202Chapter 22
The Commander
The manor was huge, and not just huge, gorgeous. Elizabeth and Katie stared at in awe as soon as they could see the mansion in the distance.
"It looks so big now! We are not even to the drive yet! This couldn't be our house, could it Elizabeth?" Katie exclaimed as they got their first view of the house. They had seen miles of farmland though, with black men and women slaving away at cotton. 'Literally' Elizabeth thought. The first thing Elizabeth would do was make life easier on them. . . she was from the 21st century, and there slavery was not acceptable.
"I do believe the King out did himself." Gregory replied dryly. He too, Elizabeth could tell, was watching the workers. As they passed by in their carriage a few of the men spit on the ground as if to show their real feelings. Elizabeth turned her head each time and prayed, for the first time in a long time, that she could help them.
"Gregory?"
"Yes darling?"
"Are these . . . ours?"
"I wouldn't say ours, I would say they are themselves." Elizabeth was relieved. Gregory thought that slavery was an injustice just as much as her.
"You're not going to free them are you?" Katie asked suddenly. Elizabeth's head snapped up.
"Of course we are!"
"You cant just free so many slaves. . . it would be historically stupid. It would cause a riot." Elizabeth thought about it for a moment and realized her sister was right.
"We wont free them all at once." Gregory said suddenly. "We will pay them! And they can buy their freedom. And we can use that money to buy more slaves to allow themselves to work for freedom."
"How much money do we have?"
"Plenty, dearest. The King made sure of that."
"Gregory! I told you not to accept anything more from the King. What were you thinking? Is this house not enough?"
"He would have offended him if he hadn't taken the money. You don't offend the King." David said dryly. Katie nodded her head as if in agreement.
The conversation stopped as they entered what was obviously the entrance. There were large bushes everywhere and the gardens on each side of the drives were amazing. Occasionally they would see a black man stooped over in the gardens and this just made Elizabeth more determined to help them. Maybe this was why they were here . . . but then wouldn't they be put during the civil war era? Elizabeth still couldn't figure it out.
***
Gregory spent the trip up to the house thinking about the slaves. Katie and Elizabeth were both right. They deserved to be free, but he couldn't just set them all free. Of course Gregory had grown up in the time of sharecropping, which his father always criticized. But still Gregory really knew nothing on the slavery subject. He just didn't have the experience with slaves being from out West.
That's when they stopped at the house. "Good grief Gregory, why did we accept such a monstrous thing? The King must be very confident in your abilities." Elizabeth said with a slight smile. She was right, the house was huge.
"My abilities?"
"Of course he was right to be confident in you, wasn't he?" She said slightly touching her stomach, Gregory understood and laughed.
"Lovely wife, you never know. . . we could need an even larger house!" Her eyes got a little large at that.
"Dear husband, the king may have confidence in your abilities as such, but surely mine are not as great!" They all laughed as a house slave welcomed them inside.
"Well Hello!" Elizabeth said to the man. He continued looking at the floor. "What is your name, sir?"
"No one never call me sir before, Miss."
"You look like a sir to me! Could you show us the house please? Katie, David come along." Katie and David entered the house and they began their tour.
***
"This house is yours?" Katie asked sitting, more like plopping, down on the luxurious couch in the sitting room after their tour. "I do think we will get lost."
"Well, if you always have someone with you then you can be lost together."
"And, David, who do you propose this someone be?"
"Me of course." Everyone laughed. Elizabeth sat down next to Gregory.
"It is a bit overwhelming. Now how do we call that man in?"
"There should be a . . . ah yes here it is!" David pulled a cord next to the door and a woman appeared at the door. She did a deep curtsey.
"Yes masters?"
"We need to have a meeting." Gregory said to her kindly.
"You need me to send invitations?" She asked puzzeldly.
"Not that kind of meeting, a meeting with all the black folk that we er. . . own." The maid raised her head at that.
"Where sir?"
"In fr-"
"Behind the house. Tell everyone to be there before sunset." David cut in. "And if you could get the man in charge of our accounts, as well as tell us when dinner is."
"I dunno the man in charge of no accounts sir. Tom might know though, I'll tell him ta talk ta ya. The lady decides when dinner is sir."
"Ask the kitchen if dinner could be ready at five?"
"Yes miss." With that the maid pretty much ran out of the room.
"They aren't very friendly, are they?" David said blandly.
"Why should they be, they are slaves. I wouldn't be friendly either." Elizabeth replied. "Gregory?" Gregory was dazing into space.
"I don't understand why no one met us in town to show us around. I thought for sure there would be someone."
"Someone will show up tomorrow. They wouldn't have known when we were to arrive so I'm sure whoever was meant to show us around just decided to do it tomorrow." Elizabeth replied.
"In the next week we should really get involved with the neighborhood. Do you think you can hold up?"
"I'm pregnant Gregory, not sick. Besides some little girl would steal you away if I didn't go with you. Lets go for a walk in the gardens, dinner wont be for another hour or so. Would you like to come Katie? David?"
"No, I think we are fine here." Katie replied and David nodded.
***
"It's so peaceful here. In the gardens I mean."
"Yes, I know. Elizabeth . . . what is our purpose?"
"To be here I guess." Gregory sighed and they continued walking in silence.
"I just want my son to have the last name of Smith. Adams is so dull, boring even." Elizabeth giggled.
"Who says it's going to be a son? Let your mind rest, everything will work out in the end. After all my name used to be Stephanie. . . and now I am Elizabeth. I am used to it now, and I don't mind. We will always know we are the Smiths. But for now we are the Adams'."
***
"How did those two fall so deeply in love?" Katie asked David as Gregory and Stephanie left the room.
