A gentle knocking on the door to the bedroom woke Sophia and she soon realized that she had slept well into the morning. She did not think it had even been fully dark by the time the housekeeper had ushered her upstairs and now the full light of mid-morning was piercing the curtains on her left. The memory of a time when she had slept so long escaped her. Fatigue had been a constant companion throughout her life of toil, but this sort of exhaustion was new even to her.

“Come in,” she said. The housekeeper from the day before walked in with a wash basin. Sophia swung her feet to the floor and shuffled over to where the basin had been set. She splashed water gently on her face, amazed that such a simple thing could almost make her feel like a normal person once more. As she washed she heard some rustling in the corner behind her. She turned around and realized for the first time that the room was furnished with a medium-sized wardrobe.

“I’m Mary, Mrs. Freeman. Miss Burwell says these clothes should fit you well enough until we can get your others cleaned.”

Sophia was still not quite used to being addressed by her married name and even less so by those above her station. She gingerly accepted the dress and apron and laid them on the bed.

“Thank you, ma’am. Can I speak with the young lady of the house again soon, do you suppose?”

“Why of course, ma’am. I’ve been given instructions to make sure that you feel at home here. Miss Burwell and Mr. Page are waiting for you downstairs in the dining area. Breakfast is ready to be served as soon as you’ve dressed.”

The housekeeper shut the door as she left and Sophia held the dress up to the light. It was plain, but it was clean. Until that moment she had not fully realized just how travel-worn her own dress had become. Successfully cleaning it, she thought, might be all but a lost cause.

The fresh clothes seemed to continue the rejuvenating work of the water from the basin. If only for an instant, it seemed to her as if all the anguish, stress, and fatigue had gone away; it was as if she were back in her cabin just beginning the day and getting ready to make a fire for cooking. But when she thought of Isaac she scolded herself. His misery was hers as well and she could not bear the thought of allowing herself a moment’s relaxation until he was free again. She had to eat and she had to rest; the last couple of days had reminded her that she was only human. Beyond that, however, she resolved that she would not allow herself even the least bit of pleasure until she had done what she had set out to do.

As Sophia entered the dining room downstairs she saw Georgiana and a young man seated at the table. They both rose when she entered the room. Sophia found that the man now standing before her defied all her expectations for what a lawyer would look like. He was very tall, she thought, and broad through the shoulders too--as tall and as broad, in fact, as any field hand she had ever seen during her days on the plantation. He was quite handsome, with reddish-brown hair and the lively blue eyes of a man who was still in possession of all his youthful vigor.

“Mrs. Freeman,” he said, “my name is Camden Page. I am Mr. Randolph’s partner in this law practice. Please, have a seat over here and take some breakfast.”

She seated herself at the place that seemed to have been prepared for her. In front of her sat a plate of warm bread and a bowl of meal—simple, familiar food that gave her a degree of comfort.

“May I offer you tea, Mrs. Freeman? Or perhaps coffee?” said Georgiana, gesturing to the two pots that sat on the table between them.

“Coffee would be fine, thank you, but I can pour my own, ma’am. You don’t have to trouble yourself.”

“I’ll hear nothing of the sort!” Georgiana exclaimed. “You are our guest and my mother would be appalled if she were to learn that I did not offer you a beverage.”

“Well, in that case . . .”

“If you haven’t already, Mrs. Freeman, you’ll soon discover that Miss Burwell, once having made up her mind to do a thing, can scarcely be persuaded to change her course.”

Sophia glanced up at Georgiana as the young woman carefully allowed a steaming stream of the dark liquid to cascade into the cup in front of her. Having finished, she squinted across the table at Mr. Page with a look that Sophia could not quite decipher.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Granted, I find it to be one of her most endearing qualities, but--”

“Mr. Page, if you please,” Georgiana interrupted.

As Georgiana returned to her seat, it occurred to Sophia what the look that passed between the two young people a moment before had been about. She was not yet so old that the peculiarities of young lovers had become only so many annoyances.

Camden cleared his throat. “Please, Mrs. Freeman, eat as much as you like. Afterwards, we shall talk about your husband.”

Sophia ate as quickly as she dared in the presence of such refined company. She used the bread to sop up the last bit of meal and then drained the last few swallows of coffee which had cooled considerably.

