by Mary Mageau
We could return home together as man and wife, as the Count and Countess of Charnade, even though we will be known as Monsieur and Madame Charnade. Malande will join us of course. Think on this before you speak.’
Laneve thought quietly for a moment then simply said, ‘Oh yes, Dunod. I have deep and loving feelings for you as well. We have grown so close together during our time here in Berlin. Nothing would make me happier than to spend the rest of my life with you.’
And so they were married in a simple service at the end of that month. Laneve wore a flowing ankle length crème silk dress with matching high heel shoes and a wide brimmed hat. She had always been a lover of hats, and her milliner had sewn tiny silk roses to the hat band.
Dunod was dressed in a new brocade waistcoat, with a splendid lace jabot at this throat, black satin breeches and his wavy hair tied back and fastened with a black ribbon. They were the very picture of a modern young couple.
Laneve sipped her tea as her thoughts returned to the present and her new home in Paris. I did love Rene. He was a kind and thoughtful husband but it was Mama and Papa who chose him for me. Now I have chosen the man I love myself, as so many other French women are also doing. This has been a gift to us from the revolution.
Dunod found a large, elegant home for them all in the city of Paris, close to the Conservatoire. Here Laneve could practice and prepare for her students. One evening after their dinner, she surprised them with a new piece of music, a Rondeau. When she had finished playing it everyone was enthusiastic with their praise. ‘Who wrote this music? You never mentioned the composer’s name.’
‘It is my own composition, one I completed several years ago.’
‘Why Laneve, it is superb. You have a gift for this and should keep on composing,’ Dunod suggested.
‘I find it so easy to create the music at the keyboard, then I move over to my desk, which I’ve now placed next to the fortepiano. Here I begin to write down my ideas on music paper.
I never told you that after my first meeting with the faculty of the Conservatoire, when I accepted their teaching offer, I played my Rondeau. And just imagine - Bernard Sarrette made the services of a music copyist available to me whenever I needed this assistance. All he requested is that a second copy of my music be placed in the library.’
At last October arrived, and the new Conservatoire opened its doors. At the official ceremony Laneve was introduced as the Professeur de Premiere Classe, the highest ranking and best paid at 2500 livres per year. Her teaching career was off to a flying start.
XII.
In May of the following year Laneve also discovered another interest that would occupy her time and thoughts. This exciting news was presented to Dunod one evening after dinner.
‘Now it’s my turn, Dunod, to share a surprise with you. I am expecting our first child. If all goes well our baby will be born in early November, just as the academic year is finishing. As I am in my 33rd year and I can still work, but I must rest too, as often as I can. My doctor doesn’t foresee any difficulties and if all goes well we will be a Mama and Papa this year.’
Dunod was ecstatic. ‘You are wonderful. I had always hoped we might have children and now this beautiful gift has been given to us. You have made me a happy man, Laneve.’
The year passed quickly and in mid-November a healthy little daughter arrived to grace the Charnade household with her presence.
Laneve continued her teaching career completing the academic year of 1797, but offered her resignation to the Conservatoire in January, 1798. Her second child would be arriving that year and the concerns of a young family occupied her full attention.
‘You have repaid your pardon now, Laneve. Our family life is of most importance yet this decision is yours alone.’
‘I enjoy teaching so much that I’d like to set up a private studio, here in our home. And you know how much Malande loves little children. She spends much of her time with our daughter and joyfully awaits the new baby. She will care for them both during the times I am teaching. Yes, once again dear Malande has stepped in to assist me.’
In the years that followed Laneve continued to give lessons in her home studio, dividing her time between her family, teaching and performing. She was always much sought-after due to her great talent and reputation. Bernard Sarrette continued to send Conservatoire students to her home for advanced study, while other young musicians joined her long waiting list.
But as the years slipped away Laneve developed an occasional cough. Dunod grew concerned. ‘I fear that you are finding the winter chills of Paris difficult. Perhaps we should live somewhere warmer. I’m not worried yet about your coughing as it seems to come and go. Have you seen a doctor?’
‘It doesn’t worry me either, but I will see one and perhaps he has medicine I could take for relief.’
By now both she and the Count had begun to show signs of ageing. They decided to escape from Paris altogether to live in Florence, Italy. Its warmth and sunshine appealed to them and put an end to Laneve’s coughing. Their lifestyle had become much simpler too as their later years passed.
Both of their children had grown up, married and were living successful lives of their own. Malande had also left them. In 1833 she experienced a sudden stroke and died peacefully in Laneve’s arms. Malande was deeply missed and was often spoken of as, ‘the light of our lives.’
In 1836 as Laneve and Dunod were strolling together along one of the Florentine hills, a sudden gust of wind caught them and swept her hat away. In vain Dunod tried to retrieve the hat but either the wind was too fast, or he had become too slow.
‘Oh Dunod, I’m so sorry I’ve lost my beautiful hat. You know how I loved it. It was one of my favourites.’
‘Come now, Laneve. Never forget that you may have lost your hat, but you have kept your head. Now which was better?’
Laughing together they slowly strolled home, remarking on the epic events of their long lives, of their love for each other and their present happiness.
Later that evening Laneve died peacefully in her sleep. A grieving Dunod buried his beloved wife in Florence and here she rests today.
Mary Mageau is an award-winning composer and writer. Born and educated in the United States, she has lived in Australia since 1974. Her writings in the Japanese verse forms of haiku, tanka and haibun are published in the United States by Red Moon Press and MET Press. Mary's poetry also appears in American, Canadian and Australian anthologies and literary journals. In 2010 Blemish Books, published twenty of her haibun poems in Triptych Poets, Volume I.
Mary loves to travel and to write historical fiction. Her two historical romances, The Trousseau and An Antique Brooch, explore the early South Pacific settlement of New Caledonia and Norfolk Island during the 1850s and 60s. A third novella, In the Eye of a Storm, is set in Paris during the time of the French Revolution. The three novellas are written for young adults and general readers alike.
