Page 89 of Master of Paradise
When Amanda made her usual evening visit toMiss Louise, she was upset to find the young mare down in thestall. What she feared, labor, had indeed begun. Brutus and Ben hadfed and watered the horses and mules, and she appealed to them forhelp.
Brute said, "We jist pays dem no-never-mindand dey manages, Miz Mandy.
"Fetch more clean straw, a couple ofblankets, and light me a lantern. I'm going to stay with her."
They had learned that it was best not toargue with the master's wife. She had a mind of her own.
The young mare labored through the night withno visible results. Amanda alternated with soothing words andcaresses for her beloved Miss Louise, and curses for Nicholas fornot returning in time. "Damn him to blazes, the wretch should havebeen back a week ago, yes and could have been if he'd wanted to!"Then she thought of the dangers of slipping past the blockade andfelt her heart hammering with fear. Then after another scream fromMiss Louise, she was back cursing Nicholas.
"Tabernac! Taberush! He let that damned greatSunblood service you and the foal is too big to come." Sheoverlooked the fact that it had probably been her own carelessnessin leaving her mare with his stallion.
By morning she was frantic and knew if thecolt wasn't born soon, she would lose the mare. Finally, somesweet-smelling fluid escaped and one spindly leg presented itself.She didn't dare pull on it because she feared harming both motherand colt.
As Nicholas turned the hired carriage intothe lane-way lined with the towering cathedral-like oak trees, hegrinned at Philip. "Welcome to Paradise." He stopped the carriagebefore the white-pillared magnificence of the plantation house.
Samuel was there to welcome Nicholas home andhand down the luggage to the house servants.
Philip spoke up. "I'll take the carriage tothe stables. I'm dying to look about. You go on in to that wifeyou've been longing for."
The moment Philip drove the carriage into thestable, eager hands took over to unhitch the horses, and hestrolled through the stables that were even larger than those atPeacock Hall in England.
Mandy saw the tall young man and cried, "Doyou know anything about horses?"
He looked down at the beautiful girl with thegolden eyes filled with apprehension, and the mare obviously infoal. "Yes, actually I do," he replied in his clipped Britishaccent.
"Thank God," she breathed. "She presented oneleg but we'll need two hooves. Get that rope over that stall andwe'll see if we can help her."
Philip was so close to her, he could see thetiny beads of perspiration on her forehead and feel her breath onhis cheek as she found two hooves and pulled. The foal began toemerge from its mother, then with a gush, the shoulders and headslipped out along with the birth sack. Miss Louise staggered to herfeet visibly relieved, and began to nuzzle the little creature inthe straw.
"Oh, you did it!" Mandy cried, overjoyed. Sheleaped up and threw her arms about Philip with deliriousgratitude.
He picked some straw from her hair andlaughed. "Nay sweetheart, you did it, the laurels are yours." As helooked at her, he knew he had fallen hopelessly in love.
Amanda blushed. "I'm sorry, I don't even knowyour name, sir."
"It's Philip... Philip Peacock."
Her head flew up and her hand went to herthroat. "Nicholas! Nicholas is home?" She was off and running, butnot before Philip had glimpsed the exquisite joy that hadtransformed her.
Amanda rushed headlong into the beautifullydecorated main room of Paradise with its cool peacock blue andivory furnishings. Nicholas was surrounded by Mammy Lou in hersnowy, starched apron and tignon. Jennifer Joy, dressed in frilledprimrose muslin, and Philip's mother, Pamela, gowned in elegantgray and pink. They stared at her stained gown and disheveled hairwith disbelief and dismay. Only Nicholas seemed unaware of thedeplorable picture she presented as his eyes lit up, and he swungher about with delight.
"Nicholas, however did you get past theblockade?" she cried breathlessly, tears of relief threatening tospill over.
"I slipped up the Santee River to theIntracoastal Waterway. Didn't even go into Charleston where Ifigured patrols would be waiting. Sweetheart, you mustn't worryabout me. Blockade running is just a game. We have athree-thousand-mile coastline and they can't patrol everywhere atonce." Finally, he became aware that the other females in the roomwere staring with disapproval at his wife. Then he noticed herdishevelment.
"I'm sorry I look so frightful, but I've beenup all night with Miss Louise. She's just foaled-- do come andsee."
Nicholas raised his eyes as Philip enteredthe room. "Amanda, I want you to meet my brother, Philip."
She turned and the two young people lookedinto each other's eyes and a secret passed between them. "We'vealready met."
Philip looked at his brother and thoughtagain for perhaps the thousandth time in his life that Nicholas hadeverything. Looks, strength, a powerful body and now he hadParadise. Philip knew he could bear it all philosophically, yetthere was one thing Nicholas had that he would always covet: thisgirl, this wife, thisAmanda Virginia.
"This is Philip's mother, Pamela."
"Please forgive my appearance," murmuredAmanda. "I'll go up and change at once."
Mammy let out an audible sigh of relief andfollowed her up the staircase. This time she knew herself on safeground; this time she knew Mandy deserved her prating.
