Plantation Underworld, page 11
“Oh, don’t start crying on me,” he scolded. “We’ll come to lunch on Friday.”
Sara turned around and dashed out of the office. As she got out onto the grounds, she began to sob lightly.
When she got back to the house, Harry could see she was upset. “What’s wrong, honey?” he asked.
“Oh, that old man is an ogre,” she complained. “In his eyes, I’ll never be as good as Sue.”
“He’s right,” Harry said.
“What are you saying?” she wailed.
“You’re going to be better,” he boasted. Just wait till I get in there. I’m going to put that place on the map.”
“You’re awfully sure of yourself,” she said cautiously.
“I told you before. You’re Harry’s girl now and you’ve got nothing else to worry about. Now dry your tears and go do what you have to do. We’re going out to dinner tonight to Arrowhead Meadows Tavern. Let’s just see what they’re made of,” he crowed.
“Save all of your charm for Friday,” Sara said. “Jack and Gloria are coming to lunch, and I want to introduce you to them then.”
“I’ll have them eating out of my hand,” Harry bragged. “Tell you what we’ll do. Before you say anything about me, I’ll be in the kitchen, making our lunch, and then I’ll come out and join you. Once they taste my food, they’ll be putty in my hands.”
30
Arrowhead Meadows Tavern was a renovated farmhouse that dated back to the 1600s. It was located on a 700-acre parcel of land on Colonial Highway that belonged to Jocelynton Plantation. Nathan Ryan (father of Sanders Ryan) and his cousin Matthew Ryan were primarily farmers and used the land to produce various crops. Both Ryan families got along well and generally maintained an affable existence.
Nathan Ryan and his wife Amelia doted on their son Sanders as well as Matthew and Abigail Ryan’s son Dawson. The families were so close it was hard to tell whose son was whose. Sanders and Dawson were more like brothers than cousins.
The elder Ryans were delighted when both sons married and settled on Jocelynton Plantation. Sanders married Beth and, a little more than a year later, Dawson married Whitney. Several years later when Dawson and Whitney gave birth to Arthur Ryan, joy and laughter abounded at Jocelynton Plantation. The young parents, along with Sanders and Beth Ryan, shared the joys of parenthood.
Whitney and Beth concentrated on helping Amelia and Abigail with the beautification of Jocelynton Plantation’s main house and grounds while Sanders and Dawson oversaw farming operations for Nathan who was now retired.
Growing up, Arthur Ryan enjoyed most of the advantages afforded to plantation owners’ children, but his parents, along with Beth and Sanders, whom Arthur called Aunt and Uncle, seemed determined to instill a strong work ethic into the youngest Ryan. He attended Walshire Academy in Williamsburg. The school was located about twenty miles from their home on Jocelynton, so Whitney was able to drive him to and from classes.
Neither she nor Dawson wanted him to attend a boarding school. While at Walshire, Arthur had to work for part of his tuition. He selected a job in the school cafeteria. During his summers, he became part of the workforce of field workers. He was able to carry out every task assigned to him. Arthur never acted the part of the boss’s son. He treated his co-workers with respect, and they dealt with him in the same way. He considered all of them his good friends.
In his last summer as a “field hand,” Arthur’s fellow employees planned a surprise send-off to college party for him. Whitney and Beth helped decorate the field farmhouse, and Dawson and Sanders supplied the food and drink. The celebration was in full swing, and the farmhouse swelled with hilarity and numerous toasts to Arthur’s success.
He shook his head with amusement and noticed that his father was nowhere in sight. He went from one room to another. He even looked in the two large rooms on the second floor. Arthur decided his father must have gone to the basement to get additional supplies of beer. He walked down to see if he needed some help. Suddenly, a piercing scream filled the farmhouse.
Several workers scurried down the steps only to find Arthur on his knees, sobbing while holding his father. Dawson Ryan died from a heart attack.
