Elijah stood there, his mother's words ringing in his ears as he struggled to reconcile her bitter warnings with the hopeful, almost desperate feeling that had taken root in his chest. He knew she was right, knew that Mr. Yates saw him as little more than a lowly servant, a means to an end. But he also couldn't deny the way his heart raced at the thought of seeing Hillory again, of hearing her laughter and catching the scent of her perfume as they worked side by side.
He knew he should tell his mother the truth, should confess the real reason he wanted to continue working for Mr. Yates. But the words stuck in his throat, as if trapped behind a wall of pride and fear. He couldn't bring himself to admit that he had developed feelings for the rich man's niece, that he had allowed himself to be drawn in by her kindness and her beauty and her gentle touch.
Instead, he simply stood there, his jaw tight and his hands clenched at his sides as he stared at the cracked and peeling linoleum beneath his feet. He could feel his mother watching him, her eyes boring into the back of his skull as if she could read the secret thoughts that raced through his mind.
Finally, he spoke, his voice low and tight with barely concealed emotion. Mama, I...I know he don't like me. I know he don't think I'm good enough to so much as wipe the dirt off his shoes. But...but I need this job. We need this money, if we're gonna keep this place together and put food on the table.
He hesitated, knowing he was treading on thin ice, knowing that his next words could be the ones that pushed his mother over the edge into full-blown hysterics. And...and there's somethin' else. Somethin' I need to tell you...
But before he could get the words out, Maisie came bounding into the room, her face flushed and her hair a wild tangle of curls.
"MAMA, ELI!" She yelled, "SOME PRETTY GIRL GAVE ME 300 DOLLARS, WERE RICH!"
Elijah and his mother both turned to stare at Maisie in shock, their eyes wide with disbelief. Elijah's heart raced as he took in the sight of his little sister, her face flushed with excitement and her hands clutching a wad of crisp bills. Three hundred dollars was an unimaginable sum of money for a family like theirs, enough to keep them fed and clothed for months, maybe even a year if they were careful.
But even as relief and gratitude washed over him, Elijah felt a sudden, sharp twist of fear in his gut. Who was this mysterious girl who had given his sister such a vast sum of money out of the blue? And why would a stranger, especially a rich one, be so generous to a Carter child?
He crossed the room in two long strides, plucking the money from Maisie's small hands and counting it over quickly. It was indeed three hundred dollars, more than he had earned in months of backbreaking labor. He shoved the money into his pocket, hiding it away from his mother's grasping fingers, before turning his attention back to his sister.
Maisie, who was this girl? * he asked, his voice harsher than he intended as he fought to keep the fear and suspicion from his tone. What's her name? And why did she give you so much money? You gotta tell me everything, pipsqueak. Every little detail.
Maisie's smile faded a little at the sharpness in Elijah's voice, and she bit her lip, suddenly looking uncertain. "I...I don't know her name, Eli. She just...she just came up to me and put the money in my hand and told me to give it to you. Said...said it was for your family. That we needed it more than she did."
Elijah's blood ran cold as he listened to his sister's words, a chill running down his spine like a finger of ice. A stranger, offering a vast sum of money to a Carter child, with no strings attached? It didn't add up, and every instinct in his body screamed at him that something was very wrong here.