Heart of a slave

Watch Your Back

Alton grimaced in pain; he was so close to bedding that wench until someone intervened. How he had dreamed of being buried between those hot, sweet thighs! He muttered a few expletives while he walked through the sugarcane field. He noticed, however, that she was not at work. As commander, he was required to know what caused the absence of a slave from work. If it was not ordered by a higher authority, then it was up to him to take disciplinary measures. He rode angrily towards the estate and reported the matter to Lady Noelita. She agreed with him and ordered that the premises be searched at once for this slave.

While Alton was leaving, Dimitri entered the room and kissed his grandmother on the cheek. "What's the matter?" he asked cheerfully.

His grandmother looked at him and said, "It is not a situation that Alton can't handle. Unfortunately, a slave girl has been missing from work and absence from work requires punishment. This will show them that they must always follow the rules."

Dimitri stood up and told his grandmother about Siwhetta's incident last night, informing her that he was the one who had saved her from her attacker and had kept her in confinement all day to rest. "She should be back at work tomorrow morning," he calmly assured her.

His grandmother was very disappointed that he would intervene in such a way as to take the girl from the slave quarters and bring her to the house. She informed him that there were legislations that governed slavery on the island.

Dimitri shrugged then kissed her on the cheek and went to inform Alton of his order for the young woman to rest.

Dimitri noticed that Alton was not pleased with his decision but he had no choice but to accept it. He noticed, as well, while speaking to him, that he had marks of a recent fight. He questioned him boldly about what happened but Alton made the excuse that he had fallen off his horse.

Dimitri was not convinced but decided to change the subject. They continued strolling in the field discussing the issues concerning the additional crops that would be grown: the cost of the investment, possible setbacks and losses, projected profits.

"If we are going to expand the plantation then we will definitely need more slaves," Alton said, observing Dimitri's reaction to the idea. He knew that Dimitri loathe the idea of owning slaves.

Dimitri smiled in agreement at what Alton had just said and quickly excused himself to deal with more pressing issues. He walked away from Alton and went to his horse; he sensed that Alton was watching him until he disappeared from sight.

Dimitri knew he had just made an enemy in the Caribbean and so he sought his good friend, Nathan, to tell him all about it.

***

Dimitri worked hard all day, focusing on the paperwork and finances of the estate. His grandmother had fired the last accountant six months ago, so he knew there would be a backlog of work to complete, taxes to file, and a report of the company's progress for the year had to be completed. Dimitri knew he would need to hire a good accountant to keep things running while he was away. He sighed as he walked away from the desk and went to the window. 

He poured himself a drink. It was late. He heard a small knock at the door and waited. It was one of his servants. "Master, your brother, Leonard, has requested that you join them for dinner. Your grandmother has invited Lord Weatherly and his three daughters for a dinner party this evening."

Dimitri sighed; he had already forgotten. Oh yes, the dinner party this evening, guests would be coming in a few minutes. He was so busy trying to complete as much work as possible that he had forgotten about their guests. He nodded at the girl and proceeded to his bedchamber to change. He was impatient to get there. He had not seen Siwhetta since morning. He took the stairs by twos and walked down the hallway to his bedchamber. 

He opened the door quietly. The soft glow from the lamp illuminated halfway through the room. He squinted as he looked on the large feather bed where he had left her. Did she leave? He looked again and saw that the heavy blanket moved; she looked really small curled up in the dark. He went over and sat on the bed and removed his boots then undressed. He thought about waking her but instead he decided to go straight to the dinner party. He went through his clothing and chose something suitable. He had to make a good impression. Lord Weatherly was a neighbour and had been a close friend of his grandmother's for quite some time.

***