Page 14 of The Condemned (Echoes from the Past #6)

EIGHT

Mary’s breath caught in her throat as they approached John’s plantation.

She leaned forward, straining to see her new home.

At last, it came into view. The house, or more accurately cabin, was built entirely of wood.

It wasn’t very large but looked sturdy and well proportioned.

There were two outbuildings and a well in the middle of the yard, which was surrounded by a wooden fence.

“That’s to keep the larger animals out,” John explained as he helped her down from the wagon.

“Larger animals?”

“Like deer. They’ll decimate the kitchen garden given the chance.”

John led Mary toward the house. The door opened and a woman stepped out onto the narrow porch.

She appeared to be a few years older than Mary and was attractive in a lush, overblown sort of way.

Whereas Mary was short and thin, the woman was of a goodly height, and had the full breasts and rounded hips men found so appealing.

Her hair, which peeked from beneath her linen cap, was very fair, and her eyes large and blue.

Despite her smile of welcome, she wore the careworn expression of someone who’d had much sorrow to contend with.

“Welcome, mistress,” she said and bowed her head.

“Thank you. I’m Mary.”

“Travesty Brown, ma’am.”

Travesty stepped aside and Mary entered the cabin, followed by John.

The interior smelled of pine and stewing meat, and Mary’s mouth watered with hunger.

She hadn’t had a home-cooked meal in two months and hadn’t eaten anything since a meager breakfast of gruel and ale that morning.

Her stomach growled but thankfully not loudly enough for John and Travesty to hear.

Mary looked around. The cabin was divided into two distinct parts.

On one side was a quilt-covered bed and a wooden trunk that also served as a nightstand.

A pewter candlestick and some personal items rested on the lid.

On the opposite side was the hearth, a table and two benches, and a shelf that held cooking utensils and jars.

In the center, effectively dividing the cabin in two, was a ladder that provided access to a loft.

There were two windows, both facing the front of the cabin, that were outfitted with a length of rolled-up leather that could be lowered to cover the window.

There were also wooden shutters that could be inserted during cold and inclement weather, but at the moment, they rested against the wall.

The cabin was clean and tidy, and very cozy.

“John, it’s wonderful,” Mary said and meant it.

“I’m glad you like it. Mary, I must go out for a time. Simon’s been in the fields on his own since morning, and he’ll be needing my help. Travesty will help you settle in, and once Simon and I return, we’ll all sup together to celebrate your arrival.”

Mary’s face heated with embarrassment and she stared at the tips of her shoes. “I don’t have anything but the clothes I stand up in. Not much settling in required.”

John smiled and walked over to the chest. He removed the items from the lid and opened it, taking out a length of russet-colored cloth.

“When I learned I was to finally have a wife, I purchased this in anticipation. Please accept it as a wedding gift. There should be enough here for a new gown, and there’s some linen as well, for a new undergarment. ”

“Oh, John, thank you,” Mary cried. “I’m afraid I don’t have a wedding gift for you.”

“You being here is gift enough. ”

John handed her the cloth, kissed her chastely on the forehead, and left.

Mary fingered the cloth. It was finely woven and thick, the type of cloth that would wear well and stand up to repeated washing.

And the russet would go well with her own coloring.

Her chestnut hair and blue eyes weren’t enhanced by drab colors—not that she’d ever been given a choice in the past. Her faded blue skirt and brown bodice were hand-me-downs from Agnes, and much worn.

“You must be hungry,” Travesty said. “I’m making stew for supper, but there’s bread, butter, and fresh milk to tide you over.”

“Yes, thank you. I am hungry. I haven’t had a proper meal since I left England.”

Travesty nodded, possibly recalling her own voyage across the Atlantic. “Come and sit down, then.”

“Won’t you join me?” Mary asked. She wasn’t at all sure how one was supposed to treat an indentured servant, but she was grateful Travesty was there.

To have another woman to talk to was more than she could have hoped for.

With John and Simon out in the fields all day, the cabin would get lonely, and she expected the only time she’d see other settlers would be when they went to church on Sunday.

Mary hoped she’d have a chance to see the women she’d arrived with, particularly Nell and Betsy, and hear about their homecoming.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Travesty said. She poured two cups of milk, put out a dish of butter, and set a pan filled with something round and yellow on the table. The contents smelled unfamiliar, and a little sweet. Travesty cut two thick slices and put one on a plate for Mary.

“Thank you, but what is that?”

“It’s bread made of maize. Or cornbread, as some like to call it. It’s very tasty once you get used to it. ”

Mary broke off a piece and put in into her mouth. The bread was grainy and crumbled on her tongue, but it had a pleasant, if unfamiliar, flavor.

“Do you like it? It tastes better with butter.”

Mary buttered her slice and took a good bite. “Yes, I like it,” she declared. “I do believe this is the first time I’ve tasted something new.”

