Angel of Ash (11 page)

The grouping had long since dissipated, David and Angel still on the couch, talking quietly about nonsense, Asher thought sarcastically, as Michael paced in front of the right window, Luke in front of the left window, the two often meeting and purposefully striding around each other without touching. Caleb sat, no, more like slumped, over a seat next to Hunter’s bedroom door, flinching every and any time he heard the slightest noise escape from the room, yet, daring not to leave from his station. Ethan was leaning against the wall, a still fully decanter in his hands, he had gone through this six times before with his own wife, and was now, praying, his lips moving silently, imploring God to take care of his only daughter, who after seven years of absence from his side, wanted nothing more than peace to forever be in his household.

Asher’s eyes drifted back towards Angel, who’s head was awfully damn close to David’s, Asher wandering what the hell David was saying that could be so interesting that they had to almost touch. He gritted his teeth, trying to shrug in disinterest as he pretended nonchalance, but his eyes could not seem to leave her body for more than a moment at a time, against his will being drawn back to her beautiful and elegant form. David was an absolute bore, always sprouting on about societies of long ago and archeological digs and what not. No one, no one could take any interest in whatever he was saying, or at least Asher so thought.

“
I do believe I read somewhere that the eastern plain Indians, their women contain such strength that it is not unusual for them to squat in the fields and give birth. Did you find this to be true?” David asked.

Angel nodded interestedly. “Yes, even though as the years flew by, more and more of the Indians were pressed further and further west by the government and the settlement of their lands by foreigners. It is a horrid tale that is being undertaken.”

David nodded interestedly. “During my visits to America as the years went by I had begun seeing less and less of the Indians. A horrible predicament I would say? They are treated less than humans, along with the slaves that are kept.”

“
America is a land of such beauty and also horror. There is a distinct line between societies, between blacks, whites, Indians. Between Irish and Italian. German and Polish. My own father dealt with this, he was not allowed to marry my mother, an African because of the color of her skin, that she was a slave. It is a heavy subject; my father and I are both abolitionist.”

“
I am entranced, but the burden of societal norms reside heavily upon us also.” David said, sitting back slightly and taking in Angel’s story. “It would be, as if Caleb would marry, Anna, one of the maids who help polish. There would be a riot.”

“
But your mother is a foreigner,” Angel interjected.

“
She is, but my mother is still from aristocracy in her country. In fact, if it were my father who moved to my mother’s country, he would not have been deemed high enough in position to ask for my mother’s hand.”

“
I did not know that,” Angel said. “I would still think they would understand if any one of their sons would marry well below their station in life.”

David laughed softly, not as weary looking as he was earlier, glancing over to his father, he shrugged. “Father has well told me that it does not matter, even though, I know privately it does. He took a great risk marrying my mother; the relationship with his some members of his family is still quite strained, because of it.”

Angel looked gloomily at the floor. “I wish it did not matter, what color, or station in life one is at. As long as the two were in love, what does it matter if a duke marries a pauper, or a white man marries a black woman? This world would be a better place if people simply fell in love, without caring about what everyone else would think.”

David nodded, smiling. “True, indeed, I believe I have found a likeminded soul, in you, Angel.” He said slowly, his dimples deepening.

Angel glanced up, recognizing the look in David’s eye. He was unbelievably handsome, as handsome as Asher, but his looks were more relaxed, open. Her own eyes widened in surprise. A voice interrupted the exchanged glances.

“
And how would such a world be established, I wish to know?” Asher asked in a slightly rude voice, staring down at the two from his imperious height. “I could not imagine, let us take for example, the crown prince. As he is being escorted in his gold carriage, he happens upon a most beautiful woman…from China. He decides that this woman shall be made the next princess of England. But where, then, is this woman’s loyalties, not for England, I would dare say, but for her own native land. Such a world as you imagine, Ms. Barrett, could not possibly, ever be in existence, it would cause too much confusion.”

Angel was highly offended. Her ruffles still rankled that she had allowed this deliberately obtuse man not one, but two kisses from her person, while David looked on knowingly. “And what of you, sir? Would you say that you were raised in confusion, seeing as how your mother, herself, is a foreign, woman? Would you say that you missed out on love and happiness simply because she is from another country?”
Asher didn’t answer, gritting his teeth in annoyance. “She does have a point, dear boy,” David interjected. “I couldn’t imagine, another mother, think of one of those ice English matron’s, why, like our own dear grandmother.”

Nearly rolling his eyes, Asher frowned at the two, before settling down in the seat across from them, leaning back and crossing his legs in a nonchalant matter, their better. “Let us take this for instance. Caleb, you shall marry, Anna, who polishes our downstairs furniture. Michael shall marry a druid priestess from years of old. And Luke, he shall marry Dinah, who was once a slave, who works in the kitchens of grandmothers’ manor. And David, well, of course, David, shall marry the groom’s daughter upon Gabe’s estate. Tell me, where is the honor of bloodlines, if this were to happen?”

“
Blood lines, should not matter,” Angel said, her eyes flashing. “It does not matter if you are the crown duke. What makes him so different from any one else. He wears pants like all men. Has hair and I am sure passes gas just as well as the rest of us. Strip his clothing away and put a shovel in his hand from birth and he will know no differently.”

“
Why, Ms. Barrett, you speak like a French revolutionist, are you saying that we need to revolt against the system in which we have lived with hundreds of years.”

“
Mr. Hawthorne, you seem to have me mistaken for a radical, I am not. I believe in the sanctity of marriage, religion and government, but I also believe in the basic rights of humans. There should be no one upon this earth to tell another soul, who they shall and shall not marry and especially on the basis of what color blood you have. As far as I know, our Creator has all given us the same color blood. If anyone bleeds blue, please let me know, and I shall stare at said monstrosity with something akin to horror at their difference.”

