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ALEX HUMMED TO HIMSELF as he worked. In his mind’s eye, sonnets depicting the greatest loves merged with images of Soleil. She had brought to life a part of him he had long since thought dead. Even laboring in the field, planting corn under the harsh sun didn't dampen his mood. Many of the men enjoyed a good laugh at his expense due to his excessive cheer.
“Mr. Alex! Mr. Alex!”
Alex wiped the sweat from his brow with his forearm as he looked up to see a frantic Joseph sprinting across the field toward him.
“Mr. Alex! Mr. Alex!”
“Yes, Joseph? What is it? And slow down, boy. You look like you are going to topple forward any minute.”
“Come quick, Mr. Alex,” Joseph said, coming to a halt in front of Alex. He barely took a breath before he grabbed Alex's arm and tugged him toward the house.
“Hold on now. What's the matter?”
Joseph stopped to stare at Alex, as if his question was a waste of precious energy and time. “The sheriff showed up saying he's gonna take Miss Hope. Says he has to return her to her rightful caretaker, Mr. Williams.”
“What? And he is here now?”
“Yes, sir.”
Alex's heart slammed against his rib cage. “I’ll handle this.” This had to be a mistake. James had no claim to Hope. How could he possibly attempt to steal her away?
Alex pushed his legs to run as fast as they could carry him. He needed to find Soleil before he handled the situation with the sheriff. He could only imagine the fear and worry she must be feeling. Hope was her entire world, and any threat to her would crush Soleil.
Alex bounded up the back porch steps into the kitchen. His anxiety heightened when he didn't find Cook in her normal spot, stirring the pots in preparation for one of her delicious meals. In fact, hardly any noise greeted him. No cleaning, no talking, no laughing.
“Soleil! Hope! Where are you?” As he left the kitchen and entered the hall, running toward the stairs, Vivian emerged from the sitting room.
“Alex! Please come. The sheriff wishes to speak with you.”
Did his eyes deceive him, or was Vivian pleased to deliver that bit of information? At the moment it didn’t matter, he reminded himself. “I need to find Soleil first. She must be out of her mind with fright.”
“She is in her room. I think it best if you talk with the sheriff first. You might be able to defuse the situation if you talk with him.”
Alex looked up the stairs, then toward the sitting room. There was wisdom in Vivian's advice. Maybe it would be better if he handled the sheriff first. Then he could comfort Soleil with the news that the situation had been handled.
Head high, he strode into the sitting room and glared down at the portly older man lounging on the sofa. The sheriff was generally a decent man, and Alex had never seen him as an enemy. But as the current source of Soleil's distress, Alex had about as much compassion for him as he would a rabid dog.
The sheriff stood, his motion unhurried, his voice relaxed as he stuck out his hand. “Good afternoon, Mr. Cummings. Thank you for seeing me.”
Alex shook the offered hand with a bit more force than necessary. “Sheriff. What can I do for you today?”
A slight wince vibrated through the sheriff’s body at the contact, but to his credit, his hard gaze never left Alex’s.
“I've come to collect the girl, Hope. Her owner said she was taken without his permission. He wants her returned.”
“As a man of the law, you should know that slavery is no longer an institution that exists. As such, Hope has no owner. She will not be leaving with you today—or any day, for that matter.”
“She may be free, but Mr. Williams still has rights to her. This is something I learned, being a man of the law and all,” he said, relishing his perceived upper hand.
“And what rights would those be? Never mind, this conversation is over. Hope is not here right now, even if I had lost my mind and thought of handing her over to you.”
“Is that so?” he said, tilting his head, eyes narrowed on Alex. “Shame. Mr. Williams will be disappointed. I guess I will have to come back tomorrow.”
“You do that.”
“Listen, son,” he said, leaning in like a sage about to impart wisdom to a young apprentice, “I heard the rumors about you in your youth. How you were head over heels for some young Negress. And this Hope is her daughter. Normally I don’t much care what a man does in his own home, but you can’t air your dirty laundry to the world. Don’t make this more than it needs to be. You will lose everything in the end.”
“Is that a threat?” Alex asked between clenched teeth.
“Nope. Just a fact,” he said with an easy grin. “You have a good day now.”
