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| Joy and Revolution |
Part 3
MIDDAY
She was on her knees on the cobbled paving, her hand tightened on the mouth while she was staring at her own blood staining the pavement with an astonished expression.
�Good Lord!� Bernard murmured shocked. �Andr�! Hurry up! Come here!� he then shouted at the top of his lungs.
Andr� reached them immediately, after a few seconds, followed by Alain.
�What�s happening?� he tightly pressed his eyelids together and he didn�t want to believe the blurred scene before him.
He closed and reopened the eyes, but what he saw with his weakened eyesight wasn�t a cruel illusion.
Oscar was bleeding from her mouth.
He recalled his grandmother�s teachings: �When someone is bleeds from the mouth and from the ears, there is nothing much to do, Andr�!�
He kneeled down close to her: �Oscar! Oscar!� he shouted worried.
Simulating calm she was not actually feeling, Oscar enjoined him with her most severe voice: �Don�t shout, Andr�, I can hear you very well.�
And she got back on her feet with difficulty.
�Oscar, you need a doctor, you must get treated�� Andr� began.
�No. I already know what it is about and I don�t need a doctor anymore.� Oscar answered lapidary to an Andr� who was getting more and more shocked.
She pulled out of her pocket a clean handkerchief and cleaned her mouth. �Shall we continue, Bernard?� she addressed her friend, ignoring Andr� completely.
�Oscar, but you are sick, you can�t�� Bernard began, absolutely bewildered by Oscar�s behaviour.
He couldn�t finish his sentence because Andr� came forward, and suddenly took Oscar in his arms.
�Now it is you who will listen to me, Oscar. You need to take care of your health and it is what you will do.� he told her.
�Andr�, let me go! I said leave me! Put me down!� she shouted struggling in his arms, in vain.
�Bernard, I�ll take her again to your house.�
The former Black Knight nodded.
�Alain, make my way, please.�
�I will send you Rosalie!� Bernard shouted at his back, while the three were already going away.
Andr� felt that Oscar slumped against him. He looked at her and saw that she had lost her consciousness.
�Lord, please, don�t take her away from me! Not now that I just found her�� he muttered his prayer under his breath, while he was quickening his step.
It seemed like hours had passed, instead only few minutes went by since Oscar collapsed on the ground until when Andr� put her on the bed and covered her with a cotton sheet.
He ran his fingers hesitantly on her face and felt that she had a bit of fever got a bit of temperature and she was sweating too much even for that hot summer day.
�Oscar� will we ever be able to live tranquilly?� he whispered to the woman.
�I hope so.� Oscar had just opened her eyes and was looking at him.
�How are you feeling?� he asked her, taking her hand.
�I could feel better.� she answered with a grimace.
�Now Alain should come with the doctor.�
Oscar dropped onto the pillows with a sigh: �It is useless, No point doing it Andr�.�
The man turned pale visibly: �Don�t even say that, Oscar.�
Oscar returned his hold: �I mean that the other day I�ve been to doctor Lassonne. I have the tuberculosis, Andr�. I think that I have demanded too much to my body.� she said simply.
Andr� raised himself slowly and stared at her, then asked her plainly: �Why didn�t you tell me this? Did you think that I would never notice it? His voice reduced to a whisper. He was moved.
�For the same reason for which you never told me about your problem with your right eye.� The woman answered with a sad smile.
Andr� came back to her bedside. �That's why you were worried. Not only because of France� He moved aside her hair from her forehead, with a tender gesture. On his turn, she dried his moist eyes.
�I love France, Andr�, but you are right. I was worried.�
�What did the doctor tell you? What should you do to follow a treatment?�
Oscar answered with the awareness that this, most probably, would have been her last day in command of the French Guards.
�I must rest in a quiet place, feed on in an appropriate way and avoid too strong emotions.� She repeated, as it was a nursery rhyme.
�We will do it, Oscar, I will take you away from here.�
She knew that he would have answered like that. She stretched her hand to caress his bristly cheek. �And where will we go, Andr�, I don�t have a place to go anymore.� She told him plainly.
�We will go to Bretagne, Oscar, where I was born. Over there, there are still some cousins of mine. I have saved some money and we will move a little at a time to not to tire you out. You will recover, my dear.� He smiled at her, hopefully.
