"Listen to Livetta," Colt said ominously. "Hold your tongue, or you will regret it." He turned to Aunt Augusta. "It's time she knew the truth."

Aunt Augusta's face hardened. "Not another word from any of you."

When I looked at Aunt Augusta, she turned away. This was between her and me, and the subtle flinch in her brow let me know my arrowed words had p.r.i.c.ked her thick skin. Believing the consequences could get no worse, I began my next a.s.sault.

"You are a disgrace to the memory of my mother, and I despise-"

"Don't say no more," Livie whispered in my ear. "Not until you know the whole of it." Livie climbed back up through the open carriage door. She looked at me oddly, then looked over at Aunt Augusta. Aunt Augusta's chin quivered. After a brief pause, she nodded to Livie. Livie smiled, then lifted the top of the bench seat she had been sitting on inside the carriage. She reached inside and pulled Jameson up into her arms.

"But how . . ." I sputtered. "I just saw the baby with Tessie at the cabin."

Colt stepped alongside me. "Tessie was holding an empty bundle. So no one would get suspicious, especially if Twitch goes to the cabin looking for James."

A hand came up out of the hidden compartment, and with Livie's help, James squeezed upright in the box and lifted himself onto his knees. Aunt Augusta handed him a jug of water and cool rag as he stretched his stiff, sore body. Sensing I had been knocked unsteady, Colt put his hand on my shoulder. I could not look in his eyes after the cruel things I had said, but so many questions were rushing through my mind.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to tell you," he said, still reeling from my attack. "Truly I did. I believed it was time for you to know."

"I forbade him to involve you," Aunt Augusta said with resigned ease. "Our purpose cost your mother her life. I vowed you would be kept safe. It is vital to maintain a certain appearance, a stance at such extreme odds with the abolitionist movement, it would never be questioned. I wanted to protect you from a life filled with lies and hidden activities; however, in doing so, I denied you the truth. Amazingly, you found truth of your own seeded within you. Perhaps a piece of your mother and father unearthed and nurtured. You are so much like them, strong and committed to your beliefs."

I was shocked by what she was saying, yet her eyes reflected genuine warmth where before I had seen only ice. Winston smiled and nodded, confirming all she said. She was not selling Livie to punish me. Aunt Augusta was attempting to save Livie and her family. Livie handed the baby to Aunt Augusta, then climbed down from the carriage.

"I am glad you came after us," she said, touching my cheek. "Now we can have a proper good-bye."

"Where are they taking you?"

"Same place as Fatima," she said. "You and me didn't know it then, but when Miz 'Gusta found out about what Ma.s.sa Reynolds was doin' to Fatima, she took her up near c.u.mberland Gap and give her to a man folks think is a slave trader, but instead of takin' slaves south, he moves 'em north to settlements where slaves ain't slaves no more. Dey livin' free."

"Fatima is free?" I said, turning to Aunt Augusta.

"We believe so," Aunt Augusta said with humble satisfaction. "I don't always know where their journey leads them after my role is complete. But I do know she made safe pa.s.sage with the friend I left her with."

With my arm around Livie, I stepped closer to the carriage to face Aunt Augusta. "How could I have been so wrong about you?"

"No mo' blind than me," Livie said with rea.s.surance. "Imagine what I was thinkin' when Mista Colt come to get me last night. After him and Miz 'Gusta revealed what needed doin', I almost fainted flat out."

"All this time you have been moving runaways through Hillcrest?" Meaningless moments reshuffled in my mind. I remembered Marcus telling me the "welcome light" was glowing from the window when he boldly approached our back door that first night. I thought of Winston keeping the lanterns snuffed on Christmas Eve when we had a house full of guests. Now all the nights when Aunt Augusta's lamp burned continually or was darkened for weeks at a time made sense. Even Winston's we've got a secret we've got a secret grin had new meaning. grin had new meaning.

