Captain's Bride Read Online Free PDF Page B

hundred acres,”
Glory told him. “Twenty-five hundred in cotton, twelve hundred in
rice, three hundred in grain for our own use, and the rest is left
fallow. Father feels it keeps the land from losing its
strength.”
    “And I thought you only had time for your beaux.”
Glory laughed. “I like helping my father.”
    They rode for miles along the lane, beneath sweeping
oaks draped with whispy strands of moss, along marshy waterways,
through dense yellow and loblolly pine forests. When they came to
the rice fields along the river, Glory described the planting
procedures and again Nicholas was impressed with her
intelligence.
    “After the land is cleared, a complex series of
trenches called quarter divides and cross ditches is constructed to
secure an even flow of water over each section during the growing
season. We use floodgates to control the tides.” She pointed toward
the end of one of the fields. “You can see one over there.”
    Nicholas followed the line of her slender arm, her
gloved finger indicating a massive wooden gate.
    “To flood the field the operator opens the gate and
the water rushes in. It’s let off at the ebb tide.”
    “Sounds complicated.”
    “Most of the fields have already been planted, but if
you look through the oaks, you can see some of the mules at work.
The ground is so soggy they have to wear huge boots—kind of like
snowshoes for mud. A square piece of heavy leather on the bottom,
tied over the feet with rawhide thongs.”
    Nicholas watched her closely, noticing the way she
seemed to come alive as she spoke. “I thought women were supposed
to run the household on a plantation.”
    “My mother takes care of all that. Actually I have
very few responsibilities. If father didn’t let me help with the
ledgers, I’m sure I’d go out of my mind with boredom.”
    “I should think with all your admirers, you’d have
more than enough to keep you occupied.”
    She shot him a fiery glance, but he looked as if he
meant no insult, so Glory decided to let the comment pass. “I enjoy
frivolity, as my mother calls it, just as much as any other woman.
But I also enjoy the challenge of working with Father. I’m really
only involved in the book work—profit margins, buying and selling,
things like that— but I enjoy it just the same.” The captain only
nodded. He seemed to be sizing her up, weighing her words, and
Glory wondered at his thoughts.
    The morning progressed far differently than Glory
expected. At first the captain was attentive, bantering lightly
back and forth with her. Though he rarely smiled, he seemed to be
relaxed and enjoying himself. As the hours passed, Nicholas became
more and more subdued, and Glory wondered at the cause.
    “Look! There’s a big blue heron!” She pointed toward
the edge of the rice field. “And there’s a snowy egret sitting on
his left.” As she finished speaking, she caught a movement just
outside her line of vision. Turning, she spotted Jonas Fry, the
head overseer, in what appeared to be a heated conversation with
one of the slaves, a slender youth she recognized as a Negro her
father had just purchased off the dock in Charleston.
    “Would you excuse me a moment, Captain?” she said. “I
believe I’ve forgotten something.”
    Before he could answer, she whirled the bay and
headed toward the overseer. Just as she feared, his face was puffed
up with anger. At any moment he would resort to the whip he carried
at his waist, and the slender youth would suffer the biting
sting.
    “What seems to be the problem, Jonas?” Glory asked as
she reached them. The boy glanced up at her with huge frightened
eyes.
    “Nothin’ for you to fret about, Miss Glory. Boy’s
never planted before. He’s thick between the ears and clumsy as an
ox. Couple of good strokes’ll set him to payin’ closer attention.”
It was obvious by the overseer’s even angrier expression the boy
would suffer for certain now. She probably shouldn’t have
interfered, but it