“Come here Rene. Let me look at you,” ordered his mother. “My how you’ve grown!” and she patted his face. There was no doubt in the woman’s mind that he had changed. Rene’s figure had hardened and his face looked more mature. The dimples were still in his cheeks and the lock of hair still fell carelessly onto his forehead, but clearly, he was older. Her son had left Kaskaskia a boy and returned a man.
"Where is your father?" she asked suddenly.
"He will be late tonight. He said that I must eat and return to the docks immediately."
"Very well," she replied and started to dish up gumbo.
Rene sat down at the table and watched with an air of amusement as his sisters and brothers swarmed Lauren. The girls fussed with her hair, and the boys were wrestling and tumbling at her feet.
"Rene, there will be hot baths waiting for you and your father tonight when you return," said Mrs. Lupone. Turning to Lauren, she said, “I will find some clothes for you after you bathe. You cannot wear that torn gown and Rene’s weathered capot.”
Anne sliced a loaf of black bread, placed a bowl of butter on the table and sat down. “Come now everyone and sit down. We will say, Grace.”
Lauren smiled. She liked it here. At least for now, she had found her home.
Chapter 7
December brought not only the season of Advent, but also another birthday for Lauren. With all of the changes in her surroundings, she barely noticed that she was growing into a woman. At sixteen, most of the girls in Kaskaskia were married and taking on the responsibilities of motherhood, but to Lauren, marriage meant being buried alive. She was giddy with her new found freedom, and she awoke each day ready to embrace her life with open arms.
Throughout the month of December, she stayed with the Lupones and worked with them. Gabriel and Anne had little time to discuss a situation for Lauren, so they made no decisions. In fact, they were relieved to have the girl help them with household duties and childcare. The chores of the farm were left mainly to Anne and Rene because Gabriel and his slave were moving supplies from the bateaux to the storehouse at the fort.
Lauren was in charge of household duties with Didier, their black house slave. Anne was pleased to see how quickly the girl picked up the routines of the home, and the children were overjoyed with their new nanny. Rene enjoyed this new arrangement as well, and made frequent visits to the house telling his mother that he had better check on things.
Included in all of these new experiences for Lauren, was snow. One afternoon, shortly after she arrived, Rene burst into the kitchen exclaiming, "Come to the window, Lauren, and look! It's snowing!"
Never in all her life had she seen anything like it. Of course, there had been the occasional flake that fell on New Orleans in January but nothing like this. The sky was positively alive with motion. Big, wet flakes drifted to the ground and instead of melting instantly they blanketed everything; the grass, the house, the fence, the entire town.
"You must come out now!" demanded Rene, grabbing her arms. She followed him outside, stopping on the front step to catch the cool gems. It was like nothing she had ever experienced, and suddenly a feeling of loneliness washed over her. Simone should be here. Simone should be by her side catching snowflakes with her, not strangers.
"What's wrong? You don't like it? You look sad."
Blinking back tears, Lauren smiled and said, "You imagine things. I love it!" and she stepped down the stairs.
Swept up in the excitement, the children ran past her into the yard and gathered the snow into clumps for a snowball fight. Several of them tried to stuff snow down Rene's shirt, and he hurtled them down into the snow where they landed, screaming and giggling.
Lauren could not help but be cheered by this merriment and began to laugh. She pushed snow down his shirt too, but when he attempted to do the same she screamed, "Improper! Very improper!" and ran to the back of the house. Rene ran in the opposite direction, catching her in his arms as she came around the corner.
Suddenly in an embrace, their laughter stopped, and the smiles dropped from their faces. Rene placed his hand at the back of Lauren's neck and pulled her into a kiss.
"I've been meaning to do that for a long time," he murmured.
Lauren blinked, and then ran up the steps to the porch.
"Lauren, wait!"
Bounding up the stairs, Rene grabbed her shoulders and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I thought--" he stammered, "I thought you might like it."
Lauren knitted her brows and said, "I do like it. You may do it as often as you please," and went into the house.
