Months passed without a word from Talbot. Hannah was in a right depressed state and did not leave the confines of her house, spending a great deal of time in the library or in her bedroom.
In her bedroom she had a chaise lounge in a turret with large windows overlooking the gardens. There stood the arbor that she married Talbot under, laughing at her, mocking her. She got up and rang the bell, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding,..........
"O m-eye word....Miss Tal-bot ina mood agin ta-day." Manny said. "Yo bess goes sees wat da missus be wantin' Betzy."
Betzy took her time getting there because she knew it was not going to be pleasant.
"Yesum, Miss?"
"Betzy, send Samuel to me."
"He in da back garden, Miss."
"I do not care where he is I want to see him right now!" Irritation rising.
"Yesum, Miss." Betzy scurried off.
Thirty minutes later the gardener was standing at her bedroom door, hat in hand. "Yesum, Miss. Tal-bot?"
"Please come here Samuel." She was standing looking out the window into the garden.
Samuel walked over to the window with trepidation.
Hannah was pointing a poisonous finger at something. Her voice vile, "You see, you see that, that .......arbor?" She spat out the word. "You see that arbor over there with the pink roses on it."
"Yesum, Miss I'z sees it." Samuel said the whites of his eyes looking whiter and larger against his black face.
"I want you to RIP IT OUT!" Hannah shouted. "GET RID OF IT! I cannot stand the sight of it."
Samuel is backing away from her. He had never seen her like this. He knew that she was in a really bad state. She loved that arbor, she cultivated the roses that grew on it. It was her prized piece of the entire garden. She got married under it! How could she want it destroyed? Things must be really bad if this is what she wanted.
As soon as he arrived back first into the doorway he turned and ran down the hall as fast as he could. To the back stairs, down the stairs into the kitchen, to safety.
Before he could reach the end of the hallway Hannah had turned around and saw that the bedroom door was still open and she walked over to it and in a fury slammed it. Samuel thought that it was a gun shot it was so loud.
He got downstairs in the kitchen, eyes bugged out. Mammy was standing there waiting to hear what the problem was.
"She done gon' n loose her mine. Lord hep us."
"Wat da madder now, Sam." Mammy was curious to hear the gossip.
"She wan me go ahead and kill dem roses ova da arbor." His eyes were still bugged out when he told Mammy the news.
"Why, dats her special arbor. She tend dem flower herself." Then Mammy remember something else. "Ohhhh she done gone an got married under dem flowers, now she be wantin' kill dem."
"Dats wat I sayz. She done loose her mine. I best be gettin' on wid it. She still up dare lookin' out da winda."
Samuel did not want to rip the roses up. They were so beautiful. What was her problem?
The servants gossiped about it late into the night. They were sure that Mr. Talbot had left Mrs. Talbot on the day after their wedding...forever. Now she hates the roses and the arbor where Mr. Talbot pledge his love and allegiance to her, vowing to love her for eternity and not twenty-four hours later he was gone out of her life for good. What could possible have happened? They did not hear any loud noises or quarreling or anything. All was quiet. In fact Betzy had reported to them all that she walked in on them Mrs. Talbot was flushed from some "marry activity." Everything seemed fine. When Betzy left the room and closed the door the two of them started laughing all happy and gay. What could possibly have happened? Why did he leave?
The whole thing was very strange.
From her vantage point, Hannah watched as Samuel ripped the roses out from the roots. As he was tending to his assignment he kept glancing up to see if she was watching him. He thought that he would put on a show for her and was ripping some foliage from behind the arbor and throwing the leaves and blossoms into the air violently. Managing not to damage the roses or their roots, digging them up, with them still attached to the arbor, he then put the whole arbor on a flat cart with wheels and rolled it away out of her sight.
Left behind was a mountain of leaves and blossoms, which he stole from another obliging plant else where in the garden. He then came back with a rake and a bushel basket and scooped up all the leaves, blossoms and petals that he had thrown around. Then came back again and filled the hole with some soil. Later he and another gardner moved a heavy wrought iron bench over to the place where the arbor had been and laid it over the exposed soil. He hoped that Mrs. Talbot would find that acceptable.
Unbeknownst to her, Samuel had taken the roses, arbor and all, behind the stables to an area that Hannah rarely visited and he replanted the roots. He fertilized the bottom of the hole that he dug to take the roots and he watered it well when he replanted them. Hoping that they would take and continue to grow. He knew that he would loose a few blossoms due to the shock but most of them he believed he could save.
Hannah was well pleased with herself for getting rid of that, 'eyesore'!! Why should she continue to suffer looking at that place where they were married? What a sick pathetic joke that was?
