Julie’s life, and now he was gone. Sara couldn’t begin to imagine the pain of her friend’s loss.
After a few moments, Julie’s sobs ceased. She sat up and dried her tears on a handkerchief she pulled form her reticule. “I’m sorry. I just can’t speak of it without crying.” She laughed weakly. “Seems that all I do these days is weep.” She glanced at Sara then lowered her gaze to her clasped hands.
“There is nothing to apologize for.” She took Julie’s cold hands in hers. It struck her that they felt rough and totally unlike those of the well-groomed lady that Sara had befriended at school. “When did it happen?”
“Three months ago. His heart failed.”
“Three months ago? And you waited all this time to come to me?”
“I couldn’t come any sooner.” Julie rose and went to stare out the window. “There’s more, Sara.”
Silence followed Julie’s statement. She continued to study the scene beyond the window, as though deeply engrossed in what the field hands were doing. Unwilling to hurry her friend, Sara waited patiently for her to go on.
“The crops failed last year. I won’t bore you with the details. I’ll just say that poor Papa did everything he could to save them, but it was too late.” Her voice caught again. She swallowed hard, straightened her shoulders, dabbed at her tears, and went on. “He tried to get a loan to get us through the year and buy seed for the spring, but the bank wouldn’t take a chance and everyone we knew had suffered the same setbacks, so no one was willing to part with money they’d need to recover their own losses.” She glanced at Sara, and then came to sit beside her. “He never got back on his feet, either financially or emotionally. Oh, we tried. I even worked the fields beside him and our slaves.”
Julie’s worn, faded gown and the calluses on her hands now made sense to Sara.
“But it was too little too late. That final failure took the heart right out of him.” Julie shook her head as if to clear away unwanted memories. “When the bank took the plantation after he died to pay off Papa’s debts, I had to find somewhere to go. So I went to New Orleans to find you, and your father sent me here.”
“I’m so sorry, Julie.” The words sounded hollow and so…useless.
Sara knew how precarious the financial wellbeing of a plantation could be. A couple of years of bad weather or insect infestation could mean disaster. Often, a neighbor who had not suffered the same hardships could share his seed or provide the financial help for a planter to make it to the next year, but not if the neighbor had suffered the same loses.
Lifting her chin and looking more like the proud girl Sara had met at school, Julie forced a smile. “I didn’t come here to get your pity. I need a place to stay until I can find a position as a nanny or something and support myself. It’ll only be for a month or so.” She shrugged. “If you don’t want me here, I’ll understand.”
“Don’t want you here?” Sara sprang to her feet. “That’s just foolish talk! I won’t hear of you leaving. You’ll live here for as long as you want to stay with me. I’m all alone in a big house with more rooms than I’d fill in a lifetime. Truth be told, my mother would probably be very pleased if I wasn’t living here alone.” She pulled Julie to her feet and hugged her. “Now, Raina will take you to your room. You get some rest, and we’ll talk more at dinner.”
As Julie started from the room, Sara stopped her. “Julie, if it helps, I need you now as much as you need me.”
***
Chloe outdid herself with dinner that night. Julie hadn’t seen that much food in over a year. The table should have collapsed under the weight of a platter of crispy, brown roast pork with raisin sauce; candied sweet potatoes; yellow cornbread; stuffed, plump tomatoes; and chocolate cake so rich and sweet it made Julie want to swoon with every bite.
Her months of hunger
After a few moments, Julie’s sobs ceased. She sat up and dried her tears on a handkerchief she pulled form her reticule. “I’m sorry. I just can’t speak of it without crying.” She laughed weakly. “Seems that all I do these days is weep.” She glanced at Sara then lowered her gaze to her clasped hands.
“There is nothing to apologize for.” She took Julie’s cold hands in hers. It struck her that they felt rough and totally unlike those of the well-groomed lady that Sara had befriended at school. “When did it happen?”
“Three months ago. His heart failed.”
“Three months ago? And you waited all this time to come to me?”
“I couldn’t come any sooner.” Julie rose and went to stare out the window. “There’s more, Sara.”
Silence followed Julie’s statement. She continued to study the scene beyond the window, as though deeply engrossed in what the field hands were doing. Unwilling to hurry her friend, Sara waited patiently for her to go on.
“The crops failed last year. I won’t bore you with the details. I’ll just say that poor Papa did everything he could to save them, but it was too late.” Her voice caught again. She swallowed hard, straightened her shoulders, dabbed at her tears, and went on. “He tried to get a loan to get us through the year and buy seed for the spring, but the bank wouldn’t take a chance and everyone we knew had suffered the same setbacks, so no one was willing to part with money they’d need to recover their own losses.” She glanced at Sara, and then came to sit beside her. “He never got back on his feet, either financially or emotionally. Oh, we tried. I even worked the fields beside him and our slaves.”
Julie’s worn, faded gown and the calluses on her hands now made sense to Sara.
“But it was too little too late. That final failure took the heart right out of him.” Julie shook her head as if to clear away unwanted memories. “When the bank took the plantation after he died to pay off Papa’s debts, I had to find somewhere to go. So I went to New Orleans to find you, and your father sent me here.”
“I’m so sorry, Julie.” The words sounded hollow and so…useless.
Sara knew how precarious the financial wellbeing of a plantation could be. A couple of years of bad weather or insect infestation could mean disaster. Often, a neighbor who had not suffered the same hardships could share his seed or provide the financial help for a planter to make it to the next year, but not if the neighbor had suffered the same loses.
Lifting her chin and looking more like the proud girl Sara had met at school, Julie forced a smile. “I didn’t come here to get your pity. I need a place to stay until I can find a position as a nanny or something and support myself. It’ll only be for a month or so.” She shrugged. “If you don’t want me here, I’ll understand.”
“Don’t want you here?” Sara sprang to her feet. “That’s just foolish talk! I won’t hear of you leaving. You’ll live here for as long as you want to stay with me. I’m all alone in a big house with more rooms than I’d fill in a lifetime. Truth be told, my mother would probably be very pleased if I wasn’t living here alone.” She pulled Julie to her feet and hugged her. “Now, Raina will take you to your room. You get some rest, and we’ll talk more at dinner.”
As Julie started from the room, Sara stopped her. “Julie, if it helps, I need you now as much as you need me.”
***
Chloe outdid herself with dinner that night. Julie hadn’t seen that much food in over a year. The table should have collapsed under the weight of a platter of crispy, brown roast pork with raisin sauce; candied sweet potatoes; yellow cornbread; stuffed, plump tomatoes; and chocolate cake so rich and sweet it made Julie want to swoon with every bite.
Her months of hunger
Similar Books
