After Miss Meg, Miss Eleanor, and Miss Addy had all been seated, I took the position indicated for me at the foot of the beautifully set table. This signaled for Mrs. Madden, who sat at the head, to ring the hand bell for the kitchen staff to bring in the food.
It had never been my habit to eat a large morning meal, so when heaping platters of bacon, sausages, and eggs arrived, I held back my surprise. Both of the Negro servants left, but one soon returned with a platter of waffles. Behind her followed Pan, carrying a crystal decanter of warm maple syrup. A clean white shirt and oversize trousers hung from his slender frame. How thin he looked! His hair had grown back enough to partially cover the scar on his head, but his ears poked out as endearingly as ever. He made an effort to act the servant, but his smile for me was so genuine that I broke protocol and greeted him enthusiastically. “Pan!” I said. “How are you feeling today?”
Mrs. Madden looked at me quizzically.
“I am good, Mr. Burton,” he said. “I’m helping out in the kitchen.”
“Place the syrup on the table, and then you may leave,” Mrs. Madden said to Pan. He looked to me for direction.
“Here.” I patted a spot on the table. “Put it down here and I will see you later.” I smiled and nodded him toward the door.
“Do you allow that kind of familiarity with all of your servants?” Mrs. Madden asked as he left.
“I do,” I said, causing her lips to purse.
Silence fell over the table until Adelaide spoke up. “You should see how well he treats Kitty.”
“And who is Kitty?” asked Mrs. Madden.
“Yes, well,” I stumbled, “she is a child I have taken responsibility for. She is the daughter of . . . a friend.”
“And where is this Kitty?”
As one, all of the women stared at me.
“Indeed,” I said, looking to Miss Meg.
“Hester cared for her during the night,” she said.
“Hester?” asked Mrs. Madden.
“She is my family’s servant,” said Addy. “She is traveling with me.”
“This is all too much for me,” said Mrs. Madden. “I like my home to have order.”
“I appreciate your position, Mrs. Madden, and I assure you of my gratitude for the hospitality you have shown all of us,” I said, doing my best to offer genuine appreciation for the shelter she had provided baby Caroline and Robert in my absence.
“I don’t see that I had a choice,” she replied.
“Mother!” said Miss Meg.
“It is true. After the two of you”—she nodded toward Miss Meg and Miss Eleanor—“offered your help in spite of my opinion, what choice was I given? Both of you are too headstrong for your own good. Is it any wonder that neither of you are married?”
After Miss Meg and Miss Eleanor exchanged a quick look, Miss Eleanor took a bite of waffle to hide her smile.
“Mr. Burton is our guest, Mother,” said Miss Meg.
“How long will we have the pleasure of your company?” Mrs. Madden asked me pointedly.
“If I could have another day or two,” I said.
“You may have as much time as you require,” said Miss Meg. “Mother and I are happy to accommodate you and your household as long as you have need.”
“Thank you,” I said. I looked at Mrs. Madden when I spoke. “I’m sure that Grandmother would be happy to know that you have included me as family.”
Mrs. Madden met my gaze and glared. She opened her mouth and I braced for her response, but she clearly thought better of it and returned to her food. I, too, turned to my plate, and amid the clinking of cutlery and china, I ate as a man starved.
AFTER THE MEAL, on Miss Meg’s request, I followed her to the back parlor. At first glance, the room looked comfortably furnished, but after Miss Meg sat, she began to pick at a loose thread on the arm of the settee, and I noticed the wear on the rest of the furniture.
“I must apologize for Mother,” she said.
“I understand her position,” I said. “I’m afraid she will always see me in a way that does not conform to her standards.”
“How nicely you put that.”
We looked at each other, neither holding back in our examination. I felt strangely comforted to be with someone who actually knew me.
“To look at you, no one would ever know that your mother was a Negro,” she said bluntly.
“So I understand,” I replied.
“It should not make a difference,” she said, “but I’m afraid that for people such as Mother and many like her, it does.”
I said nothing.
“I will not inquire of your past difficulties, but perhaps you would tell me where it is you plan to travel from here. Your Robert indicated that you have permanently left Philadelphia and are looking to relocate? I would love to welcome you to Williamsburg, but we are not immune to gossip, and I’m afraid you would never be accepted into society in this small town,” she said openly.
Though I did not feel that it was her aim to hurt me, the truth of her comment stung. I took a long deep breath before I leaned forward. “Miss Meg, I appreciate your being so forthright. Let me assure you that I have no intention of residing here. However, the debt that I owe both you and Miss Eleanor is one I doubt I can ever repay.”
“There is no need to repay us. It was our pleasure to help out a family member in a time of need.”
There was a quiet knock on the door before Miss Elly entered. “May I join you?” she asked.
“Come.” Miss Meg patted a space on the settee beside her.
“Your mother is settled in her room,” Miss Elly said to Miss Meg, then to me, “but she was in a fine temper, admonishing me for referring to you as my kin.”
I was surprised at the openness of both these women. Taking a cue from their honesty, I directed a question to Miss Eleanor. “Have you had recent word on your mother or . . . mine?”
“As a matter of fact, I have. Belle is doing very well. As usual, she is at my mother’s side and has no patience with what she calls my interference.”
“Your interference?” I asked.
“If you can believe this, Mother is actually considering marriage. Imagine!”
“She is?” I asked. “Have you met the gentleman?”
“Yes, many times. He is a neighbor of ours and has been ever since I can remember. He has four boys, all under the age of twenty. When I was younger, before I came to Aunt Meg’s school, I shared a tutor with the two oldest. Those two Stephens boys were impossible! Can you imagine my quiet mother with a houseful of boys, one more rowdy than the other?”
I smiled. “That does present quite a picture.”
“I’m afraid she’s going ahead with it and is planning a wedding. Can you imagine? A wedding! At her age!”
Miss Meg laughed. “Please don’t belabor the point, Elly. She is not that old. Don’t forget that your mother and I are of a similar age.”
“No one should marry in their forties!” Miss Elly shivered at the thought.
Miss Meg laughed and patted her younger niece’s hand. “We will attend the wedding in October and then must only let your mother know how pleased we are for her happiness.”
“Oh, Aunt Meg, sometimes you sound just like her!”
Miss Meg turned to me with a concerned look. “Are we truly so uncivilized that we would discuss our small family drama when you are having such a struggle with your own? Forgive us. Please.”
“On the contrary,” I said. “I would like to know more about you. I understand that you have a school?”
The two women glanced at each other, then grimaced. “We do,” said Miss Meg, “but we’ve met with some difficulty. Because of our liberal views, we are never certain the doors will stay open.”
“Your liberal views?” I asked.
“Last year we began to hold classes in the evening for Negro children,” said Miss Eleanor. “Some of the townspeople objected and withdrew their daughters from the day school.”
“Do you still hold the evening classes?” I asked.
“We do,” said Miss Meg, “but our enrollment for the day students is not what it once was.”
“So you require funding?” I asked.
“Always,” Miss Meg agreed. “Yet somehow we make it through each season.”
“Perhaps I can help,” I said.
“In what way?”
I looked down at my trousers. Although Robert had done his best, my clothes were travel-worn. “Though I may not give the appearance, I am a man of some means,” I said. “I would be happy to contribute.”