Lovey grabbed Clovis by the wrist and pulled her across the yard to the woodpile where she selected a long, thin stick, and brandished it in the air. The girl was larger than she, but such was Lovey’s strength of character, none of the other slaves had ever rebelled overtly against her will. “You see this stick?” Clovis’s eyes rounded in alarm. “You are going to tell me who the man is, if you know. I’ve seen you sneak off with this-one and that-one, but I disremember who they were. You are going to tell me right now, girl, or after I beat you half to death with this stick. Which will it be?” Clovis tried to pull away, but Lovey held her and glared at her with contempt. When the girl still made no reply, Lovey whacked her hard on her plump rump with the stick.

Clovis cried out, “Miss Lovey, stop it now! Don’t do it!”

“Tell me!” Lovey raised the stick again.

Clovis wept to dramatize her next words. “Mister Leon and your Floyd!”

Lovey was so shocked she hit the girl again harder than she had before. She continued to beat her, until Clovis wept in real pain and wailed, “It so! It so!”

Lovey let her go, and Clovis ran off to the slave quarters, a hand comforting her burning behind. Lovey threw the stick aside furiously, as if it were the thing that had offended her. She walked around the big house three times before she was calm enough to go inside. Cook and Myrtis, busy preparing the noon meal, saw her mood and kept silent. Lovey only appeared to watch what they were doing before going out again. She went directly to the blacksmith shed where she found both Ezra and Floyd. Seeing her stern expression, they stopped work.

To Floyd she said, “Clovis is pregnant. She say she lay with you and Leon. Is it so?”

Ezra looked at his boy, stricken. Floyd swallowed as if his spit had suddenly turned to sand, and stared at his feet without seeing them, unable to meet his mother’s eyes. He whispered, “I was with her one time.”

“One time?” Ezra said. Floyd nodded his head.

Lovey and Ezra exchanged looks. “You sure and positive?” Lovey said to Floyd.

“Yes, Mama.”

“You swear?” Ezra said.

“Yes, Papa,” Floyd said in a stronger voice.

“You won’t tell on Leon?” It was question and statement.

Floyd shook his head.

“Very well, sir!” Lovey said with more energy. “You know the stand Miss Deb takes on bastard babies!”

Ezra said to Lovey, “I don’t think it can be his. I wouldn’t let him marry her if it was.”

Lovey’s eyes filled with tears. “My baby Leon too?” She folded her arms and rocked back and forth, grieving.

Ezra said, “Floyd will not marry her.”