Beloved Destiny Page 14

  William had no sooner said these words silently in his mind when he realized that the noise of the tornado was becoming less violent. He opened his eyes to realize that the building he was in remained standing, undamaged. He could see across the street to his office, which was also unscathed. William stood up as did all the people sheltering in the room. Some began praying aloud in thanks to the almighty for their salvation from the storm. Others wept quietly in relief at still finding themselves alive. William prayed again, this time a prayer of thanks for his own survival, as well as another plea with God to spare his beloved Carina.

  At Easton Hall Mrs. Prewitt was gazing out the tall windows in the parlor. She grew ever more alarmed at the blackness of the sky. Hail continued to fall, making a noise that was deafening inside the house. Day turned into night as the storm continued to intensify. Suddenly the front door burst open with a rush of wind that almost knocked her down, as one of the stable hands ran in shouting at the top of his lungs: "Tornado comin', big one, so big it done knocked down ever'thing around here. Gotta run to the cellar quick!" The panicked man was looking around for a door to the cellar.

  "Carina! We need to get below ground, come quick!" Mrs. Prewitt ran to the foot of the stairs as Carina began running down them. "Hurry! We need to get the housemaids downstairs, too!"

  Mrs. Prewitt began gallantly running through the lower floor gathering the house staff, herding them to the door that led down to the cellar. Delia ran with Carina, who grabbed the stable hand's arm and pulled him toward the cellar door. All the residents of the house made it into the safety of the massive cellar and the door was slammed shut. Everyone below ground stood in terror as the sound of the monstrous storm came right over their heads. Some prayed and some wept in fear.

  Carina kept her hands folded over the baby as if to shield him from harm. She prayed quietly to the deity to spare her child and also William. She was calm in the face of possible death, trusting that God would not take her innocent unborn infant. She pleaded with the Almighty to forgive William for sins he might have committed for her sake. She hoped for mercy and forgiveness for both of them, who had loved so deeply and truly that she could hardly believe that such love could be a sin. She prayed for Joshua and Mr. Prewitt, who she hoped were not in the path of the storm.

  As the terrified residents of Easton Hall stayed below ground they could hear the sounds of the storm wrecking the home over their heads. The creaking and loud cracking of wood made them realize that the walls were being torn away. Shattering glass signified that windows were being blown out. The din finally became so loud that destruction was all they could discern. The sound was that of the world being torn apart. After a few minutes which seemed to last a lifetime, the terrible noise diminished slightly. Afraid to move, everyone stood stock still. Then the sounds grew less intense, until finally there was quiet. Still, no one moved. It was quiet for a long time before anyone did. Mrs. Prewitt was the first try to do so, but when she attempted to take a step, her legs collapsed under her. One of the maids helped her gently to the ground. The older woman began to shake uncontrollably, as if in shock. Three of the other maids were shaking uncontrollably and Carina went to them to offer comfort. Delia remained by Carina, fearing she might have suffered a profound shock and need some attention. Carina however found herself calm and serene, filled with thanks that she and her babe had survived the calamity. They all agreed to stay underground for awhile, mostly for the feeling of security that it gave them, but also for fear of what they would find above ground. Mrs. Prewitt rested for 15 minutes, and then gathered her courage. Arising; she went to the outer cellar door and opened it. The sun shone in through the door opening in golden splendor. The group started up the cellar steps and into the yard at the back of the house. Nothing could have prepared them for the sight that they beheld. Easton Hall was gone. The ground where the house had stood for generations was wiped clean, as if by a giant hand. The foundation was the only sign that a house had ever stood there. All the bricks, mortar and boards of the house had disappeared; dropped no doubt on some field miles away. Mrs. Prewitt swayed and had to be assisted to the ground again lest she fall. This time she stayed on the ground, her face ashen. Carina went to her mother-in-law, sat on the ground beside her and gathered her into her arms. She knew that there were no words to comfort the older lady. She could only offer wordless love and support to try to help strengthen Mother Prewitt's devastated heart. After the original shock wore off, three or four of the housemaids began to cry. Their world lay shattered in front of them. The fearsome loss was just beginning to sink in to all the people who had called Easton Hall home.

