Wilhelmina A Novella by Ronnell D. Porter Read Free Book Online

in Lebanon, Texas. Rumor has it the North has been spotted in Louisiana, and she made a hasty decision,’ the governess said.
    ‘Then I’ll go with them,’ I said.
    ‘She doesn’t want you to go with them. You are no longer welcome home, which officially makes you an orphan,’ the governess said coolly. I shook my head out of disbelief; I had nothing to say in response to her lies. ‘If you don’t believe me, just read it for yourself.’
    She flicked the envelope toward me harshly, and I clutched it out of reflex.
    ‘You have no home other than what you have here. Everyone you knew has thrown you away.’ The governess was haughty and self-righteous as she inflicted every emotional cut with acute precision. ‘So, where will you go, if not stay here?’
    I shrugged, stunned and distraught. Where could I go?
    ‘If you wish to stay in my estate, sleep in my beds and eat my food, you know what must be done.’ She said, eyeing my mess of hair. I swallowed my pride, gripped my dress in anger, and nodded. ‘Are you agreeing to cut off your hair? You may speak.’
    ‘Yes,’ I said through my teeth. I had no choice but to surrender, otherwise I would never be able to know where Mr. Abberdean was, or where to find him. My eyes burned with the desire to cry, but there were no tears to give, and so I bit my bottom lip as I stared into her veiled face. She picked up Mr. Abberdean’s letters off of the table and held them in her lithe hand as she stepped around the table.
    ‘Let this be a lesson to remind you whose hands are holding you from the endless abyss of destitution.’
    The governess threw the letters into the fireplace and I screamed, scrambling to the floor and watching in agony. It literally seared my soul to see them char and burn, and I tried desperately to grab them before the flames could completely consume them, but I only ended up burning my hands. They stung, and there would definitely be blisters, but nothing compared to the pain inside as Mr. Abberdean’s words disappeared forever.
    ‘You promised!’ I shouted.
    ‘That agreement has long expired. Our deal in the present is your hair in exchange for my care. Your survival depends on it, Wilhelmina, so I would mind my rules and obey my word without question, do we understand each other?’
    I nodded in defeat. This was not the victory I had envisioned; this was not a victory at all. She called Thea back inside to get me up off of the floor, since I could not stand on my own, and she took me back to the ward. Rhoda and Yvette were both glad to see me. Both of them thought I had died in the shed and were pleasantly proven wrong as they held me. I enjoyed their contact, their warmth. It felt as though it had been months since I’d seen them last, not days.
    I was informed by Thea that my hair was to be cut first thing in the morning. It gnawed at my stomach like a little monster chewing my innards. But what more could I do? What could I say?
    I went to bed that night knowing that everything was over; the war, my life, and my connection in life to Mr. Abberdean. I was stuck here, learning how to be a southern belle, until I was set free or died of the shame.
    I was dead certain that the latter would happen first.
    However, I was awakened that night by a sharp click at the ward door. I sat up and nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw bodies moving in the darkness, shadows creeping through the rows of beds. I buried my head beneath my sheets and squeezed my eyes, praying that the intruders would leave me be if I was sound asleep.
    ‘Wilhelmina.’
    I peeked and saw Thea at my bedside.‘Wilhelmina, it’s okay, it’s me.’
    I crawled out of my sheets and saw Minus standing next to her, looking down at me with the same anxiety scribed along her eyes.
    ‘What are you doing in here?’ I asked.
    ‘We come to get you out of here,’ Thea said. ‘We’re running, making our way to Gretna where they say they can help us find the Underground Railroad.