His funeral was held two weeks before Arthur Ryan began attending the College of William and Mary. He was glad he had decided to stay close to home so that he and his mother could console each other. Sanders Ryan was glad to have him around throughout his time off from school. Arthur was a tremendous help to him during those difficult next few years. That time the plantation community showed a lot more support. The next generation was forming.
Arthur stayed busy while attending William and Mary. What time he didn’t devote to his studies, he dedicated to his mother and Jocelynton Plantation.
He did, however, take time to get involved in various social events around campus. He made himself available to assist with food preparation and the setup of large events. He was drawn in by the flurry of activity that took place at the focal point of getting ready to feed hundreds of people.
Coordinators and attendees alike grew quite fond of Arthur and his outgoing behavior. His co-workers enjoyed his considerate personality, and superiors marveled at his teamwork mind-set.
One colleague in particular always made sure he worked closely with Arthur. Before long, Devon Panierre and Arthur Ryan became known as the Sparkling Pair. Supervisors of these events quickly realized those two did the work of at least four other people. Devon and Arthur became close friends.
When they weren’t working together, they shared dreams of the future. Devon would tell Arthur of his dream to have a nationally known fine dining restaurant. He wanted it to be successful enough to support the family he imagined having with his fiancée Tricia Hartwell. Arthur wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to do. He confided to Devon that he would most likely return to Jocelynton to help his Uncle Sanders with farming. He confessed that it might not be his choice for his life’s work, but he was very conscious of his obligations to his mother and to Sanders and Beth.
Arthur did acknowledge that his family was very happy with his choice of Cheryl Hamilton for a bride. Whitney was crazy about Cheryl, and she looked forward to having a daughter in the family. She let Arthur and Cheryl choose the plot of ground for their home and she bestowed full control of the construction to the two young people. She was elated when Cheryl and her parents agreed to have the wedding and reception at Jocelynton Plantation. On their wedding day, Whitney was almost as radiant as the bride was. She so looked forward to the role of grandmother.
For the next few years Sanders and Arthur worked earnestly on the Plantation. Sanders was careful to allow Arthur time with his family.
Whitney was overjoyed at the birth of her first grandson, Arthur Ryan Jr. She would have liked to have spent more time helping Cheryl, but she didn’t want to appear as an interfering mother-in-law. The two women enjoyed a wonderful relationship. Besides, Whitney was extremely busy with the main house on Jocelynton. Since Abigail and Amelia passed away, more of the responsibility of upkeep fell on Whitney.
Beth seemed to take less of an interest in Jocelynton and in Sanders. She gave no specific reason. She simply stated that she was very unhappy with her life. Sanders loved her so much that he agreed to let her leave Jocelynton to find the life she wanted. He promised her that he would always provide for her. His only request was that she would never divorce him. She agreed and quietly left Jocelynton.
There seemed to be no end to the prosperity on the Plantation. The enviable beauty of the house and grounds inspired neighboring plantation owners and caught the attention of Hollywood producers. The entire River Plantation community was all abuzz when it became known the main house and grounds would be used in a major Tinseltown movie. Whitney beamed with pride as cameras and big stars descended upon Jocelynton Plantation. She saw it as an additional avenue of business for a long time to come.
Whitney was glad to finally have all of the Hollywood people gone from Jocelynton. She was, however, grateful for the time she was able to spend with Arthur’s friend, Devon. Arthur had suggested him when the film crew wanted to have a “wrap” party at the house. She found him to be a thoroughly delightful young man. Whitney was finishing up putting everything back in place when Arthur called to invite her to dinner at his house. She gladly accepted, and she was even happier to hear that Devon and his wife, Tricia, would be there also.
Whitney arrived at her son’s house laden with choice bottles of wine.
“Mother,” Arthur said, “what am I going to do with you?”
“Chill the white and pour me a glass of the Pomeral,” she joked.
Devon and Arthur labored in the kitchen while she played with her grandson and chatted comfortably with Tricia and Cheryl. Arthur Jr. grew sleepy and Whitney offered to put him to bed. When she came back, the table was set with a feast.
“Dinner is served, madame,” Devon quipped.
