Page 87 of Master of Paradise
Jennifer was finally silenced when Mrs. WadeHampden came to call on Amanda to see if they could spare anyfields to plant food for the army. She insisted it was the leastshe could do to support the war effort by growing food crops andasking the other plantations to do the same.
Amanda knew there were still unsown fields atthe Jackson Plantation, so agreed to put in corn, peas, andpotatoes.
She gathered every available servant,including Mammy and a very pregnant Cleo. She bullied Jennifer intohelping, and with Porter and Fanny, they all trooped over to theJackson land to sow the food crops.
Amanda fell into bed exhausted every night,but she felt a sense of accomplishment, and it certainly cut downon the hours she lay awake worrying over Nicholas. She knew theUnion Navy had seized the schooner Savannah just off the coast andthe blockade was tightening.
The Rattlesnake reached England in recordtime. Nicholas had the skipper weigh anchor at Birkenhead, theshipbuilding capital at the mouth of the Mersey where Bullock wouldput in his order for the six ironclads. Then they docked atLiverpool.
The Rattlesnake was one of the first ships toarrive since the blockade had been imposed, and cotton brokersswarmed aboard to outbid each other for the precious bales that hadrun the blockade.
The ship needed its steam engine completelygone over so that the trip back would be speedy and without mishap,and Nicholas did not feel like kicking his heels in Liverpool, aport with which he was unfamiliar.
His longing for Amanda was almostunendurable. It seemed more than a separation; it felt more like anamputation, for she was part of him. He had tossed restlessly inhis bunk as the ship crossed the Atlantic, and when he did fallinto an exhausted sleep, it was filled with voluptuous dreams ofhis beautiful, fragile Amanda. The dreams were never satisfying--they were always elusive and very, very frustrating. He swore thatwhen he returned to Paradise, things would be different. He wouldput an end to the ridiculous facade of the marriage in name only,and take her to his chamber and his bed, where she belonged.
Once his feet were back on English soil,Nicholas began to long for a glimpse of his old home where he hadspent his boyhood. Philip, too, invaded his thoughts. He would be aman of twenty-one now, and he longed to know how his brother hadfared.
Nicholas made up his mind in five minutes. Hetook the railway train to London, then hired a carriage and drovehimself into Kent to Peacock Hall. He tooled his carriage up thedriveway and stopped at the coach house. He did not recognize anyof the stablemen or gardeners, so he spoke to the man whoapproached his carriage. "Is Lord Peacock in residence?"
The man spat on the ground and his voice wasfilled with contempt. "Lord Peacock? He's not the paymaster here.You'd be wanting Mr. Chetwynd, sir, but he left for London thismorning."
Nicholas, in quelling tones, said, "I mostdefinitely would not be wanting Mr. Chetwynd. Good day." Leavingthe man open-mouthed, he drove up the driveway to the house.
He knocked loudly on the door, and it was amoment or two before a maid appeared. "Is Lord Peacock at home?" heasked shortly.
"I'm afraid he's not seeing anyone at themoment, sir."
"Well, I'm not leaving without seeing him.I've come too far for that. Is his mother at home?" hedemanded.
"Mrs. Chetwynd is indisposed, sir," parrotedthe girl.
"Nonsense, she'll see me. Tell her it'sNicholas Peacock, and I won't take no for an answer."
He shivered at the chill in the air, andthought with longing of the warm sunshine of Carolina.
The maid returned and led him into thedrawing room.
Pamela had been sitting in a dim corner, butas Nicholas entered the room, she stood and took a step towardhim.
She looked as if she could hardly believe hereyes that this magnificent man was the same Nicholas Peacock shehad thrown out five years before. He had always been a handsome,well-made youth, but the man who stood before her now was matureand totally self-assured, with an aura of wealth about him.
As Nicholas looked at Pamela he saw that timehad not been kind to her. Her lovely rounded softness haddisappeared and she looked thin, almost ill. Then he noticed with ashock that her face carried an ugly bruise down one side, and sheheld her arm stiffly, as if it pained her.
"I came to see Philip," Nicholas saidbluntly.
She held herself proudly for one moment, thenher face crumpled. "Oh Nicholas, I bitterly regret my actionstoward you the day your father died."
He waited, knowing there was more tocome.
"I married Peter Chetwynd much to my sorrow.He was only after my money, and the estate."
Nicholas glanced about the walls and noticedquite a few valuable paintings were gone. "The estate andeverything in it belongs to Lord Peacock," he said withemphasis.
"Oh God, it's not that simple. You knowChetwynd is a barrister with a law firm. He appointed himselfPhilip's legal guardian until he turns twenty-five. Even then Ifear he will find some legal loophole to keep everything."
"He beats you?" Nicholas asked withoutemotion.
"Yes," she said low.