�I certainly don�t want to die, Andr�.� She answered keeping caressing him �You should shave��
Andr� took her hand and kissed it. �Forget about my beard. You must think only about getting well. As soon as you feel better, we will leave Paris. We will travel few miles at a time, so as to not to tire you. We can�t stay here anymore.�
Oscar raised her to sit on the bed.
She felt a bit better: the crisis had gone. �Andr�, how would you introduce me to your cousins?�
He looked and smiled at her: �As the woman I love��
Oscar bit her lip nervously: �Maybe would it be easier if you will introduce me as your� wife?� she ventured hesitantly.
Andr� didn�t move. Only a tremble of his hands revealed his emotion.
�Are you sure, Oscar? Why did you change your mind?�
�For the reason why people should get married, Andr�. Because I love you.� She paraphrased him.
Then she went on: �As long as you still want to spend your life with a phthisis sufferer. It was because of my illness that I didn�t want to marry you. But now you do know it, and I am a selfish person.�
And he answered back: �As long as you want to marry a man who is getting blind.�
Oscar took his hand shyly: �I will marry Andr�, only.�
He placed a lock of her hair behind her ear, and then he held her in his arms. �And I too, I will marry Oscar, only. What about setting a date?�
She shook her head: �I would have wanted that you would take me to a small church, but I don�t think that it will be possible. In a couple of hours, do you think that it will be ok?�
Andr� was left open-mouthed. �A couple of� hours?� Then he burst in laughing.
�Do you want to wait, Andr�?�
�I already waited for so long, Oscar. But we will get married when you will feel better.�
Oscar moved away from him and shook her head: �I don�t know when I could feel better. Let�s do it now, while I�m still able to do it.� She explained with spine-chilling lucidity.
Andr� cast at her a piercing look, nodded and finally got up. �Then I�m going to ask Alain to look for a priest.�
Oscar caressed his arm. �Since you are going downstairs, send me Rosalie.�
Andr� went down the stairs as fast as he could, and almost he ran over Alain, who was in the kitchen downstairs.
�Alain�� Andr� gasped. �We need a priest!�
Alain turned pale visibly. �Is she that sick? Tell me, what is happening?� he exclaimed, seizing him by the collar.
Andr� burst in laughing with a happy and relieving laughter that Alain had never heard: �No, Alain, you misunderstood. Oscar and I we are getting married.�
Alain staggered, but composed himself quickly: �And so, you did manage to persuade the Commander!� he laughed delivering a slap on Andr� shoulder so enthusiastic that hurt him.
�Go to Philippe�s home to dress up that I will find the priest for you.�
�Do you know where Rosalie is? Oscar needs her.�
�I�m here, Andr�.� The woman answered, who went back in just in that moment. �I will come up to her immediately.�
She found her trying to get up from the bed: �Mademoiselle Oscar! What are you doing?� she exclaimed while she tried to make her lie again on the bed.
�Rosalie, I feel well, don�t worry.� She told her looking at her with a shy expression that surprised her. �Let me get up. I sent for you because I need you.�
~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~
Few seconds later, Rosalie, with her sight misty because of the tears and a bright smile, went down the stairs quickly. Because of the hurry, she risked falling down on the ground a couple of times.
She opened the front door, rushed into the street and called the children who were playing in a corner: �Joelle, Delphine, Didier, Jacques!�
The children stopped playing immediately and ran towards her: �Rosalie!�
She kneeled on the pavement, so as to be able to look the children well in the face.
�Children, I need you to do me a favour: you should bring me the most beautiful flowers you can find. But quickly! Go, hurry up!�
�Why do you need flowers?� the little Delphine asked.
�They are for a bride, my little, a very special bride who will have to be beautiful.�
The little girl nodded seriously, and together the other children, ran away.
Rosalie walked quickly a hundred of metres and knocked at a door painted in green.
On the threshold, a tall and slender woman appeared: �Chantal, do you still have your wedding dress?�
Hearing that strange question asked to her, the woman opened her eyes wide. �Yes, why?�
�I need it. Could you lend it to me?� Rosalie asked again, briskly. �You are already married, Rosalie. Do you want to get married again, by chance?� Chantal chuckled.
