by K C Norrie
By the end of three years, nothing had happened. Silas felt the pressure as his mother questioned him. Riene wasn't sure what to do.
Madame Montrell decided it was the red tea that had been preventing the pregnancy and banned it from the Chateau.
It took no time at all for the dark and stormy nights to return. If Riene suggested questions or even opinions to make during the dinner parties, Silas accused her of thinking him stupid, so she made no more suggestions, she endured the dinners with her head bent over her plate, making not a sound, listening to every word spoken.
All the while Madame Cari watched for signs of a forthcoming grandchild. It had been nearly a year since they quit drinking the tea, and still no sign. Silas began to accuse Riene of infidelity, of looking for other men, of laughing at him behind his back. She did none of these things. It was always Madeleine who took care of her bruises and kept the silent secret, though their noisy battles must have been heard throughout the Chateau. Silas's parents never interfered.
It was a warm summer evening and Riene was outside walking in the gardens. She loved it out here—she loved the smells, and the beauty and the noisy quietness of nature. A gardener passed by and she smiled as he nodded to her in passing. Riene glanced up to their balcony window to find Silas watching her with that dark look on his face that she knew so well. That foul mood that never seemed to leave entirely, since the banning of the tea. He must have seen her smile at the gardener, and he would be enraged.
Riene knew she should go up and face Silas immediately. He could be reasoned with if the mood was caught early enough, but she put it off for just a little longer; for a little more time to spend with the peacefulness of the garden.
The sun began to set behind the mountain. It was to be a full moon tonight and there was not a cloud in the sky. Riene found a path and began to climb. She wanted to see the full moon rise over the mountain meadow. Silas was angry anyhow; she may as well give him good reason.
Riene made the climb slowly. By the time she reached the meadow it was dark. The moon had not yet risen, and so she found a place to sit. From here she was able to view the Chateau and the town of Saint Ange. The sight took her breath away. The Chateau and every home in Saint Ange were illuminated with lantern light. She sat down on the soft meadow grass as the moon began to appear in the horizon. As she sat, she began to see tiny white flowers, no bigger than her thumbnail appear all over the meadow and glow in the darkness as bright as the moon above.
****
"Riene!"
Riene startled as the male voice destroyed the night's silence from behind her. It was not Silas, but Gabel who addressed her from the darkness.
"What are you doing up here? Are you alone?" Gabel looked around, maybe expecting to see Silas or a servant hovering nearby.
"I am alone," she answered and for some reason, the answer made her sad. She thought of Silas growing angry back at the Chateau wondering what had happened to her. Would he worry for her safety? Perhaps he assumed she had run away with the gardener. Perhaps he imagined striking her until she begged for mercy. She dreaded going back.
Perhaps Gabel would not notice her fear and sadness—perhaps he could not see colors in the dark. She would have to ask him, but not now. Right now, she wanted to believe he did not know how she felt.
"Isn't it beautiful up here?" she said to Gabel into the darkness. There were more stars in the sky overhead than could be imagined and a big bright moon overlooking them all.
"It is absolutely beautiful up here," answered Gabel. He was very close to her now, sitting down beside her and looking into her eyes. She kept her focus on the stars. She did not want him to see.
"What are you doing up here? Are you alone?" she asked throwing his words right back at him.
"I am alone," he answered. "I am gathering the moon flowers from the vine that makes the red tea."
Riene listened as Gabel explained how the nectar from the flowers made the healing elixir he sold in the shop. It was a medicine that cured many illnesses. He had already given her a bottle, and Riene had even given a dose to Madeleine which had quickly cured her maid of that terrible cough.
Gabel pointed up into the sky.
"If you watch that area right there without blinking too much, you may see a shooting star."
Riene watched intently and smiled in delight when she saw one. Then she saw another, and another.
She made a different wish on each one, until she finally ran out of wishes. Then she turned to Gabel and wondered whether he had also wished and what he would have wished for.
The kiss came naturally; a kiss of warmth and of quiet strength. Riene felt a bit of a sting on her ankle again. "Those flowers must have thorns," she thought, and she moved even closer to the comfort of Gabel.
It was near morning when Riene returned to the Chateau.
She slipped silently through the servant's door. It was so early; they were still asleep. Riene crawled into bed with Madeleine, who would ask her no questions.
Riene was pregnant. She knew it. She had felt a subtle difference of herself since making love with Gabel in the night. He didn't apologize afterward, which made her glad. She could not abide him thinking of her as a mistake. Instead he said something beautiful about fate and destiny. Then held her close and told her he would be there for her whenever she wanted. "I am yours," he told her.
****
Riene made plans as she lay on Madeleine's bed that morning. Something about her had changed during the night, and she was no longer willing to just let things happen to her. She had no intention of letting Silas touch her. She heard enough ladies talk at those dinners to know it was acceptable to keep separate quarters during pregnancies. Some women did not go back to their husbands for an entire year. From listening to the women talk, she knew just how to act and how appear delicate. She planned to have Silas visit her in the afternoons only. She was positive that now her mother-in-law would protect her from her son's rages. She would want nothing to happen to the grandchild growing in her womb.
