Gabriel's Hope Plantation
Chapter 8
"Mama, we'll live in Landon and Oprah's cottage for now and start rebuilding the big house. We have the sawmill and we can make our own bricks. We'll build on the original foundations and unless you want to change anything we'll rebuild as was."
"But where will the money come from?"
Joshua and Gabriel looked at each other and nearly fell over laughing.
"Oh, Mama, we are still wealthy. Almost all of our liquid assets were in gold and silver, we still have it all hidden. We'll fetch out as much as we need when we need it."
Sarah looked at the two men and shook her head.
"I might have guessed that my two clever sons would have planned for the worst when the war started."
Gabriel was still laughing as he told Sarah. "We had planned the disposal of my gold almost a year before war broke out, Mama, I was sure there would be war and that the South would lose."
Joshua couldn't speak he just looked at Sarah mouth agape. Sarah saw it and took him in a hug. "Didn't you know that is how I think of you?"
Joshua shook his head and cried.
"I am a silly thing, I thought that the love I have always shown you was enough. Of course I think of you as my son, but I share you the same as I share Gabriel with Landon and Oprah."
No more needed to be said, priority was on getting accommodation ready for as many as was needed. The overseer's cottages were the easiest to achieve that end before starting on the big house. Zeke and his men started preparing the fields for planting. Abe and his men worked on all the maintenance and repairs. The ladies continued to make cloth and clothe the plantation people first before offering it to traders in the town. Earning money was important now to throw people off the scent of where all the money was coming from to reconstruct.
The war had ended two months before when Gabriel spoke to Josh about a serious matter.
"Josh, how would you like to go to Boston to collect your family?"
"Seriously, Gabriel."
"Mmm, Matthew and Ann can return if need be, but I would like to see them all back here for a while. In fact, all of them can return if that is their wish."
The usual game with money belt to protect his assets and Joshua was on his way. The tail he told when he came back was enough to bring tears to the eyes of Gabriel and Sarah.
"The destruction of the Southern states is monumental Gabriel, it will take a generation to rebuild, always assuming there is the money to do it."
That sad news however was over ridden by the joy in seeing Matthew and the rest of the refugees.
Gabriel couldn't resist, the young man might be too old for this but Gabriel didn't care, he lunged at Matt, picked him up and swung him round before holding him close and kissing him on the lips.
"I have missed you the most this last five years, Mattie."
Matthew looked flustered to start with, and then his memory kicked in and he remembered the good times with his white brother.
"And I've missed you, Gabriel, I love you."
Gabriel glowed and kissed him again. "I love you too little man."
All of the others got hugs and kisses as well.
"I am so happy to see you all home. I bet it will take me weeks to hear all of your stories, but for now, let's get you settled. Landon, your family are where you were before. Mother and I have moved into the cottage next door. Ann, you have the cottage next door to that, your girl is waiting there for you. I think we should all eat tonight in your house Oprah if you will allow it."
"Oh yes Gabriel that will be fine."
The dinner really was a celebration and the only cloud that could have moved over it was accepted without any problem.
"Where are you going to sleep Joshua, there is no room here now that the little ones are not so little."
"Mama, I am going to sleep where I have slept most nights in the past three years, with Gabriel. I don't think that will change any time soon either, even when the big house is rebuilt."
The two men looked at each other and the remainder of the people at the table knew, even if they hadn't done before. Joshua knew that night as well after that statement. He meant it, a woman was now most unlikely to move him from Gabriel's bed, and he accepted Gabriel's penis in his anus with joy.
The next day, as with every day since the end of the war, every able man and woman was working. The fields and gardens were the first priority, but then the building of the big house.
The stories from Boston had to wait until the evenings to be told. Matthew's was the first one.
"I was very frightened to start with, Gabriel. All of my class were white and four years older than me. I think I was a novelty to start with, and by the time I might have expected to be bullied I had a champion. He remained my champion all through school even when I moved up faster than him. He was a big boy and made it clear that if anyone touched me he would beat them to a pulp. His name was Johnson and his grandfather is a senior politician. When I moved to college at eleven I was the wonder boy so nobody bothered me."
Matt laughed then and received another hug from Gabriel.
"Ann, tell us about your trip from here."
"It was quite frightening, Gabriel. When we were close to the front line of the troops we had to do much twisting and turning to avoid the patrols, particularly the Confederacy. We were eventually apprehended by a Union patrol and taken before a high ranking officer. I told him who we were and where we were going, and why. He was most surprised about Gabriel's Hope Plantation being worked by free blacks. When I told him that the owner looked on Landon as his father and Oprah as second mother he became most solicitous and arranged transport to take us the remainder of the way to Boston. We wrote to you immediately, but Sarah told Oprah that it took three months to reach you. Luke and Ruth stayed for a few months, but it was very crowded in the cottage so they eventually said they would like to seek a new life in the West. We've heard nothing since."
Gabriel tried to sound upbeat.
"They were young and eager, I'm sure they'll make it. They know they will always be welcome back here so they have that to fall back on if they need it.
The next evening would uncover more stories but during the day, Gabriel and Josh were on site as they cleared the foundations for the new big house. The stone chimney stacks had survived the fire and after careful application of acid to clean the stone and check them, it was decided to leave them in place. The gap between the two fireplaces in the study and dining room was passed off as an air space for help in preventing anything but the largest fire from engulfing the whole property. Gabriel and Joshua both knew that the trapdoor and staircase were ok and the gold room was secure because they had used it to withdraw some of the money required to order new equipment.
With everything under control on Gabriel's Hope, Gabriel started meeting other plantation owners that had survived the war, to talk. He was surprised that almost to a man they had been caught out and their wealth had all gone when the bank collapsed financially.