* * *
The anticipation for Christmas was building, and every resident of Kaskaskia made preparations. This meant days of cooking, baking and cleaning. They had to butcher chickens, turkeys and geese, make stews and doughnuts which were sugared and hung in pillowcases. They froze these special pastries until Christmas Eve when they were thawed and consumed at the Reveillion, a holiday feast after Midnight Mass.
Most of the work this time of year fell to the women of the house, Mrs. Lupone, Lauren and Didier. They worked together from sunup until sundown rolling out pie crusts, cleaning poultry, and scrubbing copper pots until they glistened. Anne and Lauren became increasingly close. Lauren had never known her mother, and in Anne she found a tender nurturing parent with a sympathetic ear. Anne listened for hours as the girl shared her hopes and dreams. Never once did the woman criticize or belittle her. Never did she attempt to give her advice or lecture. She simply allowed Lauren to experience, for the first time in her life, the unconditional love of a parent.
For Anne, the experience was similar. Agnes, her first-born girl, would have been Lauren's age had she lived, but a fever had taken her life ten years earlier. The company of Lauren filled a void in Madame Lupone that had been nagging her for many years. Gabriel observed their deepening affection for one another and grew fond of Lauren himself. He so loved Anne that if someone made her happy, then he was happy too.
"What do you find to talk about all day?" he would ask his wife.
The reply would always be, "Nothing you would be interested in."
Christmas came at last, and everyone in Kaskaskia prepared themselves for Midnight Mass at The Church of the Immaculate Conception. It was a cold night, and the townspeople trudged silently through the snow carrying lanterns and torches, speaking in hushed tones out of respect for the birth of the Savior.
Rene slid his arm through Lauren's as they walked through the dark, snowy streets. "It is very pretty here with just the lanterns and the candles in the windows, isn’t it?"
"This place is like nothing I've ever dreamed of," said Lauren. "Your lives are so different here yet I feel--" and she hesitated, "I feel at home."
All through Mass, the two young people sat side by side, their arms touching. The town busy bodies craned their necks looking at Lauren, narrowing their eyes disapprovingly at the masses of curly auburn hair that she tied up into a knot. They gossiped about that widow from New Orleans, speculating about her relationship with Rene Lupone. Lauren observed their intrusive eyes and smiled to herself; she was used to the nuns. These old ladies did not scare her.
After Mass, everyone returned home for the Reveillion. Everything culminated in this one night, and when Gabriel threw the Yule Log onto the fire, the family cheered, knowing that this gesture signaled the beginning of the celebration. Didier set the table and put the finishing touches on the meal during Mass. Moments after they arrived home, they were feasting on meat pies, turkey, oyster soup and maple syrup tarts.
"Father, when are you going to fiddle?" asked little Pierre, the seven year old.
"When I am as full and fat as an old bear," Gabriel said, taking another piece of tourtiere. After chewing a while, he said with a twinkle in his eye, "I will play, but there will be absolutely no dancing!"
"Oh!" was the disappointed reply, but when he began to laugh, all the children raced over and jumped into his lap, pretending to h
it him.
"Now Anne, my fiddle!" he commanded swatting her backside as she left the table.
In the bedroom, Anne knelt down and opened an old cherry hope chest. She folded back several blankets and there on top of her wedding dress lay Gabriel's fiddle. Carefully she lifted it out and closed the lid. Sitting back on her heels, she reminisced for a moment. How handsome Gabriel had been the first night she had seen him. He was playing his fiddle at a sugaring off party in Cahokia, and she knew from the moment she set eyes on him that he was the man for her. His hair was wavy and dark, his eyes a bright blue and his dress meticulous. In spite of the mistakes he made playing fiddle, there was an air of confidence and good humor about him. Gabriel had changed little over the years. There were streaks of gray in his hair and fine lines in his face, but he was still a handsome man, and she knew the women in town envied her. In spite of all the hard times Anne still loved Gabriel dearly, and not a day went by that she did not thank God for him.
