That night as they lay in Brax’s bed after another evening of lovemaking, he told her about Lottie’s visit. He left out the part about what made Lottie decide she didn’t want to marry. Instead, he said she wanted a love match.
“Good for her,” Raven said. “Mama and your father stopped by earlier. They’re heading to Philadelphia in the morning to see some old friends. They may or may not be back in time for the ball.”
Brax shook his head in amusement. “They’re having entirely too much fun.”
“Agreed.”
“Did you and Kate go to the market?”
“Yes. There will be real food in this house in the morning. She’s agreed to let me cook breakfast.”
“You’re a guest, Raven.”
“Do you want gumbo later for dinner or not?”
“Remaining silent here.”
She laughed. “Smart man.”
He asked, “How’d the meeting go with Lottie’s friends?”
“Not well. The head friend, I forget her name, was trying to treat me like Pearl Franklin did. She went around the room asking each woman what they considered their most accomplished undertaking was. One told us about the poetry she’d written. Another touted all the books she’d read. One mentioned having met Frederick Douglass. The in-charge one then looked at me and asked in her best Pearl Franklin voice if I had one.”
He began to laugh. “I can only imagine your response.”
“I told her I’d learned to gut and skin a rabbit at the age of twelve. Lottie laughed so hard the tea she’d been sipping came out of her nose. The others just stared with their mouths open. The one in charge was so distressed by my country girl response, she adjourned the meeting and everyone left. I told Lottie she might need to find better friends. Once she stopped laughing, she agreed.”
“You’re so incorrigible.”
“And proud to be.”
Over the next three weeks, Raven and Brax spent as much time together as they could. Histime was limited due to his role as the host of his grandfather’s ball, his work at the shop, and the many organizations he supported and volunteered his time with. With Raven’s help, Kate became a better cook and her husband no longer grumbled or threatened to trade her in when he came home from the sea. Raven and Lottie became fast friends. They shopped and talked, and Raven taught her how to make a perfect roux for gumbo, and answered all the questions the younger woman had about the physical aspects of marriage that her mother refused to discuss because proper women didn’t need to know such things.
But Raven most enjoyed her time with Brax, especially the day they took his sailboat out to one of the many islands off the coast and had a picnic. While there he told her how his grandfather and other abolitionist seamen helped escaped slaves. “The slaves in places like Maryland and Virginia would board ships headed north either aided by crewmen or by secreting themselves aboard, and jump ship at night near these islands. My grandfather and his friends took turns patrolling the area, and if they found anyone out here, they’d bring them to Boston and take them to a place where they could be helped. The fugitives would either move on into Canada or integrate themselves in the Beacon Hill community.”
“Something else I never knew.”
“It was a maritime escape route. Many fugitives found freedom that way.”
A few days later, a newspaper article featured something they both found interesting. Brax read aloud to Raven: “Local South Carolina legislator Aubrey Stipe found dead inside his home. Mr. Stipe was hacked to death with an ax wielded by his wife, Helen. She has been sent to a facility for hysterical women and will not be tried, according to police. No other details availableat this time.”
Raven shook her head and asked, “Would you like bread pudding or a cake for dessert tomorrow?”
“Bread pudding.”
The night of the ball, Kate helped Raven with her gown, and when she was done, Raven stood before the mirror and viewed herself in Miss Hattie’s gorgeous indigo silk creation. She loved the square bodice, the capped sleeves, the draped train on the back, and the delicate pleating on each side. It was the most beautiful garment Raven had ever worn in her life.
Kate said, “Braxton is going to be so enthralled when he sees you, he may never leave the house.”
“Thank you for your help.”
“You’re welcome, and if any of those witches try and disparage you, just curse them under your breath for me and walk away.”
She and Kate had become fast friends, too,and Raven couldn’t thank her enough for her kindness. “I will.”
With her hair up and her matching gloves and the gold hoops Brax had surprised her with for her ears, she felt like a queen indeed.
She all but floated down the staircase where he, dressed in a formal black suit and tails, stood waiting for her at the base.