Chapter 84: Chapter 84

Chapter 82: The persuasive

"So glad you could come join me for some tea..." The old man announced, signaling for Merrigold to take a seat opposite him, as he sat behind his russet-colored desk.

"Merrigold, you were always my favorite person on this plantation. You're a smart girl, a very smart girl. Rosalind and I were always aware of that!" He added pouring water into his cup. The teabag consumed with all the boiling water, as the color infused out of it. Merrigold's eyes focused on the dinky details, the cushioned chair did not feel so comfortable not with the demeaning stare Mr Cunningham was giving her. Her heart seemed to garner out of her chest with every passing second. The clocks ticking sounded much more louder with the silence. The small sips he took from his cup sounded more tawdry. His eyes never leaving her, he stared at her from her head to below where the desk cut off. A look of pity and disgust, a sneer evident on his lips as he stared at the her evident proof of germination. It irked the man even more knowing that, she had two of them in there. Walter closed his eyes and put his cup down onto the saucer.

"Tea?"

"No, t-thank you sir."

"Do not be silly, you will have some tea Merrigold. I can't be the only one drinking as we converse that is rude."

"I'm honestly alright—"

Abruptly hitting the table with the palm of his hand. "NO, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TEA WITH ME MERRIGOLD! You do not make the decisions in this house. You do not, Austin does not, Rosalind doesn't either." Giving her a tight lipped smile, he pushed the cup towards her. Startled Merrigold did not say a word. She felt suspicious, why was he so keen on her drinking the tea. It did not sit well with her. She felt anxious. She stared at he cup, from Mrs Cunningham's set of cutlery that she deemed magnificent and of great quality.

"I added two sugars."

"Thank you sir."

"Mhm..." He brushed her reply off.

It was silent, Merri stared at the table. Noting each tiny line and the way it swerved into a patten, anything anything to distract her. She could not look him in the eye. She felt fearful, more-so with the door closed.

"Well, that is a tad bit rude Merrigold? Won't you take a sip?"

"Uh—"

"Take a sip Merri, quickly now!"

Clearly panicked, with her hand shaking... she did. It tasted, the same but how she missed Austin's brewed Rwandan coffee beans that he spoke so highly of. All in all, she missed him and hoped he was okay. The similarities between Mr Cunningham and Austin were not so much but there were there. Would Austin look this miserable when old? All wrinkled and lipless, eyes withered like raisins. Grey hairs and bald patch on top his head. For someone she once respected and admired, Merrigold's perception of this man had changed in just a matter of days. She saw him as a vile, remorseless villain.

"See that wasn't so difficult now was it?"

"N-no sir..."

"Moving onto your reason for being here. Noted that you're getting bigger by the day...nurturing your God-forbidden mistake with my son."

Merri stared down ashamed.

"But that is all in the past Merri, I reckon my son took advantage of you against your will is it?"

She did not respond. Had Austin really taken advantage of her all this time? She would be lying if she answered yes. She remembered the many times, she begged for him to make love to her even when he tried to put distance between them. For her to claim he had abhorrent year taken advantage of her all this time would be uncalled for. Especially with knowing that she was already with children in Manchester before the scandalous event had occurred.

"I understand you would not want anything to do with your rapist's offspring?"

"but they're my children..." She responded lowly, her voice gruff from fear of speaking up to him.

"Clearly you enjoyed being raped then if you take claim to these children!"

"No—"

"If you were really raped as you say, you would be upset but you seem overjoyed with your mistakes."

Merrigold found herself tongue tied, being emotionally bullied into a corner of submission. She felt horrible.

"You enjoyed being raped? Do not lie, if anything... I know you were not raped. I was only testing the waters. Do not play victim now, I know you seduced my son..." The old man laughed. "Ah Merri, I know my son better than anyone and believe me when I say you're not even close to the ideal standard of women he mingles with. He must have been really desperate to mess around with the likes of you."

It hurt, her insecurities continued to hike out of their ditch making their way into her present thoughts. Reminding her that she was worthless. She knew, she could never be with Austin not even in her wildest dreams. It was utterly impossible. Merrigold did not feel enough. She would never be enough. With Thomas insecurities was something she never had to worry about. This was new to her. Austin was—

he looked better with someone such as Harriet on his arm. She could not see herself with him. It was hard to imagine, harder with his father reminding her that she was below his preferred standard type of women.

"You seem so happy with your pregnancy as if you had this all planned out? Did you? Because that is the most idiotic mistake you could have ever done. Now look your life is a mess, all ruined but you can fix that..."

Merri did not want to ask how but he continued.

"Let's all forget about this. You give birth and we give them away. Life goes back to normal. You go back to bookkeeping, I will even allow you back into the house, I'm sure you miss your privacy and more so your bed Merri. Austin will find good woman, one meant for him, one whom he truly deserves then they can bare me as many grandchildren as they wish. Darn it, I'd be even happier if it were twins again..." He laughed. "Wouldn't you want that for Austin, Merrigold?"

