Piau
Page 6
Gaudet looked at his brother, then Benjamin. He suddenly burst into a laughter that could be heard as far away as the fort.
“Your grandmother insists on it, does she?” He continued to laugh so uproariously that I thought he might collapse from apoplexy.
Benjamin and I returned home that day, not having resolved the dilemma I had found myself in. But there would be another day. Bernard Gaudet was without a doubt aware that I had put a stake in the ground where his daughter was concerned.
Chapter 9
Days passed with mere pleasantries at the work site. But ominous murmurs from the fort changed all that. Lieutenant-Governor Armstrong was on a sacred mission to have the entire colony take the unqualified oath. Mangeant’s willingness to take the oath of allegiance without qualification only encouraged Armstrong in his quest. The royal favourite, as he was called by those at the garrison, was getting under everyone’s skin. It was then that Bernard Gaudet began to rant.
“I don’t know why I did not relocate to Île Royale years ago. Denys and I had the opportunity to move to Louisbourg. We could have had a good life there. At least we would have been saved from this continuous oath business. And that demon Armstrong, he could unsettle the patience of a saint, mon Dieu!”
“Hold your tongue, brother!” Denys cautioned. “We do not need trouble. The walls of the buildings in this town have ears. You made your choice to return to Annapolis years ago. Remember, we still have the advantage of distance from the fort. Gaudet Village is our refuge. Life is wonderful there. Continue to work and keep your opinions to yourself!”
Later, I asked Gaudet about Louisbourg.
“Monsieur, you visited Île Royale?”
By this time, he had calmed himself sufficiently and was able to manage a civil answer to my question.
“We not only visited, we lived there for close to two years. Our departure to Île Royale is a fascinating story.” His enthusiasm for storytelling seemed to return. “Thinking we might move to Louisbourg, we decided to visit there and investigate the land and the people’s life. We had heard that a group of Acadians from Annapolis had travelled to Île Royale to make an official investigation for those who might wish to migrate. We were not authorized to join the group, but we obtained a passport to fish in the bay as a pretext for joining the delegation. Denys and I hid our fishing boat at St. Croix and boarded the ship and sailed to Port Toulouse, where we spent a short time. Then we continued on to Louisbourg.”
I was captivated.
“To our great good fortune, our building skills were much prized in the French colony. We practised our beam construction on the governor’s house at Louisbourg, can you believe it, and on many other homes of important Frenchmen there. The building trade kept us busy and it became quite profitable. However, the land beneath our feet was made of solid rock. One could walk on the water, there were so many fish in the sea, but the land was barren. And the fogs were so thick you could barely see the sea or the land for days on end. As for farming, such an enterprise was impossible. You could plant nothing but turnip and cabbage. We considered ourselves builders, but more importantly we saw ourselves as keepers of the land, much as our ancestors had at Port Royal and in France. A man has no soul if he is not tilling the soil or rescuing the salt marshes from the sea. This is what makes one an Acadian. His dikes and his fertile soil mean everything to him!
“So we returned home after two years abroad. Our boat was still safely hidden at St. Croix.” He began to laugh. “I am not certain anyone at the fort noticed our long absence. Perhaps those who granted us our passports thought it was a particularly long fishing expedition!”
We all began to laugh. The company was merry. I liked Bernard Gaudet — exceedingly!
Chapter 10
The business of the oath began to heat up to such a degree at Annapolis that most of the men at René’s building site agreed it would be prudent to escape the flames flickering around them. Gaudet declared he was leaving Annapolis and was returning home to Gaudet Village.
“My friends, it is time to leave here before we are forced to do what we know we cannot possibly do. And you all know what that is. I was wondering, young Belliveau, whether we might impose on your brother Charles to transport us home in his chaloupe. We have no vessels, since ours returned home when our families sailed upriver after your grandmother’s birthday celebration. Perhaps you could stay on at my home as a guest. It is summer, and life in the upper river is especially pleasant at this time of year. And there are many amusements which you might find attractive.”
Gaudet was giving me his blessing to court his daughter Jeanne. It was an invitation I could not refuse.
A short time later the mood was altered by the sound of approaching soldiers. They appeared in the lower town, led by the lieutenant-governor himself, who was, in turn, accompanied by the royal favourite, Mangeant, and Major Cosby, chief officer of the military. They carried with them a sense of fear and intimidation as they made their way through the streets of Annapolis to the town square.
Everyone was ordered into the street to hear Armstrong’s proclamation. Mangeant acted as translator, which gave the order an even more sinister tone.
“Be advised that all adult inhabitants of the town and surrounding areas must gather at the church no later than tomorrow at noon to take the oath of allegiance to the newly crowned king of England. Those who fail to do so risk imprisonment in the garrison jail. Members of the Acadian Council are still in custody there as an example to the rest of the community.”
The tone in Mangeant’s voice matched the vehemence in Armstrong’s. The royal favourite appeared to enjoy his superior status in the square.