The sheriff sauntered past Alex, whistling an upbeat tune.
~*~
SOLEIL PACED BACK AND forth across her room, wringing, and shaking her hands to calm her frayed nerves. It felt as if a rock had taken up residence in her stomach. She chanted to herself that everything would be fine, but her heart wouldn’t believe it, no matter how badly she wished it would.
Images of Hope being pried from her arms ran through her mind, making it hard to hold back the scream that wanted to explode from her chest. As she paced the room, the door crashed against the wall as Alex burst in.
Soleil rushed into his arms, pouring all her fears and doubts into his crushing embrace.
“Are you well?” Alex asked. “Where is Hope?”
“I sent her with Miss Eliza. We need to leave,” Soleil urged, running her clammy palms over the skirt of her dress. “How could James take her? He has no claim to her.”
“Calm yourself. All will be well in the end.”
“How do you know? I can’t lose Hope. I...” Soleil’s voice broke on a sob. “I can’t.”
“And you won’t. It is my duty to protect you, and I will never fail in that duty again. We will leave at once to talk with Charles. He can walk us through our legal options.”
“And what if there are no legal options?”
“I said I would protect you, no matter the cost. I plan to honor that promise,” Alex declared. “Prepare to leave at once. I will be waiting in the carriage.”
Alex pulled her in for another reassuring embrace before kissing her forehead and leaving the room. As much as she wanted to believe him, Soleil’s mind went to work formulating her own plan in case the legal option failed.
~*~
AS ALEX WALKED TOWARD the front door to meet Soleil, he stopped when he saw Hope merrily skipping behind Miss Eliza. She held some food in her hand he could not identify, but was probably of the sweet variety.
As she chewed, she turned and saw him standing in the foyer. "Alex!"
Alex bent to his knees and opened his arms to capture the little girl as she ran to him. "Hello, little one. How are you on this fine afternoon?"
"Good. Ms. Eliza gave me chicken."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Want some?" Hope shoved the half-mauled piece of meat in his face in offering.
"That is very kind of you, but I have already eaten."
"I'm saving some for Maman. She said I had to stay with Miss Eliza until she called for me."
"Is that so? Well, your maman and I are going into town today, so I will make sure she gets something to eat. You enjoy the rest of your chicken."
Hope’s eyes beamed with the knowledge that she no longer had to share. Then her eyebrows crinkled as if a profound question had entered her mind, requiring deep thought. "Are you my papa?"
Alex’s mouth hung open, caught off guard by the question. Of all the things that could have come from the little girl's mouth, this was the last he would have expected. "Do you think I am?"
"Maman said I would know my papa when I see him. That he would be a man who loved me and Maman. Do you love us?"
Alex’s chest puffed in pride at the little girl’s intelligence and boldness. "Yes, I love both you and your mother very dearly."
"Then you are my papa?"
"I would love nothing more than to be your papa."
Hope wrapped her little arms around his neck as she squealed with joy. "Papa, can we have Christmas?"
"Of course."
"Good, I never had Christmas before. For my present can I have a baby sister?"
Alex barked a booming peal of laughter. "We will have to discuss that with your maman."
"I will ask her."
Miss Eliza cleared her throat, reminding them she was listening. Her eyes twinkled with laughter.
"It would appear Miss Eliza is waiting on you, and your maman is waiting on me. We must go."
"All right, Papa. I love you."
"I love you, too." They exchanged one last hug before Hope and Miss Eliza continued on their way.
~*~
ALEX STRODE THROUGH Charles’s office door, finally able to repay him for all his uninvited intrusions. Soleil entered soon after.
Charles peered with mild interest over the top of the daily newspaper he had been reading. “To what do I owe this unexpected visit?” he asked with a smile for Soleil, ignoring Alex.
“We are in need of your legal counsel,” Alex interjected. “The sheriff came to the house today, requesting we hand over Hope. He said James alleges that Hope was taken without his permission, and he wants her returned.”
Charles came to attention, eyes hard. He folded the paper in an unconscious gesture, shoving it to the edge of his desk. “Did you give her over to the sheriff?”
“Of course not,” Alex scoffed. “Slavery is over. He has no right to ask for her return. But he said he will return in the morning.”
“I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but James might have a legal leg to stand on.”