�It is not for me. It is for Mademoiselle Oscar.� she explained.
�Oscar? The Lady Commander?�
�Yes, she is. She is getting married to Andr�, her soldier��
Chantal smiled and moved aside from the entrance so as to let her pass. �Come in, Rosalie. Take it please, it is in the wardrobe. In the meantime I take needle and thread. We might need to do some modifications, you never know.�
The people of Paris found themselves watching a strange scene: two women, and precisely Bernard Chatelet�s wife and Robert Millet�s wife, were walking the street in a hurry with a white and soft fabric and the necessary things for sewing in their arms.
Behind them, came four children with their arms full of daisies.
Rosalie led the little procession.
They passed near an astonished Lasalle. �G�rard� the woman called him. �Come to my place, your Commander needs to talk to you.�
Gerard had no other choice but to follow her.
Rosalie opened wide the door and saw that Andr� was still talking to Alain. �Andr�! What are you still doing here! Come on, shouldn�t you go prepare yourself as well?� Without standing too much on ceremony, she pushed the two men out of the door. Bernard followed them laughing.
�Bernard, what did you do to her? Before she did nothing else than crying��
The man caressed his own chin before answering, �You don�t know her as I do. My wife may be very much resolute, when she wants to.�
Alain seized Andr� by an arm and dragged him away. Andr� stopped, holding up his wrist.
�Alain, listen��
�What�s the matter Andr�? We must hurry up, otherwise you will be late��
�Alain, I have to talk to you. I�d like you to be my best man.�
The smile slowly died on Alain�s lips. He would have never expected such a thing.
�I care about it, Alain� you are my best friend.�
Friend, friend, friend� what a fine friend who loves your woman.
Alain offered his hand to him. �Of course, I am honoured.�
�Thanks, my friend.� Andr� smiled happily.
�Come on, let�s go!� Alain urged him, trying to ignore the pain stinging his heart.
~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~
They reappeared on Philippe�s house�s threshold both perfectly shaved, clean and with the uniform put in order as much as possible.
A little bald man with glasses came towards them: �Alain! Is this the groom?� he asked. Andr� started at hearing himself called in this way, but nodded: �I am Andr� Grandier, father.�
�And I am father Fran�ois.� The man hesitated for a moment. �I am very sorry but it won�t be possible marry you in the church. It is full of wounded people.� He nodded towards the sacred building, just behind their backs. �I may marry you on the church square, if it is alright for you.�
Another slap on Andr�s shoulder by Alain: �Father, this man is so in love that he would marry his Oscar even on the grass.� he explained, winking at him.
�Oscar? What an unusual name for a damsel�� commented the priest.
Andr� made half a smile: �I assure that it is a woman, father.�
The priest pulled out of his pocket a notebook and the necessary to write.
�You should tell me your data and those of the bride. I need them for the church�s documents and the marriage certificate.�
Andr� nodded quickly. �I am Andr� Grandier, born in Caen on the 26 August 1754. My� wife to be is Oscar Fran�ois de Jarjayes, born in Paris on the 25 December 1755.�
Father Fran�ois raised his eyebrow hearing a �de� that identified the bride-to-be as a noble, but he didn�t say anything.
�Very well. I�m going to prepare the documents, it will take me only few minutes.�
~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~
�Hem, Commander, did you send for me?�
Gerard Lasalle was a very shy man. The mere fact to have a woman as a superior, in this case a beautiful woman, had always left him stunned.
In his family were five brothers, all males and his mother died fairly young and, therefore, he had very little to do with women. The women that don�t frequent taverns, at least.
Those who were dressing decorously, who had always a good scent and not the smell of other men on them.
So, he found himself in that room in company with his Commander and two young and good-looking women.
He crumpled his hat in his hands, moving the weight of his body from a foot to another. He felt the look of those three women directed on him. He was nervous.
�Of course, Gerard. I needed to ask you to do me a favour��
Five minutes later, Gerard found himself leaned against a wall, completely stunned.
It took to him ten good minutes more to find again a bit of reason.
He would have never expected it, in all his life. Not certainly from his Commander. It wasn�t that the moment to think about it, however!
It was better to go and tidy up!
~ TO BE CONTINUED ~
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