That morning Riene appeared at the breakfast table, freshly groomed perhaps displaying a little weariness around the eyes. She was famished, but only nibbled at her food as her mother-in-law watched her intently. Silas joined breakfast late; bleary eyed and quiet. She would not let him catch her eye. Riene asked to be excused before breakfast was over and retreated with Madeleine up to the women's rooms.
She looked forward to the year ahead of her, and when the year was up, she would demand to have the red tea brought back to the Chateau.
****
Bereitha loved living amid village life. She knew her neighbors and their lives, greeting them with a smiles and waves throughout the day. She had an agreement with Gabel, that he would not disclose any knowledge he gained from their private auras. She did not wish to know the future. She liked to think they had control of their own lives, through choices and mistakes and wisdom gained. She felt her son more cursed than gifted with his sight into the future. She wanted to see him married with children, raising his own family. He told her it was not to be.
"But you can't be so certain. Life changes from day to day." He refused to comment, and she refused to believe. If we have no hope, we have nothing, she thought.
When Riene and Silas stopped at the Red Cafe announcing her pregnancy, Bereitha was elated. She thought of Riene as a daughter. When she saw the look on Gabel's face, it didn't take a fortune teller to know that something had happened between him and Riene and that Riene carried her grandchild. They must be careful. Silas must never learn. His temper was too volatile, a man of damaged spirit.
I must act like I don't know. Such a sad situation. Her son an unacknowledged father; his family living beneath a different roof. It made her sad, but her foolish heart knew no better and soared high amid the sorrow.
Chapter 20
Riene brought little Max to the Red Cafe often. Sometimes alone. Often with Silas. Bereitha daunted on him; adored him. His other gr
andmother. His real grandmother. Riene held no regrets. Max brought nothing but happiness to the lives he touched. Most children had two sets of grandparents. Had she not adopted this family as her own?
Gabel must have known the truth. He showered Max with affection and troves of stories and facts about nature, the weather and the sky.
The child looked like neither Gabel, nor Silas, but had taken all his looks from Riene. Her green eyes, her strawberry blond hair, her chin and her nose.
****
Silas's parents kept their distance from the village affairs. Riene felt the Montrells should take part. As a village girl she knew the impression the people had of the Montrells and felt they could make a difference.
"There are people in our village who have no home," she explained to Madame Cari one afternoon. "If not for the churches they would go hungry too. Some are just children."
"It is not our village. We don't own it. We have no responsibility for what happens there."
"But we could help. We have the means."
"I donate generously to the churches each year. Let them take care of the children. I don't want to be involved in their lives. Soon they'd be knocking on our doors asking for handouts."
Riene recruited Silas for her cause. She knew the villagers adored Silas. They attended their first village meeting along with Bereitha leaving Max with Gabel. They caused smiles and whispers among the people when they entered and sat down. It was an informal meeting open to anyone who wished to attend. Riene noted the red tea served alongside other beverages. Over the years it had become widely popular.
People took turns speaking out on a variety of topics from noisy neighbors to roads in need of repair. It seemed the previous meeting had reported several sightings of a creature described as a monster with fangs. It had been seen heading toward the mountains and a group of men had been sent to find it.
"We found no evidence of any such creature. Jacque spotted a white wolf, but the wolf doesn't match the description of what was seen." The man sat down, and the subject closed.
The problem of the homeless and the poor was discussed.
"Our soup and bread line at Saint Mary's have grown these last years. We are asking for more donations," said Father David. Father Pierre followed with a similar request for the breakfast lines.
To Riene's surprise Silas stood up to address the meeting.
"The Montrells will disperse whatever funds necessary to keep the food lines sustained, but can we do more? Especially for the children."
This opened a lively discussion with solutions that ranged from finding families to take them in, to creating special shelters, but nothing definite was decided.
Bereitha brought up the subject of the upcoming Market Festival which the entire village celebrated. There would be games and contests and fireworks to close the evening.
Silas said the family had an old carriage that could easily seat ten people.
"I will have it brought down for the village to decorate. On the day of the festival I will supply the horses and offer carriage rides until everyone gets a turn."
It sounded like great fun.
Afterward, they stopped for tea and cakes at the Red Cafe joining Gabel and Max. Riene was proud to belong to such a family.
****
The Montrell guest dinners continued.
Occasionally, during those dinners Riene would think of an idea for improvement for the family business, based on the discussions. Just last month she thought of an idea she was sure would bring the Montrell's more income. She discussed the idea with Silas.
"They won't listen. My father won't rest until he finds the folly in it."
They dined with Silas’s parents once or twice a week.
Riene invented a private game she called "Silas Says."
In the game of "Silas Says" she would first discuss her idea with Silas alone.
Then the next time just the four of them dined together, she would bring up her idea as Silas's. "Silas says," she would begin, and then she would explain her own idea as Silas's.
That first night, Silas reddened in fury, but Monsieur Montrell had been favorable and approving for once. Silas was pleased. It was the start to a new way of living.