She only gave him a nervous smile. Afraid he would be quick to shout at her like earlier for not drinking his offered tea.

"I-i want to keep my kids." She told him.

He frowned. "I do not know where you will keep them but definitely not on this plantation!" He replied letting out a sardonic laugh. "Austin left, he is not coming back. It has been a week hasn't it? If he cared for you... he would be here protesting against it. He gave me permission to sell them. He apologized and said he needed to clear his head and start over."

"He would never do that!" Merri raised her voice.

Mr Cunningham laughed. "You're getting bold aren't you? You assume because you were my son's hussy it has somewhat rose you to a higher pedestal. Do not be sluggish...!"

"I never claimed to be better, I never claimed to be anything. I've done nothing but respect you even as you insult me. I will not allow you to lie to me. I know what Austin feels for me, he wouldn't leave. I've spent this past year with him, I know him more than you claim to. He promised he wouldn't leave. I trust him, I will wait for him. I will not make any decisions until he returns."

"Do not wait forever, what a pity!"

"W-what have I ever done to you?" Merri stared at him dead in the eye, tears threatening to fall. She did not want to break, she refused to break. Thinking about the fact that he could be right? It hurt her. What if Austin never came back? A week had passed, a week...? There was no telling, Austin was unpredictable but she held onto the little hope that he was changing, he was trying, he promised. Mr Cunningham was caught of guard by her question, the look she gave him showed misery and agonizing pain. He did not have the answer, all he knew was he would not allow the germination of his forefathers blood to unite with that of a nigger, that resembled animalistic characteristics and mannerisms.

"...you willingly seduced my son, you willingly did that even with knowing the consequences Merrigold, that is what you did."

"I did not seduce him, he loves me."

"He loves you? He loves you?" Mr Cunningham laughed hysterically. "You need to wake up my girl. He loves you? Do you see yourself? Do you—" he laughed not being able to contain it. "You think you stand a chance? You think—" he continued to laugh. "You need to wake up from your slumber. My son is out of your class, league... all that there is. You were lucky, you were really lucky to have shared a bed with him."

Merrigold stared down at the tea that was now cold. Her hand was quick to wipe her tears, she did not want to cry but she could not help it. Not with the genuinely laughter this man had at her misery. She tried so hard to contain her tears but they kept falling. She only faced down. Hiding her shame, she felt embarrassed. She felt...hideous? She had never been one to question her beauty but in this moment she hated everything about herself. A feeling of resentment for her skin color, her background, her upbringing, her history. Merrigold wished she was... white, things would have been different. Everything would have been different.

"Keep your Faith in my son. When you realize he isn't coming back, not for this mess especially not for you. You're welcoming to inform me what I should do with your misconception..."?

"He will be back."

"That is cute, Merri, it's really cute. When he does come back, what will happen? He will marry you and you will run off to the sunset and start a new family. Do not be naive Merrigold, if you really cared for Austin... you'd stay away from him. You only endangering him from a shameful life and I— for one will not hesitate to call the county if I witness any indecent behavior between the two of you."

Merrigold gulped down a feeling of nauseousness. As the man spoke, her mind seemed to play out and imagine all these possible events, it terrified her.

"Where will you be taking my kids?"

"Somewhere safe, somewhere accepting Of mulattoes far away from our family name. I'm sure that's all you'd like for them to have a decent life far from this plantation. Imagine if they had to come to find out they were as a result of rape?"

"I reckon every mulatto is, be it if they're informed or not. They would know." She replied, thoroughly upset.

"See you're a smart girl, you only act an imbecile in the presence of my son."

With a sigh, Merrigold questioned. "What is it you want from me? To stay away from your son? That I can do. To give up my kids, that I can not. I've spent so much time hating them and now that I've fully accepted and learnt to love them. I can not... I will willingly leave Austin, I will but not my kids."

Mr Cunningham nodded in response. "Now that is what I'd like to hear. Perhaps instead of selling the kids, I could sell you with your kids? That is all I can do for you at this point and time."

"Where...?"

"I do not know Merri but far from here so we can all forget about you and you shenanigan attempts to better yourself off manipulating Austin with your sappy pregnancy."

After that encounter. Regardless of the situation she kept hoping Austin would return. It did not seem that way as time went by, as she entered her eighth month of pregnancy. She found it hard to keep her faith in him returning. Moreso it pushed her into accepting the offer on the table, what was she supposed to do. It seemed Mr. Cunningham would rip her kids out of her arms be it she approved or not. After all, she was simply breathing property and he could make decisions regarding her life and body as he pleased. Merrigold wished she could run away, like Faith. Merrigold wondered how her life would have been if she had never met Austin, with Thomas. Austin had flipped everything up side down.