Napoleon's Gift (17 page)

The expedition, led by Iberville, entered the mouth of the Mississippi River on the evening of
March 2, 1699,
Lundi
Grás.

However, they did not yet know it was the river explored and claimed for France by
René-Robert Cavelier,
Sieur de La Salle
in 1683.

The party proceeded upstream to a place on the west bank about 60 miles downriver, and made camp.
This was on March 3, 1699,
Mardi
Grás, so in honor of this holiday, Iberville named the spot
Point du Mardi Gras
, meaning;
“Mardi Gras Point”
, and called the nearby tributary Bayou Mardi Grás.

Bienville went on to find the settlement of Mobile, Alabama in 1702 as the first capital of French Louisiana. In
1703, French settlers in Mobile established the first organized Mardi Gras celebration tradition. Moreover, it has been that way ever since.

I smiled as the children passed, and one of them handed me a flower.

When I looked up, I gasped as I saw Mr. Charles. He stared at me for several moments, then moved towards the altar of the Blessed Mother.

T
hank the merciful lord, he had not recognized me!

At least he seemed as though he
had not.

I immediately got to my feet, and
Elliot looked up at me frowning.

“What is it?”
He asked as he surged to his feet as well, and I looked up at him wide-eyed.

“I
am not feeling well. Might we return?” I asked, he frowned as he continued to stare down on me, then nodded taking my hand.

As we left the festivities, he decided to take us down an alleyway, and I frowned.

“This ma lord is quite unsavory. Perhaps we should go back to the well-lit streets. I have a very peculiar feeling about this.” I suggested, and he laughed.

“I am quite able to defend the both of us if need
s be. I my love am a trained naval academy graduate from the Queen’s regiment.” He proclaimed laughing, and I gasped as I saw the four insalubrious looking characters suddenly emerge from behind the trash barrels.

“We
gone see bout dat.” The first one in the brown hissed, then charged us, brandishing a knife.

I choked off the scream as the other
one in the yellow topcoat seized me from behind, and I brought my foot down and slammed it into his toes.

He let me go with a howl.

As I seized a hand-full of hair on the one in the brown, he backhanded me, and sent me crashing into the trash barrels. The other two men had Elliot, but he was having a difficult time getting loose, when the man in the brown with the knife surged forward, and it caught Elliot in his side. I screamed, they looked my way, and I noticed the one in the yellow was Gonrey, Onrey’s brother. I gasped, called his name, and the men scattered.

I ran to
Elliot, placed his head in my lap, as I tried to stop the blood flow as best as I could.

“Help!” I screamed, but the commotion on the street was
exceedingly deafening.

If we
did not acquire assistance soon, he would die!

“Help!” I screamed again, and was surprised to see Ab
el run up the alleyway.

“My lord
chil, what’s come about?” He cried, then took my hands from Elliot’s side.

As I looked down on him, I could see
Elliot was in and out of consciousness now, and a sweat broke out on his brow.

“We
must to procure him home swiftly.” Abel said, I nodded brushing the tears from my face, then we both helped him to his feet as best we could.

“
Jacques!” Abel yelled, and Jacques appeared instantly.

“We got to get Mr. Waverly home, now.”
He said as they gathered him up, with me following in the rear.

I was in such a state of shock, that I
did not truly understand what Abel had just declared.

“The carriage is here Ginny.” Ab
el cried, and led us towards it.

As they placed
Elliot in it, I saw his eyes were closed, and his breathing shallow now.

“Don’t you dare
die!” I whispered harshly, as I caressed his cheek, my tears splashing onto his face.

“Mari
é?”He whispered, and I kissed his lips.

“Just
cleave to life sir, Ginny will take good care of you until we reach home.” Jacques yelled, I frowned, then looked down on Elliot.

Thank the merciful lord, his eyes were closed, and he
had not heard Jacques utter my true name. However, I did notice the slight frown.

What the devil would I tell Madame
Soleil?

That I had somehow gotten my client
accosted.

As we entered the
entry to home, I gasped, then looked down on him shocked!

Haven

Plantation…

When we arrived at Haven, Jacques immediately took the carriage to retrieve Doctor Augustine.

When he
disembarked, he frowned as he glanced from Benjamin, to the bloodstains on my dress, then to my face.

I sighed, but refused to give him an explanation.

He busied himself with saving Benjamin.

As I stood watching
the doctor work, my mind rattled on at a million miles.

My caller was Benjamin!

My brain shouted, however it just did not seem to sink in. The years had made him an excellent looking man, but just as I had sense, the eyes had remained the same.

I suddenly frowned, as I realized he was in love with the other me, not me Ginny!

What I felt at that moment, was unfathomable, unspeakable, chaotic, and maddening all at the same time!

True, he loved me, however not me.

When
Doctor Augustine finished, he frowned as he looked at me again, as if he were waiting for that explanation, but I declined to give it to him.

“He is to remain in bed, until I say. Fortunately, for him, his reflexes are well, and he was able to dodge the full brunt of the knife, or this conversation would be on a completely different matter.” He stated, and I nodded. “Have Ab
el remain here with him for now. You and I need to speak privately.” He said, and I nodded as I left the room to get Abel.