“This looks wonderful,” Whitney said. “But I’m not surprised. You really impressed those Hollywood moguls.”
In a silly French accent, Devon replied, “But of course.”
Everyone was eating, laughing, and talking. Suddenly, Whitney remarked, “Cheryl, you’re not having any wine?”
“No, Mother Whitney, I’m not,” Cheryl replied, smiling.
“Mother,” Arthur said, “we have two pieces of good news for you. Cheryl is pregnant again, and Devon and I are going to open a restaurant.”
Whitney sat back in her chair. “Well,” she said, “I’m ecstatic about another baby, but I’m not so sure about this restaurant thing. What about the farming?”
“I’m just not happy with farming right now,” Arthur said. “I’d really like to do this with Devon, and we want to renovate the old field farmhouse.”
Whitney shook her head in disapproval.
“Mother,” Arthur continued, “I want to bury Father’s ghost by giving the farmhouse a complete facelift. Devon and I will try to get a loan for the renovations. We may need you to cosign, but we’ll make all of the payments. I know we can make this work.”
“You know I’ll do anything to make sure you’re happy,” Whitney said. “Devon, I’m glad you’re doing this with him.”
“I wouldn’t let him do it without me,” Devon replied. “You’ll see, Mrs. Ryan, it’s a sure thing. The building is located right on Colonial Highway. We want to call it Arrowhead Meadows Tavern.”
Devon and Arthur went on to explain they got the name from researching the history of the land belonging to Jocelynton Plantation. Long before settlers came to the banks of the James River, Indians occupied the land. Numerous arrowheads were found in the fields on which the old farmhouse sat.
Devon and Arthur, with Whitney’s signature, acquired a one-million-dollar loan to proceed with renovations. The old dirt basement was dug out a little and cemented over. The rafters were concealed with a new ceiling, and drywall covered the old brick foundation. The old oak stairway was reinforced and restored to its original luster.
The two rooms upstairs were remodeled into large banquet rooms. A large extension was added to the kitchen to accommodate the commercial equipment. In the room to the right as you enter the house, workers installed an impeccably crafted oak bar reminiscent of colonial times. They also extended the room by enclosing part of the front porch. The large room to the left would also be used as a dining area. With Whitney’s help, the young men furnished the restaurant with the most authentic replicas of colonial tavern furniture.
Arrowhead Meadows Tavern opened for business.
31
Harry and Sara pulled into the restaurant parking lot. “My God, there are a lot of cars here,” Sara noted.
“I’m glad I made reservations,” Harry replied.
They hesitantly went up the steps, onto the porch, and through the front door. Upon entering, their eyes were drawn to the splendid staircase.
“Good evening, may I help you?” a young man named Dirk greeted them abruptly.
“Yes,” Harry said. “We have reservations for two in smoking under the name Finnley.”
“Right this way,” Dirk instructed. He led them to the right and seated them at a cozy corner table fairly close to the bar. They ordered cocktails. Harry ordered a rum and coke and Sara ordered Scotch on the rocks.
As they perused the menu, Harry quickly boasted, “I could easily cook all of this. There’s nothing very difficult on here,” he noted.
“It all sounds very elegant, though,” Sara countered. When their drinks arrived, Sara immediately sipped on hers. “What is this?” she asked, grimacing.
“I thought you ordered Scotch on the rocks,” their server replied.
“I did,” Sara answered. “But this is awful.”
“That’s our house Scotch,” the young lady replied. “I’ll be glad to get you something else if you’d like.”
“Please, yes,” Sara retorted. “Bring me a Dewar’s if you have it.”
“We do,” she said. “I’ll be right back with that for you.”
“You’d think in such a beautiful, high-priced place, they’d have decent house Scotch,” Sara said.
“Make note of it,” Harry responded.
“My name is Amanda and I’ll be your server this evening. We have pan-seared breast of duck with a raspberry chutney as our special tonight,” their server said as she returned with Sara’s cocktail.