Aunt Augusta smiled, taking my outstretched hand in hers. "We have a great deal to talk about. But it will have to wait until I return. We must play out this scene to ensure Livetta's safe exodus. You and Colton must return at once."

I turned to Livie, whose eyes were moist with emotion but now had the unmistakable glimmer of hope. I was not prepared to say good-bye, but her journey to freedom could not be achieved until our path together came to an end. She reached inside her collar and pulled out the rawhide securing the gift I had given her for Christmas.

"Soon I'll be able to wear this ring fo' all the world to see it. Won't have to keep it out o' sight underneath my clothes, same as you hide the one I made fo' you."

I pressed my hand to my chest and felt the ring hanging from my neck, hidden from view for months. She gathered me into a farewell embrace. Accompanied by tears and kisses, I whispered, "I love you, Livie, and shall never forget you."

"I love you too," she said, stepping back, but not letting go of my hands. She raised them to the arch of our promise bridge. "We will always be friends. Our bond is everlasting and will be pa.s.sed onto our children, and through us they will be connected too. Maybe not face-to-face, but it will be in their hearts, where the seeds of love and respect are sown. They will know the possibility and it will bridge them, as it did us."

I clutched Livie's hands. "I am so happy you are on your way to freedom, because you must find a new path to keep moving forward. You are on your way, Liv."

"You must not view this as an ending," Aunt Augusta interjected gently. "We are part of a momentous beginning. We are sowing seeds that will grow and be harvested for years to come. There will always be weeds and varmints threatening its abundance, and perhaps stormy weather damaging its root from time to time. But even within this plague of slavery, we have found a way to seed a promising crop. Each of us has nurtured it in our own way, and the fruit born of this new field of opportunity will feed generations to come. If tended to properly, the harvest will never end."

There was so much I wanted to say, but Colt abruptly stepped between us and pointed toward the top of the hill. "Someone's coming!" The rumble of approaching horses was unmistakable, although they had not yet crested the hill.

"Get back in the carriage, Livetta," Aunt Augusta instructed. "Hurry, before we are seen."

Colt lifted Livie into the carriage as James wedged himself back into the small compartment. Aunt Augusta handed Jameson back to Livie, who settled him in with James. The lid was then closed and Livie sat down on top of it. Colt swept me back in place on his horse and leapt up behind me. "Go, Winston! We'll try to delay them."

Winston raised his reins, but Aunt Augusta called to him, "No, Winston. If we run, we are declaring our guilt. We must remain calm and look them in the eye. It is the only way to maintain the system."

Her words sealed our fate, but it was too late for any alternative. Two hors.e.m.e.n roared up over the hill and into sight. As was everyone's dreadful expectation, the pursuing riders were Twitch and w.i.l.l.y Jack. Dust twisted like a cyclone as they closed the distance. Seeing we remained at a standstill, they eased their gallop. w.i.l.l.y Jack circled and positioned himself in front of the carriage horses, blocking them from any movement. Twitch swung in around Colt and me, his dead eye caked with dirt and the other flashing bitter vengeance. He yanked his horse toward the carriage, bending from his saddle far enough to level his glare on Livie.

"You playin' me fo' a fool?" Twitch stared down at Aunt Augusta. "Where you all goin' with this wench?"

Aunt Augusta's face had transformed back into the cool, hard mask I was used to seeing. She did not waver at the deadly threat Twitch posed. She snapped at him with icy impatience. "What business do any of you have in chasing me down and delaying my trip? First Colton and my hysterical niece ride out to challenge me. Now you? There better be good reason, or I shall level quick consequence."

"James is missin'. He broke free of his chains and ran off."

"That is no concern of mine," she said, waving him off. "James and the child are Mooney's investment. I am sure you will have no trouble tracking your errant buck. He could not have gone far in his condition."

Twitch paced his horse close to the carriage, scanning the interior. "Went to find out what this uppity slave knows about it, and found her gone too. Don't need no schoolin' to put two and two together. The slave girl tendin' the child didn't want to say where Livetta had gone, but a glimpse of my whip had her flappin' her tongue about you ridin' off quick and secretlike."

