Pride of the King, The (10 page)

Madame spotted him and cried, "Oh, Claude! I am so afraid! Help me.” Her red hair hung wildly about her face, and her nightgown was drenched in perspiration. She pulled herself over and wrapped her arms around his legs.

"Get away from me, old woman," he said yanking himself free. He turned to Lauren and snarled, "If you are going to live in this house, there are certain things expected of you. You have duties!”

“Stay away from me!” Lauren said. She was only vaguely aware of Madame sobbing.

Claude thrust his finger in Lauren’s face and snarled, “Just ask that savage you've befriended. She'll tell you about her duties to my father."

Lauren’s jaw dropped. She was speechless.

"My boy, my darling boy, please help me,” sobbed Madame as she reached for him.

Claude shrieked, "Stay away from me, you lunatic!” and he kicked his mother in the chest, sending her reeling back onto the floor.

Turning to Lauren he hissed, “You have been warned!

*           *             *

All night long Lauren tossed and turned; cursing Claude for his violence and the vulgar lies he spoke about Eugenie.
Marianne was right. He was bad for this house, and from the minute he entered it, a gloom descended upon everyone
.

Madame sank into a deep melancholy, eating nothing and speaking little. Lauren had hoped her mistress would not recall the incident with Claude, but it was apparent she remembered everything. All day long she stayed in bed never opening her eyes or asking for anything. Lauren stayed by her side gently urging her to take some broth or water, but the woman would only turn her head away.

In spite of the outbursts and unpredictable behavior, Lauren had grown to love Madame Aberjon. She learned to look past the tantrums and focus on the helpless person drowning in the illness. She missed their games of
morris
in the morning and
trique-trac
in the afternoon.

Madame's chocolate grew cold on the nightstand day after day. Lauren even stayed in the woman's room at night, curled up with a blanket in an armchair waiting for some glimmer of life from her mistress. The melancholy of Madame went on for days until one night she sat up in bed suddenly and exclaimed, "You never believed me, did you?"

Lauren who was sleeping in the armchair jumped with a start and said, "What?" She rubbed her eyes to examine Madame more closely. "What did you say, Madame?'

"I said that you never believed me, but now I can prove it to you.”

A strange prickling crept up Lauren's spine. The moonlight streaked across the bed and onto the floor as Madame pulled off the covers and walked barefoot to the door. Her pale gown glowed in the dim light, and her complexion was a pasty white.

"Come with me,” Madame said then suddenly she bolted for the door.

Lauren screamed, "No!"

The madwoman raced down the hall toward Jean Baptiste‘s room. She stopped outside his bedchamber and announced, "Look! See for yourself!"

Madame Aberjon threw the door open. There on the bed in the firelight was Eugenie with Jean-Baptiste on top of her.

"God damn it! What's going on!" roared Aberjon throwing back the covers and jumping out of bed. He stood in his nightshirt and roared, "Get the hell out of here!"

Lauren stood paralyzed with her eyes riveted to Eugenie.

"I said get out!" said Jean-Baptiste pushing them both out of the room and slamming the door.

Madame burst into hysterical laughter in the hall, babbling something about everyone believing her now. Lauren pushed her back to the bedroom, horrified and confused at what she had seen.

It took some time, but she finally settled Madame down and fell into a chair by the bed, stunned and struggling with the tempest inside her. Madame fell into a deep sleep, but rest never came for Lauren. She hated Eugenie. Hated her and all of the lewd, disgusting secrets she had kept from her. Lauren felt betrayed and wondered what other shameful things were hidden behind that placid demeanor. It all made sense now.
Eugenie would never talk about a lover because Monsieur Aberjon was her lover, and that day when Madame threw chocolate all over her, she was trying to tell the world that Eugenie was her husband’s whore
.

The next morning Lauren went down to breakfast and said nothing to Eugenie. She couldn't even look at her. She poured herself some cider while Marianne made conversation, but Lauren kept her answers brief and retreated upstairs as soon as she was done eating.

