by Fred Allen
Peter did not mention it but she knew he was waiting for an answer to his proposal and Marie-Louise was giving the situation very serious thought. She was now certain that she was pregnant and her anger with David had not subsided or, for that matter, even diminished. The idea of David’s reaction to her marriage to the handsome young war hero did not escape her. Her sexual experience was limited to two men; she was pregnant; she had a marriage proposal and marriage was usually the solution for girls in her situation and no less attractive when the proposal came from a highly presentable young man who was a national hero.
After their last show in Victoria there was a big party put on by the group of bureaucrats who had organized the tour. The tour had been highly successful and bond sales had exceeded even the wildest expectations. Marie-Louis was dancing with Peter when she whispered in his ear very softly “yes”. He understood immediately. His next questions were as to when and where and she had not thought that far ahead. Quite naturally she thought that the wedding would be in Quebec City and, knowing her mother, she realized that such an event would require extensive preparations to ensure that the desired level of involvement of Quebec social leaders was achieved.
They slipped out of the big hall in which the party was being held and she gave him her first impressions. “How about Quebec City in two months?” She asked. “Not good enough!” He replied emphatically. “I’m on my way back to Europe in two weeks and I’ve got two weeks leave. I’ve got a better idea. We can take a ferry over to Washington State tonight, get married in the morning and be back in time for the dispersal of the show cast tomorrow. We’ll use our return tickets to have a nice honeymoon on our way back to Quebec City. I’ll turn in our train tickets and rent a bedroom on the train. We’ll call our folks after the wedding. I know that I can get Mark and Jean (a married couple on the tour) to come with us as witnesses. Come on, let’s do it! The last ferry is in one hour.” He kissed her again and her head was spinning.
The idea of eloping was not without its attractions although she was very certain that the romance of eloping would hardly appeal to her mother, but the news would rock Quebec City and set David on his ear.
Taking her silence as consent, Peter told her to get her coat and her purse and to make sure she had her birth certificate. He would get Mark and Jean. MarieLouise went for her coat and purse and on looking back years later realized that she had never really answered him. While the reasons in support of the plan to elope would never carry any weight with her mother, she just could not come up with any reason not to elope. And behind it all was her realization that she was pregnant. At this point, the fatherhood of the baby was becoming less important than a ring on her finger.
Peter returned with Mark and Jean, and the taxi got them to the ferry just in time. Both Mark and Jean were immediately caught up in the excitement and romance of the situation. Peter and Mark left the girls on their own on the ferry when it became obvious that they had secrets to share, and Peter diplomatically declined Mark’s very kind offer to exercise his best man responsibility to explain the facts of life. A rather wild taxi ride took them to Bellingham where they took two rooms in a hotel. Peter was just a little disappointed when Jean insisted that the two men share one of the rooms pointing out that the purity and chastity of the bride were now the responsibility of the designated Maid of Honor.
They were up early and Peter and Mark made their first stop at a jewelry store where Peter purchased two wedding rings and a modest engagement ring. The four met at the city hall and by two o’clock they were in a taxi on their way back to the ferry and Peter and Marie-Louise were man and wife.
They were back in Victoria by evening and found the entire cast preparing to embark in their chartered busses for the ferry ride back to Vancouver. Mark, ever the proficient best man, choosing the appropriate moment when the entire cast was assembled, made the announcement and introduced the cast to Lieutenant and Mrs. Peter Marshall. The announcement was enthusiastically received by all members of the cast with the possible exception of the chaperone who just didn’t know how to react. She moved in the same social circle in Quebec City as Marie-Louise’s mother and the thought of confronting the mother, after such a bombshell, was really not that appealing. She was placated to some extent by Marie-Louise’s assurances that they would be calling her mother that night from the hotel in Vancouver.
This was too attractive a story to keep from both the local and national press so the director called ahead to their hotel in Vancouver and directed that the suite already booked in his name would be occupied by Mr. and Mrs. John Smith. He also called ahead to the ticket office at the rail station in Vancouver to reserve a drawing room in the same names with the modest difference between two first class tickets and the drawing room to be billed to the show’s account.
Sure enough, the word had got to the press and they were there in force when the ferry docked in Vancouver. This was just too good a story to hold the eager reporters at bay for long. The handsome young war hero and the beauty queen-it was a front-page story and one that would be gobbled up by the wire services. The director came up with a plan that would keep the reporters off their backs at least until the following morning. He enlisted the aid of a taxi driver, who was making the crossing, to transport the happy young couple to White Rock, south of Vancouver, and put Mark and Jean in the cab. As the ferry docked, the cast surrounded the cab cheering the “newly weds” and the cab left the ferry followed by a horde of reporters and photographers utilizing a wide variety of forms of transportation.
