Рита Браун - A Hiss Before Dying

Ewing Garth—The father of Catherine and Rachel, a loving man, brilliant in business. He is a creature of his time, but one who can learn. He helped finance the war and hopes the new nation can hold together. A widower, he misses his wife, a true partner. The economic chaos of the Articles of Confederation affect his business as well as everyone else’s. He sees doom ahead for the new nation and no way out.

Jeffrey Holloway—Young, not wellborn but divinely handsome, he married the widowed Maureen Selisse, to everyone’s shock.

Yancy Grant—Shocked and infuriated more than anyone by the above hasty marriage, he hates Jeffrey. Being challenged to a duel by Jeffrey gives him the chance he’s been praying for: to get rid of the past.

The Slaves: Big Rawly

Sheba—Maureen Selisse’s lady-in-waiting. Really, she’s Maureen’s right hand and she enjoys the power. She’ll destroy anyone who stands in her way.

DoRe Durkin—He works in the stable and limps from an old fall from a horse. He mourns his son Moses, after Moses’s flight up North in the wake of the death of Francisco Selisse, who brutalized Moses’s love, the beautiful Ailee.

The Slaves: Cloverfields

Bettina—A cook of fabulous abilities. She’s the head woman of the slaves, thanks to her fame, her wisdom, and her wondrous warmth. She also has a beautiful voice. Bettina’s view: “I could be a queen in Africa, but I’m not in Africa. I’m here.” She made a vow to Isabelle, Ewing’s wife, as she died. Bettina vowed to take care of Catherine and Rachel. She has kept her pledge.

Serena—A young woman, learning from Bettina both in the kitchen and out. She has uncommon good sense and will, in the future, wield power among her people.

Jeddie Rice—At eighteen, he is a natural with horses. He loves them. He’s been riding, working, and studying bloodlines with Catherine since they were children. Like Serena, Jeddie has all the qualities of someone who will rise, difficult though the world they live in is.

Tulli—A little fellow at the stables who tries hard to learn.

Ralston—Fifteen and thin, he, too, is at the stables. He works hard.

Father Gabe—Old, calm, and watchful, he accepts Christianity but practices the old religion. Many believe he can conjure spirits. No matter if he can or can’t, he is a healer.

Roger—Ewing’s house butler, the most powerful position a male slave can have. He has a sure touch with people, black or white.

Weymouth—Roger’s son, in his teens. The hope is he will inherit his father’s position someday, but for now he’s fine with being second banana. He’s a good barber and in truth not very ambitious.

Barker O.—Powerful, quiet, he drives the majestic coach-in-four. He’s known throughout Virginia for his ability.

Bumbee—Fights with her husband. Finally she moves into the weaving cabin to get away from him and to comfort a lost soul.

Ruth—Mother to a two-year-old and a new baby. How she loves any baby, kitten, puppy, and she gets to show this love to save a little life.

Richmond

Georgina—Early middle age, quite attractive but putting on weight, she runs a tavern that also serves ladies. She knows everything about everybody, almost. No one uses last names in this world except for the male customers, men of means, in the small city.

Sam Udall—As a dedicated customer of Georgina’s, he appreciates her shrewdness. He realizes the financial world has changed since the colonists have won the war. He also understands that the old Tidewater grandees are slipping. A new man is emerging with new money if the financial chaos can be corrected.

Mignon—A runaway slave from Big Rawly, she serves in the kitchen. A tiny woman with big eyes, she was set up as a thief by Sheba. Now there is a reward out for her capture.

Eudes—As the outstanding chef at Georgina’s, he brings the customers in for the food. He is quite an independent thinker; he’s a free black man who, like Georgina, doesn’t blab everything he knows.

Deborah—The most expensive of the delicious offerings at Georgina’s thanks to her beauty and her self-possession. She literally can drive a man crazy. She’s a runaway slave, as are many of the girls. The white girls also ran away. Spared slavery, they were not spared brutality, unwanted sexual congress, or poverty. All of which binds the girls to Georgina, who treats them decently—plus they make good money.

Binky—An idiot. It’s hard to believe he could work at Georgina’s and be so stupid. He is, however, a pretty young man.

The Animals

Mrs. Murphy—Harry’s tiger cat who knows she has more brains than her human. She used to try to keep Harry out of trouble. She gave up, knowing all she can do is extricate her human once she’s in another mess.

Pewter—A fat gray cat who believes the world began when she entered it. What a diva. But the Queen of All She Surveys does come through in a pinch, although you’ll never hear the end of it.

Tee Tucker—Bred by Susan Tucker, this is one tough, resourceful corgi: She knows she has to protect Harry, work with the levelheaded Mrs. Murphy, and endure Pewter.

Owen—Tucker’s brother. They adore being with each other. For Tucker it’s a relief to sometimes be away from the cats.

Shortro—A young Saddlebred ridden as a hunter.

Tomahawk—Harry’s old Thoroughbred hunter who hotly resents being thought old.

The Eighteenth-Century Animals

Piglet—A brave, smart corgi who went through the war and imprisonment with Captain Charles West. He loves living in Virginia with the other animals and people.

Serenissima—Francisco Selisse’s fabulous blooded mare whom he sent to Catherine to be bred to her stallion, Reynaldo.

Reynaldo—An up-and-comer, with terrific conformation, but hot. Catherine and Jeddie can handle him.

Crown Prince—A younger half brother to Reynaldo. Both are out of Queen Esther, and fortunately Crown Prince has her temperament.

King David—One of the driving horses. He’s heavier built than Reynaldo and Crown Prince. Solomon is King David’s brother. They are a flashy matched pair.

Castor and Pollux—Two Percherons who do heavy-duty work. They are such good boys.

Sweet Potato—A saucy pony teaching Tulli to ride.

October 17, 2016 Monday

A blood-red sugar maple glowed next to the farm lane as the autumn sun shone through its leaves. Two cats and one dog walked in the pleasant sixty-degree weather toward the barns, the Blue Ridge Mountains at their backs.

The bottom rim of the sun, hovering over the spine of the mountains, would soon dip down, ushering in an explosive sunset followed by a beautiful twilight. The changing seasons specialized in twilights of various blues.

Animals moved about as day gave way to night. Day hunters and feeders headed for home, the night creatures popped their heads out of dens, stuck beaks out of tree hollows, preparing for activity. The deer moved toward their sleeping places, which were usually sheltered from the winds in a thicket. Even the beavers stopped timbering, carrying a few thinner branches toward their lodge. That would be tomorrow’s task, trimming the branches.