Scattered Seed: A Novel by Francine Thomas Howard

Author:Francine Thomas Howard [Howard, Francine Thomas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Published: 2022-08-01T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Bibi laid the dampened cloth across Adaeze’s forehead as she and Folashade shifted their sister’s back against the stack of pillows on Charbonneau’s cot. Bibi placed the empty goblet the barbarian had thrust into her hands on the floor. In his French, he had ordered her to pour some of the liquid down Adaeze’s throat, the same burning, foul-tasting dark-amber wetness that he often sampled himself and sometimes forced down her own throat.

“Adaeze! Adaeze!” Bibi’s voice was insistent but soft as she rubbed the wet cloth across her sister’s forehead.

Adaeze’s eyes flickered open. She stared at the closed cabin door. The voices of the trio of men standing just outside rose in an ever-increasing crescendo of anger. Charbonneau and the Mandinka dignitary dominated the shouting match. Malick interjected only an occasional clarifying word. Each time Charbonneau’s voice spit out his French and his doggerel Wolof, Adaeze’s eyes clamped shut and her head tucked into one of the cushions.

“Well? I’ve shown you the bracelet,” Charbonneau blurted out in his French. “Last night. If you believe you can take any of these women to Gorée without giving me a fair price, then you are in for a sad truth.”

“Uhh,” Adaeze gurgled.

In her haste to retrace Charbonneau’s words, Bibi had clamped the cloth over Adaeze’s nose and mouth.

“Sorry,” she muttered. Another reference to Gorée.

“Adaeze. You must open your eyes.” Bibi looked down at her sister, dropping the cloth over the girl’s chest as Bibi’s hands moved to Adaeze’s wrist, and the bracelets. She ran her fingers across all three. As plain as they were, fine gold, for sure, but made up of only simple swirls and curves, and with garnets no wider than a fly’s wings, Manuela had still coveted them. If only Bibi could rouse her sister into a moment of lucidity. Instead, she put a light hand over the girl’s wrist. “I think we’re going to need these, though I’m not quite sure why.” Her bare foot kicked the goblet under the cot and out of Charbonneau’s view when he stepped back into the cabin.

Adaeze’s eyes remained closed, her lashes resting on her cheeks, her body still.

The Mandinka banged the already-open door against the cabin wall as he brushed past Charbonneau. He stomped toward the center of the room and planted himself next to the mahogany-wood table. Bibi sucked in a breath and tightened her grip over Adaeze’s forearm, concealing the bracelets in as casual a pose as she could manage.

“My arm!” Adaeze startled alert.

Bibi kept her eyes from her sister as she eased her hand away, praying the Mandinka negotiator had been too busy preparing a fresh assault against Charbonneau to pay her more than scant attention.

Charbonneau’s glowering stance as he squared off against the Mandinka brought Bibi’s attention back to the Frenchman. He moved toward the man, stopping just centimeters away. The negotiator, ignoring the Frenchman, scowled as he scanned the room. His eyes settled on the cot and the three sisters.

“She is the one.” The Mandinka took a step closer to Folashade, brushing Charbonneau’s shoulder.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.