Box Set: The ArringtonTrilogy (12 page)

“Aunt Eugenia, Amelia, good to see you on
this fine day,” Perry Montgomery greeted us, after welcoming Daddy
with a hearty handshake and placing a simple kiss on his aunt’s
gloved hand. I stayed a step back, hidden behind Eugenia. She was
pleased with my reluctance to stray far from her side, though she
encouraged me to greet him like a lady and retain my manners.

“Amelia, say thank you to Perry for inviting
you to such a nice party, then be on your way and play with the
other children,” she said in a cool, unconcerned tone.

I eased out from her tall shadow and extended
my hand to Perry Montgomery, all the while keeping my eyes from
locking with his.

“Miss Amelia, don’t you look lovely today.
Thank you for coming to my daughter’s birthday party. I hope you
have a wonderful time,” he said, as he took hold of my hand to
greet me with a kiss.

My heart fluttered and my stomach sank all at
the same time as I felt his warm lips go through my glove and right
to the soft skin of my hand. With a quick jerk, I snatched my arm
away and hurried off as instructed, joining the small group of
children playing a game of hopscotch. Even the slave children were
permitted to play, and to my delight, Hattie was there.

“Oh, Hattie,” I cried, falling into her arms,
“Daddy allowed you to share in Eliza Sue’s party!”

“Momma insisted,” she whispered to me as she
gazed around to make certain Eugenia wasn’t in earshot. “Daddy came
to see her last night.”

Hattie must have seen a worried look on my
face.

“Don’t worry, they don’t know I overheard
them talking. They thought I was fast asleep.”

I took Hattie and quickly led her away from
the children and into the woods where no one could hear us.

“Daddy isn’t supposed to be seeing Mammy
anymore,” I said. “Eugenia would be furious if she found out. So
much is not the same without you and Mammy.”

“Things are different, but one thing that
will never change is you and me being lifelong sisters,” she said
with tear-filled eyes. “Now let’s go and play today, play like we
used to, and for just one day forget that I have to go out and pick
cotton tomorrow, and you have to be kept away in the big house.
Just for one day,” she begged.

Hattie was right, absolutely right. Occasions
such as these were fleeting, and I quickly put aside my
inhibitions.

“Come, let’s play hide and seek with the
others,” I exclaimed and pulled her out of the trees and led her
back to the mansion, where we gathered the others.

“You’re it, Hattie,” I declared, then we all
scattered. Every child, including the slave children, played along.
I headed into the Montgomery’s plantation house along with Eliza
Sue and her little sisters, Edna and Martha, not worrying about
obtaining Eugenia’s permission. After all, I was supposed to be a
child; that’s what she wanted me to be.

“I will head this way,” I told Eliza Sue,
pointing to the east wing of the second floor, “You take your
sisters into the pantry. Hattie will never find you there.”

The ladies were conversing in the comfort of
the large shaded veranda, enjoying mint juleps and tasty hors
d’oeuvres, while the gentleman stayed in the library smoking
cigars, drinking expensive brandy, and discussing politics, as
usual. As I scurried up the stairs seeking a suitable hiding place,
I heard Daddy’s distinctive English accent flow out from the
library, speaking of the next year’s presidential elections,
something that was a regular topic in most southern households.

We had played hide and seek many times in
their home, but I’d never ventured into the east wing. Usually we
gathered in Eliza Sue’s room, and that’s where we were always
found. I didn’t want to be found first, I told myself, and I
hurried down the hall to the first set of unlocked doors. I stepped
inside and closed the door quietly, then pressed my ear up against
the door to listen for footsteps. I was happy to be playing
childish games, excited to stay hidden, waiting excitedly on edge
to be called out. I listened attentively through the door,
nervously nibbling on my nails, until I heard someone finally
coming down the hall. I giggled under my breath and pressed up
against the wall, so when the door eased open I would go
undetected. I hadn’t paid attention to the room where I stayed
hidden until I peeked out from the door to see if it was Hattie
come looking for me.

