Chapter 18: Arrival at the Ladybird Plantation

I would like to leave for the Ladybird plantation immediately, but we need to wait until Randolph responds to Charity’s letter asking him to meet her in Saint Pierre. His arrival would confirm that the road to the northeast of the island has been reopened. Few travellers venture as far as the Ladybird plantation, so finding news about the state of the road is difficult.

We spend the next three days making inquiries around Saint Pierre about both Jacqueline and the conditiin of the northeast road. We accumulate plenty of contradictory rumours and numerous offers for sex. We nevertheless manage to find a few snippets of information. The local printer recalls being asked by an officer of the English navy to print scores of posters offering a reward for information about a woman called Jacqueline. The timing of the request is about the time of Jacqueline’s enslavement. Unfortunately the printer can’t remember the details, but says that Jacqueline’s surname was definitely French. While it is useful information, it seems to destroy Samantha’s theory that Jacqueline might have been an important English lady. However, it confirms that the English navy were willing to pay a reward for Jacqueline’s recovery. That means she can’t have been an unimportant nobody.

Word finally arrives that the road to the northeast is open once again. Unfortunately, there is no sign of Randolph. Either Charity’s letter never reached him, or something is preventing him from making the journey to Saint Pierre.

“How long will it take us to reach the Ladybird plantation?” I ask George.

“At least a day on foot or with a wagon,” he replies. “If the weather is fine and the road is in good condition, you can probably cover the distance in a few hours on horseback. But I doubt the road is little more than a muddy track after the recent rain. If you intend to travel on horseback, I would allow at least a full day.”

George is able to obtain the use of three horses from a local farmer, although they are well past their prime. Charity, Samantha and I set off for the Ladybird plantation early the next morning. We make good progress for the first hour before the sun rises high in the sky. Once we are away from the coast the cool coastal air gives way to an oppressively hot and humid climate. The horses start to slow as the mud gets deeper and we have to circle around washouts and fallen trees. We need to stop every halfanhour or so to rest both ourselves and our horses.

We occasionally pass a farmer taking his produce to Saint Pierre. When we ask how much further it is to the Ladybird plantation, their answers aren’t very encouraging.

“I don’t think we can get to the plantation before dark,” says Samantha after we pass the latest traveller on the road in midafternoon. “If we come across a village, I suggest we stop for the night and resume our journey in the morning.”

We’ve seen the occasional farm and plantation, but nothing that could be called a village. George was a bit vague about the geography, and I suspect that he has never travelled this route. I can’t say that I blame him. The road is narrow and winding, and uphill for the most part. In places it would be a tight squeeze to pass with a wagon. The verdant forest on either side almost covers the road with overhanging branches. They at least branches provide shade from the sun, but they trap the heat like a blanket. Fortunately for us we come across a group of half a dozen buildings midafternoon that could generously be called a village. The massive volcano that sits to the north of Saint Pierre is still to our left as we travel. However, we have now climbed high enough to reach a plateau between the volcano and the mountains to the south. Ahead of us the land descends towards the northeast coast of the island. Darkness is four or five hours away. Normally that should be sufficient time for us to complete our journey. However, the villagers warn us that the road ahead is barely passable and they advise against trying to reach the Ladybird plantation today.