The Ember In The Storm (undergoing editing)

Chapter 2: Coerced Commitments

LIKE many towns small and large, Richmond had not been planned — like mushroom, it just grew. Downtown Richmond was in a valley formed by a stream, which ran through the business district in a diagonal from southwest to northeast. The rest of the town had swarmed up the sides of the surrounding hills.

On the northeastern side of the town—the Canal side— the river had been managed to at least some degree. A thriving commerce went on all along it in spite of the occasional flooding. People walked beside the Canal, sometimes hand in hand, if the weather was right for such intimacy.

On the southwestern side of the town, the river presented even more of a problem. Here the hills had been deeply cut open by one of the passing of the great glacier and further wounded by the endless water erosion. Many slaves— workers, worked upon the good repair on the southwestern side of town. The roads would contract and grow brittle in less than a year then the bedrock would suddenly shatter up through it, as if the earth meant to hatch some kind of monstrosity through.

To Jackson however, this was not more than a type of geography or geology that meant that there were more houses and trees on one of his side, than the other. It was a problem he had once sat down on one night, followed by him taking a late night walk and intensively analyzing the roads, finally finding a solution that he along with his brother, Luke, would find a solution to.

Their father had been quite proud of the two, so much had the towns people, putting their trust in the project for repairing the roads. Their luck was gained because of Luke. Whatever Luke brought to the table was taken, whether wrong or right. But as for Jackson, it was a different tale. Without his brother, he was as good as nothing to the town, even before and after his scandal to Elizabeth.

But as usual, the young man did not care a look or listen to the whispers escalating through the lands. He remembered little from whatever he did to the woman, considering he was drunk. But he knew most definitely that no matter how drunk he was, he would never try to force himself upon a woman. Or anyone.

He trusted himself on that.

Jackson was explaining such so to Luke until they walked into the mansion, stopping once they spotted their father and two familiar faces seated opposite him.

Luke and Jackson stood in the hall, the living room was just on the other end with the large doors wide open. It was impossible to go anywhere without anyone inside or outside of the living room noticing you.

Jackson was offered to take a seat just right next to Aaron, a man he had never seen in the land before, although he had come across Laurens on two occasions, a man who was not more than five years older than he was.

Luke sat on a couch right next to the door, realizing that whatever was being discussed had perhaps nothing to do with him. Still, he stayed.

Jackson widened his legs, his balmoral shoes thudding against the floor, his heavy dark brown coat still hovered over his shoulders as he leaned against the couch in a nonchalant and relaxed manner.

Senior Anderson winced at the posture.

"You ask for me?" Jackson faced his father who tried forcing a smile.

"Yes, we did. I would not like to beat around the bush and go straight to hitting the nail," Laurens leaned forward, clearing his throat to speak. "Mr Anderson, sorry that I ask this but I hope that I have been misinformed. On our way here we stumbled on word that has been escalating on your actions against one of the workers here. Is that true?"

Senior Anderson's face turned pale as though he had seen the ghost of his late wife.

The words had completely caught the Anderson men off guard. This was an embarrassment to the Senior and destruction to his reputation. How had the word already gotten to them? Did he know about it from the other lands or just within? He was already sweating like a pig as the engined in his head worked.