Once Ab
el was securely seated at Benjamin’s bedside, the doctor motioned me from the room.

“Yes?” I asked, and he sighed.

“Tis Marié chil, where have you been these last two weeks? I have had no confidence in reaching you?” He asked, and I frowned.

“I know, and I am quite ashamed. I will have the next payment in the morning.” I said, and he waved it off frowning.

“Chil, there is no need for further payment. It is my unfortunate tiding to tell, but Marié will not last the week.” He said, my knees buckled, he caught me, then helped me to sit on the settee in the hallway.

“What?” I whispered looking up at him.

“Yes, tis why Millie has been with her both night and day now.”

“I just can’t beli…” I started, then looked up at him again.

“Tis what I’ve been trying to tell you for the last week, however, I cannot ever arrive here in time to see you.”

“But, I
am not prepared to loose Granny.” I wailed, and he sighed as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Then you had best make ready
file
. I say spend every waking hour with her, least she slips away in her sleep.” He comforted, then walked from the hallway.

I went into Benjamin’s bedchamber, and Ab
el looked up.

“Might I ask how you two
came to be together?” He asked frowning, and I sighed blinking back the tears.

“Tis a complete fluke.
I had no notions of who he was Abel.” I wailed, and he nodded.

“I’ll be but a moment.” He said, I nodded
again, then he left the room.

As I sat watching
Benjamin, the sobs came, and I could not stifle them.

“
Geneviève?” He whispered, I gasped, then realized he was not conscious.

Who on earth would want to kill him?

Those men meant to harm us, that was for sure, but why is the question. In addition, Gonrey, why would he ever cotton to doing something as foul as this? It just was not like him.

I would have to seek out Onrey as soon as I was sure Benjamin was all right, and Granny tended to.

I took the cool cloth, brought it across his brow, and this time he whispered Mari
é.

I smiled despite the situation.

After an hour, I turned him over to Abel’s capable hands, so that I could go and be with my Granny.

***

When I came into the house, Ms. Millie rushed to me and embraced me.

“Tis a good thing
chér
Mr. Waverly was there!” She cried, and I nodded.

“And
Granny?”

“No better chil, even with all my praying. Sometimes, it’s the lord’s time.” She said as she kissed both my cheeks, and I nodded as I went to
Granny.

She was
awake; I gasped and rushed to her bedside.

“Granny! Ms. Millie!” I shouted, and she shuffled her old bones into the room as fast as she could.

“Granny, Granny!” I wailed as I embraced her, sobbing.

“I just needed you to know
that I love you so much
mon file
.” She whispered as she weakly embraced me, then smoothed the hair back from my face so that she could kiss it.

I stayed that way for so long, Ms. Millie touched my shoulder, and I realized
Granny was no longer conscious. I wailed even more, Ms. Millie uttering words of comfort to me.

Marié Antoinette Basile, died just as the sun was coming up on the new day.

Life for me; would never be the same.

Harkins Cemetery…

Two days later, we had my grandmother’s funeral.

There was no place on earth like
Louisiana, when it came to burying the dead. I sighed as I watched the procession before me, my heart breaking, because I would now have to say good-bye to my Grand. The one person I could always count on to brighten my day, love me for me, and make the world around me a better place; I was about to place six-feet under. I knew my life as I knew it was no more.

People came from near and
far, just to pay their last respects to my grandmother. As I looked around the gravesite, I was astonished to see the crowd of people. I knew my Granny was well liked, however, I did not know it was to the tune of sixty or more people who filled the graveyard. Abel squeezed my hand, and I looked up at him with a slight smile. Ms. Millie squeezed my other hand, and as I looked at her, the tears flowed freely now.

I
gasped as I saw Benjamin walking towards the gravesite, with a bit of help from Jacques. He looked at me, frowned, and I looked away.

What was I to say to him?

From the moment I had met him in Madame Soleil’s, I knew there was something familiar about him, especially the eyes. They always reminded me of the sky, sometimes darkening just as mid-day would the sky. I loved him from almost the moment I had met him.

However, even back then I knew it could never be, no matter what he said.
We were both children, and it was just that, children’s fancy. The Dubios’ ball drove that point home for me, and we never saw each other after that. He tried to explain to me, but I wanted nothing to do with him. I was so distraught, that my father had Marié send me to St Martin’s with Adèle for the rest of the summer.

Over the years, I had slowly pushed him from my mind, and as I looked at him walking towards the gravesite, I could see that time had changed him as well.

Gone was the young boy scholar, replaced by a man. I had witnessed the sorrow, which filled his eyes whenever he did not see me watching him.

Although just the look of him now renewed that childhood fancy,
but I knew we could never be.

Through my
early years, I had dreamed of nothing else. The first kiss we ever shared was right under these live oak trees, but how could I ever face him again, knowing what he knew about me now. Not to mention, he hurt me more than anyone ever could that night long ago. I was not sure if I could trust him, or this love, which seemed to manifest itself again, just from looking at him.