"Anne! What are you doing! These children are pawing me to death!"
Anne stood up and went back to the kitchen, handing Gabriel the instrument.
"Father, let me play first," pleaded Rene as he reached for the fiddle, "We want to see you and Mother dance."
"Oh no," said Anne giggling. She tucked some hair back into her cap self-consciously.
"Why not?" teased Gabriel, "Are you afraid that I may dance better than you?"
"What!" she cried and held out her hands. “We'll see who the better dancer is!”
With that Rene put the fiddle to his chin and began to play. Lauren put the baby on her lap, and the children clapped as the two whirled round and round the room.
Lauren marveled at how young the couple looked tonight. For the first time since she had arrived, she could see the beauty in Anne’s face, and the handsome figure Gabriel cut. They were the first married couple she had ever known, and she realized that some weddings were indeed about love. The dining and dancing went on until dawn when everyone dropped into bed exhausted but satisfied from a night of merriment.
The New Year brought more celebration, but this time the residents of Kaskaskia opened their doors to their friends, relatives, and neighbors. After the New Year Mass, the Lupones stopped at the home of Gabriel's brother, Francois and his wife Justine, who was an Illinois Indian. After some refreshments, they moved on to the next house where Anne's cousin lived, and then they visited Gabriel's uncle. The family returned home welcoming several more family members and friends in the afternoon.
"Tonight is the best part of all," Rene said, "It is the New Year gala at Monsieur Bernard's home. He is very rich and has a large home with plenty of room to dance."
Lauren sighed and sat back into her chair. Her first dance and she had nothing but old clothes to wear. As if reading her mind, Anne stepped over to her and murmured, "Don't worry. We will find something nice for you to wear."
Late in the afternoon as the sun began to drop in the sky, Anne called Lauren into the bedroom. She held up a blue taffeta gown with a cream-colored stomacher. "I was thinking this would be lovely on you. The color will go so well with your hair. Don't you agree?"
Lauren gasped, "It's beautiful! I have never worn any garment that elegant. The nuns only let us wear 'sensible' clothes."
Anne smiled, "Well you are ready for this now. After a few alterations, I'm sure it will suit you just fine."
“But is it your dress? I can’t allow you to alter—”
“Nonsense, now come here,” she said threading a needle.
With skilled hands, Anne quickly made the dress suitable for Lauren's figure and helped her tie a cream-colored ribbon in her hair.
"Come here to the mirror," Anne said smiling.
The mirror was not large enough for Lauren to view the entire ensemble, but there was enough visible in the cracked reflection for her to smile with delight. "Oh! I am so excited! Is it time to go yet?"
"As soon as I am ready. Now out!" Anne demanded, pushing Lauren out the door.
"Well! Well! Look at you," said Gabriel standing up as Lauren entered the room, "You are certainly more attractive than the first day I saw you, all bruised and battered at the plantation house."
He sat down by the fire to smoke his pipe, and after taking a puff he barked at Rene, "Close your mouth, boy, and find the lady a chair!"
Rene jumped up, pulled a chair from the corner and placed it by the fire, blushing.
It took a long time to get the family of six ready, but Anne and Lauren managed to wash and dress every child and put refreshments in a basket for the celebration. Then as a group, they walked to the outskirts of town to the Bernard home.
The New Year celebration was well underway by the time the Lupones arrived. Fiddlers were playing a merry tune while couples whirled about the dance floor. Several women set up long tables against the walls filled with round cheeses, tourtieres, cakes, and hard cider. There was an air of excitement here, and Lauren was eager to join in. She assumed that Rene would take her immediately to the dance floor, but when she turned around, he was gone. She searched the crowd for his face but did not see him. Everyone was chattering and laughing and before she knew it, the rest of the Lupones had vanished into the crowd leaving her alone by the huge fireplace to watch the festivities. Young and old attended the dance and Lauren noticed that several of the men had Indian wives or sweethearts. There were few French girls her age, and most of them were standing by the food tables holding babies and small children.
