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Maurice pointed and explained enthusiastically, “The wind turns the blades and creates the power to grind our grain, and gives us fresh water as well And look there, the carts we use pulled by our oxen wereNo waste, you see, no waste Here at Brabant we train those who have shown an aptitude to be blacksmiths One day, when voices like mine are heard and slavery is at an end…my people will have skilled jobs to fall back on”
Heather smiled as Louise re boy at the oxen’s head, steering the ani, “Gee, cum, cum hai!”
“He is so young,” Heather objected “Surely too young to work?”
“He is a leader boy, and enjoys his tih it is against the law here in Barbados, we quietly teach the children their letters We also make certain all the children have free tis must be kept secret” Maurice was proud of his accomplishments and this was displayed in the tone of his voice “On the last day of the crop, he and the other oxen ear necklaces of flowers The children enjoy it immensely”
Heather could not help but feel so plantation She was dazzled with the beauty as she saw coconut palms stretched out thirty feet into the air and neatly laid out, as were lush hibiscus plants, their flowers in vibrant bloom
The house looot closer, but Heather stared at the rows of cabins that eased through the landscaping She realized, at once, the cabins housed slaves She was leaving this fascinating island, and this way of life would be left behind her Yes, but the slavery would continue to be a way of life Soood ain It was unchristian, it was inhuht
It occurred to her that Brabant was a thriving community, a self-sufficient place, just as any feudal parish in England had been four hundred years past She thought that if she stayed, Brabant could be held up as an example to other plantations Indeed, if she stayed, she would begin her work to free the slaves
~ Thirteen ~
A WEEK THAT HAD BEEN lovely, lazy, and strangely sti her fourth un to swell
Maurice took her for a gentle ride over his lands They spent a great deal of ti about nearly everything She found herself laughing more and more while in his company
Louise, too, was such a couillotine
Both, she realized, were reluctant to talk about her trip back to England Finally, Maurice brought up the subject and told her if she still wanted to leave, and he prayed she didn’t, there was a ship leaving soon for Cornwall
She saw the pain in his eyes and took his hand “Come…let us walk”
She led hiarden path to the wooden steps that would take them to the ocean She loved the sound and scent of the ocean It reminded her of Cornwall and Godwin