Tears poured down. First, emotions justify, feel elation then cascade into the depths of despair. Tears poured down.
'Perhaps Benjamin was wrong about Talbot.' Hannah mused.
'Did we all misjudge him? How could I be so blind? I was with him everyday for almost a year, alone. How did I not see who he really was? Why did he want to hurt me so?'
She simply could not settle herself emotionally.
She continued in isolation. Tray after tray of food hardly touched.
The servants worried about her.
In the early afternoon, one day Henry came to Hannah's bedroom door, knocked, gained entry and announced,
"Mrs. Hilde Berg to see you. I put her in the drawing-room, Madam."
Hannah in a haze staring out the window. She was a disheveled mess. Her hair was wild. She was still in her dressing gown and night clothes.
"What did you say Henry?"
"I said, Mrs. Hilde Berg to see you Madam. She is comfortably situated in the drawing-room."
"Oh my!" Hannah became alert. She wanted to see no one but now that someone was there she felt obligated to receive them. "Send Betzy to me, quickly."
"As you wish Madam." Henry bowed and closed the door quietly.
On the other side of the closed door his grin grew with satisfaction.
Betzy entered and quickly helped Hannah get dressed and fix her hair. Thirty minutes later Hannah came down the grand staircase looking quite regal.
She wanted to give the impression that everything was normal and could not be better.
"Well, good afternoon, Mrs. Berg, so very lovely to see you." Hannah tried to give her best performance. "I am so sorry to keep you waiting."
After the 'niceties' Hannah called for tea. They ate peach cobbler and drank tea and enjoyed the afternoon sun. Lovely breeze blew through the house.
Hannah loved Mrs. Berg's company, she loved being engulfed in the lady's warmth.
Henry passed by the closed doors and heard the two ladies talking and laughing and he grined with satisfaction....again.
Henry had done the unspeakable.
That morning he told Mammy that he was going out, did not say where or how long he would be.
The truth was that he went to Mrs. Berg's house, although he risked her calling him impertinent he had to try something. A servant speaking to someone above their station was outright rudeness. He could be dismissed for this kind of conduct. Then to speak of his employer was outrageous.
Mrs. Berg was truly a fine and understanding lady, as Henry found out. He begged her for surreptitiousness. His unapproved secret for the betterment of Mrs. Talbot. The utmost confidentiality was necessary if his plan was going to work, if it would work at all. She agreed to all of it. He knew that Hannah really liked Mrs. Berg and spoke highly of her often. As though she were a sort of mother figure to Hannah. Henry was hoping that Hannah could find some solace in talking to Mrs. Berg. Hannah needed comfort and consolation in this time of distress and sadness. As Henry passed the door of the drawing-room and heard the ladies laughing and talking he was relieved that his plan seemed to be working and he respected Mrs. Berg greatly for her role in this plan to brighten Hannah's spirits.
"Please, I beg you, will you come and lunch with me tomorrow in my atrium. It is so lovely at this time of year. And with all the plants and flowers it is actually cooler than the outside. I am quite proud of it and I would love for you to see it." As the minutes passed Hannah was feeling more and more comfortable with Mrs. Berg.
Hannah did not know what overcame her but she was caught up in the aura of Mrs. Berg and forgot all her sorrow. She agreed to lunch with her tomorrow after Mrs. Berg assured Hannah that they would be dining alone.
Mrs. Berg took her leave and made Hannah feel so special. She had that way about her. She could make a person feel like they were the center of her universe when she spoke with them. She was a tremendously good listener. And too mature and confident to be prone to gossip. She ridiculed about the other ladies doing that. She did not appreciate it and stayed away from those that felt it was their right and duty.
As Henry helped Mrs. Berg into her carriage, she sat down and then they looked each other in the eye. Mrs. Berg gave Henry an exaggerated wink, he bowed his head with a small dignified grin of victory. Their plan worked and Henry was forever grateful to Mrs. Berg for accepting and implementing his plan.
After she left Hannah was humming and feeling lighter than she had. Henry was very proud of himself for having accomplished this feat.
"Excuse me Madam, where would you like your dinner served this evening?" Henry asked her while she was humming.
"Henry, I think I shall take it in the library. Please light a small fire and light some candles. Thank you."
"Madam." He bowed slightly in acknowledgement of her request. Her spirits truly had lifted. Henry hoped that they would continue as such.
Going in the kitchen he reported to Mammy the success of the day without giving any details and ordered a special dinner for Hannah. All her favorites.
That entire evening Hannah felt much better and her spirits were high. She only allowed herself to think of the fun conversation and great laughs that she had with Mrs. Berg that afternoon and put all else out of her mind. After her dinner she sat by the fire and read a book from their vast collection.
