Not that many visitors come to Rock Pleasant, mostly Massa men friends, so when the cousin them arrive, everybody try find some excuse to come up to the Great House. And after the looking, gossip ride up and down the plantation, till the story come round again, get much bigger in the telling. When it come to gossip, I don’t bother listen though. The only person I trust is Calla.

‘Massa run the plantation. Yes, is true. But him only own half of it. The cousin dem? They own the rest of it. Most of the money Massa make, it get sent to the cousin dem who live cross the seas.’

First few days, Master Jack and Mistress Caroline stay close to the Great House, resting after them long journey. Sometimes sit on the front verandah drinking lemonade, eating Melon plantain tarts. Walk in the garden, servants trailing behind. Mistress Caroline have them fill up every room in the Great House with only roses, Stella tell me.

A few more days pass before Massa take Master Jack out to the canefield them to see how things get run. Watch the field slaves dig up the earth, plant the young cane shoots. Flinch every time Winston crack him whip. And even though is not crop season, Massa take him up to the cattle mill. Show him where they crush the cane, boil up the juice, dry, pack the sugar in barrels. Master Jack come back from one of them visits and tell Massa how impressed he is with the whole operation. Make Massa feel proud, put a smile on him face.

Mistress Caroline refuse to go. She want no part of them canefield them. She stay back at the Great House, spend most of the day inside, with the shutters closed, waiting for the heat to drop. Must make Mistress Margaret happy now she have somebody to sit and read with. Stella tell me the woman servant do her bidding, just like a slave. Run up, down, fetch any little thing Mistress Caroline need. In the late afternoon, she and Mistress Margaret move to the back verandah, hoping to catch the little breeze that sometimes flow up from the valley. Sit fanning and talking till the twilight set in, till the mosquitoes come round, till Stella enter the parlour to light all the candle them to make it ready for evening drinks.

One morning, Mistress Caroline tell Massa she want to go riding. Seem like she do a lot of riding on the country estate back in the Mother Country and she missing it. I guess she probably want to get away from listening to Mistress Margaret complain all day. Massa decide him going take the cousin them on a picnic, to a place down by the river where Massa and Mistress Margaret used to go when Old Massa William was alive. That way, them can ‘get a feel for the lay of the island’, him say.