The next day Eugenie stopped her in the hall. "Lauren, please there is something I must say."

All Lauren could see when she looked at the girl was her naked body in Jean Baptiste's bed, and she turned away, repulsed. "There is nothing you can say to me."

"You don't understand, Lauren."

"Oh I understand alright," she said in a voice heavy with sarcasm.

"No, no," said Eugenie shaking her head as her eyes filled with tears. "You don't understand."

Lauren turned abruptly and walked down the stairs, wanting nothing more than to get away from Eugenie and her pathetic excuses. She whistled to the dogs and was out the gate before Eugenie could stop her. Without looking one way or the other she walked then began to run down to the river. There was a secluded path she had discovered that ran along the bank, and the dogs loped happily alongside of her darting in and out of the underbrush.

It took a long time, but Lauren's pace slowed, and her heart finally quit racing. She couldn't wait to get out of the Illinois Country. Kaskaskia suffocated her, and it seemed that everywhere she looked there was ugliness and lust, from the lewd advances of Claude to the depraved behavior of Eugenie. This was not her home, and these were not her people. She would never find contentment here.

Suddenly, she heard one of the dogs growl, and she spied a raccoon walking unsteadily up the path toward her. He would fall and stand up, fall and stand up again as if he was sick. The dogs shot past her kicking up mud as they ran. When they reached the raccoon, the animal drew back its lips and lunged. This sent the Danes into frenzy, and they began to bark and snarl at the creature. When Duchess bent down to snap at the animal, the raccoon jumped at the dog's neck sinking its teeth deeply into the dog’s flesh. Long, strands of white drool ran out of its mouth as Duchess tried to shake the creature loose, but the animal did not let go until Baroness attacked. Lauren screamed a command but the smell of blood filled the dogs with frenzy, and they tore repeatedly at the raccoon until the animal was unrecognizable. Duchess’ neck wound was deep, and the dog staggered into the underbrush.

“
Mon Dieu
!" Lauren cried.

Baroness bolted after Lauren as she ran toward the house. As they approached the gate, Monsieur Aberjon's carriage pulled up and he stepped out. Lauren blurted out, "The dogs tangled with a raccoon and both were bit. Duchess is hurt badly."

“Where is she?” questioned Jean-Baptiste.”

“Down by the river but wait," she said grabbing his arm. "The raccoon was rabid."

Monsieur Aberjon looked at her for a moment, turned and walked into the house returning with a pistol. Without hesitation he walked up to Baroness who was lying at Lauren's feet, pointed the gun and pulled the trigger. The animal kicked back from the blast and slammed to the ground with a thud, blood gushing from its head. Lauren stood and stared at the dog as she bled to death at her feet.

Holding the firearm at his side, Aberjon demanded, "Take me to Duchess."

Everything was happening so fast that Lauren’s head began to spin. "Where is the other dog?" snapped Monsieur.

She hesitated, thinking of Madame Aberjon and then said, "This way."

Chapter 13

For the first time in weeks, Lauren felt optimistic. Claude was up north on business, Madame was eating again, and spring was on its way. Lauren found it hard to believe she had seen two springs in Kaskaskia already. Maybe it was her wedding or the knowledge that she would be leaving the village soon that elated the girl. A convoy was being organized, and Rene had arranged for them to be on the manifest. Lauren was overjoyed. She longed to see a big city like Paris and live in a place where cows and crops were not important.

All seemed to be going as planned when a crisis developed in the community. There was a ban on all unnecessary travel due to an outbreak of rabies. Lauren's encounter with the raccoon proved not to be an isolated incident. Many villagers witnessed similar attacks, and all stray and domestic animals were under scrutiny. In spite of his cold unfeeling attitude Lauren knew that Monsieur Aberjon had been right to put Madame's dogs down. The only way to check the contagion was to destroy the carriers.