  A Shattered World

  s soon as Carina felt that Mother Prewitt was safe and was recovering somewhat from the weakness that had her in its grip, she turned her thoughts toward William. She was terrified that the hideous beast that had ravaged this great home had wiped out his office with him inside it. She must go to him. She took Delia aside and told her that they must go to the street where William lived.

  "No, you can't, Miz Carina!" Delia was aghast at the suggestion. "You can't go down there in that tore up town lookin' for Mr. William. You never make it. There probably piles of houses tore up and strewn everywhere. Ain't no way a lady in your condition could think of such a thing."

  "Delia, you can say whatever you wish, but I'm going to find William. I am much stronger than you think. You need to stay here and take care of Mrs. Prewitt."

  "No, I ain't. The other maids kin watch out for Miz Prewitt. My place with you. If you goin' to do this, I be right with you." Delia proved to be just as stubborn as her mistress.

  Delia went over to the most responsible of the servants and whispered to her where she and Carina were going. The girl's eyes grew wide with wonder when she heard where the two women were headed. She said nothing, just nodded her head.

  Carina had no bonnet, no parasol to shield her pale complexion from the fierce sun that was now beating down on her. She grabbed Delia's hand and pulled her along as they went in the general direction of the street William's office was on. They constantly had to back up to try another route as more and more obstacles appeared in their way. The closer they got to their goal, the more devastating the destruction was. Carina's heart was pounding with fear that she would find William's office flattened, with him nowhere to be found. She picked up her pace, only to have to backtrack repeatedly as their path was blocked. Refusing to give up, Carina doggedly kept going.

  William had immediately set out from the boarding house to search for Carina. He, too, encountered many obstacles in his way. The ruins of buildings lay in twisted heaps everywhere. There was so much destruction that familiar landmarks were missing, so that twice he lost his way. He prayed as he searched, hoping that at any moment he would see in the distance a woman with deep red hair. When he came to Easton Hall, his heart almost stopped. The place where the house had been was scraped clean. Despair filled him as he looked around for some sign of life in the area. Then he spotted a small group sitting in the grass together. He recognized Mrs. Prewitt and he began running in her direction.

  "Carina! Carina are you there?" William ran as if his life depended on it, but when he reached the little group, he saw that Carina was not among the women. "Carina, where is she?" he could barely gasp the words.

  "Her an' Delia done gone off lookin' for you, Mister William. Told me to stay here with Miz Prewitt. I done told 'em that they shouldn't, but they determined to go."

  "That's alright, Janie, it wasn't your fault. You couldn't stop her. How is Mrs. Prewitt doing?" William looked at the older woman and saw that she was still in shock. Her face was pale and her eyes looked vacant.

  "She better now, Mister William. She wasn't breathin' so good awhile back, but she breathin' purty good now. She just so upset about the house an' all. Too much for an old lady to take. Don't worry; I take real good care of her."

  "Good, now which direction did Carina head off in?"

&nb
sp; As soon as he was shown the direction the two women had started off in, William began running again. He stumbled and retraced his steps countless times, but at last, in the distance he saw two women stumbling along. One of them had hair the color of the setting sun.

  "Carina! Carina!" He picked up his pace, running full tilt, until he caught up with them sweeping Carina into his arms. He held her as if he would never let go, as sobs and tears wracked her body. The fear and tension of the last hours broke down her reserve, allowing the torrent of emotion she felt now to emerge unchecked.

  "William, thank God! Oh, you are alive, alive! I thought never to see you again! Now Carina's joy surged over her in waves as he laughed and held onto her. They cried and laughed, holding each other as if their very lives depended on it. They were unconscious of their surroundings. Delia was surprised by their display, but said nothing. She would accept anything that made her mistress so happy without so much as asking a question about it.

  All three of the survivors sat on the ground, talking at once about the terrible disaster. As soon as Carina heard that William's office had been passed over by the twister, she knew that God had answered her prayers. The two lovers held hands as the sun beat down on them.

  "Miz Carina, you gittin' red in the face." Delia was concerned that her mistress might get a bad burn, her fair skin never before having been unprotected from the sun.