“Enjoy it, then. I daresay you’ll be experiencing many new things in this foreign land.”

Mary longed to ask Travesty all kinds of questions but didn’t wish to put the woman off with her prying. They’d talk more in time, but for now, she had other concerns.

“Travesty, I’d like to wash my clothes. The quartermaster allowed us some water for washing, but there wasn’t enough left to wash my gown and it’s terribly soiled.”

“Well, there’s an easy enough way to fix that. There’s a creek ’bout a quarter mile from here. We go there to bathe, and to wash our things when weather permits. You can see to your needs, and I will wash out your gown. It’ll dry by the time the master returns.”

“Will it really?” At home, it took days to dry anything. Clothes either steamed dry in front of the fire or were hung outside, but were still damp by the time Mary brought them in.

“Oh, yes,” Travesty replied. “The sun is that much hotter here than it was back home,” she said wistfully. “’Tis my second summer here, and I still can’t get accustomed to the infernal heat.”

Mary finished her meal and got up from the table, ready to follow Travesty to the creek, but Travesty wasn’t ready to go.

She covered the butter dish, stowed away the jug of milk on a shelf, then brushed the crumbs off the table and wiped the plates with a rag, setting them on the shelf next to the milk.

Mary liked Travesty’s diligence and wondered if she should have offered to help her tidy up.

Travesty didn’t seem to expect it, so Mary waited patiently until Travesty finished what she was doing.

Travesty was about to follow Mary out the door when she remembered something and turned back to grab a cake of soap and slip it into the pocket of her apron.

They walked down a narrow footpath that led toward dense woods. Mary hung back, suddenly frightened, but Travesty’s step was confident and brisk. They walked in single file until the woods gave way to a clearing, where a creek flowed merrily between grass-covered banks dappled by golden sunlight.

“Shall I wash your shift?” Travesty asked as she knelt by the water’s edge. “I always wash mine while I bathe.”

Mary’s shift was damp with sweat after the hot ride to the plantation, but she couldn’t remove it in front of Travesty and allow the other woman to see her nakedness. It wouldn’t be proper, so Mary shook her head. “I’ll keep it on.”

“All right. Suit yourself,” Travesty replied.

Mary peered at her. Did Travesty regularly bathe in the creek naked?

Surely, she wouldn’t risk it with two single men nearby.

Mary couldn’t help but wonder how she’d managed all this time.

She was a beautiful woman, and still young.

Surely the men were well aware of her charms. How had they resisted falling into sin? Or had they?

Mary stepped into the water. At first, it seemed too cold, but after a few moments, it became deliciously refreshing.

Mary dipped down and wet her hair. It wasn’t as greasy and lank as it had been after months on board, but it could use a proper wash now that she had an unlimited supply of clean water.

Mary lathered it with the coarse soap Travesty had given her and rinsed it out twice.

Having finished bathing, she came out and sat down on the grassy bank.

A gentle breeze caressed her face and she felt pleasantly cool in her wet shift.

She took a deep breath. This place even smelled different from England.

There was an underlying hint of rich earth beneath the fecund smell of sun-warmed vegetation.

The air was heavier too somehow, moister, and the sun hotter, even in the shade.

“Does it get much hotter than this?” she asked Travesty, who’d finished washing out the skirt and bodice and hung them on a low branch to dry.

“Oh yes. July and August can be brutal. There are days when there isn’t a breath of air, just relentless heat.”

“Do you miss home, Travesty?”

Travesty’s gaze slid away from Mary, her eyes fixed on the opposite bank. “At times.”

“Where are you from?”

“London.”

Mary remained silent, hoping Travesty would reveal more details of her previous life, but the older woman grew quiet and pensive. All in good time , Mary told herself.

“Thank you for washing my things,” Mary said. “I was afraid John would take one look at me and send me packing.”

“Any woman who comes to these shores is welcomed and valued, even the likes of me.”

Mary nodded in acknowledgment, unsure what to say. Travesty was comely, but the wariness in her narrowed gaze and the stern line of her mouth were impossible to hide. Mary wondered if there was a story behind her unflattering name but didn’t ask for fear of being impertinent.

After sitting in companionable silence until Mary’s clothes were dry enough to wear, they made their way back to the cabin.

“Perhaps you’d like to rest for a bit,” Travesty suggested once they were indoors.

“Is there nothing I can help you with? ”

“You’ll have your hands full soon enough, mistress. Lay down your head. Today is your wedding day.”

The words startled Mary. She’d quite forgotten she had been wed only hours ago.

Nothing felt quite real in this green world where there were no signs of human habitation as far as the eye could see.

Mary lay down on John’s bed and slipped into a fitful sleep, dreaming of churning waves, strange men, and leafy tunnels that led nowhere.