Southern Paradise Part 2

Charles had never been poor or experienced anything close to poverty. As with most British aristocracy of the time, his eyes were shielded from the misery of London slums of the drudgery of the industrial North. Indeed, in his youth his family had been waited on, in their large country house, by 20 servants, some of whom Charles had never seen other than during their weekly inspection. However, even he was overwhelmed by the sheer wealth and ease of the world the Grainger's inhabited. While he conversed with the delightful Lady Grainger, she merely clicked her delicate gloved hand and the eccentrically dressed slaves tottered in carrying all manner of delights, from ice tea to pretty cakes and dainties which seemed a consumable version of the Mistress herself. What was more astounding to Charles, was the level of deference displayed by the slaves when serving their Queen. All slaves entered with their heads bowed to the ground, moving in silence so as not to disturb their Mistress and curtsying or bowing deeply when their task was up. In England, servants were deferential but were often seen as companions to their employers at least behind closed doors. Here, they were mere furniture, summoned and dismissed at whim with never a thanks and rarely an acknowledgement. It was so surprising to Charles that the slaves behaved in this way. All he had heard of negro slavery was gathered from abolitionist British propaganda or sensationalised travel writing from Africa. He believed that the slaves would be less subservient, but they seemed fully accepting of their place beneath their superior white owners. Fully in the knowledge that many of his peers back home would be appalled by the enslavement of these negros, he rather enjoyed being in the midst of such beauty and elegance.

After an hour of leisurely strolling around the gardens with Lady Grainger, the Winterburgs and Lady Grainger's cohort of personal slaves, Lady Grainger suggested they make themselves comfortable in the Palace lounge while she attended to her evening toilette. She also mentioned that the girls would soon be back which caused an involuntary smile in both Winterburg gentlemen. The lounge was a room perfectly equipped to ensure maximum comfort to its users. It was a bright airy room in the southern sunlight and was covered in exotic portraits and landscapes showing Graingers past and present wallowing in the luxury of their paradise on earth. Three negro maids followed them into the room, each one dressed in the customary floor-length black uniform with a large frilly apron and puffed sleeves. They each proceeded to fan each of the gentlemen, unprompted, and kept their heads firmly to the floor. Afforded time to speak candidly with Charles, Mr. Winterburg began talking.
"Well, I'm surprised you didn't know but your "relatives" happen to be the richest plantation owners, hell, maybe the richest family, in all America." he said.
"I am truly astounded, this sort of wealth is reserved for royalty back in Europe, how on earth could the distant cousin of an earl amass an Empire to rival that of the crown's?" stated the incredulous Charles.
"Well, I'm not familiar with the whole story, but I know that Master Thomas is 3rd generation English. As far back as I can remember, the Grainger's have been a ruthless lot. Thomas I, this one's father, pre-empted the outlawing of the slave trade and bought 5 shipfuls back in 1803 with some borrowed money from England. When the law was imposed, those slaves had increased in value five-fold and he managed to pay back his debt by selling only a tenth of all the slaves he had. Then he started to breed them, and breed them well. Everyone in the South knows what they're buying when they buy a Grainger slave. Hell, I've twenty myself. They're well bred for a variety of purposes and no-one, I mean no-one breeds less run-aways or troublemakers than the Grainger family. The master doesn't even need to supervise it anymore, he's pays an accountant to run his business. In addition to the miles of white gold they've planted, this family has riches to put the Queen of Sheba to shame."
"I can't believe my luck!"
"Don't, Master Grainger isn't too generous. Play your cards right and you might find what you're looking for here but never presume with a Southern Gentleman, or for that matter, a Southern Lady."
"I'll remember your advice, Robert."

A negro butler opened the door and informed the gentlemen that the ladies had arrived. They went out to the front room and were greeted by two palanquins, each held by two particularly large negroes who despite their size and arduous task, were still dressed in the manner of 18th century court servants. The palanquins were made of white wood decorously inlaid with golden leafy shapes and each with a window covered by a dainty pink curtain. Both sets of negro carefully squatted and placed each palanquin softly upon the ground and opened the doors to each compartment. Charles was truly unready for the heavenly sight he was about to witness.

In the first palanquin, Charles initially sighted a riot of pretty pink lace and ruffles accented by a white pattern of dainty bows. A solitary satin-gloved hand appeared from the compartment's darkness, gripped the negro's hand and out from behind the pink dress emerged a beautiful young white goddess. From head to toe her appearance signaled the rare beauty and ease that is afforded the richest daughters of the world. A large pink, wide-brimmed hat, peppered with white roses stood upon dainty ringleted blonde hair. Her face was delicately plump, like the rest of her body, and her perfectly formed nose and lips were pointed to the ceiling in a look of snobbish superiority. This face was complimented by large white pearl drop earrings either side and a cameo choker beneath her exquisite chin. In full view her dress seemed more impressive, with large puffy shoulder sleeves turning her into a fairytale princess and her large bosom modestly covered by its high neckline. Her plumpness made her look like a soft and delicate yet indulgent young Queen, who made full use of the luxury of her position. Charles almost fell to his knees again in the appreciation of this beauty, but remembered the faux-pas of earlier.

From the second palanquin emerged the second, no less delightful Grainger girl. Her more slight frame made her look yet more the product of wealth and ease yet this belied a haughty air which punctuated every movement around the negroes with her own superiority. She too wore blonde ringlet curls yet this time they were framed by a pretty white bonnet further demonstrating her air of pretty domination. She wore a similar orgy of fluff and petticoats to her sister yet this time in white with a large pink bow at the front. The sisters together were like the fanciest angels heaven had ever sent down to mingle with mere mortals, like Charles, and animals, like their servants.