Forbidden Love, Forbidden Fruit

Richmond Hill, Georgia 1939

The moonlight illuminated through the thick strands of Spanish moss that hung down from the oak trees, casting shadows upon the driveway. Anna walked slowly, her mind wandering as she made her way towards the large, Greek-Revival style home that loomed in the distance like a stoic beast. The beautiful trees created a sort of tunnel all the way down to the main part of the front garden. Anna’s dark, loose curls blew around her face as the warm Georgia breeze swept through wrapping her with scents of magnolia, lilac, and tobacco. She breathed deeply, closing her eyes for just a moment. She was beautiful, breathtaking really. But she didn’t know it, which made her even more lovely.

She was nervous. She held a secret that would either be the start of a wonderful new life or ruin everything. She wasn’t sure which and the sick feeling deep within her stomach grew the closer she got to the house. She had worn her favorite dress and she looked lovely in the pale yellow, sleeveless dress whose A-line skirt hit just below her knees. Her heart quickened with every step. He saw her before she saw him and he rushed to greet her, wrapping her up in his strong arms and swinging her around, nuzzling his face into her neck and kissing her softly.

“Anna, my love, you look beautiful.” his deep, southern accent smooth as honey.

“Luke, not here.” she started, her eyes darting towards the windows of the house. “Can we go somewhere private to talk?” she kept her voice low, avoiding his gaze.

He looked at her and nodded, pulling her along the shadows towards the pond on the other side of the property out of view of the house. Anna had sent a message through another one of the Carlton's maids for Luke to meet her that night as it had not been her day to work. Their love had been strictly forbidden by Mrs. Carlton. She’d have fired Anna on the spot if she had discovered their love affair. No son of hers was going to marry a Baker’s girl. Anna Baker was just poor white trash according to Arlina Carlton and she’d have none of it. Anna needed that job to care for her mama and two sisters. If she were fired she didn’t know what they would do. When they got to the large, serene pond surrounded by cattails and willow trees, they sat in the gazebo that overlooked the marshy banks. Her hands shook as she stared off into the distance.

“Luke….” she began, tears filling her eyes, “ I….umm…”

“Anna….what the hell? What’s going on? You’re scaring me.” Luke demanded, grabbing Anna’s hands in his.

“I’m pregnant.” the words spilled out of her mouth like vomit and once they were out she cringed as though they had left a bad taste in their wake.

Silence. They both sat as though suspended in time, neither saying a word or even daring to breath. The crickets and frogs sounded deafening in the silence between them. Tears streamed down Anna’s face and her heart felt as though it had been ripped from her chest and shredded into tiny pieces. His silence spoke volumes to her.

“Anna….” Luke finally said, his words no louder than a whisper. With this Anna broke into uncontrollable sobs and Luke pulled her into his warm embrace, wrapping his arms around her and resting his check on top of her head. “Shhh. Anna, it’s going to be okay. We will get married and everything will be okay.”

Anna scoffed. “Luke, now you know your mama will never allow that. And what about my mama? And Hilly and Daisy?” Her tears dropped in puddles on her skirt.

“We will run away if we have to. I don’t give a damn what my mama thinks. I love you, Anna. I’m gonna do right by you. I promise. Just give me a little bit of time to figure things out and then we will get married. In secret. Once we are married there’s nothing mama can do about it.” Luke stroked Anna’s face, wiping the tears from her cheeks. She gazed at him, her blue eyes red-rimmed and glistening in the moonlight.

“You mean it?” she asked.

“I promise.”

Over the next couple of weeks Luke worked hard to make arrangements and to set aside money so that they could marry. Luke’s family owned the local bank and Luke was training to take over the family business but Anna worried that he was risking losing it all by marrying her. She would never forgive herself if that happened. But Luke was determined and when he looked at her, stealing glances in the hallways she could see the love in his eyes, she could feel it. She couldn’t believe he would be all hers. His dark hair complimented his suntanned skin and made his piercing green eyes stand out even more. When he smiled at her, his dimples made her melt. She had to work hard to hide her excitement and to hide the morning sickness, but she tried knowing that soon she would be his wife.

The day of the wedding was finally upon them and Luke had borrowed his father’s car for the day using the excuse of needing to go to Savannah for supplies for the bank. He was nervous and anxious and so excited. He loved Anna more than anything and he didn’t care that she was a maid or that she was poor. She was the first girl he had ever met that saw him for him and not his looks or his money. She saw him. He pulled up to the tiny, run-down Cape Cod and jumped out of the car, a huge smile on his face. He knocked, waiting anxiously at the door.

“Hello Hilly, is Anna ready?” he asked when Hilly answered.

“Anna’s not here. She left last night and didn’t come home. Thought she was with you.” Hilly said.