Perry Montgomery wandered into his bedroom
alone, leaving a subtle scent of brandy trailing behind him. I
closed my eyes and held my breath, wanting to stay invisible,
praying not to be discovered. I hoped my trembling body didn’t
shake the wall I was pressed up against or the floorboards pounding
from each beat of my racing heart. I saw Eugenia’s face flash
before me, her scowl livid, her stone-cold eyes filled with
rage.

He was whistling a familiar tune, which
caused me to open my eyes as he went over to the long dresser near
end of the room. He poured some water out of an elegant pitcher and
into the matching bowl and rolled up his sleeves. I tilted my head
slightly, just enough to watch him dip his hands into the water and
then gently lower his head down to wash his face.

Filled with guilt for still being intrigued,
and fascinated by his handsome looks, I again closed my eyes and
prayed to God that he understood that this was an accident and that
I wasn’t intentionally standing in Perry Montgomery’s bedroom, the
room he shared with his wife, and I promised to study my Bible the
minute I returned home. I swore I would ask for forgiveness in
church as well.

I remained as calm and quiet as I possibly
could, with my eyes slammed shut, waiting and waiting for him to
leave and go back downstairs, and just when I heard him walk past,
his heavy steps suddenly stopped. The door slammed shut and my eyes
flew open.

“Amelia? What are you doing in here?” he
asked with subtle confusion. “Why aren’t you playing with the
others?”

“I…I,” I stammered. I couldn’t speak. He
stood staring at me with a quizzical gaze, waiting for an
answer.

“I should go,” I managed to say, after
swallowing the heavy lump that had formed in my throat.

“Wait,” he said, quickly grabbing hold of my
arm. “Were you spying on me?”

“No, sir, I was playing hide and seek. I
didn’t realize this was your room, Mr. Montgomery,” I tried to
explain.

A subtle smile came over his face, and he
released my arm.

“Oh, I see. So you weren’t spying on me after
all?”

“I would never do such a thing,” I said,
hoping he wouldn’t hear the breathlessness from my voice.

He stepped forward and leaned into me as he
had done before; but this time, I stepped back and awkwardly
excused myself.

“I should be going. I apologize for
intruding.”

“No, wait,” he replied, taking hold of my arm
again. “I don’t think my aunt would think kindly of you being up
here like this. I have lied for you once before. What do you think
I should say to her now?”

“But…but…I didn’t know it was your room,” I
cried, looking away from his intense stare, holding my breath so I
wouldn’t smell the strong scent of brandy.

“Now, Amelia, do you expect me to believe
you? You have been coming over to my home for years now, playing
with my girls. How wouldn’t you know this was my room, the room I
share with my wife?” Perry Montgomery said in a low whisper. Then
without warning, he pulled me into his arms.

“I think it is a good thing. Please stop
trembling. I promise I won’t tell your father or Eugenia, if you
promise me something.”

“What, Mr. Montgomery?” I asked innocently,
while my mind screamed for him to release me. I didn’t want to be
in his arms, and I trembled when he pressed against me and allowed
his lips to brush against my neck.

“Please stop,” I begged.

“Amelia, I know I vowed to leave you be, but
I just can’t help myself. Please let me kiss you and promise not to
tell a soul.” He groaned between eager, lustful kisses. “I can’t
stop thinking about you. If I weren’t married, I would take you and
make you mine. I know you think so too. I see it when you look at
me . . . I do,” he continued.

For a brief moment, my body relaxed and
responded to his warm kisses. I hadn’t been held or told I was
wanted for so long. I savored his compliments and listened as he
murmured in my ear how he dreamt of me day and night.

It all seemed like a dream, a dream I’d
experienced many nights before and written about often in my
private journal - only I knew very well this was no dream, and with
that thought, I quickly came to my senses. “Please let me go,” I
choked nervously.

He pulled away. His face was flushed, his
eyes calm, his expression serene.

“Kiss me one time and I will let you go
without a word to anyone,” he whispered.

I gazed up at him and into his dreamy eyes
and somehow convinced myself it was all right, just one time and
never again. As much as I feared what was about to happen, I
couldn’t help but wonder what it was like to be kissed by a grown
man.

I agreed with only an ounce of hesitation,
closed my eyes, and stood on my toes to have him kiss me, when the
bedroom door unexpectedly burst open.

