirit, her trust in him was just that; trust.
Now, she lay hidden, the concept was nothing new to her, hiding from a different tribe other than her own.
For someone, who had nothing to lose and so much to fear? His father had been a real piece of work especially re slaves . Workers who were beaten, flogged and abused by him had left Joseph almost physically sick.
Luckily his mother when she had been alive, was not one to let her sons endure his bullying, his intimidation, whoring and perversions.
The granite house was huge. Purpose built decades ago for use by a mining boss who had gone bankrupt and Joseph had bought it for almost nothing. It was too large for one person but his sons had lived there until two years ago.
Now, as he, helped her off the cart, she fell into his arms, lingering momentarily, the sense of this strong, powerful male flooding her thoughts. She followed as he moved towards the house, opening the main door for them to step inside.
Never, had she ever, seen the interior of such a place. Furnished and timber furniture of some of the finest items from tables to chairs to to to .. she gasped. Into what he called the parlour to sit her down as he went to make some tea. TEA? Ah another gift from a ship wreck.
Nettle tea. He brewed it, poured it.. weak and in some cups that looked far too dainty for the moment they were now sharing. She watched, as he showed her, how to sip at the cup.. no little finger raised, like he mother had laughed, referring to some of the ladies of the great house and their laa de da ways.
Clothing, he had her stood in front of a large chest where his mothers things had been left to gather dust.
There was nothing he felt about her being able to wear or use them. She had stripped removing the torn items gathered from the wreck that had washed up to rest on the rocks,.
Her body was more than he had ever seen re any woman. If he felt any lust it was soon over.
Her back towards him he could see more of those scars. The rage was building as he stepped towards her to run his hands over her back as she shook..
He turned her, her dropping the clothing in her hands as he pulled her in close. “NO ONE will ever do that to YOU again ! “ She clung to him. Tears on her face. “My own people sold me to the slave traders.
I, with so many, was made to walk for miles to the coast, they used wooden bamboo, to bind us all together, those who died, were the only ones released, UNTIL chained aboard that ship. Along the way they beat us, whipped us and spat at us..
They, would release some, to let them escape, only to send dogs after them, to rip them to pieces.
A warning to us NOT to attempt to do the same.” He held her, the warmth of her against him as he comforted, reassured her. Then allowed her to dress, as he took her down to the cellar area.
THIS, is where you have to hide out, WHEN I tell you to ? YOU can have things here to keep you occupied so you do not end up getting bored BUT it is important. IF I tell you to stay quiet you must?! “ He, was pleased to see, she understood what he was saying.
A while later and he had cooked them some rabbit stew, a dish he was happy to cook and Naomi seemed to enjoy the meal,. To her some of the foods she had encountered aboard shio were far worse than anything he was serving up.
In truth, he, had delivered, a decent edible meal. The vegetables were picked ‘wild’ - strange to her, but the cooking and the taste,, no complaints. A while later he had shown her how to relieve herself, to wash herself and prepare for sleep.
A wash cloth, to wash herself down with, after she had relieved herself was just one peculiarity she was going to have to get used to.. BUT he, was fast becoming VERY special to her. Not judging her, not afraid to show her how to do the basics and even if it felt like teaching a child toilet habits, she did NOT feel offended.
THIS, was now and, he had made it VERY clear. HIS home, HER home. IF he had thought separate sleeping arrangements, he had two other rooms with wooden straw beds to pick from she was having none of it.
The what she soon learn was known as a four poster bed had a special mattress on it, not duck down but it was certainly a mattress that was solid, comfortable and now seeing both of them settling down for the night.
Neither of them, were naked, not that it was cold, summer and the night air was warm.
Well for him not so much for her. Where she came from, it was hot almost all the year around.
True, she, was wearing very little, not at all used to being anything short of naked.
Here, there were no chains and that, that took some getting used to. His warmth was also mixed with the summer heat giving her some respite from the colder climate.
The noise of crows and birds in the trees or wild animals? Luckily both of them were too tired and for her, the first time in almost never that she could remember where she could feel safe, secure and sooo sleepy.
to be continued.
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