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CHAPTER 42: A WAY OUT
Flashback
Each morning Mariah woke before Master Cassender. Even if she had not been chained she would not have attempted to move, for fear of rousing him. Instead she lay on her sleeping platform, visualizing the wall.
She was sure a ladder tall enough to get over it existed; certainly there were tremendous trees in the arboretum that were occasionally pruned, and in some places the mansion itself was three stories high and its walls and roof would need repairs. But those facts helped her not at all. She had no ladder, short or tall.
She could make a climbing structure out of buckets and crates--if she had buckets and crates and time and freedom of movement. She had none, of course.
She reviewed her conversation with Rolanda all those years ago word by word until she was certain that the slave woman had told her only that escape was possible, but not how she had managed it.
Mariah knew the wall extended all around Riviera, in a great ring. Surely there were areas where it had fallen into disrepair, or where trees had been allowed to grow close to it, perhaps with long overhanging limbs. But there were no such spots within eyesight of Master Cassender's cabin, or the meadows where he worked.
One morning, as Mariah went over yet again everything that had transpired between her and Rolanda, she recalled quite suddenly a snippet of a conversation from another time. Mistress Iliana had taken her to a party. Mariah had sat on her lap, not much listening to the talk as her mistress idly fingered her. Something about a place far away. Alfland? Alfa something? It wasn't in Riviera. They were speaking of a human, someone's relative, who had long ago had set out to visit there, and had never come back.
It wasn't in Riviera. It was outside. There must be a way to get outside.
Present day
After finishing his eggs Animal stood abruptly. "I want to . . . " He stopped, looked at his plate, and carried it to the kitchen like it was a fragile, precious sculpture. Gabriel, Rose and Mariah carefully avoided looking at each other when they heard water running, mild cursing, and a clatter. Animal came back, his shirt wet. "I want to visit an old friend this morning." Rose stood up but Animal raised his hand to stop her. "I need to go by myself," he said. "Would you meet me at the revel room in a couple hours?"
"If it pleases you, Master," Rose said, sitting down again. Animal sighed. He suddenly understood why Gabriel hated that phrase so much.
When he left, slamming the door behind him, Gabriel replaced some of the herbs in his bag with the leaves he and Mariah had crushed. He said, "I need to drop these off to Yesnid, and show Ben how to prepare them." He grimaced a little. "Mariah, whatever happened between you and the Bearer the other day . . . " Mariah's face closed. "I'd rather not repeat it. Would you mind staying with Rose?"
"If it pleases you, Master," Mariah said. She smiled benignly at Gabriel's exasperated look.
He gathered up his things and, with a wave to Mariah and a smile at Rose, he left.
Mariah glanced at the door to make sure Master Gabriel had closed it firmly. Unlike Master Animal, he rarely rushed back in for forgotten supplies. She turned to Rose. "I asked Mistress Tabitha how to clear the smoke smell from Master Animal's apartment. She said to wash the walls with vinegar."
"You asked her?" Rose said, sounding both gratified and worried.
Mariah rolled her eyes. "Relax. I didn't tell her what happened. Just that a recipe from that cookbook didn't work out."
"Thank you," Rose said, touching Mariah's hand.
Mariah shrugged. "It seemed better to be upfront about it than to let her be surprised during an inspection." She stood up. "We'll need a few gallons of the stuff. Should we borrow Raul's cart?"
On their way to the food exchange they paused in the entrance hall and looked out the enormous picture window. The usual activity was taking place on the lawn: humans strolling, a few yardboys mowing the grass, someone throwing a stick for a dog to chase. Their attention was drawn by a loud shriek. A housegirl stood with her arms wrapped tight around an oak tree as her master beat her with a willow switch. Mariah looked away.
"You must think I'm a fool," Rose said softly. She took the handle of the wagon and started to walk again. "About Master Animal."
Mariah took the other side of the handle. But she pushed back against it so the wagon stopped, and turned to face Rose. "I'm worried about you, it's true," she said. "When a mind game like what he's playing ends, it's . . ." She spread her arms, trying to show the enormity of it. "It's devastating."
"You had feelings for a master once," Rose said with sudden understanding.
