Looking numb with shock and anger, Deborah turned and left the room. The last thing she heard as she made her way to her own room was Lovey’s voice, scolding, consoling, blaming and forgiving, deploring and loving. Although it wasn’t certain—how many others had the girl lain with?—it was possible that a bastard, one that could be her grandchild, would be born at Beulah Land.

22

Word of what had transpired and rumor of more had spread over the plantation like oil on water. Having been found out, Clovis knew no restraint. For all her world to hear she wailed the general outline of her predicament and the actions that had brought it to a head.

In her room in the big house Deborah wrote a note and put it herself under Leon’s door. It read: I cannot bring myself to speak to you as yet, but you are to remain in your room until I instruct you otherwise. Leon and Lovey read the note together, after which Lovey crumbled it in her hand and went to Deborah’s room. She knocked on the closed door and called, “It’s Lovey.” After a moment Deborah’s voice asked her to come in.

“What am I to do?” Deborah said, not as an appeal, but as an expression of outrage.

“Floyd is all mine, and I consider Leon part mine, so what are we to do, you better say.”

Deborah clapped her hands together until they were red. “How could Leon? How could Floyd? That common kitchen girl!”

“Miss Deb,” Lovey said impatiently, “you don’t leave a honey pot open and expect the flies to eat salt. Turning it in my mind, I’m surprised that girl wasn’t pregnant a year or two ago.”

“I’m not thinking about her.”

“I know it, and I’m not either, except in passing. I said it to show how our boys are unlucky, that’s all. Of course, there’s the other thing. It ain’t nice to say, but it’s a fact—she could have been fooling with ten at the same time and only named Leon and Floyd because they give her some tone and expectation. There’s no proof either one fathered the child she carries.”

“No. I see that. She can’t hope that Floyd will be made to marry her, but she can hope that by naming him, her chances of an advantageous marriage are better than they would be otherwise.”

“If the Lord was just, He’d take her unto him, or send her to the Devil.”

“Let’s not go into that. What about the boys? There’s bound to be gossip. Here at least. Hopefully, not in town.”

“Oh yes there will be, too.”

“I suppose we’ll have to put up with it and ignore it,” Deborah said.