Luke’s heart dropped. Had Anna had left him? He couldn’t breathe. It sounded like his heart was pounding in his ears and he swayed a little in the doorway. Hilly grabbed his arms, pulled him inside and pushed him into a chair, rushing to grab him a glass of water. After talking with Anna’s mother it seemed true: Anna had left. She’d a small bag with her when she left late last night and her family assumed she was going to be with him. But Luke had not seen her and had made no such arrangements with her. So he knew she had left him. She had gotten cold feet and she had run away. He was heartbroken. He left and went home, pulling the car in front of the house. He had stopped and grabbed a bottle of whiskey on his way and took a long swig of it before climbing out the car.

How could this happen? Why would she do this to him? He leaned against the car, the sun blinding him for a moment as he took another swig of the dark liquid, relishing its burn in his throat. He stood there a moment watching the gardeners off in the distance planting fruit trees. He was drunk and his mama would be mad, but he didn’t give a damn. His world had ended. His love had left him and he blamed her. Anna was terrified of his mama. Anna would have never left had it not been for her fear of his mother. He knew it. He stormed through the front doors and into the foyer, stumbling a little as he did. His mother was standing in the entryway to the dining room rambling off complaints to one of the maids as he made his entrance.

“My heavens! Are you drunk?” Arlina Carlton asked, her perfect face twisted in disgust. “It’s barely noon.”

“Yes, mama. I am. I am drunk.” he said, daring to take another drink while she glared at him in anger. He had never dared to disrespect his mother, but now he didn’t care.

“Lucas Carlton, you don’t have the good sense God gave a goose. I don’t know who you think you are speakin’ to, but I’ll not have it in my house.” she said to him, her eyes cold and her face firm.

Lucas cast his eyes down and walked away to his room. He didn’t want to see her. He didn’t want to see anyone. He drank himself to sleep that day and many days after that. His parents soon realized why their son was so depressed. It didn’t take much to put the pieces of the puzzle together. The pretty young maid disappears and their son suddenly wallows in despair. Arlina voiced her disgust and his father ignored the situation.

By the end of winter Luke had come to the conclusion that Anna was really gone and that she wasn’t coming back. He had to pull himself together. He began working full time at his father’s bank and had started laying the foundation for his own home on the far side of his family’s land. He had to move on with his life. Without her.

Come spring the work on his new house was nearly done. He'd have his beautiful cottage that overlooked the pond. Luke was more than ready to have his own place. He needed the peace and quiet to heal his broken heart. After a long day of working on it he packed up his tools and headed towards the main house. Along the way he ran into his mother admiring her fruit trees. She stood beside a young maid holding a basket as she picked fruit from each tree.

“Good evening, son.” Arlina said, plucking a pear from the beautiful tree before her.

“Mama.” he nodded.

“Would you care for one?” she asked, holding the pear out towards him.

“No thank you, ma’am.” he replied.

“Your loss.” she replied, taking a big bite of the plump green pear in her hands, the juice dripping from her chin as she did. “Mmmmm.” she smiled as she chewed.

Suddenly Arlina made a gurgling sound and grabbed her throat, her face twisted in agony. Luke wasn’t sure what was happening. He rushed to her and began pounding on her back, thinking that perhaps she was choking on the piece of pear, but to no avail. She clutched her throat, her eyes wide in fear.

“Mama! Mama!” Luke yelled, clutching her and sinking down to the ground with her in his arms. He reached inside her mouth, trying to find whatever it was that she was choking on. At the same time Arlina vomited blood and white foam all over Luke and her eyes rolled into the back of her head as life faded from her body and she became still. “No, Mama! No!” Luke cried. But it was too late. Arlina Carlton was dead.

The coroner determined that Arlina Carlton had died from a lethal dose of arsenic. But it didn’t make any sense to Luke. He was there and the only thing that his mother had eaten was a piece of that pear. The maid confirmed this. A thorough investigation took place and after excavating the pear tree a horrifying discovery was made. Buried underneath the pear tree was the body of Anna Baker and her unborn child. She hadn’t run away. She had been murdered; poisoned with a massively lethal dose of arsenic, and then a pear tree had been planted on top to cover it up. The coroner speculated that when the tree grew, its roots had used poor Anna’s body as food and the arsenic traveled up into the tree and into its very fruit. The same fruit Arlina had eaten.

Arlina Carlton had discovered that her son had gotten Anna pregnant and had tricked her into coming to the stable the night before they were to wed and there she had poisoned Anna. Then she had her longtime gardener bury the body and plant the pear tree in its place. She wasn’t going to allow her son to marry trash and she couldn’t allow the Carlton bloodline to be tarnished by that girl and her bastard child. So she took care of it. Arlina Carlton was truly an evil woman. But Anna Baker got her revenge; all with the forbidden fruit from a pear tree.