Soon after the regiment returned to the fort, I volunteered to go to Charles at the shipyard to arrange a hasty departure. Charles was already aware of the proclamation and quickly agreed to my request to leave for Gaudet Village. I believe he was as relieved as the rest of us to have an excuse to get as far away from Annapolis as possible, if only for a short time. We Acadians had cultivated a variety of escape routes to avoid the will of the lieutenant-governor.
Our exit went unnoticed. Although we evacuated the building site with great speed, no one in the fort could have suspected our destination. Charles carried passengers to and from Melanson Village daily, so our departure caused no suspicion. We were fortunate in our timing. The direction of the tide was in our favour. Not only did we have the advantage of a southwest wind, but the river was approaching its high tide. Charles would be able to drift downstream with the tide when he sailed home.
Our journey up the Annapolis River was a revelation to me. Along the way the rich grain fields danced in the breezes and filled our sails with the warmth and energy of late summer. The river meandered through the verdant valley protected by the North Mountain on its left side and the South Mountain on its right. This protection created a natural haven for growing and grazing. We sailed by Belle Isle and Paradise, apt names for both communities. The further we floated upstream, the freer I felt. Nearing Gaudet Village I was seized by a sense of peace I had not experienced since my winters at Grand Pré with Uncle Pierre and Isabelle — and by a new awareness of the path I was to take on my life’s journey.
As Charles’s chaloupe approached the shore at Gaudet Village, I felt like Moses being greeted by the daughters of Midian. Every woman and child of the colony came out to meet us. I presumed it was because of the unexpected return of their patriarch, Bernard.
It was a unique experience for me to witness so many unfamiliar faces. Arriving at such an isolated community was not something that many experienced in their lifetime. For an unmarried young Acadian man it was particularly poignant. I searched the faces of the young women, hoping to spot Jeanne’s. Would I recognize her in the light of day? Would the memory of her profile lit by the light of a wood fire fail me? My self-doubt was interrupted by Bernard Gaudet’s hardy cry.
“Join us, Charles Belliveau, and rest a while before returning downriver. Perhaps you can catch tomorrow’s tide or possibly the next day’s. Each day away will soften your arrival back at Annapolis.”
Charles understood that this was wise advice.
“If you have sufficient room for all three of us, Monsieur Gaudet, I will accept your kind invitation.”
“That is excellent, monsieur. It is the least I can do to repay you for transporting us home.”
Gaudet continued to shout. “Attention, everyone! Allow me to introduce our honoured guests, brothers Charles and Pierre Belliveau, grandsons of Madame Marie Melanson, and their handsome young cousin, Benjamin LeBlanc from Grand Pré, grandson of the venerable and now deceased Pierre Laverdure. I beg you to make them feel welcome.”
The growing crowd of villagers spontaneously began to applaud. This was an unusual way of welcoming visitors, and it caught us quite by surprise. Although I was aware of receiving considerable attention, once Benjamin was introduced all eyes were on him. I was, however, not slighted in the least. His beauty and presence demanded such attention, no matter where he went.
We followed the crowd along the road to Gaudet’s impressive timbered home. It stood as a model of the building construction he had perfected over the years. It was a more sophisticated and elaborate version of what I had seen at Annapolis — truly a monument to his life as a master builder.
As the crowd reached the threshold of the Gaudet home, the front door slowly opened and there appeared Jeanne. My heart skipped a beat as I stood there nervously gazing at her. Until this day, the image of her standing there remains vivid in my mind. Her bright eyes startled me. Her beautiful face was luminous in the evening sun. She was statuesque and dignified. I thought at that moment, How can I make myself deserving of such an angel?
Jeanne greeted her father with a warm embrace and a kiss on both cheeks. “Welcome home, Papa. We were not expecting you for at least another week.”
“My dear, Annapolis became far too hot for us so we decided to come home to the cool and peace of our little valley.”
He paused and smiled with an impish grin. “Daughter, I wish to introduce our guests, Monsieur Pierre Belliveau, his brother Charles, and their cousin Benjamin LeBlanc. They will be visiting with us for a time. The two young men are masons from Melanson Village and Grand Pré. Perhaps we will put them to work while they remain with us.”
Jeanne stood before us but did not appear surprised to be in the presence of strangers. Her look was of someone who regularly received visitors. With a polite curtsy, she gave us a smile that seemed to me to illuminate the entire village. Such was my feverish state of mind.
There was a certain expectation in the air. Time had suddenly stopped. The players were all present, but how things would work out was still a mystery to me. I was faced with a situation that I couldn’t control; nor was I assured of the outcome. Was my future here or would I be forced to float downriver to a different one? As always, I decided to jump into the deep water of uncertainty and swim relentlessly until I reached my goal.
Jeanne closed the door of the Gaudet home and joined the crowd gathered in the courtyard. She was accompanied by her sisters, Madeleine and Isabelle. They were as their father had described them. Madeleine sought out some of her cousins, but Isabelle was quite intent on investigating Benjamin and me.
Isabelle curtsied to us and was the first to speak. “I am Isabelle. Welcome to Gaudet Village.”
