Read Online A Free Heart by Amelia C. Adams - Free Book Online Page B

from the actions of another. Listen, Harriet, I don’t mean to imply anything. I’m just trying to prepare you in case you aren’t received the way you’d like to be.”
    Was he really saying anything she hadn’t already thought? No, but hearing it out loud made it real and frightening. She also didn’t like how familiar he was becoming with her situation when they weren’t even friends—they’d only called a truce a few days ago, and that hardly entitled him to become so interested in her life and to offer advice.
    “I believe I’m quite fatigued and will close my eyes for a bit, Mr. White. If you’ll excuse me.” She tried to lay her head on the headrest behind her, which was hard to do while wearing a hat, but she tried it all the same.
    “Well, there you go again.”
    Her eyes snapped open. “What do you mean?”
    Tom looked at her with disgust. “Any time I annoy you, you start using all your fancified language and push me aside like I’m nothing more than a piece of hay under your foot. I guess you expect me to feel put in my place, like I’ve been told what’s what. I have some information for you, Miss Martin. Part of being a free man is not caring anymore what other people think. I’ve never been a slave, but I had to get free from my own situation, and I did. Since that day, as long as I’ve felt right with myself, that’s all I’ve cared about.” He shook his head. “I felt bad for offending you because my actions weren’t what they should have been. But when I’ve done no wrong, when all I’ve tried to do is help you, and you decide I’m no longer worth your time, I refuse to be made to feel like less of a man because of it. Enjoy your snooze, and I’ll wake you when we get there.”
    He turned away and pulled his hat over his eyes. Harriet was stunned into silence. Had she really been treating him that way? Before she’d even finished asking herself the question, she knew that yes, she had, and she was thoroughly ashamed of herself for it. She had made a case for being fair to all the slaves and treating them as equals, and yet she hadn’t done that for Tom, who was also a human being with rights. She peeked over at him, his neatly trimmed blond hair sticking out from under the sides of his hat. She’d been so blind, so determined to prove that the slave and the former slave were deserving of respect, that she hadn’t extended that courtesy to all, regardless of their backgrounds. If she was going to fight for equality, it needed to be offered to everyone or it could not be considered true equality.
    She tried to doze, but her thoughts kept her from it. A bit later, she decided she was hungry, and opened the basket Miss Hampton had packed for them. Tom accepted a sandwich and a bit of cake without saying much, then pulled his hat back down and resumed his nap. At least, that’s the impression he tried to give—Harriet suspected that a hard-working man like Tom wasn’t used to taking naps, and was just trying to avoid her. She couldn’t blame him. She wasn’t pleased with her company at that moment either.
     
     

Chapter Nine
     
    When the train pulled in to Salina at last, Harriet’s legs were so weak from disuse, she felt as though they would collapse underneath her. She made her way down the aisle and managed to descend the steps to the platform without sagging or swaying, which she considered to be a huge accomplishment.
    After her set-to with Tom, she assumed that he’d forget his vow to take care of her and that he’d just as soon leave her to her own devices. But as soon as they stepped off the train, he was right at her elbow, looking around for clear paths to walk, steering her where it would be easiest to get through the crowd. On more than one occasion, she caught men looking at her with thinly disguised interest, but then their eyes would flick over to Tom and they’d move away. She had to admit, he did make a rather imposing figure, and she wouldn’t want