****
Despite being parents Silas and Riene were still treated as children by the older Montrells.
When Max was three, Madame Montrell talked of taking away the red tea again.
"It's time we had a little brother or sister for Max," she told Silas and Riene one evening.
Riene chilled at the thought and came up with a plan.
She approached Silas with the idea of leaving the Chateau to live on their own in Paris. The idea was so enticing to him, he agreed at once.
"But wouldn't you hate to leave Saint Ange? What about your family?" he'd asked her.
Riene had no intention of leavening Saint Ange, but she didn't tell that to Silas.
The next time the four met for dinner, Riene started the conversation by stating that Silas had been thinking of building a new residence in Paris, close to the government and the heart of things.
"He thinks the Chateau is old and going to need repair soon. He thinks it would be better to move the family to a new modern residence with modern conveniences rather than continue on here."
The Montrells met the idea with silence. The subject was ignored and subtly changed. Riene stayed positive. Sometimes change was a seed planted that needed time to grow.
Two weeks later Madame and Monsieur Montrell took an excursion to Paris. They were gone an entire month leaving Silas in charge of things. It was an entire month of blissfulness.
Chapter 21
By the time Max was six years old, the elder Montrells spent most of their time in Paris; involving themselves in a variety of Paris causes. They were away when a deadly storm nearly destroyed Saint Ange.
Gabel knew something was about to happen. The world outside had taken on a hue he had never seen before. The air was hot and still, with no breeze to cool the sweat making people irritable and quick to temper.
It was market day. People came to Saint Ange from as far away as Paris, to sip the red tea, to hear their fortunes, to purchase bottles of Golden Glow, the amber-colored potion concocted from the glowing moon flowers.
By late afternoon the sky began to darken, and people headed for shelter. Gabel and Bereitha welcomed families and travelers seeking shelter from the darkening sky. They huddled together inside the safety of the building.
Gabel climbed to the rooftop with a handful of men. The streets were deserted and the air heavy with heat. There was unsettling quiet. High above, the sky churned with swollen clouds. A massive black cloud began to descend rumbling with sound. Gabel and the men raced to safety as the sky crashed into Saint Ange.
****
Riene watched the sky darken overhead from her family's quarters. The air inside the Chateau was stifling and humid. She wondered if it would be cooler down in the dungeons and wondered at ordering the staff to wait the storm out from down there. She had been down there only once, convincing Silas to come with her. It was damp and foul; they did not venture far due to the stench; but she remembered the temperature as being nearly cold. When she saw a beetle bigger than a mouse scuttle across their path of light, she grabbed Silas's arm and dragged him back up the steep stone stairway into the ordinariness of the main floor.
"What do we need a dungeon for? We are not kings and queens," Riene had asked Silas.
Silas smiled.
"The Chateau la Montagne was built by a count who owned all the land and therefore the people who lived on the land. Those people had to pay taxes to the count to live on his land—and if they didn't... " he let the sentence finish itself.
The dungeon haunted Riene. She wondered how many had been imprisoned. Did they feed them? Did they give them light? Did they ever let them go? How many had died down there? The thoughts troubled her.
If she ever got the opportunity, she would hire
workers to clean and rid the dungeon of the rats, beetles, large spiders and any other ghastly life that dwelt down there.
As she watched the clouds churn overhead, she felt the size of the Chateau insignificant compared to the strength in the overhead sky. Should that swirling, circling sky drop much lower, surely it would topple the stones and mortar of the Chateau. Would they be safer at the foot of the stairs in the dungeon? In her mind she pictured them trapped beneath the debris of the dungeon, waiting for someone to save them. Would anyone come looking? Of course, Gabel and Bereitha would rush to save them. Suddenly, a huge black cloud dropped from the sky into a funnel and landed into the center of Saint Ange.
Riene screamed as she watched structures torn apart and strewn away by the massive tornado that scourged the village.
****
When Gabel woke, he was no longer in the shelter of the Red Cafe. He was somewhere outside looking up at the sky. He closed his eyes fighting to make sense of what he was seeing. Then he remembered. The tornado. His mother. Where was she? He tried to rise but something held him in place. He felt a sharp stab of pain and lost consciousness again.
****
The Chateau was untouched. Silas and Riene gathered every servant to ride into town with them, leaving only Max and his nanny behind. They came with bandages, antiseptic, cots, blankets, food, water and other things that may be needed.
They stopped at the church and Riene was relieved to see the stained-glass window of St. Paul's Cathedral intact. Father Pierre met them and put everyone to work.
Riene and Silas headed to the Red Cafe. Her heart caught when she saw the building no longer stood. A crowd of people were working to free people trapped in the rubble of the destroyed building. To Riene's heartbreak one of the people pulled out and moved to the side was Bereitha. She lay still and lifeless. Riene broke down at once crying over the loss of the woman she thought of as a mother.
Silas had joined the group of debris movers. Who else was trapped in there? Gabel. Where was Gabel?
As if in answer Silas turned to her. "It's Gabel!" he shouted. "He's still alive!"
