“I hope so, although there must be a lot of places for them to hide around here.”
“Not as many as there used to be, loving,” Ballard said. “I ken it might look wild and empty to ye since ye have always lived in a town, but there are nae somany free and open places as there were in the beginning. Those men will eventually chance being seen. We just have to wait until they are and hope they are seen by the right folk, ones who will come and tell us.”
“Your husband is correct, Mrs. MacGregor,” said Cyril. “It will not be long before we put an end to this threat.”
Clover smiled and thanked him, but did not share his confidence. She had grown somewhat fatalistic about Thomas Dillingsworth and whatever twisted plans he had concerning her and Ballard. Nothing they had done so far had stopped Thomas, and she did not believe they would suddenly get lucky.
After a few moments of pleasant conversation, she left the men to dicker over the yearling. She smiled to herself as she walked back to the house. Mr. Potsdam was a pleasant gentleman, refined and well-mannered, and he did not care a jot about Ballard’s lack of bloodlines or education. One thing she had learned while a part of society was how to see the person behind the fine manners and social niceties. Cyril Potsdam held none of the prejudices that often cursed the upper classes. He liked Ballard MacGregor for the man he was.
She briefly considered telling Ballard he did not have to learn fine manners to be accepted as an equal by men like Cyril Potsdam, then decided it would not make any difference. Ballard was learning everything he could to please himself. Mr. Potsdam did not care if Ballard knew one wine from another, but Ballard wanted to be able to stand toe to toe with any man as an equal. He sought to avoid those painfully awkwardmoments that so often occurred when one entered an unfamiliar world.
Clover’s musings came to an abrupt halt when she entered the house and found Willie sitting at the table. Molly and her mother had wasted no time in scrubbing him from head to toe and dressing him in clean clothes. Clover doubted she would have recognized him, except that he was eating with his distinctive lack of restraint.
She sat down opposite him and studied him carefully. His skin had a faint coppery tone. His hair, a thick rich black, fell past his shoulders to ragged ends. Several faint scars marred his body from past beatings, and more vivid bruises recalled his recent ordeal. She could also see that, with a little care and plenty of food, Willie would grow into an extraordinarily attractive man.
“You are very handsome,” she said, and smiled when a hint of color bloomed in his high-boned cheeks.
“I ain’t never been so clean. Molly and your ma sure do know how to scrub a feller till he fair squeaks.” He took a drink of cider, then asked in a small voice, “I am really free of Morrisey?”
“Yes, you really are free of him.”
“You ain’t gone and paid him the whole sixty dollars he asked for, has you?”
“No. I suspected that if he saw a goodly pile of silver coins, he would agree to a lesser amount just to get his hands on them. He did. I put forty-two dollars on the table and let him stare at it until he was tempted into agreeing to my offer.”
“So now I belong to you and MacGregor.”
It was flattering to see how pleased he was with hisnew situation, but clearly he did not understand the concept of freedom. Either he had not listened to her back at Morrisey’s or he simply did not understand. She put the paper Morrisey had signed on the table between them.
“You belong to no one, Willie. I recalled that you cannot read and took the chance that Morrisey cannot read either. Yes, I paid Morrisey some money, but I didnotbuy you. This paper says Morrisey accepted money to release you of all obligations. It is rather like the manumission papers some slaves get from their masters when they are made freemen. You belong to no one, Willie. You owe no one. You are your own man. You can go or stay as you please.”
“I ain’t rightly sure I understand this. Can I stay here?”
“Of course you can and for as long as you like. You are welcome to be a part of this family. I just want you to know that you do nothaveto do anything unless you want to.”
He nodded. “I will pay you back, ma’am.”
“I do not expect you to.”
“I know that, but I will.”
He turned as the twins burst into the house. In a moment he was off and running with them. Clover hoped that was how it would be from now on. Willie would have to do his share of the chores, as the twins did, but he would also get to be just a child.
“Ballard?” Clover called, frowning as she sought a glimpse of him among the apple trees.
She stopped and, with her hands on her hips, looked around. Someone was playing tricks on her.Damien had told her that Ballard wanted to see her in the orchard, dragging her away from a discussion of Willie’s future with her mother. Yet now there was no sign of Ballard. She was about to go find her mischievous little brother, and give him a scolding that would leave his ears ringing for the rest of the afternoon, when she whirled around, took a step back toward the house … and walked right into a grinning Ballard’s arms.
“You wretch!” she cried, and swatted at him. “You scared me half to death.”
“Is your heart pounding?” he asked, pulling her tighter against him.
“Of course it is. It always pounds when some great fool terrifies me.” She slipped her arms around his neck as he lifted her up in his arms so that their faces were level.
“And is your blood running swiftly through your veins?” He slowly dotted kisses over her face.
“I should say so.”
“Feeling a wee bit light-headed?” he asked as he steered them toward a thick knot of trees.
