A Woman of Two Worlds

Chapter: 3

I headed back to the cook house, it would be supper time soon. That would only leave a short while to stash some fat back and meal for Ma'mere and Papa Jacques before Henriette got back from hanging the line. I had a pot of crawfish etoufee shimmering since before Master Warren arrived at the request of Master Lacoste, and didn't want it to scorch. I wondered if it were a favorite of his, tonight it would be paired with a spicy dirty rice, collard greens, field peas and okra, mashed sweet yams with cinnamon and hot buttery cornbread drizzled with honey. I even had time to make a few quick pies, apple crumble, a peach cobbler and lemon cream. The thought of stashing a piece for myself crossed my mind. As I finished the last touches on dessert I found my self thinking about the new stranger who flooded my thoughts and now the plantation. It was near time to serve as I gathered the last utensils to set the table in the large dinning hall, I was once again greeted by his steely stare. He grabbed an apple from the woven bowl in front of me, proceeding to take a full and crisp bite from the fruit. Never breaking his gaze, he chewed intently as he study my face. I stood there, uneasy but not willing to show my nerve even though it was quite rattled under the surface.

"Do you desire something Monsieur?" I tried to ask most eloquently.

"Possibly, but for now I have come to ask you to prepare two more spaces, this evening we will be entertaining guest." - Master Warren

"Right Away,Master Warren" - Amelia

"Monsieur Warren will do nicely madame, I am merely a man"- Master Warren

"Very well." I nodded in agreement and fulfilled the request.

"Forgive me, but what is your name? "-Master Warren

"Amelia" - I said just above a whisper.

"Ah-me-liah"- it rolled off his tongue, his French American accent drizzling it in silk.

He turned and walked away as though he had learned something profound and needed time to ponder it. I headed to the dinning hall to complete presentation of the spread, Henriette and the new house boy named Elias assisted me in serving and catering to the guest. Tonight Master and Monsuier Warren were discussing potential business with a wealthy Dutchman named Barron Aliester Van den Burg and his daughter Lady Abigail Van den Burg. I waited in my normal spot which placed me behind Mistress Lacoste at the foot of the table. Giving a direct view of all that went on,  Warren sat near his father across from Lady Abigail who had an openly flirtatious nature towards him. Supper went on well and they all retired to the parlor for desserts, the ladies sipped tea while gossiping on the latest moves of the elite in the Parrish. The men smoked fine cigars and made plans of possible merger. The possibility of two weddings at Sweet Water this year seemed prominent, at dusk they departed and I headed to my small cabin not far from the big house. Papa Jacques would be coming for the rations I had stashed and I could use the comfort of a familiar face. Josephine had been leased out on assignment for the Lasalle's and our shared cabin was quite cold without her around. As I crossed the field just past the cook house I noticed a males shadow walking inside Henrietta's cabin, I figured it to be Master Collins but didn't pry. As I stepped inside I heard my name being called, I turned to see who it was and found the new boy Elias running to catch up. I stepped back out and greeted him, we hadn't been properly introduced since his arrival a few days prior.

"Sure is a starry night out" - Elias

His wavy black hair glisten in the moon light, his eyes brown like the color of maple syrup with flicks of gold trained on the heavens above us.

"Sure is, me and my sister usually try to count them nights like this, but she away for a while."- Amelia

" Well maybe after I fix my supper we can count them together, that is if you'd bother" he asked shyly.

I was a little restless and had acknowledged my loneliness earlier with thoughts of Papa, Ma'mere and Josephine. A little company couldn't hurt, we were only admiring the heavens and what could be wrong about that.

"How about we eat supper under my favorite tree and we count them"- Amelia

He flashed a wide grin and went off to prepare his meal, I did the same and we did just that. Almost losing track of time and our busy day tomorrow with stories of his life on his old plantation, his Cherokee heritage and how he ended up at Sweet Water. He had faced so much suffering to be only a man of 16, but you would have never known by his gentle nature. After a night of laughs and tales we went to our separate cabins to savor the pleasant evening alone.

As I laid on my barly stuff bed, which was usually uncomfortable I found it rather easy to drift off to sleep. When I opened my eyes I was standing in a meadow surrounded by all kinds of lovely flowers. In the distance I noticed him walking towards me, he stopped in the center of the field and ushered for me to meet him there. The wind whispered my name as he had said it in the cook house during supper time. As I got closer the figure of him faded into a mirror, I approached the mirror in confusion. As I gazed upon my own reflection I seen him once again inside the mirror, but suddenly it changed into a lovely woman with toffee colored skin and sandy brown curls hanging past her shoulders. She had African features, full heart shaped lips, chinky almond shaped hazel eyes and a button nose. Her cheek bones high, she was stunning and gave a gentle smile as I admired her beauty. Her face seemed familiar, but we had never met before. The emerald bottle, it was her Madame Lacoste… Warren's mother. The image in the mirror changed back to me, but this time something was very different, I stood there with a swollen belly and full figure. I gasped and looked down to confirm if my eyes deceived me, my stomach was covered in butterflies.

I awoke the next day with a spinning headache that took most of the day to get over. This left me sluggish and quiet, Elias offered to make me a tonic that evening to help me sleep.I accepted and got some needed herbs from Ma'mere so he could. I had seen Warren only once in the morning, he was heading into town to the tailors for measurements…. I couldn't help to wondered if his new suit was for business, pleasure or both. Still spooked by the dream, I would go Sunday to visit Ma'mere and get clarity on my visions lately.