The fiddlers struck up a particularly lively tune and Lauren started to tap her foot. It did not concern her that she had never danced with a boy before. Simone had taught her several steps, and this gave her all the confidence she needed.
Suddenly, a young man dressed in a somewhat worn linen shirt and knee britches approached her. He seemed nervous and stammered something about wanting to dance. She took his hand and followed him onto the dance floor. As she passed through the crowd, she noticed people looking at her and the men, in particular, watched her with a look of admiration in their eyes. For the first time in her life, Lauren was aware of her appeal. She tossed her head and turned to face her partner. He took a breath and swallowed hard before taking her hands. Off they sailed into the dance and Lauren felt as light as air. She glossed over her mistakes with a smile and before the dance was over, the young man was convinced Lauren was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
She did not reserve all her dances for this boy though there were others who came in succession one after another. After seven dances, Lauren was finally exhausted and stumbled over to the long oak table that held the food and drink. Leaning against the table, she longed to loosen her stays.
Suddenly, there were screams of surprise and laughter as masqueraders wearing animal skins burst into the room. They were dressed up as monkeys, buffalo, and huge bears roaring and growling loudly, holding out sacks, which the master of the house filled with food. She overheard someone say these masqueraders were a Kaskaskian tradition. They begged from door to door every New Year's Day collecting food in this reveler's fashion for the upcoming Twelfth Night Ball. She heard a growl and two black paws grabbed her waist. She jumped, trying to release herself from the iron grasp of the masquerader. He pulled her out the nearest door and into a courtyard.
"What are you doing? Let go of me!" she screamed. Reaching up, she pulled off the mask and found Rene doubled over with laughter.
"You were terrified!" he guffawed, "You didn't know it was me!"
"I did too know it was you!" she cried, trying to cover her embarrassment, "What do you think you're doing dragging me away from the party like a sack of potatoes!"
"I brought you out here because I wanted to be alone with you.”
"Well I don't want to be alone with you! I'm going back to dance."
Rene caught her hand and pulled her into an embrace. "You told me once that I may kiss you whenever I want. Is that still true?"
"No," Lauren snapped, "Not an
ymore!"
Suddenly, she started to giggle, pushing him away. "Stop it. It's cold out here. I want to go in.”
"I'll keep you warm," Rene said as he wrapped her in warm fur and began to kiss her.
Suddenly, Lauren lost her inhibitions. The heat of the young man's kisses intensified, and she invited them freely. He ran his hands over her body, and she was helpless to stop him.
The next moment, Rene was torn from her embrace, and an angry voice roared, "That will be enough!"
Lauren stood petrified as Gabriel dragged Rene out of the courtyard and into the street. He looked back and demanded at the top of his lungs, "You, my girl, are coming too, now!"
Terrified, Lauren followed. When they returned home, Gabriel sent her up to the loft to bed while he chastised Rene downstairs in the kitchen. She tossed and turned all night, thoroughly ashamed of herself.
When she finally climbed down the ladder in the morning, she found a very serious Gabriel sitting at the kitchen table and Anne standing by the hearth with a tear-streaked face. Rene was nowhere to be found.
"Good morning, Lauren. Now please sit down," said Gabriel, gesturing to a chair at the table.
Without a word, Lauren slid into the chair, looking down at her lap. Gabriel stood up with his hands behind his back and began to pace. "My girl, you have gathered the affection of everyone in this family, and for this I am truly grateful. However, my son has taken it beyond friendship which is a very dangerous avenue for you both. Being your guardian, I must consider your reputation and your prospects for marriage, so it is with great difficulty that I say," Anne turned away and faced the fireplace, "You must go and live elsewhere."
Lauren blinked, and her jaw dropped.
Gabriel continued, "The owner of the Kaskaskia lead mine, a gentlemen by the name of, Jean-Baptist Aberjon, is in need of a companion for his wife. She is an invalid and in need of constant care. I have arranged for you to be employed by him. You will reside at his home. You must leave this afternoon."
The Pride of the King Page 4