There were a few reporters waiting at the hotel but Peter and Marie-Louise were spirited in through a rear entrance and up to their suite by freight elevator. They called her mother first and her first words nearly provided complete justification for the elopement. “But what about David?” She asked. David had always been a great favorite of hers. In addition to coming from a very prominent family, he was only a few years away from a practice in medicine and the success of such a practice would be guaranteed by the prominence of his family. For perhaps the first time in Marie-Louise’s memory, her mother was at a loss for words. In addition to expressing her concern about what David would think, all she could say was “But what will I tell your father?” Marie-Louise could have dealt very easily with her mother’s concern for David and the same words directed to David the last time they spoke were on the tip of her tongue but she feared that such a description might just arouse suspicions. As to what to tell her father, she told her mother “Just tell him that his son-in-law is Lieutenant Peter Marshall, Victoria Cross, Military Medal and Bar, Mentioned-in-Dispatches and holder of the French Croix de Guerre and that he is handsome and wonderful and the man I want to spend the rest of my life with.
Her mother’s reaction was totally predictable. She had met Peter at one of the rehearsals in Quebec City and it had been obvious that Peter had not measured up to her mother’s expectations which were centered on David Vincent and the leverage such a union would provide in Quebec society. She also realized that she could expect little support from her husband who would only be thrilled at the addition of a war hero to the family. Her husband was very proud of the MBE he had received for his part in the research and development of combat engineering equipment that had proven to be very effective when used in both Italy and, after he was wounded, in North West Europe.
Their call to Peter’s mother and father was completely different. Their only other child, Peter’s older brother, had been a fighter pilot who had been lost over the English Channel in an attempt to prevent a German pocket battleship from making it to the open sea and vital shipping lanes. They were obviously very proud of Peter and genuinely delighted with news of his marriage. They promised to visit his parents in Fredericton after a stop in Quebec City and prior to Peter reporting to Halifax for embarkation on his return overseas.
In the morning, after a very short night and even less sleep, the director
phoned to warn them that the lobby was full of reporters and photographers. Knowing that they would be exposed to photographs and an informal press conference, they entered the lobby fully prepared. Peter was in full uniform and Marie-Louise put on her very special dress. They projected the desired image of a very handsome young couple very much in love knowing that some of these pictures would appear on the front pages of newspapers across the country. Time was limited because of the scheduled departure time of their train so the press conference was subjected to severe time constraints. There were the standard questions as to how long they had known each other, when did they fall in love, when did he propose, when did she accept, when and where had they actually been married and why now?
They rushed to the station and were escorted to their drawing room by the conductor. Peeking out the window they discovered that their car was attracting a great deal of interest from people on the station platforms. It was not until they stretched their legs at the first stop that they discovered that a huge sign had been pasted to the side of the carriage saying in huge block letters “HONEYMOON EXPRESS”and “JUST MARRIED” and large hearts bearing the names “PETER” and “MARIE”.
As soon as the train left the station in Vancouver, the conductor came to their drawing room accompanied by the chef and head dining car steward with menus and wine lists. The conductor told them that the entire crew was honored to have Peter as a passenger and particularly in view of his recent marriage and were determined that the first four days of their honeymoon would be memorable. The conductor had a sheaf of congratulatory messages that included one from the Prime Minister and one from the Minister of National Defence. Peter was just a little relieved on receipt of the latter two telegrams because they represented at least implicit approval of his marriage. His impulsive rush to marry Marie-Louise had been-technically speaking at least-a transgression of military regulations under which marriage required prior approval.
There was also a message from Peter’s parents that included instructions to the conductor and dining room staff to ensure that no expense was to be spared in ensuring that everything the newly weds wanted was provided and all expense was to be billed to Peter’s father. The conductor assured them that this would be unnecessary because the president of the railroad had already issued identical instructions and they would be his guests for the entire journey. As the conductor and his entourage left their drawing room they noted that someone from the cast had affixed a large sign to their door saying simply “DO NOT DISTURB”!!!
The honeymoon journey went very smoothly. They were waited on hand and foot and the service left absolutely nothing to be desired. Conductors and dining car staff obviously took great pains in briefing new crews at crew change points and the cast guarded their privacy allowing them to control the level of contact. They seldom left their drawing room except to say goodbye to cast members who dropped off along the way to return to their homes.
The train journey/honeymoon was perfect in many ways. Their accommodation was luxurious and the food and wine, including champagne, was excellent. There really was nothing for them to do but to eat, sleep and make love. Marie-Louise found Peter to be a gentle but passionate-and not inexperienced-lover. He was always considerate and patient in ensuring that all pleasure was shared equally. Marie-Louise had a minor problem with morning sickness but, fortunately, the nausea came over her early in the morning and Peter was a very sound sleeper.
The signs put on their carriage by the cast in Vancouver remained firmly in place and attracted attention at every station. They also attracted reporters and photographers. Despite their protestations that they were on their honeymoon they really had no alternative but grant interviews which soon became very boring. Always the same questions and requests for the same poses. When they reached Montreal it was the French language media and more photographs. Peter’s French was rather limited so Marie-Louise spoke for both of them. And then, the final leg to Quebec City. Both her mother and father were waiting at the station. Her mother subjected her to a very detailed examination as her father stood by waiting his turn. Except for visits to him in hospital, this was the first time Marie-Louise had seen her father in over five years but he looked very much as she remembered him. Tall and slim and very distinguished in his uniform bearing the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal Canadian Engineers. Only the sturdy cane that he used for support in walking offered any indication of the severe wounds he had suffered that had cost him his left leg from just below the knee.
