DO YOU LOVE HIM?” Mingo asked, af-ter all of his anger and hurt filled tears had abated.
Ruby pulled away from him and walked over to the table where the breakfast he’d cooked, for her, sat cooling, and ran her hand over its sur-face, remembering.
“It is a thing done that can’t be undone,” she said looking down at her growing belly.”
“Take it from me, a dead man, answered Mingo, there’s nothing that can’t be rectified.”
Ruby shook her head, no. There was no way that she wanted to wipe out the past and what she and Jared had had. But at the same time, she knew she owed Mingo a debt. Her inner turmoil was rip-ping at her soul.
“A man can learn to forgive especially if he knows that his woman was taken advantage of,” Mingo said walking up …show more content…
She thought it might lighten Mingo’s spir-it, but she wasn’t sure she could handle a drunken Mingo, not even a hurt one. So, instead she asked, “How did you get hurt?”
Mingo stopped rocking and without turning to make eye contact answered, “Mattie. Mattie shot me.”
“Mattie!” Ruby shrank back in disbelief. “Mattie would never hurt you,” she insisted.
“She shot me, right here, in the back of my head,” Mingo said, raising his right hand and point-ing to the bare spot on the back of his head.
Skeptical, Ruby moved closer so she could examine the back of Mingo’s head. When she did, Mingo could feel the warmth of her breath on the back of his neck and something deep within him stirred awake. He gritted his teeth and squeezed his legs together.
“It wasn’t her fault,” he suddenly shouted loudly, forcing Ruby to jump back.
“I was stupid. I was trying to protect her from getting hit, again, by that old bastard, Wilkes. She was desperate to save her son and I should have guessed she’d try something. But I just didn’t fig-ure her for the type. I honestly didn’t think she had it in …show more content…
“So! He didn’t bother telling you, did he?” Mingo asked, finally turning around so that he could see Ruby’s reaction. He found her surprise at the news both informative and opportunistic.
“Yes, Ruby! Penelope Wilkes Anderson is dead. I get why he didn’t tell you. What planter’s son is willing to admit that his beautiful young wife got herself pregnant by one of his slaves.”
For Ruby, the room went dark for a second and she had to catch hold of the table in order to keep from falling.
“Gabriel and Miss Penelope? That can’t be. Gabriel wouldn’t do such a thing. He’d know that when the baby be born Mistress Helen would have had him killed. He know that!”
“That still didn’t stop him. No more than it stopped Jared,” he said looking at her belly.
“No! You be wrong. Miss Penelope was staying on in Graysville because she wasn’t strong enough to complete the journey.”
“Not exactly,” Mingo said. “She stayed on in Graysville because Jared Anderson dumped her there. And she killed herself because the baby she was carrying wasn’t his. It was Gabriel’s and none of them could stand the shame of
Ruby pulled away from him and walked over to the table where the breakfast he’d cooked, for her, sat cooling, and ran her hand over its sur-face, remembering.
“It is a thing done that can’t be undone,” she said looking down at her growing belly.”
“Take it from me, a dead man, answered Mingo, there’s nothing that can’t be rectified.”
Ruby shook her head, no. There was no way that she wanted to wipe out the past and what she and Jared had had. But at the same time, she knew she owed Mingo a debt. Her inner turmoil was rip-ping at her soul.
“A man can learn to forgive especially if he knows that his woman was taken advantage of,” Mingo said walking up …show more content…
She thought it might lighten Mingo’s spir-it, but she wasn’t sure she could handle a drunken Mingo, not even a hurt one. So, instead she asked, “How did you get hurt?”
Mingo stopped rocking and without turning to make eye contact answered, “Mattie. Mattie shot me.”
“Mattie!” Ruby shrank back in disbelief. “Mattie would never hurt you,” she insisted.
“She shot me, right here, in the back of my head,” Mingo said, raising his right hand and point-ing to the bare spot on the back of his head.
Skeptical, Ruby moved closer so she could examine the back of Mingo’s head. When she did, Mingo could feel the warmth of her breath on the back of his neck and something deep within him stirred awake. He gritted his teeth and squeezed his legs together.
“It wasn’t her fault,” he suddenly shouted loudly, forcing Ruby to jump back.
“I was stupid. I was trying to protect her from getting hit, again, by that old bastard, Wilkes. She was desperate to save her son and I should have guessed she’d try something. But I just didn’t fig-ure her for the type. I honestly didn’t think she had it in …show more content…
“So! He didn’t bother telling you, did he?” Mingo asked, finally turning around so that he could see Ruby’s reaction. He found her surprise at the news both informative and opportunistic.
“Yes, Ruby! Penelope Wilkes Anderson is dead. I get why he didn’t tell you. What planter’s son is willing to admit that his beautiful young wife got herself pregnant by one of his slaves.”
For Ruby, the room went dark for a second and she had to catch hold of the table in order to keep from falling.
“Gabriel and Miss Penelope? That can’t be. Gabriel wouldn’t do such a thing. He’d know that when the baby be born Mistress Helen would have had him killed. He know that!”
“That still didn’t stop him. No more than it stopped Jared,” he said looking at her belly.
“No! You be wrong. Miss Penelope was staying on in Graysville because she wasn’t strong enough to complete the journey.”
“Not exactly,” Mingo said. “She stayed on in Graysville because Jared Anderson dumped her there. And she killed herself because the baby she was carrying wasn’t his. It was Gabriel’s and none of them could stand the shame of