"She is correct, not that you are deserving of an explanation." Aunt Augusta leaned out from her window as though scolding a child. "I have deemed Livetta's presence in my household as disruptive and not in Hannalore's best interest. My niece has grown misguided by Livetta's manipulation and plea for sympathy. I am selling Livetta to teach them both a lesson about the necessity of maintaining place and order."

I followed Aunt Augusta's lead and burst into orchestrated tears, an easy feat, since my emotions were so close to the surface. "I hate you, Aunt Augusta! And I will never forgive you for taking Livie from me. Upon learning of your vicious plan, I demanded Colt bring me to you, so we could stop you."

"Did you really think I would give consideration to your ranting?" She delivered her words with the sting of a viper, but when she looked at me, her eyes no longer masked the kindness behind the charade. "Child, you will thank me for this one day."

Twitch scowled at me, satisfied I was finally getting the discipline I deserved. His horse plodded a few steps so he could angle his eye on Livie, who sat with her head down and hands folded.

"Not feelin' so uppity now, is you, girl?"

"No, sah, Ma.r.s.e," she said contritely, without looking up.

"What do you know about James runnin' off?"

"Don't know nothin', sah. Ain't seen him since you fetched him from the cabin. Don't care none neither; 'cuz o' him I ain't gonna see nor hold my baby no more." Livie spoke in a detached monotone reflecting the spirit of a broken slave, complete with tears of resignation. "Hope he rots at the bottom o' de swamp fo' what he done."

"You brought it on yourself, girl," Twitch said carefully, examining her demeanor and words. He then leaned in and taunted her with a smile. "I warned you I would be watchin' you. By midday comin', your child will be sold to the highest bidder. Remember me when you think of your lost child every day fo' the rest of your worthless life."

With a kick of his heels, Twitch pulled the horse back around toward Aunt Augusta. He tugged his hat with obligatory impatience rather than respect. "Sorry for holdin' you up, Augusta. I best be gettin' back to the hounds befo' that darky's tracks get cold. Let's go, w.i.l.l.y Jack."

Aunt Augusta nodded as the two men pointed their horses to leave, but before the knot in my stomach could unravel, a baby's soft whimper rose in the air, causing us all to freeze. It stopped as quickly as it started; however, Twitch swung his horse back toward Livie. His ears were alive like his awakened hound's scanning for a sound in the night.

"What in the devil was that noise?"

Not one of us breathed. Our eyes shifted from one to the other, hoping someone could snuff the powder keg about to explode. They strode back toward us, Twitch's eyes targeted on Livie. He opened his coat, revealing the pistol tucked in his belt.

"It came from her, Ma.r.s.e," w.i.l.l.y Jack said evenly. To our surprise, he was pointing at me.

As if on cue, I sniffled and whimpered just enough to mimic Jameson's cry without overdoing it. "Please, don't take Livie away, Aunt Augusta. I beg of you."

Aunt Augusta chimed in before Twitch could look closer. "Twitch.e.l.l, take Colton and Hannalore back to Hillcrest with you. I am weary of her whining, and I do not wish to lose any more time. Obviously, Colton is swayed by her tears, so I need someone I can trust to see her home."

Her request unbalanced him enough to distract him from questioning the cry further. w.i.l.l.y Jack's declaration had satisfied Twitch, and the thought of being in Aunt Augusta's good graces at Colt's expense stroked his ego.

"I will be happy to chase these two on their way," he said, losing interest in Livie. He growled at Colt and me, knowing there would be no reprimand. "Let's go. I got a slave to wrangle."

Though the danger had pa.s.sed, my tears did not end. Their flow was real and deeply tapped. Livie and I were about to be parted. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she pressed the palm of her hand over the ring hanging from her neck. I pressed mine to my heart as well, and held out my hand, knowing our promise bridge was ever connected, even though our hands could no longer touch. I mouthed four final words.