There was a pregnant pause in the room, David biting back a smile at how well Angel put Asher in his place as the rest of the grouping looked on with something akin to amazement at Angel’s bold speech. But Angel had not meant to gain such an audience, but could not be stilled.

“
It is people like you,” Angel began, staring with daggers at Asher. “Who decided that my father could not marry my mother because the color of her skin was different? It was someone like you who decided that since she was a slave and without formal education, she could not be good enough for my father. And it is people like you…and my grandfather, who made it impossible for one man to love one woman in peace. Because of your rigid and narrow thinking, Mr. Hawthorne, I never knew my father growing up. Because of people like you, my father could not find my mother who felt beholden to the society’s thoughts about her proper place in this world. So don’t you dare tell me that people should not be allowed to marry, no matter what class citizen they are or if they are black, brown, yellow or red or white? It’s no one’s damn business but God’s.”

“
And so you believe, I, one man, can alone mind can make such a difference in other’s thought pattern? Come, now, Ms. Barrett, I called you idealistic, but I never thought you went exceedingly and beyond such unrealistic idealism.”

“
Really? One man, hmmm…can one man make a difference? Why, what about Abraham, or Moses, or Jesus or King David, Joan of Ark. What about Paul who single handedly brought Christendom to the infidels. What of Han, or Emperor Xuan Xuan? And what of, your very own, William the Conqueror? One man can make a difference, Mr. Hawthorne. For the better or for the worse. This child, Hunter is right now, delivering will make a difference in someone’s life. Everyone accounts for something, Asher, see if they do not. For the good or bad, everyone must make an account.”

Angel seemed to be the only one not to realize that she’d used his first name. Asher had cocked an eyebrow at that, smiling slightly. She was a little spitfire, he thought to himself, and wandered how many times he would have to personally aggravate her, just so he could enjoy the view, as her eyes flashed brilliant silver and her breasts heaved with indignation. But, he was not the only one to take in the view and damned David and Caleb with their leering eyes.

“
I see we shall butt heads often on this subject, Ms. Barrett. Perhaps, your accounting on the day of your judgment will be about me and why I could not turn from such an outdated way of thinking.”

“
More like your loose morals,” Angel said spitefully, underneath her breath, David the only one hearing and bursting into fine merriment.

“
Let us call a truce, for now,” he interrupted, still laughing slightly. “Asher, I do believe you have met your match,” he added, before turning back towards Angel. “Asher, is the most opinionated man you shall ever likely to meet, Ms. Barrett. If it pleases him to aggravate any one person, he shall undertake such an occasion to do so, even though it is rare where he even cares enough to speak his opinion.”

Angel blushed. “I had not meant to argue about such things, especially during Hunter’s time, please excuse me, dear sirs,” she said, apologizing to the men in the room.

“
Speak nothing of it,” Ethan said, pushing up from his placid place upon the wall to pour another glass of decanter.

Angel was still extremely embarrassed, and thought ill of Asher who had riled her into such anger. She should realize, now, that he was good for naught. A consummate flirt when it suited him to pass the time, an arrogant and stubborn man at most other times. She decided then to not waste much of her time, nor energy on Asher and picked up her cup of tea, which a maid had poured, refusing to be drawn into conversation with Asher and David, Asher who simply stared at her with annoyance and David who smiled as if trying to unearth some delightful secret.

It was long minutes later before the door to Hunter’s bedroom opened and everyone in the room, rushed forward, Ethan, as the head of the household first, looking worried, anxious and pain filled at once, as Marie stepped through the room. But it was her smile, tired but still there, that put the family at ease and she quietly pressed a finger to her lips, still smiling.

“
Well, it would seem as if Gabe has been blessed with a boy,” she whispered, before tears drew in her arms, falling like the dew. “Oh, Ethan,” she cried, as he pulled her into his arms and the men and Asher, sighed a collective sigh of relief. “He is simply beautiful, with your eyes, I might add,” she said, telling the occupants of the room the new child was hazel eyed.

Angel felt relief and excitement of such joy burst through her she dared not utter one word or move, for fear of tears of happiness escaping her eyes. She stilled, instead, saying a small prayer of thank you and clasping her hands tightly, smiling widely, before turning towards Ethan and Marie. “Congratulations,” she said, laughing slightly from the sheer joy, another life created, born and Hunter well. “On the birth of your first grandchild and I pray, that he shall be the first of many.”

And it was Asher, who got an unusual emotion in his body, a pain of something spreading throughout as he stared at Angel, eyes glowing and smile wide, congratulating his parents and for one fleeting moment he thought of Angel, upon the bed, eyes glowing and smiling widely at him as she presented him with his first son. He crushed the image before it had even time to develop fully, a shaky hand crossing over his brow as relief swept through his body. Not bloody likely, he thought, no, that life would not be committed to him. He had made a promise to himself long ago, marriage, children; it would never be for him. He would never sink into the pain of being chained to another; he would remain free and unfettered by a fish wife and bratty children. It was time he found himself another mistress, and the sooner, the better.

The family was able to see the tired Hunter, exhausted husband and new member of the family as Gabe’s first daughter, Lauran was first presented to her brother, as she peered over the edge of her parents bed, her six year old eyes wide and smiling in pure amazement that the bundle that had once been in her step-mother’s stomach was now a fat baby with black hair and eyes that flickered opened, only occasionally.

“
Cute,” she said, smiling, poking him in the cheek and watching as he scrunched up his face and started crying, much like a small, stray kitten, while her mother shushed her even while laughing.

The rest of the group laughed, also, the miracle of another generation, another life being born that gave them no small sense of amazement, and it was Asher who noticed that Angel had not entered the room, giving the family privacy as she stayed in the outer living room, alone.