  "Come on, we aren't far from my office. I will take both of you there and make you comfortable, then go back to Easton Hall. I am concerned about Mrs. Prewitt. I will bring her back here, also. We may have to construct a litter for her, but the other maids and I can do that. There are plenty of boards and building materials around, God knows."

  William stood and helped Carina to her feet. Holding her arm, he guided her around piles of debris safely until they came to his office. He took her and Delia upstairs to his rooms and made Carina promise to lie down on the bed until he came back. He was concerned for her health with all the exertions she had undergone today.

  After getting the two women settled, William took a bottle of water, a supply of rags and set out for Easton Hall again. He covered the ground quicker this time since he knew which way to go as he began to recognize a few landmarks. He looked all around the property to see if anything could be salvaged. The stable at the back of the property had been badly damaged, but he walked over to see if anything remained inside that might be usable. A soft whinny caused him to look into one of the stalls where he found Pomme, looking none the worse for wear. There was another full-grown mare in the next stall, so he put a bridle on each and led them out to the yard where Mrs. Prewitt sat. He and the housemaids gave Mrs. Prewitt some water which she managed to swallow. Two of the maids had cut themselves on the debris lying about and William bandaged their wounds with strips of cloth. He used the rest of the rags to bind thin boards together to construct a crude litter. They placed Mrs. Prewitt gently on the conveyance and started toward William's rooms. The sun was setting as they arrived, the journey taking much longer with the litter bearing a sick woman. They had to choose the smoothest path to avoid jarring the patient unnecessarily. Two of the servants led the horses behind them. When they finally arrived at the office, William carried Mrs. Prewitt upstairs and placed her on the bed next to Carina. Carina was fast asleep, exhausted from the terrors of the day and her exertions. William took Delia aside to tell her that he was going to arrange rooms in the boarding house for himself and the other servants. He would leave Delia, Carina and Mrs. Prewitt in his rooms. He asked the boarding house owner to put the two horses in his barn, adding that he would pay for their keep.

  A few hours later, one of the housemaids brought supper to the upstairs rooms. Luckily, the boarding house had been unscathed by the storm. The kitchen there could prepare meals for the boarders and for the residents of William's rooms. Mrs. Prewitt managed to swallow a few spoonfuls of broth before she was overcome by exhaustion again. Carina found that she was ravenously hungry after she had rested, and ate appreciatively of the bread and meat that had been sent, along with a jar of hot tea. After they had eaten all the women fell fast asleep.

  The next morning William struck out early by himself to assess the damage to the city and find out whatever news he could. People were out in the streets talking in groups about their experiences of the day before. Each group had something to say about the storm and the damage it had wrought. After two hours of wandering around town listening, William had learned that most of the town had been destroyed. The worst damage and loss of life had taken place on the river and at Natchez-under-the-Hill. Every boatman who was still on the river when the twister hit was killed. There were very few survivors among those who had been anywhere near that part of town. The leaders of the city were already attempting to make a list of townspeople who had lived and who had died. It would be a week before it was discovered that Joshua and Mr. Prewitt were among those killed by the storm.

  William came over to bring food and drink to Carina and the other women twice a day. He could not stay away, and when he came into the room he could not stop himself from holding her hands in his. Mrs. Prewitt was still recovering from her shock and didn't seem to question their relationship. The older woman was rallying which made Carina's heart glad. Mrs. Prewitt asked about her husband and son, but no one knew what their fate might be.

  The destruction and loss of life in Natchez was so great that the raw stench of death began to overcome the city. Able-bodied men were kept busy searching in the wreckage for survivors, burying those who were not so lucky. Some of the bodies were never found; carried who knows how far by the twister. William wanted to get Carina and Mrs. Prewitt out of town before illness began to overtake the residents. Inevitably in this kind of disaster pestilence followed soon afterwards. Mrs. Prewitt was reluctant to leave the city until her husband and son were found. William tried to persuade her by assuring her that he would get word to her as soon he heard anything. He finally overcame her resistance to leaving by telling her that he feared for Carina and the baby to stay in the city with the sickness that was sure to come. Carina decided that they would go to Camellia Hill. William sent a messenger by horse to let the Blanchett's know that Carina was safe and would soon be arriving with Mrs. Prewitt and the others.