"I took my gold and buried it," Gabriel told them. "We have now used it to order new equipment and seeds for the cotton."
Obvious envy from the owners that were ruined got Gabriel thinking so he went to see Mr. Balfour.
"How easy would it be for me to start my own bank, Mr. Balfour?
"Seriously, Gabriel?"
"Yes, Sir. I was thinking of starting a trading company to supply other plantation owners with seed and equipment. They could pay for it with loans from my bank. I would set a fair rate of interest on the loans and make repayments conditional on the harvest. It is in all our interests to see the county prosper and as you know, I had a very good hoard of gold, which is intact."
"You would be seen as being very generous, Gabriel, at the same time as you start making a second fortune as a merchant."
"I'm doing this for the family. I know that there will be resentment because I will make Joshua the manager at the bank. He is better with figures than I am and I think he would be more careful lending money than me because he would perceive that it was my money. He'll never accept my concept that it is family money, my mother and Joshua's family. I would need you to be very careful drawing up loan documents that would mortgage the plantations and properties of the borrowers."
Balfour laughed his dry lawyers laugh. "I guessed as much young Gabriel."
Leaving Balfour to sort out that problem, Gabriel needed to sort out Boston again. The cottage was still there with Blaine looking after it and the horse and carriage.
Summoning Matthew and Ann, Gabriel posed the question.
"What is your next move, and when?"
"If you have the money, after this terrible war, Gabriel, Matthew has two more years at college. Then you and he will need to think about his future. He will only be fifteen but he will have a degree in finance and management. What he will lack is any kind of credibility, and that isn't just because of his colour."
"We have two years to worry about that, Ann, because the money is available for him to finish his education. Now, are you going back with him, and when do you have to go?"
"Yes, I want to go back with him and we have another two weeks."
"Good, two more weeks for me to spoil my little brother."
Nearly fourteen years old with the maturity of a twenty year old, but it nearly crumbled at that comment.
"I can't decide who I love the most Gabriel, you, or Joshua. I know that it is your great love for Joshua that has made all of this possible so it is difficult for me."
Gabriel laughed and then got very serious.
"Let me tell you the whole truth Mattie. My father deserted my mother and so did her family. Miss Sarah had to work very hard to feed me and keep a roof over our heads. Until I was five I was virtually brought up by your mother and father while my mother worked. After that they still behaved like parents, loving me and helping me. They recognised my love for Joshua and never stopped us both being what we have become. I love Joshua as my brother and much more. I love you, and Jason and Missy like I love Joshua, well the brotherly part anyway."
Matthew interrupted that with a belly laugh, "I'm glad you said that last bit Gabe or I might have snuggled into bed with you tonight instead of Joshua."
Gabriel looked at Ann, who was looking in shock at Matthew, then at Gabriel, and then all three dissolved in silly giggles.
"I need to be careful what I say in front of this young man don't I, Ann?"
"To finish, before I was so rudely interrupted. Your parents are like my own, so what I am doing for you is as a brother, but I could change all that by turning you back into a slave to pay for it all."
More laughter and Gabriel had a lap full of boy, the same as he had done on occasion's years before.
"I love you Gabriel, I'll always love you and try to make you proud of me."
"I know you will, and I'll always love you as well. Now, Ann, have you met my new school teacher?"
Ann was surprised that Gabriel had bothered, with all the turmoil caused by the war.
"She is a black girl from the north who came south to try to find family. She took the job and looked for family in her spare time. They were killed in Atlanta, she found out, and now she is permanent here to teach all the children openly."
Ann was delighted and spent days with the new teacher, helping and advising.
It was a happy/sad time until the parting when too many tears were shed.
"Remember Mattie, you will be back at the end of every semester. Tell Blaine we won't forget him when the time comes for you all to return home. I'll try to find some way for him to come as well."
There was so much to do on the plantation that Gabriel had to cede all work on the new bank to Joshua and Mr. Balfour.
When the new bank building was complete, armed guards escorted the gold back to the town where it was deposited in a new safe. The bank opened its doors to start trading and immediately started to sign new customers that had some money. The rumours about Gabriel's wealth meant that everyone considered it a safe place for their money.
Joshua's presence as manager caused much resentment to start with that dissipated as quickly when people realised how competent he was and how friendly, always sloughing off any slight on his colour, never letting that influence his decisions on loans.
The county became an oasis in a sea of ruined estates and towns and within a year was one of the few areas that had started producing cotton again. Gabriel was sad that many of the plantations were treating their black workers no better than they had treated their slaves, and wondered if he could make it a condition of loans that the owners change that. Final decision, it was too radical to attempt. What he did do though was talk to these owners in a social environment about the improvement in productivity from happy workers. Gabriel's Hope was the plantation that showed the efficacy of that policy.
The rapid building of the big house produced a short term problem. "Mama, we will soon have an empty house. How are we going to fill it?" Sarah laughed. "All in hand Gabriel, I am shortly going to ask you to transfer quite a large sum of money to a New York bank and then Oprah and I are going to buy all the furniture and fittings for the house. If you will allow it we'll take Jess and Fernando with us."
"You won't need everything Mama, Josh and I will have a surprise for you if you leave us for a while."
Josh and Gabriel brought up all the house treasures from the secret room and displayed them round the study. Sarah was delighted but had no idea how they had achieved it.
"We are magicians Mama, we conjured it out of thin air."
Sarah was so happy to see heirlooms from her childhood that she thought lost in the fire.
Gabriel was so pleased, both men could be spared, and when Fernando got back he would think about finding some more horses, perhaps it was time to think about breeding them, instead of slaves. Good quality horseflesh, he felt, would soon be in demand from the small number of people starting to make money. He would be fuelling a whole economy the way things were going.