Oliver left to get Armstrong, and I waited by the window looking out at the beautiful wildflowers blossoming down the hillside. Something about this war ending reminds me of spring. All of the dead leaves and wet sod disappear and replaced with beauty.
The end of this war hopefully means our horrible memories will be replaced with new, more beautiful memories. Putting our pasts behind us, the first step to our fresh start. A start without slavery and, hopefully, an end to racism. A start where no past lovers will again interfere in our happiness.
I heard a knock, and both Oliver and Armstrong entered. "Oliver, you may excuse yourself." I said.
"Naomi, we talked about this." He said. "No, you talked about it Oliver. Go find Evelyn and decide your daughters future. For now, I'm deciding my own."
"As you wish, but you have a limited amount of time." He tried to control me once again.
"Suit yourself, but the door will be locked. I trust Armstrong will be a gentleman?" I looked at him and he nodded. Oliver backed away and shut the door and Armstrong acted like he was going to lock it. "That won't be necessary." I said, and he stepped away from the door.
"We need to speak about your presence in this home. I understand you offered to leave upon my request?" I asked.
"If I would have known our current circumstance, I never would have married Evelyn." He said.
"Why did you marry that horrible woman? You have been told her terrible treatment of our own loved ones?" I asked.
"Evelyn plays a crafty game, Naomi." He said.
"That's Mrs. Westlake to you." I corrected him.
"Why are you so angry with me?" He was confused.
"Answer my question. Why would you marry the daughter of a slave owner after everything that happened to us both?"
"She was kind, beautiful, and understanding. I was trying to...I was trying to replace you. I love you, Naomi. I was trying to move on." He said.
"Answer the question!" I yelled.
"Because she herself was the victim of this war! She did not raise a musket at me, her daughter is innocent, and she made me laugh for the first time since that terrible night." He said.
"So you brought a southern woman into this home?"
"Now look who's being judgmental just because of one's unfortunate circumstances!" He yelled at me.
"What happened with the last southern woman brought into this home? I'm with child again Armstrong, and I can't live like I'm sharing this roof with the enemy. I lost my last child because of a racist southern whore, and it won't happen again. Either send her away or take her away, I don't care, but if I see her, don't think I won't raise a musket. She can either leave or take Oliver's child. I won't turn that little girl away, but if you stay with that woman, you will not be a part of my life. She came here with the intention of bestowing evil upon this family, and I will not tolerate her presence. I will not leave this room until she is out of this house." I made my demands clear.
"You would be the cause of that child's separation from her mother?"
"That choice is between the two of you." I said.
"You're making that choice for me, because you know I cannot live without you in my life." He said.
"You do understand how deeply I love my husband, Armstrong. If you're in my life, it's only as my husband's family. I care for you because we survived together, and I will not watch you waste your life with such a lowly woman. I saw the way she looked at my sister, like she was beneath her, and I will not tolerate that in this house." I said.
"Will you ever forgive me?" His eyes watered.
"I am more than capable of forgiveness, but I am not capable of forgetting." I informed him.
"I'll speak to Oliver." He said.
"Oliver cannot make this decision for you." I said.
"I'm not asking him to, but I want to know his intentions with Roseland. I cannot send that child away destitute."
"You truly believe Oliver would allow that to happen?"
"I don't know that man anymore. Not after what he did to you."
"I believe you are forgetting neither of us did anything less favorable than him. You are not a better man, Armstrong." I reminded him.
"If I would have known, I would never have taken her as my wife."
"Then fix it." I said just before I heard a scream.
"That's Mae!" I said as we both ran downstairs.
Knowing there's a confederate in our home, I didn't hesitate to grab my revolver.
"Mae! What's wrong?" I ran around the corner, but Patrick grabbed me and placed a hand over my mouth and slowly took my revolver. He whispered, "Stay here."
He slowly turned and peeked into the parlor. "You would do best to drop that knife." He gave a warning.
"He ruined my life, so now I'll take his."
It's Evelyn.
"You're only ruining your own, Mrs. Westlake." He said, but she laughed. "Mine was ruined a decade ago. Go ahead and shoot me. It's only worth the same as a confederate note because of all of you."
"I won't hesitate to shoot a woman. Your daughter is standing right there, so is this really going to be her last memory of you?" Patrick tried to speak reason, but I heard a shuffle and a grunt from my husband. My back slid down the wall as I imagined the worst.
"Get some rope, and Patrick run into town and get the law." This was Normans voice.
I sobbed as I sat on the floor. I didn't have the strength to look inside that room and see exactly what happened.
"Where's Naomi?" I heard Oliver's voice.
"In the hall." Patrick answered as he was doing something in that parlor.
I perked up as I heard footsteps nearing. I saw him walk out of that room with blood on his arm, but that didn't stop him from bending over and picking me up.
"You're bleeding." I pointed out.
"It's barely a cut, hang on, I'm getting you out of here. Mother, please take the children to the nursery." He walked up the steps, and when we reached our quarters, he layed me on the bed.
"Rest, you don't need this stress." He kissed my forehead before unbuttoning his shirt to investigate his wound.
"What happened down there?" I'm barely calm.
"I, told her she wasn't wanted in this house." He said. "She pulled a knife and I got cut in the arm as I wrestled it away from her. It's over now, I'll be making sure that woman is committed." He said.
"I guess that means you have a responsibility to that child."
"Of course I do." He said as he washed off the blood. "I also have responsibility to you. What do you want me to do with Roseland?"