This past month had been a whirlwind of news and emotions he had forgotten he had. When Elizabeth had come to his room one night and practically seduced him he had been quite happy to be of service, as it were, but afterwards barely she gave him the time of day except to smile as if she was hiding a secret. And a few weeks later when she had announced she was pregnant you could have knocked him over with a feather since they hadn’t had any relations in months except that one night. Now he was becoming a little suspicious that she was having an affair with someone but he was far from jealous, in fact the thought of it made him a little giddy knowing his conquest of Amahle put them on an even keel. Regardless, it would keep her busy and leave him to his own devices, mainly his new found love who delighted him daily with her exotic beauty and intelligence; she had already learned enough English that they could hold short conversations about him and her life here. His demeanor became easy going and there was a lightness in his step that the world mistook as happiness at becoming a father, which was more than fine with him as it hid the true cause of his newfound joy.
Elizabeth would soon be leaving for England to spend a few months with her family before the baby came and bring back all of her baby furniture and the considerable layette her parents were furnishing her with. In all she would be gone for four months, which would give him time to get the nursery ready and build an atrium for Amahle so she could go outside without danger of being noticed. In the meantime he had a lot to do in town as well, what with being the governor, the town's Justice of the Peace and running his lumber business, which was booming. For the first time in his life, everything was going great and the future was looking bright. After getting ready for the day, he went down to breakfast in the informal dining room which was just off the kitchen and behind the formal one. Personally he preferred this one, it seemed cozier and the yellow flowers and green leaves that intertwined in a pattern on the wallpaper made it feel bright and cheerful. His food was waiting for him under a large silver dome and as he sat down his man servant Alfred took the dome off and took it to the kitchen to be used again for the next meal. Jackson ate his delicious breakfast of sausage, eggs, cottage fries and toasted homemade bread with butter and honey dripping from it with gusto and felt full and satisfied, ready to take on the day's tasks. He let out a long, loud belch which he covered with his napkin to no avail, then got out of his chair as Alfred pulled his chair out, took his hat from the hall tree and grabbed his brief case on his way out of the door and found Talbert waiting out front for him with his carriage and team of matched black Arabian horses. The carriage itself was painted black and the accents were in white, which made it look sleek and stylish, although in this dreadful heat it got a bit warm, even with the windows so he’d had vents made into it that allowed a breeze to come through.
He told his assistant “Good day” as he nodded his head before he went in the door Talbert was holding open for him and was rewarded with a similar reply in an Aussie accent. Sitting on the soft leather bench, Jackson let Talbert know he was ready to go and was immediately on his way to town and with that he took several documents from his case and started to pour over them. It involved a business deal that he was contemplating which would increase his lands to cover roughly another 2,000 acres on the western side of his property line, doubling what he had now. Money wasn’t an issue and it was priced reasonably enough, but there were a few places on the property where nothing would grow and in those spots a black, smelly sticky substance oozed out of the ground. The current owner had tried everything to dry it up but had failed in every attempt, hence the land now being sold basically to the highest bidder, of whom he was the only one to date. He’d had his attorney write up a potential contract, which was also in his briefcase and he was going to deliver by Talbert’s hand later this morning after he got to his office. Even with the hundred or so acres affected, he could still grow a lot of tobacco, which was the next big market and he intended to be a big part of. Of course he would need more slaves, but there was already a plantation house and there had been a working slave operation which included housing for them so the costs to get growing would be minimal and he planned to let his nephew William live in the big house. About that time they pulled up outside of his Governor’s office and he got out with a slight smile on his face and opened the door with the elaborate key that only he possessed a copy of and went inside to his grand hickory and marble desk that dominated the interior of the large room.
He put down his case and sat at the desk, lighting two candles, one on each side to give proper illumination as he worked. After taking the carriage to the carriage house a few blocks away Talbert returned and upon entering opened the draperies that covered the large front windows and let in the natural light of the sun. He then approached Jackson’s desk and asked what needed doing, and he gave the contract documents to him with instructions on whom to deliver it to and that he should wait for either the signed papers or a rejection and bring them to him forthwith so he can take action one way or another. With a silent nod he took possession of the documents and left to do as he was told, and Jackson had every confidence that it would be carried out promptly and to his specifications. He then pulled the rest of the papers out and put some of them into filing drawers and some he put on his desk in order of importance, the first he kept ahold of and began filling in some blanks before he signed and dated them, then used his signet ring to seal them officially. When the wax had hardened he placed them in the top left drawer of the desk itself for safekeeping and worked his way through half a dozen more before Talbert came back with a signed contract. Now all that needed doing is for him to sign and seal it, draft a cheque from his account at the bank and exchange that for the deed and title. He had already prepared the draft and he signed and sealed it in front of Talbert, who witnessed it and then took it all back to the seller. Within a short amount of time he had returned and handed the title documents over to Jackson which made him the largest landowner in the state, who took them and placed them into the drawer with his other important papers.