This ban did not stop the trysts between Lauren and Rene though. The lure of springtime and their own passions caused them to disregard their own safety and meet at the cabin every chance they could get. Although the arrangement with Eugenie and Marianne had crumbled, Lauren stole out many afternoons when Madame took her nap. The couple had the understanding; that if one could not show up, the other would wait an hour, and then return home.

It was a muddy spring afternoon, when Lauren set out to meet Rene at the trysting place. She laced her stays quickly and slipped her pink gown over her head. After lacing her bodice over a cream-colored stomacher she arranged a
bergere
smartly on top of her head, tied the ribbons under her chin and was ready to go. This was Lauren's only good gown. Madame had been kind enough give her some of her unused wardrobe, and Lauren reworked the gowns and skirts into very fashionable every day wear.

She could hear the water running off the roof and the snow melting as she stepped out into the sunlight. Finding the ground beneath her feet brown and greasy, Lauren lifted her skirts and jumped over a puddle, almost losing her balance as she slid in the mud.

There was someone playing a fiddle in the distance, and her spirits began to soar. She could hardly contain her excitement at the thought of leaving with the convoy and traveling across the ocean to see new countries. She would never be content to read about these places in books like most girls, she must experience them, taste and feel them.

As she approached the cabin, she realized there was no smoke curling up from the chimney, and her heart sank. Rene was unable to get away. Nevertheless, Lauren built a fire and sat down in front of the flames to wait in case he was late. Lost in her thoughts time passed quickly, and before she knew it, it was time to return home. She put out the fire and tied her cloak over her shoulders.

As Lauren stepped out the door, she had the unnerving sensation that someone was watching her. She remembered Rene saying several weeks before that he heard somebody in the woods, and she felt uneasy as she started down the road. It crossed her mind that maybe some diseased animal lay in wait for her, so she quickened her pace.

The melting snow crushed under her feet, and she could hear the water running in a stream not far away. Suddenly, a horse snorted, and there was the sound of hooves behind her. She jumped to one side as Claude Aberjon rode up the path. He pulled up sharply on the reins as the horse danced around the road splattering her with mud. She knew that he had returned from the north that afternoon, but she thought he was with his father.

"So, if it isn't the princess," he sneered.

"What's wrong with you!" Lauren screamed, "You could have killed me!"

"You mealy-mouthed little hypocrite, playing the virgin with me. You’ve been coming here for weeks whoring with someone."

His eyes ran over her body. Lauren's firm breasts pushed up from her tightly laced bodice, and her auburn hair fell around her shoulders.

"It's my turn now," he said and started to dismount.

Lauren's anger turned to fear. Claude was in the habit of taking what he wanted, and she knew she had to act quickly. She darted around the back of the horse and broke into a run. In a flash, Claude jumped down and was upon her, grabbing her around the waist. He swung her down into the muddy snow pinning her to the ground.

His grip was like iron, and she struggled for air beneath the weight of his body. She could smell his foul breath and feel his hands begin to pull up her skirt. He pushed her legs apart with his knees, and Lauren knew she was about to be raped. With all her strength, she squirmed out from underneath him and began to crawl along the ground on her belly. His long nails tore at her skin, and she knew that if he seized her this time she would not have the strength to escape.

With a grunt, Claude stretched to his fullest and wrapped his hand around her ankle. Lauren grabbed frantically at the underbrush trying to stop him from pulling her back, but nothing proved stronger than Claude's fury.

Suddenly, something snapped in Lauren. She was no longer scared. She hated this vile creature, and she rolled over, drew up her knee and smashed the heel of her boot into his face.

"You filthy bitch!" he shrieked as he rose up onto his knees. Blood colored the snow. "You've broken my nose!"

Sobbing from terror Lauren pulled herself onto Claude's horse and threw her soaked skirts over the saddle. The last thing she saw as she rode off was Claude Aberjon holding his face in his hands, bright blood sullying his fine silk shirt.