Mariah shrugged. "A mistress," she said. "I thought I did. And I thought she cared for me." She started walking again. "It was just a mindgame, Rose. She was a human and I was a slave. No feelings can change that."
Rose walked quietly beside her, pulling the wagon. They left the entrance hall and walked down the endless corridor. "She said she could see the light behind my darkness," Mariah said softly, looking straight ahead.
She froze, mortified, when Rose snorted with laughter she was trying to suppress. "I'm sorry," Rose said. "But she had you so easy."
"Easy?" Mariah's voice was faint.
"Easy," Rose said. "If I could paint you--I mean, I never could, but anyone can visualize it." She looked at Mariah intently, the way Mariah had seen Master Animal do before he started a new project. "The light behind the darkness. I like that."
They entered the food exchange. If Mariah refused to look at her, refused to speak to her, Rose didn't seem to notice. She navigated the huge room, explained her need for an outlandish amount of vinegar to a slave matron who sneered at her but gave her several gallons, and, taking her time, picked out enough food to save her a trip to the exchange for several days.
As they pulled the laden wagon back through the hallways, Rose said to Mariah, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. It's just that, if that mistress let you go then she didn't deserve you."
"And Master Animal doesn't deserve you," Mariah said fiercely. "I know you've always thought you loved him, but . . ."
Rose abruptly stopped walking. "You think so little of me?" she asked.
Mariah blinked.
Rose said, "I had unnatural feelings for him, yes. Who doesn't for a kind master? But love?" She shook her head. "Until yesterday he never saw me."
"Don't let him!" Mariah stepped in front of Rose so they were facing each other. "Don't let him see you! When the mind game is played out . . ."
Rose let go of the wagon handle. "Yesterday, I spent the afternoon drawing." Suddenly she laughed, causing a passing houseboy to look at her warily and scurry past. "It happened. I'll always know it happened. No mind game can take that away!" Her voice was exultant, almost triumphant.
Mariah understood. "Like when I was outside the wall," she said.
Rose nodded, and the two of them began to pull the wagon once again. "Like that, I think," she said. "Except you escaped on your own, and Master Animal helped me." She lowered her voice. "After, he really looked at my drawings. He told me what he thought, as if I were a student, a human." Her eyes shone. "And then . . ."
Mariah interrupted. "But just before that, he whipped you. Do you really think a man can change in so short at time?"
"He hasn't changed."
Mariah shook her head. "But . . . "
"He hasn't changed," Rose said again. "He whipped me because he thought it was right." She faltered for a moment. "Mostly, at least." She continued, "He doesn't believe that any more." She added fiercely, "He's always been a good man. Last week, yesterday, today. He's the same as he's always been, and . . ."
Although it was in the wrong order Mariah heard Rose cry out before she heard the slash of the whip that had hit her on her upper back. Rose dropped the wagon handle and fell to her knees. Mariah was momentarily too surprised to do the same. Three masters, one of them holding the whip, surrounded them. Rose continued down until her forehead was on the floor.
Mariah belatedly started to lower herself to her knees, but one of the men grabbed her hair to stop her descent. "Standard position," he snarled. Mariah immediately stood, spread her legs, and put her hands behind her neck. Below her Rose sobbed. The master who had spoken pulled Mariah forward by her elbow a few steps and circled around her.
"Were you and your friend enjoying your little conversation, slut?" he asked her.
"If it pleases you, Master," Mariah said, keeping her eyes fixed on his knees.
The whip came from one of the others, hitting her on the ass. "Don't' sass us," the first master said. "It doesn't please us to be almost walked into by two uppity rags who won't get out of our way."
The men were obviously out for sport. "I beg your forgiveness, Master," Mariah said. Feeling herself begin to shake with fear, she fought to control herself.
"No forgiveness until after punishment," the third master said. He grabbed Mariah's chin and turned her face towards him. "Looks like we're not only people you've displeased lately." He touched her cheek just below her eye, where she was still tender from Animal's fist the previous day. Mariah winced and involuntarily drew back. Another slash of the whip, hitting her lower back. "Look at her," the third master said to the others. "Except for her face she has no recent marks. None at all."
The one with the whip nudged Rose with his boot. "This one does," he said. "But not many." Rose whimpered. "Stand up, girl," the man ordered her. "You need to be taught respect."