  Five days after the tornado struck, Carina and the other women were transported to Camellia hall in a carriage that William had hired in the next town. Carina and William had not been alone together, so consequently she had not been able to tell him that he in fact was her child's father. She feared giving Mother Prewitt even more shock, possibly even causing her a fatal setback. She knew that she would have to wait until they could be alone to tell him the truth. Although her heart ached to shout it out, she could not.

  The trip to Camellia Hill seemed interminably long to Carina. She was growing bigger with pregnancy so that exertions tired her out now. Delia tried to amuse both the women with clever stories, but Carina found her head nodding frequently and finally she gave in to sleep.

  When she opened her eyes the sight of Camellia Hill made Carina tear up with gratitude. Her parents came out to greet the coach, gathering their daughter into their arms. News of the disaster in Natchez had reached them before William sent word that Carina was safe, so they had feared the worst. Tears of joy were shed as they embraced. Mrs. Blanchett then turned to Mother Prewitt, embracing her and offering her wishes that Mr. Prewitt and Joshua would be found unharmed. Carina blessed her mother's kindness in the face of the terrible tragedy that they had all survived. Carina returned to her old room at Camellia Hill. In a few days she and her mother began making plans for the nursery next door. Mother Prewitt took the room across the hall. All of the layette items had been lost and so the women began again creating tiny items of clothing for the infant to come.

  William threw himself into helping to pull any surviving townspeople out of the wreckage of the town until there were no more taken out alive. The leaders of the town finally produced
a list of dead and missing townsfolk. Joshua and Mr. Prewitt were among the missing and presumed dead. Ninety percent of the city of Natchez had been destroyed and would have to be rebuilt. Flatboats were bringing shipments of lumber and building supplies downriver almost as soon as the dust had settled. William helped out the townspeople who needed to rebuild their homes. He didn't have much business now because there was very little commerce or litigation taking place. The old courthouse had been destroyed by the storm. Court was held in the saloon which was still standing. A few looters had been rounded up to be hanged after which there was little looting in town. Mr. Prewitt's business office had been badly damaged, but his safe was still intact. Unfortunately no one except Joshua and Mr. Prewitt had known the combination, which meant that eventually Mrs. Prewitt would have to hire someone to open it by force.

  One month after the disaster, William rode over to Camellia Hill to break the news of her husband and son's loss to Mrs. Prewitt. He had steeled himself for this unpleasant task. The Prewitts had been like a mother and father to him, paying for his education, letting him have a room in their home so that he and Joshua could study together and showing him nothing but kindness. The thought of bringing so much pain to Mrs. Prewitt caused him to want to shirk this duty, but he knew he could not. He rode up the drive and surrendered his mount's reins to a stable boy. He walked slowly up the steps and into the entry hall. Delia came down to greet him, followed by Mrs. Blanchett. Carina's mother embraced William and thanked him for rescuing her daughter from the aftermath of the tornado. William responded that it had been his pleasure and then asked to see Mrs. Prewitt privately. Knowing well that the news could not be happy, Mrs. Blanchett showed William to the drawing room. After he was seated she went to fetch her friend. William and Mrs. Prewitt remained in the room alone for half an hour. When they emerged, Mrs. Prewitt's eyes were red and swollen, but her shoulders were set; her spine straight. Minnie Blanchett went to her friend and embraced her. Both women shed tears of loss, the greatest that of Lettie Prewitt who had lost both her husband and her son. There would be a memorial service in Natchez when the city was fit for Mrs. Prewitt to return there. Now Mrs. Prewitt had to tell her daughter-in-law that her husband was dead. William offered to take the burden from her, but she said she must perform this duty herself. She walked up the stairs to Carina's room where they were together for some time before they both returned downstairs. Carina showed signs of weeping as the two women reentered the hall. William bowed to the ladies, offering his condolences again to both of them. The family took a subdued dinner later, after which everyone retired early.