The Price of Freedom by Donna Every Page B

day
there.  There are usually picnics and that kind of thing after the
service.”
    “Here too.”
    His driver flicked the reins and
turned the horse onto a narrower road which was bordered by bushes. 
Houses became sparse and the vegetation increased, giving much needed shade to
the travelers and Richard was happy that the air was also cooler.
    “Soon be there now,” the driver
announced.  Richard was looking forward to reaching the plantation.
Looking at his pocket watch he saw that it was near five o’clock and they had
left Town around one.
    “The Acreage begins somewhere
around here,” he said a few minutes later and Richard could see rows and rows
of tall sugar cane plants in the distance. Majestic Royal palms, lined the road
as they got closer to the house, towering over thirty feet in the air.
    “Here it is,” the driver informed
him as the horses strained to go up a slight incline and pulled into the
driveway of a beautiful plantation house made of stone and painted in a warm
yellow. Upstairs the windows were flanked by moss green shutters and covered by
hoods of the same color while downstairs a patio ran the full length of the
house with more windows and several pairs of wooden doors thrown open as if in
welcome. 
    Three ladies, who he assumed were
his aunt and cousins, were sitting in rocking chairs on the patio with a young
slave girl in attendance.  On seeing the carriage the older of the ladies
hurriedly got up and ran towards the carriage as Richard made his way down from
his seat.
    “Richard?” she asked excitedly.
    “Yes. Aunt Elizabeth?”
    “Yes, my dear,” she confirmed
hugging him tightly.  She pulled back, looking quite a way up into his
face saying, “You look so much like my dear brother and you’re even taller than
I remember him being!  I’m so glad that you’re here. Come in and meet the
girls.” 
    She gave instruction to the driver
to take the carriage around the back and she told the child to get someone
called Jethro to deal with the trunks and to get one of the girls to bring them
something to drink.
    “These are your cousins Rachel and
Mary.  Mary is named after your mother. Girls this is your cousin,
Richard.”
    Richard greeted each girl with a
brief kiss on their pale cheeks. He noted that they were quite pretty and
looked very much like their mother.
    “I’m pleased to meet you. 
I’ve heard much about all of you from my mother.  She’s sent you some
gifts which I will find when my trunks are unpacked.”
    “Thank you,” they said shyly,
eyeing him from beneath long lashes.
    “Do come and sit down
Richard.  You must be exhausted from your journey.”
    “Yes, it was rather long but I
enjoyed it. The driver shared a lot of the history of Barbados with me so now I
feel I know the island already.”
    “I’ve so looked forward to your
coming,” she replied. “Oh good, here’s Hattie with our drinks.”
    Richard took the drink that was
offered by the brown skinned slave girl who kept her eyes respectfully cast
down but he could sense her appraising him from beneath her lashes.  He
noted that she had beautiful smooth skin and a very nice figure.  He
wondered if it was true that planters really offered guests the use of their
slave girls and thought that he wouldn’t mind if she was offered to him. 
    “Thomas is out on the plantation
but he should soon be in and you can meet him at dinner after you freshen up.”
    “I’m looking forward to both.”
    From the comfortable rocking
chair, he looked around in appreciation.  Everywhere there were bursts of
color from the tropical flowers, large trees offered shade and in the distance
he could see fields of sugar cane and other crops in every direction. 
Barbados! She was certainly beautiful. He wondered what she had in store for him.
     

Chapter
6
     
     
    Richard felt like a new man as he
stepped from the tub of lukewarm water in his bedroom. He had never been so
glad to see bath water and was most