She demonstrated a self-assurance that was beyond her years. She and Benjamin bonded immediately. Sensing this was an opportunity for me to be alone with Jeanne, he asked Isabelle to show him about the village. She was overjoyed to comply.
Now face to face with Jeanne, I was unexpectedly aware that she appeared to know exactly what role she was to play in the scenario we were about to act out. She was the first to speak.
“Monsieur Belliveau, I remember you from your grandmother’s birthday celebration. The song you sang under the stars was beautiful. ‘À la claire fontaine’ is my favourite love song. I do not believe I have ever heard anyone sing it so magnificently.”
A sudden warm sensation overtook my body and I blushed.
“You are very kind to say so, mademoiselle. And please, call me Piau. Everyone does.”
“Then, Piau, you may call me Jeanne.”
Chapter 11
For the next month our spirits soared. The exhilaration Jeanne and I felt being in one another’s company transcended the life we were experiencing each day. She performed her daily chores, and I helped place stone after stone on the new storehouse. Jeanne and her sisters visited the work site at regular intervals to provide the workers with food and refreshments. We found excuses to stroll along the river alone, not that anyone took particular notice. Courtship was a common ritual. These stolen moments allowed us to discover one another’s innermost thoughts, relishing those unexpected brushes of our hands that sent shivers through my body. Other contact of any kind would be considered inappropriate before the courtship was formalized by a promise of marriage. Jeanne and I had to content ourselves with the intimacy that comes from deep conversation.
In the evening, I recounted stories from the Old Testament, ones seldom heard by those who did not possess a Bible. I had a captive audience. Jeanne requested that I retell the story of Ruth on several occasions. She loved the idea that a woman could be the central character in a book of the Bible. Bernard particularly enjoyed the story of Job because, as he said, patience was not one of his virtues. And I loved to glorify the story of Moses and the flight of the Israelites from Egypt. This was an important story for me, one that would inspire me throughout my life. I have always relished the strong message of hope it conveys.
Benjamin and Charles stayed at Gaudet Village for only four days. Both had to return to their lives and work at Annapolis. Charles would relay to my mother the message that I had decided to stay upriver for at least a month. At the end of that time he would return to retrieve me to help gather the harvest at Melanson Village. Benjamin had to revisit his father’s building site in Annapolis to complete the masonry. René would arrive there in the early autumn and transport him home to Grand Pré, where he would remain for the winter at the Manor House.
Poor little Isabelle was distraught when Benjamin departed. She was only seven years old, but she was still hopelessly smitten. Their paths would cross again.
The autumn winds seemed to breathe life into my growing love for Jeanne. Not even the chilly evenings could cool my ardour. And although we never spoke of our feelings, we did not doubt them. As the month’s end approached, I almost wished the tides would fail Charles in his journey to Gaudet Village. Such fancies had to be set aside and a decision had to be made if I was to capture the woman I loved. It was time to get Bernard’s permission to seek Jeanne’s hand in marriage. One day I asked to meet with him in private. We met in the garden.
“So, young Piau, what is it that requires such privacy? I suppose you are going to tell me you are leaving soon. This is not unexpected, but I must say you will be missed when you are gone. You have been more than helpful in constructing the storehouse. I would venture to say that because of your efforts it is the most magnificent one in all of Acadia. Furthermore, you have charmed many in this community. They, too, will regret your departure.”
As he spoke, my emotions began to paralyze me, leaving me momentarily speechless. When I regained my composure, I was able to get right to the point, as was my custom.
“Monsieur Bernard, I know you are aware, and have been since before I arrived at Gaudet Village, of my intent
ion to court your daughter. In our time together I have discovered that, for me, a life without Jeanne would be unimaginable. I believe she feels the same, although she has never said so in so many words. It is time for me to marry. I request permission to ask for Jeanne’s hand. If you are so kind as to grant it, I promise I will strive to make her happy.”
There was a deep silence. I saw tears in Bernard’s eyes. After a pause, he spoke.
“Piau, you had my permission back in Annapolis, the day we met. I felt a sense of destiny in our first meeting. To unite our families by marriage is beyond anything I could hope for. God will bless both our houses with this union.”
He then embraced me wordlessly. Bernard turned and walked toward the storehouse.
Ecstasy, ecstasy! I was free to express my feelings to Jeanne. My desire now was for her to share her feelings with me. What a romantic I had become!
When Jeanne and I sat on the garden bench under the harvest moon that evening, I wasted no time in getting right to the point. “Your father has given me permission to ask for your hand in marriage. I told him you would most certainly accept my proposal. Was that presuming too much?”
She rose from where we were seated and slowly walked to the garden gate. Gazing up at the night sky, she spoke. “Do you see the Big Dipper, there?” She pointed to the constellation I knew as the Big Bear. “It is filled to the brim, much like my heart.”
Jeanne did not look at me when she uttered those words. There was a deafening silence between us, but I had said all I was able to say short of declaring my love outright. There was no need. She turned to me and smiled that extraordinary smile of hers, and our eyes met. She broke the silence and declared in a quiet voice, “Where you go, I will follow, where you lodge, I will lodge, and your home will be my home.”