Chapter Seven
Lula woke before the light and slipped out of bed without waking Sebastian.
She went straight to the stove. The fire was low, so she added kindling and set water on to heat. It was a routine now. Simple. Familiar.
She measured out the oatmeal without thinking. Then she stopped.
The letter was still on the table.
She wiped her hands and picked it up again. She had already read it twice. She read it again anyway.
Her father was dead. All will be forgiven. Lula folded the letter and tucked it into her apron.
The kettle rattled behind her. She turned back, poured the oats in, and stirred. Her mind drifted anyway. New York. Her parents. Bill.
The spoon scraped the bottom of the pot.
She frowned. The oatmeal was too thick already. She added a little more water and stirred harder.
She reached for the cinnamon—and stopped. After a moment, she left it where it was. She couldn’t force her mind to concentrate on cooking. The letter had truly rattled her.
The bed creaked behind her. “You’re up early,” Sebastian said.
“I woke,” she said. “Thought I’d get breakfast started.”
He dressed without much talking. She could feel him watching her, but she didn’t turn around.
“You sleep well?” he asked.
“Well enough.” She shrugged. “You?”
“Well enough.”
She stirred the oatmeal again, though it didn’t need it.
“Do you need help?” he asked.
“No. I’ve got it.”
“All right.”
She poured the oatmeal into bowls and put them on the table.
When she turned, she gave him a small smile. He smiled back, but it felt different. He sat down and took a bite. “It’s good,” he said.
“I forgot the cinnamon.”
“I noticed.”
“I’ll remember tomorrow.”
“I know you will.”
They ate in silence.
It wasn’t uncomfortable. Just... heavier than usual. When he finished, he stood and reached for his coat.
“I’ll check the cold house after you leave,” Lula said. “See what we have.”
“That’s a good idea.” He paused, then stepped closer and kissed her temple.
“I’ll be back this evening,” he said.
“I’ll have supper ready.”
“I know.”
He left. The door shut softly behind him. Lula stood there for a moment, listening to the quiet.
Then she reached for her apron and touched the folded letter. Something had changed. She didn’t think it was completely broken. Not yet anyway.
Lula pulled on her gloves and went to the cold house as soon as Sebastian left.
The freezing air inside bit her face when she opened the door. She stepped in anyway, shutting it behind her.
The meat was where she’d left it. Neatly wrapped. Stacked the way Ella had shown her. She’d never realized before that Ella was a good organizer. Lula felt she had a great deal she could learn from her friend.
She crouched and started sorting. “This goes to Katie,” she murmured, moving one bundle aside. “This stays.”
Her fingers were stiff almost immediately. She flexed them once, then kept working.
After a moment, the door opened again. Ella stepped inside, closing it quickly behind her. “I thought you’d be here,” Ella said.
“I wanted to check everything before I forgot,” Lula replied.
Ella nodded and moved to the far side without waiting for direction. She picked up a bundle, turned it in her hands, then set it down in a different pile.
“For sale,” she said quietly.
Lula looked over. “That one?”
Ella nodded. “Best cut. Will bring more.”
Lula shifted it to where Ella had indicated. “All right.”
They worked in silence for a few minutes. The only sounds were the paper, twine, and their breathing. Lula glanced over at the growing piles. “I don’t want to sell too much,” she said. “We need enough for winter.”
Ella didn’t look up. “We will have enough.”
“You’re certain?”
Ella nodded once. “If you keep hunting.”
Lula almost smiled at that. “I will,” she said.
Ella adjusted another bundle. “These go first,” she added. “They won’t keep as long.”
“All right.” Lula moved them closer to the door.
Her fingers slipped on the twine. She tightened her grip and tried again. After a moment, Ella reached over and tied the knot for her without a word.
“Thank you,” Lula said.
Ella shrugged. “It needs to be tight.”
They worked a little longer. The piles grew clearer.
“For sale.”
“For us.”
“For later.”
Lula leaned back on her heels. “I didn’t think it would feel like this,” she said.
Ella paused. “Like what?”
“Like I’m running something.” Lula gestured at the space around them. “Not just helping. Not just...getting by.”
Ella looked at her then. “You are,” she said simply.
Lula nodded slowly. “I suppose I am.”
Ella returned to her work. “You should keep track.”
“Of what?”
“What you sell. What you keep.”
Lula frowned. “I don’t need numbers for that.”
Ella shook her head. “You will.”
Lula watched her for a moment. “You’d help me?”
Ella tied another bundle. “I already am.”
Lula let out a quiet breath. “All right. We’ll keep track.”
