Page 11 of Master of Paradise
On the long night watches he talked with theother men and asked questions of everything from the land, to thefood, the climate, and the way of life of the people of theSouth.
By the time they made port in Bermuda inearly January, Nicholas was tanned a deep mahogany, and hisshoulders were a few inches broader. He resembled a bronzed godwith turquoise eyes; a startling contrast against his darkskin.
When he reached the Port of Charleston, hewas excited to experience for himself the richness and color of hischosen land. Nicholas was enchanted. He found himself totallycaptivated by the languid pace of life, the grinning black faces,and the never-failing sunshine, warm even at the beginning ofFebruary. He soaked up and absorbed every detail like a sponge,ever thirsting for new sights, and smells, and tastes to savor.
From the day he saw his first planter mountedon a Thoroughbred arrive in town, followed by his elegant wife anddaughters in their carriage, who in turn were followed by awagon-filled with their black servants, he knew what he was goingto be. Deep down inside he believed that slavery was wrong, buthere in the South it was an accepted way of life, and when hethought about it, he acknowledged that it was much like the landedaristocracy of England.
It suddenly came to him that he was wastingvaluable time. It was as if he emerged from a dreamlike trance thathad held him spellbound.From this moment on I will make everyminute, every action, every thought count for something.
Nicholas got into a friendly game of poker,just to learn the ins and outs of the game. Blackjack, hediscovered, was his belovedvingt et un,and he wasdelighted that these Southern gentlemen loved to gamble as much ashe did.
By the third evening in Charleston, he'd wona horse and a body servant. He felt ambivalent about owning aslave, especially when the ownership paper was made over to him,and he saw in black and white, so to speak, that the man known asSamuel, approximately thirty-five years old, was now the propertyof Nicholas Peacock.
Samuel was a pleasant-looking man with a highhead and an unceasing supply of dignity. He was slim and straightand had a distinguishing touch of gray upon the tight wool of hishead. His nose was thin and hooked, and he looked down itoften.
Nicholas soon discovered that Samuel wasgoing to be one of the most significant encounters he would make inhis life. He was a never-ending surprise. He knew everything thatwas worth knowing about everywhere and everyone. He had spent hislife in the homes of rich Southern families, where gossip had beena way of life. Nicholas was amused to discover that Samuel was anunmitigated snob, who looked down upon no-account white trash,field hands, house servants,et al.
The two men formed an instant bond with astrong rapport, and amazingly they had no trouble understandingeach other. The crisp, clean phrases of the Englishman acted ascounterpoint to the soft drawl of his man-servant, and Nicholas hadthe distinct impression that Samuel owned him rather thanvice-versa.
Nicholas had only to voice a desire andSamuel took over and brought the desire to fruition. Nick remarkedthat he preferred living in a house rather than a hotel room, soSamuel took him on a small walking tour to show him some housesthat were being offered for rent.
They walked up Savage, a street that ran offon an angle from Tradd Street. Nicholas found the houses on Traddso much to his liking that he was hard put to choose one. Theypassed the quaint Sword Gate Inn, which was number 111, and number75 was a big three-story house with stables. Then Nicholas saw theone he wanted: Number 26 Tradd Street. It was a little pastel pinkhouse set back from the others. The cobblestone street led up tothree brick steps and an exquisite miniature garden with a ceramiccat climbing the garden wall. The house was tall and narrow with atiny balcony on the second floor surrounded by iron railings.
Samuel haggled the rent, explaining that suchnegotiations were beneath the dignity of his master, who was agreat English Lord.
"Samuel, my father was an English Lord, but Iam not. Must you exaggerate?"
"Ah must, Masta Nick. Thass the way it'sdone." They exchanged conspiratorial grins and moved into thehouse. All was accomplished on credit. Not one red cent had beenexpended.
Samuel advised him where to conduct all hisbusiness, took him to the best tailor, and told him which bank touse. He never tired of offering Nicholas his sage advice. "MastaNick, ah have observed in dis life that success depends entirelyupon attitude. Start out as y'all mean to carry on. Ma formula isbased purely on 'as if'. Act 'as if' y'all owned the world, an'someday, y'all will."
Nicholas was vastly amused and agreed withmost of the things Samuel said. "My tastes are simple, Samuel; I'malways satisfied with the best."
"Masta Nick, thass the attitude,egzactly!"
Nicholas made no secret of the fact that hewanted land; as much as he could beg, borrow or steal, and withland actually going for as much as fifty dollars an acre in someareas, it was time to break out the peacocks.
The banker, Gabriel DuBose, a small Frenchmanwith delicate features, was immediately taken with the Orientalbirds, and declared it would be tantamount to sacrilege to melt thebirds down for their gold bullion. He assured his new client thatgiven a few days he would be able to secure a buyer who would bewilling to pay a price at least triple their bullion value.
Samuel stood behind his master, holding theart pieces with more arrogance than an emperor.
Nicholas agreed to let DuBose hold onto thepeacocks in exchange for a receipt for their total weight. Eachbird weighed slightly more than twenty pounds, so his receipt wasfor six hundred and fifty ounces of gold on deposit.
As usual, Samuel's advice on where best tobuy land proved correct. They would follow the River Ashley inlandand buy somewhere between Charleston and the Capital of Columbia.Nicholas realized that the land would be much cheaper if it neededclearing or draining. He would need men and mules to clear the landand get in a crop for this year.From now on, when I gamble, Iwill only wager for mules or slaves.
When Nick received word from DuBose that hehad a buyer willing to pay twenty-five thousand dollars for thepeacocks, he did not hesitate. Possibly he could have held out formore, but to Nicholas time was money and less a decent commissionfor the bank, he had received thrice their worth in bullion. Heclosed his eyes and silently thanked his brother Philip.SomedayI will return the favor.
The next day Nicholas packed a mule and heand Samuel set out to find the chosen place.
Chapter Three
Amanda Virginia Jackson awoke the moment thefirst rays of sunshine filtered through her closed jalousies. Shecautiously opened golden eyes and curbed her impatience to jumpfrom bed and fling herself into the plans she had made for themorning. She knew one false move and all her fine plans would becrushed by the heavy hand of Mammy Lou who could almost see whatwent on clear inside Amanda's head, in her private, secret space.It was a constant game of cat and mouse to keep just one small stepahead of Mammy Lou.
Amanda's long black lashes that framed theunusual golden eyes swept down to her cheeks as she closed her eyesand feigned sleep the moment she heard the unmistakable tread ofthe old servant. She smelled the hot chocolate and freshly bakedbiscuits, along with the delicious aroma of cured ham, and hermouth watered in anticipation. She was aware that her youngappetite was occasionally larger than was proper for a delicate andrefined Southern girl.
Slowly, slowly, she opened sleep-heavyeyelids and yawned wide. "Oh Mammy, I'm so fatigued, I declare Icould sleep for a month of Sundays."
"Y'all fatigued? What yo' think ol' Mammy is?Ah spent two whole hours pickin' de burs from yore hair, Miz Mandy,an' then ah had to use Miz Jenny's best face cream to finish dejob. An' then ah had to wash an' dry yore hair before y'all couldgo to bed!"
