2.
The courtship of Lady Natalia Ware started the very next day after the ball. It was still summer of 1865. Elijah stayed at Oak Lawn with James Atkins, so was not too far from the Blackshears. Some slaves, although emancipated, still remained as “servants” or “workers”. They often didn’t have any place to go, so remained with the master.
He called upon Lady Natalia at noon, but was told to return at three, which he did. After paying his respects to Harriet Blackshear, the lady of the house, he sat with both of the ladies for a short time. Cedar Grove had been mostly spared from the war, as it still had the furnishings and trappings of a big house. Natalia had changed to a red cotton gown with a bright yellow taffeta overdress, gathered tightly at her slim waist and pushing up her breasts. She wore plumes in her hair that was pulled up, as opposed to a hat, and looked just as lovely as she did the night before.
Elijah stayed his required time, he said he would return the next day at the same time. And the day after that, and after that. Soon he was taking her to church on Sunday mornings, attending the Methodist services there.
A month went by, and he had yet to meet her father. Natalia hardly spoke of him, and whatever inquiries he made were met with stony silence, even among the ex-slaves. Being that this was not his home town, and he was a guest of Atkins, he didn’t push the issue.
He found that the more time he spent with her, the more in love he became. He brought her flowers, danced with her at balls, making sure he was on her card, walked with her in the garden and her matronly aunt or the lady of the house who followed behind. They discussed possibly having a more permanent relationship, in the company of her Aunt Mary Louise Ware, a matronly woman who had lost her husband in the War and wore the mourning trappings for all the time that Elijah knew her.
Elijah talked about plans to move to Texas, as he knew some from his old regiment were there and beginning to raise ranches. He discussed this with Natalia, who was not adverse to the idea. Natalia said that she had lived a rough life in Russia, and would be happy to be a prairie wife.
One thing he noticed was that Natalia did not eat or drink during the time he was with her, or offer to give him supper, even though he was often there until night. He had learned to eat a light meal before leaving for her house, so he would not return to Oak Lawn famished. She said that she wasn’t very hungry, that the heat was too much for her to eat. She had Russian constitution, he figured, which was made for cooler climes.
Summer gave way to fall, and in the middle of September, the servant brought Elijah into a room with Natalia sitting next to another man. He felt a fire rise from his heart to his throat, which he knew was jealousy. He had gotten this way when he went to balls with her, but knew that she would save the last dance just for him, and allow him to bring her to her coach.
The man rose at his entrance. He was shorter than Elijah, brown-haired and light-eyed, with a fair complexion like the woman beside him. He was dressed in a jacket and waistcote, white shirt and frills along the neck – old-fashioned, in Elijah’s opinion. Elijah wore the usual light cotton coat, light shirt, and trousers with low boots. He knew he was underdressed.
“You must be Elijah Hall,” the man said with a distinctly English accent, walking over to him, and offering his hand. “I am George Peyton Ware, Natalia’s father.”
Elijah switched his hat to his left and shook the man’s hand firmly. “I am honored to meet you sir, I am, indeed, Elijah Hall.”
Ware motioned to the couch across from them. “Please, please be seated.”
“Thank you.” He sat down, and a negro servant brought tea, as usually happened at this time of day when he visited Natalia.
Natalia took her tea and looked from Elijah to her father. “I was sending him a letter,” she said. “I was assuming, Elijah, that you are interesting in suiting me.”
Elijah smiled, and looked directly at Ware. “I am certainly most interested in pursuing your daughter.”
“What work do you do?”
“At the present moment, I am living upon the good graces of my friend James Atkins. I was trained as a builder of homes and bridges before the War.”
“Yes, the War. What rank are you?”
“A lieutenant, sir, in the 12th Infantry.”
Ware sipped his tea, considering. Elijah felt the sweat roll down the back of his neck and he refused to scratch it or pull at his collar. He didn’t know why he was nervous. He had faced worse, much worse.
He realized he really did love her, and would sit through this questioning for her. Ware asked what his plans are, where he was going to live, what he was going to do. He discussed the things with Ware that he had with Natalia. As Elijah did, he looked between the two. Natalia was tall, dark and pretty, while the other man was short and did not look like he could be her father. Maybe Natalia has her mother’s coloring, he thought.
The clock tolled five. He had been under this man’s gaze and interrogation for about two hours, and he was soaked with sweat. Natalia and Ware looked fine. Finally, Ware turned to Natalia, who wordlessly rose from the settee and went out the door, closing it after her. Elijah wondered what communication passed between them with just that look.
“Mr. Hall,” said Ware, slapping his hands on his thighs, “I plan to dispense with all propriety, because, to be honest, I am a very busy man and I need to return to England as soon as possible.”
Elijah raised an eyebrow.
“Is there anything peculiar you find about my daughter?”
“Peculiar, sir?”
“The simple fact,” he said, “that she does not eat nor drink in your company?”
“I merely assumed she preferred to eat alone.”
He laughed, “Oh, yes, that is the reason. But it is more, much more. Man does not subsist on bread alone, nor on every word from the mouth of God, but some men subsist on others.”
“I do not understand, sir.”
“If you marry into my family, sir,” Ware said, “you will inherit a condition wherein you will subsist on others. Particularly, others’ blood.”
Elijah merely stared. All sorts of things ran through his mind. Were they demons? Devils in disguise? Was she a succubus, and he had been fooled? His eyes glanced at the door, so far away.
“Allow me to explain, sir,” and Ware got up, sitting closer to Elijah. The door was now blocked. “Have you heard of the creatures called vampires?”
“There were stories on the field,” Elijah said quietly. A lot of times, relatively healthy men would suddenly sicken and die. Nobody wanted to serve in the 3rd Regiment, for example, because the story was that their men would go to bed healthy, wake up pale and shaking, and be dead by the end of the next day. Someone spread the story that there was a vampire out there, and that was the first he had heard of it.
“I see,” Ware said. “Let me tell you, Mr. Hall, that you will become immortal, but you must live on blood. Blood of animals, blood of humans.”
“H – how?”
“We will teach you. Natalia will teach you. She loves you, and does not want to lose you, Mr. Hall, so she has asked me to make you one of us.”
Elijah audibly gulped. “What – happens?”
“You die and are reborn. But because of that, you will never go to heaven.” He looked saddened slightly. “That is the price we must pay. But, you will be stronger than a human, faster than one. You will be able to jump high and climb buildings. You will be able to walk among your fellow men, and they will be none the wiser, except when you eat and drink, which will taste like nothing to you, and you will no longer be able to tolerate.”
“I die?”
“You die, and we will bring you back, Natalia and I.”
Elijah set his teacup down and got up, holding his hat tightly in his hand. “This is something I need to think about.”
“Of course, sir. I will be here for only two more days, however, leaving on Monday, so I would appreciate it if you would think quickly.”
Elijah set his hat on his head and walked around the couch.
“Oh, and Mr. Hall, I do not have to point out that this is not to be discussed with anyone else?”
“No, sir,” said Elijah, his hand on the door, “You do not.”