A Promise Unbroken by Al Lacy

Author:Al Lacy [Lacy, Al]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-87491-7
Publisher: The Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2010-06-09T00:00:00+00:00

When Reed Exley swung his buggy from the lane toward the front of the Ruffin mansion, he was surprised to see the Steele buggy parked next to the porch with Mandrake seated in it alone. What was Web doing here? Surely he wasn’t making a social call on Abby while leaving his newly purchased slave sitting outside.

Mandrake watched Exley drive by and head for the barn. He heaved a sigh of relief, knowing he would never have to knuckle under to the wicked man again. He was curious, however, why Web had driven to the Ruffin place instead of going straight home. When Web had turned off the road onto the Ruffin plantation, he had noticed the strange look on Mandrake’s face. He reassured Mandrake that he needed to see Abby for just a few minutes, and would soon be taking him home.

Exley disappeared into the barn when Web came out of the house. Abby stood in the doorway, smiling. She waved at Mandrake, and he waved back, giving her his warm smile.

During the fifteen-minute drive between the Ruffin plantation and the Steele place, Web spoke to Mandrake of his anger toward Exley for selling Orchid. Though Mandrake was thrilled at now being owned by the Steeles, his sorrow over the loss of his beloved wife remained.

Web pulled the buggy to a halt at the porch of the Steele mansion. As a slave came to take the horse and buggy, Web said, “You can get out here, Mandrake. You’re going inside with me.”

Expecting to be taken immediately to his new quarters among the slave shacks, Mandrake blinked and said, “Yassuh, Massa Web.”

Web was met by his parents as he entered the mansion. He made a quick explanation about purchasing Mandrake and told them of Exley’s having sold Mandrake’s wife to an unnamed slave trader. Cora spoke kind, comforting words to Mandrake, and Dudley Steele welcomed him as part of the Steele plantation. To give a slave such a welcome was unusual, but Dudley could see that his son had a special liking for Mandrake, and treated him accordingly.

Web then said, “Dad, I need to talk to you for a minute.”

Dudley agreed. Cora said she would escort Mandrake to the library, where he could wait while father and son had their brief talk.

Mandrake was all eyes as he took in the lavish furniture, tapestries, and plush carpet while following Cora through the house to the massive library. While seated alone, he gawked at the hundreds of books that lined the long shelves of one entire wall, floor to ceiling. He thought Dudley Steele must own half the books in the world.

Presently Web appeared, still carrying Mandrake’s papers, and sat down behind a large oak desk. Flattening the papers out on the desk top, Web set his dark eyes on the handsome young Negro and said, “Mandrake, I just explained to my father that the check I wrote for your purchase today was not a Steele Plantation check. It was my personal check.

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