He abruptly pushed me back, and I barreled
down to the hard floor. Eugenia stood frozen, desperately trying to
comprehend what she had just witnessed. Then her face twisted with
rage as she reached for me.

“You little tramp, get up!” she ordered.
“Perry, your wife is in labor. I have come looking for you.”

He hurried out of the room without looking
back, while Eugenia pulled me to my feet. Without another word,
Eugenia shoved me out of the room and ordered me to go home.

“And you stay in your room until I get
there!”

The sound of the doorknob turning woke me
from a brief sleep. I had collapsed into my bed after running the
entire way home.

I bolted up and quickly shoved my journal
under the covers just in time. Helen came in with a small tray of
food, placed it down on the table, and motioned for me to come sit
and eat. Apparently she was assigned to sit and watch me eat until
I was finished.

With all the commotion of the day, I decided
to eat and not to make any fuss. I was still groggy from my short
nap and simply longed to get the food and milk down so I could
crawl back into bed. But Eugenia had other plans for me. As soon as
I took my last bite of chicken, Eugenia came barging into my room,
dismissed Helen, and ordered me to stand.

“We are going to church. Get your wrap.”

“Church, now?”

Instead of waiting for me to get my wrap, she
fetched it from my armoire and threw it over my shoulders, then
shoved me along, down the dark hall of the mansion, and down the
staircase until we were outside.

The night was dark and dreary; a light rain
misted the hot night air, and a heavy fog rolled in off the river.
Curtis P. Boyd was seated on the buckboard, waiting to drive us
into the night.

“I don’t understand why we need to go to
church,” I grumbled. “Where is Daddy?”

“Your father has business to attend to this
evening. You know not everything in his world is about you,” she
said flatly, taking her place next to me in the buggy. “In fact, he
is becoming more and more aware of the kind of girl you really are.
Though I mentioned nothing of what I witnessed today, he knows. And
you should be grateful I didn‘t reveal how you attempted to seduce
Perry Montgomery, your own uncle. Even if he is only your uncle by
marriage.

“I have seen this coming for some time . . .
actually since the moment I laid eyes on you. I have watched you
flirting with him, my married nephew, and I will not tolerate that
sinful behavior any longer!”

Before I could respond, before I could ask
what she meant, Curtis P. Boyd urged the horse on, and we headed
off into the gloomy night.

It was too dark in the buggy to see Eugenia’s
expression, but I had no doubt that her face was painted with a
smug, satisfied smile, or at the very least a contented grin.

I agreed that Daddy no longer saw me as the
same little girl I once was. But that was no fault of my own. I was
growing, changing, like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, and
it was nature’s doing. I didn’t ask Perry Montgomery to chase after
me, although of course I regretted being so intrigued by his charm
and handsome good looks. I wished I hadn’t been so enamored, and I
felt ashamed. For some reason, I was the only one being punished,
and I knew the punishment was coming long before I stepped into the
church and stood before Reverend Carter.

I had never been to church at night. The
stained-glass windows didn’t cast prisms of color over the pews as
I was used to, and there wasn’t the powerful inspirational music
coming from the pipe organ. But the determined, distraught
expression on the reverend’s face was enough to pull me in and
capture all of my attention. There were what seemed like hundreds
of candles lit; they flickered madly, casting all kinds of spooky
shadows on the walls and high up onto the dark cathedral
ceiling.

Shaking from my nerves as well as from the
dampness that had settled on the church, I waited with a sickening
feeling for him to speak, while Eugenia eased back into a pew to
wait, watch, and anticipate what was about to happen next.

“Dear Lord,” the reverend began as he drew
his intense gaze from me and shifted his stare up to the heavens.
“Amelia has been brought before you by her own mother, in hopes
that I will be able to chase the devil out of this young girl.”

Above the church, the skies began to rumble
with thunder, shaking the ground beneath us. I gulped hard as
Reverend Carter ordered me on my knees.

“I pray to you, Lord, and ask you, Father
Almighty, to strip the devil out of Amelia’s soul tonight, save her
from the gates of hell, and protect her from the evil that filled
her being from the moment she was conceived.