“Are you sure you will not have any more?” Georgiana asked. “Mary will be happy to bring us additional servings of whatever you would like.”

“No, thank you, ma’am. Your hospitality is enough to bring a woman to tears, but I can’t sit here and fill my belly while Isaac wastes away in that awful place. I’m ready now, Mr. Page.”

“Very well,” he said. “I was admitted to the jail late yesterday evening and was able to meet with your husband very briefly. Before I recount that, however, I’d like to hear your story from the very beginning until you arrived here yesterday. Please don’t leave anything out. Even something that seems unimportant could be what decides a case.”

“All right,” Sophia said. She told what had happened to her for what seemed like the hundredth time, trying to remember every detail as Mr. Page had urged. When she finished she laid her hands in her lap and waited.

Camden pushed his chair back slightly from the table and leaned back, staring at the ceiling for a moment. Taking a deep breath and lowering his head, he said. “Thank you, Mrs. Freeman. I’ve never had to go through anything like what you’ve just described, but I know it must have been very painful. I certainly do not wish to cause you any further sorrow, but I think it will be necessary to ask you some questions.”

“I am prepared, sir,” she said.

“On the day that your husband disappeared, did you see what cargo the men with the wagon had been carrying?”

“No. I was too far away up the hill to see what it was exactly. I just saw some wooden crates. By the time I went down there, they had left.”

“You and your husband recently left Virginia, I gather?”

“Yes, sir. We were both born in Charles City County and were held by old Mr. Tasker in James City County until his death. Well, Isaac was, anyway. I was free before that, but Mr. Tasker’s will was what set Isaac free.”

Camden stroked his chin. “I see,” he said. “Mrs. Freeman,” he continued, after taking a deep breath, “as I am sure you know, taking on the defense of any non-white man in Virginia is a serious undertaking. I will not back down from such a calling if I believe it to be a just one, but you must also understand that his case will face one particular difficulty in addition to all the others.”

As he paused, Sophia was unable to stop herself from asking, “What’s that, sir?”

“Your husband is not badly injured. I believe him to be in fairly good health, all things considered.” He saw her shoulders relax in relief, but still locked eyes with Georgiana before continuing.

“He took a blow to the head, as you might have guessed. The effect of that blow seems to have been to create a hole in his memory. We can pray that he may recover--as I understand is possible in these situations--but at present he has no recollection of the day of his disappearance.”

Sophia covered her mouth with her hand, but Camden pressed on, judging it better to give the bad news all at once, rather than draw the process out.

“He remembers arriving here in Richmond and small, disconnected parts of the journey here. However, he cannot say for sure whether the men who turned him over to the jail were the same men who were with him even the day before. I’m afraid he will be very little help in making his own defense.”

Sophia hung her head slightly. She had known from the beginning just what a long and hard road this would be. She also knew that at the end of all that hardship she might find only the ultimate grief.

“But we shall do everything that is within our power,” Georgiana said, breaking the silence.

Sophia looked up at Georgiana and then turned to look at Camden.

“Yes, Mrs. Freeman. Whatever the circumstances, your husband deserves the best defense he can be given. I will see to that.”

“Oh, but sir, I can’t pay you,” Sophia blurted out suddenly. “All the money in the world that Isaac and I had was in that tiny bag that I brought with me. I know it isn’t enough, but I can work--”

“Mrs. Freeman,” Georgiana stopped her by gently placing a hand on her shoulder. “That’s part of the reason I came here early this morning. Mr. Page has agreed to take your husband’s case pro bono, that is, without asking for the usual fee.”

Sophia was sure, at first, that she had misunderstood, but as she rolled the words around in her mind, the reality of the situation was made clear to her. It was more of a blessing than she had dared to hope for.

“Sir . . . Madam . . . I don’t know what to say. It’s . . .”

“You needn’t say anything, Mrs. Freeman,” Camden said. “You should save your words, in fact, for I believe I shall soon be able to arrange for you to see your husband.”

“I suggest, also,” Georgiana added, “that you eat some more food. It will not help your husband’s spirits to see you in a distressed state.”

“Thank you, ma’am. I will,” said Sophia, as she took another piece of bread. “A little more of that coffee would be very nice, if you please.” As Georgiana rose to serve her guest, Sophia closed her eyes to take in the aroma of the coffee as it rose from her cup.