Rose pulled herself to her feet. She started to raise her hands to standard position but he stopped her. "Actually, I think you should be the one to teach your friend." He put the whip in her hand. "Go on," he said. "Show her what happens to slaves who forget their place."
Rose fell back to the floor, laying on her stomach, the whip under her. One of the other masters slashed at her, hitting her across her upper legs, on top of the infected marks Master Animal had given her the day before. Mariah watched helplessly, horror-struck. Rose writhed and sobbed but did not get off the floor. Another slash.
"Were these two misbehaving, or are you just having fun?"
Mariah had never been so grateful for anything in her life as for the sudden appearance of Mistress Tabitha.
"They sassed us," one of the men said. "Are they yours?"
Mistress Tabitha shook her head. "I'm their hall mistress. They're a special project of the Bearer's, sort of an experiment. If they were acting out . . ." She glared at Mariah. Rose sobbed again. "I would never interrupt a punishment. But if you could see your way clear to go easy on them, I'll talk to their masters and I'm sure the Bearer would appreciate it."
The three men looked at each other. One of them shrugged and stepped back. "We don't want to cross the Bearer," he said. "My name's Stiller. I've been waiting for new quarters in the penthouse . . ."
Mistress Tabitha said, "I'll be sure to mention your cooperation to him." Stiller nudged Rose with his foot until she raised her belly a few inches. He slid the whip out from under her. Shaking his head he turned and walked away, his friends following.
"Either of you hurt?" Mistress Tabitha asked Mariah and Rose.
"No, Mistress," Mariah said. She sank to her knees, not in obeisance but out of an exhausting relief. She covered her face with her hands. How had she grown so careless? If Mistress Tabitha hadn't come along . . . "Thank you," she said brokenly.
Rose kneeled up beside her. Mariah dared to look at her, and then looked again in surprise. Where Mariah had expected bloodshot eyes and a tearstained face, her eyes were clear and her face dry.
"Stand up, both of you," Mistress Tabitha said. "I want to look at you."
Mariah and Rose both stood and assumed the standard position while Mistress Tabitha circled them. When she was in front of them again, she asked, "What happened?"
Mariah said, "We were disrespectful, Mistress."
"You're always disrespectful," Mistress Tabitha snapped. "Rose, you tell me."
Rose took a deep breath. Mariah noticed that she was not trembling. "Mariah and I were talking. And we didn't notice the masters. We must have walked too close to them. We didn't mean to. . ."
"Of course you didn't mean to," Mistress Tabitha said with asperity. "But I would expect better sense from you, at least, Rose." She looked hard at her. "Most of those whipmarks aren't from today. Who gave them to you?"
"Master Animal," Rose said, coloring.
"Master Animal beat you?"
"Yes, Mistress."
"I suppose this is related to the fire in the kitchen yesterday?
Rose hesitated before answering. "Yes, mistress."
"Good," Mistress Tabitha said. "I've never known your master to ruin a slave, but he's never kept one as long as you before. I'm glad to see he's taking his responsibilities seriously."
She turned to Mariah. "I know Gabriel would never give you that black eye. Was that Animal as well?"
"Yes, Mistress."
"I suppose Gabriel didn't like that much?"
Now Mariah hesitated. "He didn't say, Mistress."
"Well, that's between the two of them, I suppose." She looked them over again. "You got lucky today," she said. "Now, go about your business and mind your betters." She started to walk away but turned back to Mariah. "I'll see you shortly."
"Yes, Mistress," Mariah said, not thinking to ask why. She and Rose stood down. Without a word to each other they picked up the wagon handle and started back to Master Animal's apartment.
Flashback
One morning Master Cassender drove the horses past the farthest meadow that he had visited with Mariah, and kept going. He hummed to himself, which Mariah knew he only did when he was in a particularly good mood. She was pleased that they were heading Northeast, so she could look at the wall while seeming to stare off into the middle distance.
Eventually, though, the road curved way from the wall. Mariah dozed off, waking when Master Cassender turned the wagon to the right. They went through a patch of woods, the road bending again. Suddenly they were in sunshine, and there before Mariah was the gate.
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