Soleil choked on her next breath as all color drained from her face, leaving it the ashen, tawny brown of a dying fawn. Alex reached out in time to catch her before her knees buckled. He held her trembling body close, rubbing his hand over her back in support.
“Explain,” Alex barked.
“Last year the state legislature passed a series of laws restricting the rights of the newly freed. They have acquired the moniker ‘The Black Codes.’ One such law governs the relationship between a master and apprentice. It is a loophole, if you will, one of many, for former masters to keep the children of their former slaves. It allows the former owner to keep the children of their slaves if the slave is found unable to care for the child on their own. If the apprentice were to leave without their master’s consent, he has the right to have the apprentice returned.”
“Are saying he will claim Hope as his apprentice?” Alex demanded.
“Yes, that is what I believe.”
“How is that possible? I was the one who worked for him. Not Hope.”
“Yes, but as you were the former slave of his mother, and then under his employ afterward, it could be argued that you were unable to care for Hope on your own, thus he took her on as his apprentice.”
“That's not right! How can they do that?” Soleil shrieked.
“What are our options?” Alex asked, voice stony.
“Perhaps you and I should discuss the options in private. I fear the remainder of this conversation may not be suitable for Soleil to hear.”
“No, please. I need to hear what can be done,” Soleil begged.
Her pleading eyes twisted Alex’s heart, making him unable to deny her anything. “Continue. You may speak freely in front of her.”
Charles warily glanced between Soleil and Alex. “As you wish. You could claim Hope as your own.”
“I don't follow. What do you mean? How will that help?”
“Soleil is five years old. She was born not long after Soleil was abducted. We can claim that Soleil was pregnant before she went missing, and that you are the father. This will make you Hope’s rightful guardian.”
“Could that work?”
“I believe it is our best option. But if we take that stance it may cost you everything, Alex. Your reputation will be ruined. I advise you to go home and think on it. I will get an injunction prohibiting the sheriff from removing Hope from your home until we go to court, if that is what you choose.”
“Yes, get the injunction and I will be in touch soon with my final decision.”
“Good. I have a friend who owes me a favor. There is a high chance I can get us on the docket as early as next week.”
“Thank you.”
Alex’s stomach sank. The weight of the decision was like a crushing stone on his chest. Eyes wide and vacant, Soleil stood next to him, not making a sound. The only signs of life were the slight tremors coursing through her body.
Alex said a silent prayer for guidance on what to do next.
~*~
ALEX AND SOLEIL SAT next to each other, each lost in their own thoughts, as the carriage ambled along its bumpy journey. Soleil stared out the window with the same blank expression she’d worn since leaving Charles’s office.
Alex wanted nothing more than to gather her in his arms and tell her that all would be well in the end. “Soleil, you have nothing to fear. I will protect both you and Hope.”
“No. You can’t,” she deadpanned.
“Of course I can, and I will.”
“You can’t,” she repeated, finally meeting his gaze. “To claim Hope as your own would cause your business associates to shun you. Your plantation would not survive the blow. Too many people depend on you to let that happen. This decision isn’t only about Hope—it’s about all the families that rely on you to keep them fed and clothed. You can’t do it, and I...”
The whistle of a train in the distance caught Soleil’s attention, and her words died on her lips. She sat up straight in her seat as a plan flashed through her mind. “Stop the carriage,” she shouted.
Alex blinked rapidly, caught off guard by Soleil’s sudden outburst. After a moment’s hesitation he followed her command and tapped the roof of the carriage, signaling the coachman to stop.
Soleil leaned forward and grabbed his hands in hers, a wide smile adorning her face. “I know what to do. When you first found me, you suggested I return to my family. I was hesitant then, but now it is the only way to save Hope. Will you honor that offer now and pay for our passage to France?”
Alex stared back at Soleil, lost for words. His heart constricted in his chest. She wanted to leave him. Losing her the first time nearly destroyed him. Doing so again would finish the job. But what choice did he have? She was right.
“As much as it pains me to do so, I will. I will have the driver take us to the train depot, and we can purchase tickets to New York. From there I will purchase passage for you and Hope to France.”
Alex could see the moment the reality of her request dawned on Soleil. France was somewhere he could not follow her. Returning home meant losing him.