Sarah's Roses, Book I: Roses of Blue

Chapter XXV

Chapter XXV

Sammy let go of me immediately and spun around. I gave a gasp and my hand rose to my throat. It was Uncle Andrew, and he aiming a pistol at Sam, his finger on the trigger. Sammy’s eyes widened but he didn’t say anything, just stood there, frozen, looking my uncle in the eyes. My heart was thumping like a drum, we had been caught, caught red handed and there was no telling what the consequences were going to be.

“You…you…you…I can’t do the subject justice,” Uncle Andrew’s voice was so cold it sent shivers down my whole body. I had never seen him in this state before, it was frightening. “Couldn’t keep your distance could you. I trusted you; I made you her gardener, and this, this, THIS is how you behave? Do you know where slaves like you go? To the hangman’s. The hangman's!"

This was going too far. To Uncle it seemed like Sammy had been molesting me. I had to save him somehow.

“Uncle Andrew,” I called to him. “please, this isn’t how it seems, it’s alright, don’t do anything to Sam.”

“Sarah, you stay out of this. I want you to go to your room this instant. Henry Earl was bad enough, but Sam Climb is a completely different story.” Uncle Andrew roughly grabbed Sammy’s arm and waved the pistol in his face. His finger was still on the trigger and I was so scared he would accidently pull it and blast Sammy’s brains out.

“Uncle, please, listen to me, you’ve got it all wrong. He wasn’t trying to hurt me.”

“Wasn’t he? And way I ask what was it exactly he was trying to do?”

“He…we..I…I love him, Uncle. I know you don’t approve, that’s why I never told you, but I won’t let you kill him because of me! I’m sorry, Uncle, all this is my fault but don’t do anything to Sam.”

Something happened to my uncle when I said those words. He slowly turned his head and glared at me, his green eyes flashed with anger and disbelief. It was like he didn’t want to believe what I had just told him but at the same time knew he had too. I bit my lip and shivered, I had never been afraid of my Uncle, now I quivered with fear. He was truly frightful in this state. He turned his head back to Sammy.

“And of course you led her on. Which one of the two of you initiated all this? Was it you, Sam?” The two of us were silent. “Sarah is young and foolish; you should have known better to get involved. I can’t believe, CAN’T BELIEVE you had the nerve betray me like this. You’ll regret the day you ever encouraged an innocent child to…” He once more waved the pistol at Sammy when suddenly my voice arrested him.

“Uncle Andrew, you kill Sam, and I’ll kill myself.”

They both turned to see me standing with Sammy’s grafting knife held at my chest.

“Sarah,” Uncle Andrew narrowed his eyes.

I knew I was doing something very drastic, but at that moment I was too desperate to care. “You kill him, Uncle Andrew and I swear to God I’ll run this knife through my heart. We’ve all read the story of Romeo and Juliet, I don’t think you want to experience it.”

Something flashed in Uncle Andrew’s eyes, I couldn’t tell what it was. Sam took a step towards me; his eyes glued to the knife at my chest, Uncle Andrew stopped him with his arm.

“You stay where you are,” He barked. “Put the knife down, Sarah.”

“I won’t until you promise not to kill him.”

“Sarah…”

“PROMISE!” I pressed the knife closer to my chest, making a tiny rip in my dress.