In my heart always.

Chapter 32.

"Please forgive me, Colt," I said, clinging to his waist as he halted his horse in the front yard of Hillcrest. "I did not mean the harsh things said to you earlier."

Colt shifted in his saddle to disengage me. "Your words delivered the damage they were meant to inflict." He braced me by the arm and lowered me to the ground. Colt did not dismount, but looked down at me with eyes dimmed by strain and sadness. "Your attack on my character has pierced my heart."

"Say it isn't so." I reached out, desperately seeking to reconnect. "I was crazed with fear for Livie's life. Nothing made sense, and in my panic I struck out at you unfairly. I am so sorry and ashamed. Please come inside so we can talk."

"It is more than that," he said stoically. "You sometimes seem a stranger to me."

"You cannot blame me for not offering my heart in its entirety if the whole of you has never been presented to me. Loving someone comes with knowing them completely. Please give me that chance."

His glistening eyes fluttered, revealing the depth of his wound. "We will always be bound by family love."

"We are bound by more, are we not, Colt? We are no longer the sheltered children who strolled in the meadow, prisoners of expectation. We dared to follow our hearts, and have stood together through life-altering trials, never losing faith in one another."

"I once believed those words to be true, until you said you despised me for my weakness."

"Please, Colt." I paused as tears overflowed my eyes without care. I remembered what Livie had taught me about poking a sore. Leave it be. Even the deepest wound can heal if washed clean and given air to breathe. Leave it be. Even the deepest wound can heal if washed clean and given air to breathe. I needed to respect Colt's feelings and give him time to heal. I stepped back as he turned his horse around. I needed to respect Colt's feelings and give him time to heal. I stepped back as he turned his horse around.

"I will be returning to Lows Hollow in the morning. Dr. Waverly and I are making a trip to the borderland in northern Virginia. There is growing tension and reports of a band of Southern marauders terrorizing the region. We have decided to take medical supplies and help with innocent casualties caused by the unrest."

How could I have doubted his character even for a second? High on his steed, Colt was a warrior of action. With courage and conviction as his weapons, he waged a steady battle every day. He sought no recognition or reward, only the quiet satisfaction of being true to his heart.

"Will you be home for the lighting of the Yule log?"

He had already spurred his horse into a gallop, so my question floated unanswered on the breeze. A piece of my heart had gone with Livie when we said good-bye. Now, watching Colt disappear down the lane, the other half of my heart was torn away.

Not a day pa.s.sed without my thoughts trailing behind me, remembering Livie and our time together. She would remain forever imprinted on my soul, making me lonely, but never again alone. I was reborn the fated day our paths converged on the mountain. The runaways inspired me to purpose and conviction that uncovered the legacy left in me by my parents. I embraced it as I would them. Upon Aunt Augusta's return from c.u.mberland Gap, she sat me down and revealed the intricacies of her hidden gateway.

"We are a safe house for escaped slaves following the river north. The lamp in my room remains lit in my window, serving as a beacon to those traveling through the night. When we feel there is risk, such as when we have guests at the holiday, the lamp is darkened. We also snuff the lamps in the front of the house if the danger is pressing."

"I remember," I said, thinking of the image of Uncle Mooney scolding Winston for unlit lamps at Christmas. "And you have managed to maintain such a ruthless reputation while you are doing so."

"Oh, my dear, I have the easy part. I merely built a clever ruse to protect those courageous enough or tortured enough to break free of their chains and claim their life as their own. I am not alone in my efforts."

"Who else knows?"

"There is a small circle of us who have worked in secrecy for years. Your father was a staunch abolitionist who believed the inst.i.tution of slavery should be attacked from all sides. Pressure for change from the North has been a long, slow battle and has yielded no true results to date. Your father was a man of immediate action. He preached to us, 'Let us do for imprisoned slaves today what the North promises to do for them tomorrow.' He believed there were two kinds of sympathizers: those who fought the fight out in the open in hope of swaying public opinion, and those who secretly entrenched themselves throughout the South, extending a quiet hand to slaves daring to flee their present h.e.l.l.