Peter saluted his father-in-law smartly but, in returning the salute, her father said that that would be enough of that and no more of the “Sir” stuff either; henceforth it would be “Dad”. Quite obviously, her father was very proud of his new son-in-law. As far as her mother was concerned, the jury was still out. MarieLouise was not a mind reader but she had no doubts that her mother was doing some very quick calculations involving comparisons of Peter and David. She was likely thinking that while Peter was certainly very handsome in his spanking new officer’s uniform, polished Sam Brown Belt and colorful medal ribbons, the inescapable question was “How would he play in Quebec City?”
Her parents had reserved a large room at the Chateau Frontenac for a reception and her mother had been pleasantly surprised at Peter’s drawing power. In fact she found it necessary to expand her guest list as a result of requests from friends on behalf of people she didn’t really know but had always wanted to know. The reception was becoming one of the hottest items on the social calendar and had to be removed to the main ballroom of the hotel. Peter’s mother and father had accepted and would arrive the day before the reception.
The reception was a great success and her mother realized that she had finally arrived on the Quebec social scene at the level she had sought for so long. MarieLouise was not surprised that David, Suzanne and their parents had been invited and David insisted on dancing with her. She felt just a little satisfaction in finding him a bit crestfallen. She resisted his efforts to hold her very close but heard him ask “Why did you do this to me?” If she ever had any doubts about the wisdom of elopement they were all completely erased by his words and the sad look in his eyes.
Peter and Marie-Louise returned to Fredericton with Peter’s parents and spent ten days visiting Peter’s friends in that area before he had to depart for Halifax for embarkation. Marie-Louise returned to Quebec City and a round of bridal showers under the watchful eyes of her mother. Her father was in the process of being invalided out of the Armed Forces and preparing to return to his employment with the Defence Research Establishment in Valcartier.He had acquired another Newfoundland pup to replace Kitchener who had passed away during his absence overseas. The new dog was immediately named Nelson.
Marie-Louise managed to graduate from high school in June and, by this time, her secret had been revealed by a gently expanding waistline. She was quite aware that her mother had established a calendar in her mind and was already questioning the projected December birth date that would maintain the appearance of propriety and reflect that there had been no “bedding before the wedding”. The days at home at least gave Marie-Louise the opportunity of reacquainting herself with her father after his absence of five years.
In May the war in Europe was over and Peter wrote to announce that he had been promoted to Captain and had volunteered for the Pacific Force in which a small Canadian contingent would join other Allied Forces in the final thrust against Japan. He was scheduled to depart for the Far East from Vancouver in July providing he could pass the medical. He had not fully recovered from his wounds and if unfit for full service he would be confined to staff and recruiting duties.
Then, in early July, tragedy struck when Peter’s mother and father were killed in an automobile accident and Peter came home on compassionate leave. MarieLouise went to Fredericton for the funeral and the young couple were reunited after a separation of three months.
Of course,
Peter already knew he was about to become a father and had greeted the news with great enthusiasm.
Peter’s latest medical had been inconclusive and he was still awaiting medical clearance to return to full active duty. He started to look ahead and consider career possibilities. He would be acceptable in the Armed Forces but that option was not very attractive if his medical classification would restrict him to staff duties. His father had been a highly respected teacher and rural school principal before joining the Ministry of Education as an inspector and Peter had always been interested in teaching. This would mean returning to school and applying for entrance to the University of New Brunswick in September. He had ample re-establishment credits with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs to cover undergraduate and, if required, graduate work. He had the spacious family home and other family assets that left him with no financial problems. His little family would be secure in all respects.
Marie-Louise remained in Fredericton after the funeral and her mother joined her to help with any changes in the interior décor. And then, of course, there was the imminent arrival of the first grandchild.
Now, as Marie-Louise and the family headed home from Quebec City, her thoughts returned to the previous night. Following the heated exchange with Peter, Marie-Louise had remained awake aware that Peter was asleep and outstretched on the bed beside her. As he slept in what was almost a reflex action he threw his arm over her motivated, perhaps, by a subconscious show of protection. She turned towards him and was surprised to see he had been crying and his face, now relaxed in sleep, was streaked by the path of his tears. She had never known Peter to cry although he had told her how he had cried after that last action in Europe when he was finally convinced by the Platoon Commander that Sharkey was dead.
And now, as the station wagon moved along the snow-covered highway, she looked at her husband through her sunglasses and she could see no sign of tears. His eyes were intently upon the road ahead as the increasing gusts of wind presented a constant threat to visibility. No, all she saw was the face she had come to know so well, teeth set firmly in that strong jaw and a head set firmly upright as if he were standing at attention on a parade square.