“We’ll start off with some appetizers,” Harry informed her. “You can bring us the smoked salmon and the artichoke crab dip. We’ll order after a little while. And I’d like to see a wine list,” he added.
“Yes, sir,” Amanda answered.
“Aren’t you the sophisticate?” Sara teased him.
“Well, I want to see how they respond to people who want to dine, not just eat,” he said, smiling at her.
They had finished their appetizers and given Amanda the rest of their order. As she delivered another round of drinks, she turned toward the bar and pointed to a slight man with blonde hair and enormous blue eyes. Sara recognized Dollie Brossard sitting next to him.
“These drinks are compliments of Mr. Ryan,” Amanda said.
Harry started to get up to thank him, but Arthur quickly left his seat and motioned to Harry to stay where he was. Arthur extended his hand to introduce himself. Dollie briefly came over to say hello to Sara and to be introduced to this “new man” with her. She bade all of them good night.
“Please join us,” Harry said.
“I’ll just pull up a chair for a minute,” Arthur replied. “I’m just glad I finally got to meet you,” he said to Sara. “Please accept my apologies for not coming to welcome you to the area, but it’s been a hectic year for me. My partner and I gave birth to this place, and my wife and I had a baby girl. We now have two small children,” he added.
“Well, you are a busy man then,” Sara remarked. “You have a beautiful restaurant.”
“Thank you, I hope you enjoy your meal,” Arthur answered as he got up. “I must get back to work now. It was a pleasure to meet both of you. I promise to bring my family by for lunch. I’m sure we’ll be seeing one another again real soon.”
“I’m not impressed,” Sara said.
“Here you go, a cup of lobster bisque and a bowl of French onion soup on the chef,” Amanda said. “Your dinner will be a bit delayed because we’re right in the midst of serving a big party upstairs. By the time you finish this and your salads, he’ll be ready to prepare your entrées.”
“That’s very nice,” Harry said. “But rest assured, we’re in no hurry. You can bring us another round of drinks and we’ll have a bottle of the Williamsburg Gabriel Archer with our meal.”
“Very good, sir,” Amanda replied.
“They seem to be very service oriented here. No wonder they’re so busy on a Tuesday night,” Sara commented.
“They’re the only game in town for dinner right now,” Harry remarked. “We could be getting some of this, you know.”
“How?” Sara asked. “I’m only open for lunch at the Horse and Carriage Tavern. Plus, it isn’t nearly as big as this.”
“That’s fine for now,” Harry said. “But when you’re ready to make some real money, we could expand the place and open it for dinner. I can picture it already.”
“You haven’t even been here that long and already you’re thinking of new and exciting things,” she said. “I feel so lucky that you came back with me.”
She didn’t know when she would tell him of her plans to make the Plantation a sort of hideaway for her side business. She still had contacts in Florida and only certain people in Richmond knew of her whereabouts. Sara was certain that Harry would be receptive to her idea and that he would be savvy enough to help her pull it off. After all, he liked his occasional pot and coke too.
32
Friday morning, Sara was mildly edgy in anticipation of the MacMilners coming to lunch. I’ll definitely be glad when this day is over with, she thought. She couldn’t figure out why she was so concerned. The girls all liked Harry just fine. She was not at all surprised he had them hanging onto his every word. He just has such a charm about him, she thought. The MacMilners will like him just fine, she assured herself.
She was taken aback when the MacMilners showed up for lunch with the Murrays in tow. “Well, I had a table ready for us,” Sara explained, “but I was only expecting you and Gloria.”
“Well, haven’t you got a table for four ready?” Jack MacMilner grumbled.
“Yes, I do,” Sara retorted. “But remember I said that I wanted to meet with you to discuss some ideas I have for the Tavern?”
“Well, yes, I do,” he replied. “I just thought it would be after we ate lunch. I don’t want to bore Mrs. MacMilner and the Murrays, so we’ll eat lunch and then I’ll stay to meet with you.”
Sara took a deep breath and seated them at the table she had set for Harry, her, and the MacMilners.
Megan took their beverage orders and when she delivered them, Jack asked to see a menu.