He motioned Talbert to sit down in the leather armchair to his right and after he was settled Jackson handed him a glass of fine Bourbon whiskey and raised his glass, saying “My good man, I hereby gift for your assistance in my endeavor today; your remaining years of service will be wiped clean and from this day forward you will receive a salary worthy of your position. Cheers!” and after both men drank the fiery liquid in one swallow, Talbert set his glass down on the desk and reached across to shake his now employer's hand, which was met and answered in kind. After Talbert settled back into the chair Jackson continued by telling him how much he was going to be making, which made the man raise his eyebrows and nod in appreciation. He then gave him the first duty as Overseer, which was to find another man to take his place by Jackson’s side as personal assistant. “In the meantime, we have to get that property ready because, as you know, I’ve purchased the next three shipments of slaves coming in from the traders. Malcolm will have to provide us with enough current slaves to clean up over there, and check around to see if there are any good men looking for temporary work. There is a shipment of tobacco plants coming in two months time and we need to be ready to plant them”, he said, pouring them both another drink that they lingered over, admiring the smoky aroma and flavor from the charred barrels it was stored in before being bottled. He got it from a local merchant who brought it from the distiller, and it was the smoothest whiskey he’s ever tasted. Afterwards, Talbert stood and excused himself to get started, mentioning that he had just the person in mind to replace him and asked permission to fulfill that duty first, to which Jackson gave his assent, then handed him a small leather folder with the first month's salary tucked inside, along with a note to the bank allowing him to recover any expenses he encountered in his duties at will made to him specifically and without any of the usual caveats. Talbert slipped it into his inside vest pocket and put his hat back on after tipping it to his previous owner who nodded back, then he left with a smile on his face that Jackson had never seen before and it made him smile too.
When he was alone again he opened the drawer with the paperwork that named him the new owner of the property and as he was taking it out a citizen by the name of Charles Newberry came in with his hat in hand and waited by the door to be called in proper. Jackson slipped them back into the drawer and rose, motioning for his visitor to come forward and when asked if he would like to sit down, Mr. Newberry nodded yes and sat in the chair he was nearest to. He was no stranger to Jackson or this office as he came in frequently to complain about other people's business, and much as he would like to dismiss him he had a duty to listen to his gripes and even look into them as a matter of course so putting on his best face he asked the man the reason for his visit today and sat back to listen, praying it would be short. “Mr. Governor”, he began, “ it has come to my attention that certain slaves are being given freedoms that the law does not allow for. In fact, your honor, (making Jackson roll his eyes inwardly at the made-up title he insisted on using) they are being permitted to sell goods in the General Store without disclosing the true nature of the manufacturer of said goods. It is your sworn duty to protect the white population from this underhanded and unlawful merchandising. Your honor, sir.” With every bit of inner strength he possessed Jackson replied in a warm voice how happy he was that Mr. Newberry had seen fit to bring this problem to him and assured him that he would look unto it personally, making certain to keep him updated as he could, and admonished him to keep it between them until Jackson had a chance to resolve the situation. He stood up and waited for Mr. Newberry to join him and shook his hand, thanking him again for being the community's watchdog and the man left happy and hopefully quiet, although the last wasn’t guaranteed.
It was now time for lunch and as was his habit, Jackson had it delivered from the hotel down the street where his chariot and horses were stabled during the day and Talbert’s work pony during the night. Today’s fare was a thick rib cut steak that was dripping juices and blood, with a stone baked potato that had been smothered in freshly churned butter from the cow out back that was milked daily and shared the little barnyard with laying hens. He locked the door behind the waiter after giving him a generous tip, and took the food over to a small dining table where he sat down to eat in the matching leather dining chair. He found himself wishing that Maggie would fix the potatoes such at times, but it seemed that any time he approached her she had a large knife in her hand and although he knew she wouldn’t harm him it was still intimidating so he left that sort of thing to Elizabeth, who was a capable manager in her own right and ruled her domain with a stern yet fair hand which had earned the respect of even the most recalcitrant among them.
When he finished he left the platter on the table for the waiter to return for, which should be in about ten minutes or about an hour after bringing the food to him, depending on how busy it was. No matter, it was no longer his concern and as yet someone had never failed to come back for the kitchen’s dishes and flatware. On to better things then, he thought to himself as he returned to his desk and sat down again in his ‘throne’ of a chair which had been made especially for his large build and long legs to fit into comfortably and in turn made him tower over anyone across from him. Realizing that he struck an impressive figure he let the soft tone of his voice become the most dominating feature when anyone approached him and it always succeeded in lowering even the most menacing of men’s defenses, a fact that he had realized as a young man when courting women and he had since found to be very useful in all his life’s dealings. Indeed, much like earlier today he found it best to let a man rage or rant about whatever was bothering him and get it off their chest, and when they had remained quiet for at least three minutes to let them think about it more clearly he would then respond quietly and have their full attention. It also gave him time to ponder and come up with a ‘solution’ that would satisfy them while keeping peace.
Picking up the briefcase with his other papers for the lumberyard he locked the desk drawers, turned out the lamps and was met at the door by Talbert who was accompanied by a young man dressed in a poorly fitting business suit that looked vaguely familiar, and which he identified as one of Talbert’s but he said nothing and shook the man’s hand. Showing them out with him, he suggested they could come along on his way to the lumberyard and talk to him as they went. The man introduced himself as Phineus Clairborne from Massechusets originally but had lived in New Port for the past eighteen years as assistant to another powerful man who was a merchant of foreign goods, and was now looking to slow down before he retired. This stopped Jackson in his tracks and he turned to get a better look at the man and saw what he’d missed before; the crow’s feet at the edges of his eyes, the dark bags under them, fine wrinkles around his forehead and a sagging jawline that bespoke a man older that he’d thought at first, yet not too old for what he needed. He told the man to come by his office in the morning around 8 a.m. and thanked Talbert for his time before continuing to his destination.