"Soon after I was married and came to Hillcrest, your grandfather fell ill when fever swept the county. As you know, your grandmother died when your mother was an infant, so when Father succ.u.mbed, your mother came to live with me here at Hillcrest, along with Father's two remaining slaves."

"Granny Morgan and Winston."

"Yes." She nodded. "When your father began courting your mother, he spent a great deal of time at our home. He may have won your mother's heart, but he also won my complete confidence. When the first runaway came to the back door leading to the root cellar, Granny had instructions to feed him and let him stay the night. So began our secret enterprise."

I laughed in astonishment. "Are you saying runaways have been coming and going from our root cellar all this time?"

"With help from Granny and Esther Mae," she acknowledged. "Winston, of course, has a key role in pa.s.sing information and signals, both in town and during our travels. Fleeing slaves have been led to us through him. He knows of my arrangements in c.u.mberland Gap and is trusted in every aspect."

"Now I have a better understanding of why he always smiles at me like we share a secret."

"I think perhaps he sensed in you the same unsettled resistance that was evident in your mother and father. He recognized it before I did. I always kept you at a distance for your protection. When Colton told me you were nursing an injured slave girl hidden in the cave, I realized I could not protect you forever."

"You knew Livie was a runaway?"

Aunt Augusta smiled. "Who do you think drew up the false ownership papers?"

"Why didn't he tell me it was you?"

"Colton is an observant young man. He figured out what we were doing three years ago. Thankfully, he is his mother's son, and insisted on being involved. I allowed it, contingent on him vowing he would not speak of it to anyone, not even to you."

"Are there others involved from the plantation in addition to Winston, Granny, and Esther Mae?"

"If our activities were common knowledge, we would have been revealed long ago. We are unseen supporters of the cause, although there may be some Runians who have fleeting suspicions. Elijah is very perceptive, especially with his family playing a key role in our success. Granny's sister, Mabelle, G.o.d rest her soul, helped pa.s.s the word to slaves moving through town. Her songs carried messages that pointed runaways in the right direction. A tug of the ear, white to black, signaled a friend. The quilts did their part too. Your mother designed them." Aunt Augusta held up a quilt and ran her fingers from one square to the next. "Points of reference as clear as the North Star on a moonlit night."

I was awestruck by the complexity of the plan carried out by only a handful of people, cooperating and trusting each other with no motive other than to do what was right. Yet, as Aunt Augusta pointed out, what she was doing represented only a few safe hours for a runaway whose perilous journey often stretched from weeks into months. I was humbled by the courage of those whose simple wish was to find a better life.

Uncle Mooney and Twitch remained in a sour mood for the better part of two months. When we returned to the plantation on the day Livie left, Tessie misdirected Twitch by saying James had come to the cabin and taken the baby. Twitch never suspected the bundle Tessie held in her arms when last he saw her was nothing more than rags. He immediately sent out the hounds, but the only scent they tracked had been laid down by Elijah leading them west through the tobacco fields, then back again. To maintain fear among the slaves, Twitch claimed they had chased James up a tree, where Twitch took pleasure in shooting him like a cornered racc.o.o.n.

"We left his darky guts splattered in the dirt for the wolves to feast on, didn't we, w.i.l.l.y Jack?"

"Yas'sah, Ma.r.s.e," w.i.l.l.y Jack confirmed. "Nothin' but guts all over de ground."

Instead of avoiding each other, Aunt Augusta and I now sought out each other's company. Sometimes we would take a walk and chat about my mother or discuss the growing unrest between North and South. One afternoon as we watched the stacks of harvested corn begin to rise from afar, thoughts of Livie washed over me.

"Do you miss her?"

I looked over at Aunt Augusta and soaked in the warmth she was offering.