Ella nodded once, satisfied.
When they finished, the piles were clean and even.
Ella wiped her hands on her skirt. “Take these first,” she said, pointing to the sale pile near the door. “Before they spoil.”
“I will,” Lula said.
Ella moved to leave, then paused with her hand on the door. Ella stepped out into the cold and closed the door behind her.
Lula stayed a moment longer, looking at the neat stacks around her.
Everything was in its place. Everything clear. She reached into her apron and touched the letter again. Maybe not everything.
She pushed the door open and stepped back into the cold.
“Ella,” she called.
Ella stopped a few steps away and turned, waiting without speaking.
Lula hesitated, then walked toward her, her hands tightening together as if she needed to hold onto something to say the words. “I need to tell you something,” she said quietly. “About Bill.”
Ella’s head tilted slightly, but she didn’t interrupt. “All right.”
Lula looked down at the ground between them, gathering her courage.
“I haven’t told anyone here. Not Belle. Not Maggie.
Not even Sebastian.” She paused, her throat tightening.
“I told Sebastian my parents didn’t approve.
That Bill was from a different background.
That part is true, but it isn’t all of it. ”
She drew in a slow breath. “His parents worked for mine,” she said. “His father was the gardener, and his mother was my mother’s maid. I grew up seeing them every day.” She pressed her lips together before continuing. “And Bill...he was a negro.”
Lula kept her eyes lowered for a moment longer, then forced herself to go on.
“That’s why my parents turned me out. That’s why no one would accept our marriage.
That’s why people said the things they did.
” She shook her head once. “It wasn’t just that he was poor or from the wrong sort of family.
It was...that. I couldn’t prove it at the time, but there’s no doubt in my mind he was killed because he married a white woman. ”
There was a long silence. Ella didn’t react in any obvious way, but she also didn’t look away.
“I loved him,” Lula added more quietly. “I still do. I can’t pretend that part away.” She let out a small breath, as if she had been holding it for years. “And I don’t regret marrying him. Not for a moment.”
She finally looked up at Ella. “I don’t know how to tell Sebastian. I don’t even know if I should.”
Ella studied her for a moment, then took a step closer. “He should know,” she said simply.
Lula flinched a little at that. “You think so?”
Ella nodded. “He already knows you’re hiding something.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to tell him everything,” Lula said quickly, then stopped herself. “It could change things. It could break everything we’ve started here.”
Ella considered that, her gaze steady.
“Or it won’t,” she said.
Lula gave a quiet, humorless laugh. “You make it sound simple.”
“It isn’t,” Ella replied. “But it’s clear.”
Lula rubbed her hands together, more from nerves than cold. “Everyone minded before,” she said. “Everyone. It didn’t matter how good he was, or how much I...cared for him. It was all they could see.”
Ella held her gaze. “Sebastian isn’t everyone.”
Lula didn’t look convinced. “What if he is?”
Ella didn’t answer right away. When she spoke, her voice was softer. “Then you will know.”
Lula looked away first. “I didn’t want to bring that into this place,” she said. “I thought if I worked hard enough, if I did my part, if I built something here...” She trailed off, unsure how to finish it.
Ella nodded. “You are building something.”
Lula let out a slow breath. “But I’m still hiding.”
“Yes.” Then Ella shifted slightly, practical as ever. “Take the meat to Katie,” she said. “It won’t sell itself.”
Lula almost smiled at that. “I will,” she said.
Ella turned to go again, then paused. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” she added quietly.
Lula’s throat tightened. “I know,” she said.
Ella nodded once and walked away without another word.
Lula watched her go, then reached into her apron and touched the folded letter again, her fingers resting there as if it connected everything.
The cold house made sense. The work made sense. The life she was building made sense.
But this—
This still didn’t.
*****
Lula took the meat she and Ella had set aside into town. The bell above Katie’s door rang when she stepped inside.
Katie looked up from the counter and smiled. “You’ve brought me more meat.”
“I have,” Lula said, setting the bundles down. “Venison this time.”
Katie opened one slightly and nodded. “This will sell quickly.”
“I thought it might.”
Katie rewrapped it and set it aside. “You’re getting good at this. Better cuts. Cleaner work.”
“I had help,” Lula said. “Ella showed me how to sort things properly.”
Katie smiled. “That makes a difference.”
Lula shifted her weight. “Do you think you can sell all of it?”
“I always can,” Katie said. “Especially fresh meat.”
Katie pushed the wrapped meat aside. “Do you want me to put this onto your account?”
“I do. And remember to divide it up amongst all of us.”