Chapter One
May 1841
A South Carolina plantation
Charlton brought the book to his nose with his dark-skinned hand, inhaling the scent of Belle, his master’s daughter, and smiled. She had excused herself, saying she would come right back, and he already missed her.
While he waited, Charlton read aloud the words of the fable. When he finished, he closed the book and looked up to see eleven-year-old Belle. The sunlight shining against her blonde hair cast a glow, which made Charlton squint and smile.
“Did you like the story?” she asked.
The seven-year-old boy scrunched his face. “I don’t know. Why’d the princess not like the pea? I just want one mattress, it could even have a big rock under it.”
Belle laughed. “Oh, Charlton, you’re funny! You see, the queen would never know she had found a real princess, if she couldn’t feel the pea. That’s just what the story’s about. Do you understand?”
Charlton nodded, knowing he didn’t. “Belle, I start my job tomorrow.” She looked at him with bright eyes and smiled, urging him to continue. “Pete, the older boy who brings the water to the fields, showed me how and now I got to do it by myself. I used to help Mama around here and she let me go off on my own to read the books you gave me, but I can’t do that no more.”
“Well, Charlton, I been taking care of you for as long as I can remember and I know you’re going to do so well. Just remember that bringing the water to the fields is a big help to everyone. They need it and you’re going to give it to them.” They smiled, then Belle hugged Charlton, and he swore to himself that he would marry her someday.