The Bride Price

“I’m the only one who knows you’re here, and I aim to keep it that way. Now, eat hearty, or you won’t make me any money.”

“Make you any money?”

Blake sneered. “I deliver you strong and spry, and I get fifty pounds. The other passengers will bring twenty each, no matter what condition they are in. But you are a special case. I got fifty pounds to make you disappear, and I get another fifty if I deliver you in a frisky state.”

“I’m to be set ashore in Cork.”

Blake laughed. There was no humor in his laugh. “I may give you a cork from my bottle when I set you ashore. But my fifty pounds says you will never set foot on Ireland again.”

Annie sank slowly onto the bed. Sold! It could only be her father’s cousin who had done this. Fear caused her breath to come in shallow bursts. Tears did not come until the lock secured the door.

The author has attempted to personalize the impacts of the indentured servitude system, focusing on individuals instead of masses. One girl sold to disgrace and degradation reveals more of the pain than would a general allusion to that facet of the record. One couple at the point of being separated speaks more emotionally than the dry historic account. One evil man in his actions is more despised than a vicious network. The vignettes recounted here have roots that sink deeply into historic fact, though the characters and events are fictional.