"They were lucky I guess."
"What are we going to do about the slaves? We can't just let them free them. It would cause a riot and then they wouldn't be able to get close to society and this trip will be a waste of time."
"Oh I don't think Gregory will free them. I just think he will do something in a quiet manor to make them happy. But they will end up free if he has to pick the cotton himself."
"Ruddy man, so noble. What do you plan to do here David?"
"Well I was looking for a wife-"
"Don't you dare! But now I'm going upstairs to explore my room, would you like to come with?" David's eyes got so large for a second Katie thought they might consume his face. "Don't think dirty David. Besides I have to choose a room first. There are so many, so exploring is much needed."
"Oh. . . ok." Still looking kind of dumbstruck David got up and followed Katie up the stairs. Katie smiled to herself. All was still going well. . . she just wished there was something, anything happening. The past few days were awful boring.
***
David didn't know what to do. It was extremely inappropriate to be upstairs with Katie unattended, and he was sure Gregory would be very angry if he found out. But Katie had talked him into it, and now they were exploring bedrooms without anyone to accompany them. "David! Look at this bed! Feel how cushy it is!" David was now really at a loss. Sitting on a bed, with Katie, with the door shut.
"I don't think it would be appropriate. Besides I think it is time for dinner."
"Fine then!" She gave him the pouty look he loved and hated so much and she jumped off the bed. "I was starting to get hungry anyway." David had no idea what to do with himself when she was around, Katie was just so . . . in control.
***
"This is fantastic!" Elizabeth exclaimed while eating the chicken that had been provided for them from the kitchen. The table was decked out with food and it was all Elizabeth could do to stop eating. She was eating for two, but still two didn't need this much. She saw David staring at her until he turned to Gregory.
"Gregory, its sunset and you planned to have that little meeting."
"Yes, right. Lets go then. Elizabeth, Katie, stay here." Elizabeth looked at him shocked as him and David got up and left the house. Stay there? What kind of a man could tell her to stay here! He could have just asked her and everything would have been ok. Katie looked just as angry, her cheeks were flushed and she was half rising out of her chair.
"Lets go Katie!"
"Sister, you always know best." Katie gave her a sneaky smile and they went to the parlor at the back of the house. Katie slightly opened the window and they sat to listen. Gregory had just began to talk.
"My name is Gregory Adams and I'm going to be your new master, sent by the King. However, as England has outlawed slavery I don't think its right to keep you as slaves, however it would cause a riot if I set you free. Do you understand?" The slaves all just looked shocked, dumbfounded, and a few actually laughed like it was a cruel joke. "So here are my intentions. Every other Saturday you will through the barn and get your wages from David, here." He motioned towards David. "It will be a penny every two weeks. You can spend it, keep it, do what you like and eventually you can buy your freedom. If you work well and I get good reports you can get a raise, if you don't work well then I can cut you off. You are excused." With those words Gregory turned around and entered the house with David following.
"You don't even know how to run a plantation. . . how are you going to be a slave owner?"
"I'm going to learn how to run a plantation and-" Gregory stopped when he saw Katie and Elizabeth in the parlor eagerly looking out the window. "And I really do hope I can get a new wife out of all this since mine is so very nosy!" Elizabeth turned around with a snap.
"Don't you ever command me to stay, or do something, anything. I am not someone to just be ordered around!" Elizabeth didn't know why she said it or why she was so mean about it. Gregory had been joking about the other wife but for some reason she snapped.
"I- I'm sorry?" Gregory said timidly.
"No! You aren't my commander or boss, you are my equal. Its high time you treat me like one!"
"Um-" But it was to late, Elizabeth was beginning to storm out of the parlor. As she brushed past them Gregory turned on his heel and ran to catch her. He did easily and quickly. Gregory grabbed a hold of her, hugged her from behind, turned her around and kissed Elizabeth so deeply that she thought she would faint. After the best kiss Elizabeth had ever had passed she couldn't be angry any longer.
"I forgive you! Do that every time I get angry and I will get angry on purpose!" She said in a small voice teasingly.
"Love, I will do it even when you aren't angry. Now lets go find our room."
"Just what I was thinking."
Reviewer Moment of the Day: Ok this was six pages without reviewer moment of the day, so I hope it was long enough lol.
Flamehail: Yes this was longer! Thanks again for the help with editing. Evil Katie. . .yes I must say it could be true. I do hope you weren't holding your breath for this long, because really its been a long time! Lol.
DragonLadyofAvalon: No I didn't have writers block these past few months haha but I just had school block. That's the worst I think!
ShadowsMidnightScandal: Thanks. . . sorry I didn't update soon!
Brook Oriley: Yes im glad Katie can use David, however who is using who. Dum dum duuum. Its ok you didn't review earlier b/c um yeah I haven't posted in forever
Aimee: Thanks! Yes Katie is a sneaky one. But not much about that in this chapter, just the settling in really.
Jilla de la Rio: Long reviews are always best! I know where I'm going just need time to write it all down lol. And yes Katie freakin rocks David's world!
Jenisita: Who knows about Katie . . . who knows if they will be switching times. They are getting comfortable don't ya think? Sorry if I confuse you!
MackenzieRose: Haha CIA watch out! Sorry, I did keep you waiting so long! Your stories are so freaking awesome! Just to let you know!
Passion101- Who knows, who knows.
LaFleurRouge: Katie is like 16ish I would say just so it isn't sick like. I thought I said how old they were earlier but I guess not. Who knows.
WeasleyTwinsLover1112: Haha you would have punched him in the face lol. Thanks
-Thanks to everyone for their reviews! I love you all and I hope you come back!