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| The Fate of Love |
Part 3
Next morning, Oscar was walking in the narrow streets of Paris in disguise.
She was there to meet Bernard. She had learnt his whereabouts from Andr�
last night, while they were discussing how to save the 12 imprisoned men.
They had both agreed that Bernard could do something, using his power over
the people.
�I�ll do anything I can� said Bernard, when Oscar asked for a favour. �Except,
I won�t take part in serving the interests of the royal family and the nobles.�
�This is for 12 of my men. They are all commoners,� replied Oscar. Then she
told him the story and the plan she and Andr� had agreed upon yesterday
night. Bernard couldn�t believe in his ears:
�What? Surround Abbey prison?!�
�Yes, you can rally the citizens. We�ll need a thousand�no, 3 thousands!�
�I can probably do that,� replied Bernard, �But how will it help to save your
men?�
�I�m the French Guard Commander responsible for peace and order in Paris.
If I judge the security of Paris is in danger, I can request the king to release
those 12 men. �
It made sense to Bernard. But he had some doubts:
�What if it turns into a riot?�
�I promise that none of your comrades or citizens will get hurt or die,� told
Oscar bravely, �If I break my promise, I�ll quit the French guards and run
errands for you!�
�Very well, I�ll do it!� said Bernard, he knew that Oscar would never break a
promise. So, in the worst case, they would end up having such a clever person
by their side, which would be more than great! �Let�s see how much of a
crowd I can attract with my speech.�
�I�m counting on you,� said Oscar and walked towards the door.
Bernard yelled behind her: �Oh Oscar, give my regards to Andr�!�
Oscar nodded, then she suddenly remembered what Andr� told her about
Rosalie and Bernard.
�Ah, I want to see Rosalie after this is settled,� she said.
�Please do, Rosalie will be glad, too.� Replied Bernard. Oscar smiled to
herself, thinking of meeting with Rosalie. She was glad that her little Rosalie
had found someone to love and to be loved by� And she couldn�t wait to tell
her the news about herself and Andr�, Rosalie would be delighted when she
heard it!
And the plan worked really well: Bernard gave a great speech, leading more
than 5000 citizens to surround Abbey! On 30th June, 1789, the King couldn�t
resist any longer, he gave an order to release the 12 men waiting to be
executed. This was the first victory of the power of people over that of the
King: small, but significant� The real wave of this power was about to arrive,
just in a few days�
~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~
�Just a simple cold,� said Dr. La�onne. Nevertheless, he wasn�t a successful
actor.
Oscar had immediately noticed his lie: �Doctor� Please tell me the truth� I
know I have a lung disease, I�ve already coughed blood many times.. So, tell
me: Is it fatal, or is there a chance that I could survive?�
Dr. La�onne was stunned with the frankness of this brave woman. He
couldn�t help his eyes getting wet:
�I�ve been your family doctor for many years, Mademoiselle� I remember the
fever you had when you were three years old, as if it were yesterday� So,
I�m begging you, please quit the military and start an peaceful life. Go to some
sunny place, get away from the stress and exhaustion! In such conditions,
there is a chance that you may recover� Otherwise �he bowed his head
sadly- you may not live more than 6 months, Mademoiselle��
Oscar�s heart began to throb faster: She felt the cold wind of the death at her
nape. She took a quick glance at the closed door of the examination room;
Andr� was waiting outside, and she certainly didn�t want him to hear
anything! She managed to smile with confidence, yet, it was a sad smile:
�Thank you, Doctor� I really needed to learn it��
�No, no, don�t ever be desperate my child!� interrupted the old doctor, he had
flapped because of the calmness of Oscar, as if she had already surrendered
to her fate: �I believe that you will recover! You are a strong person, and the
most important thing to overcome this disease is to keep strong physically and
mentally! So, quit the military and go to some place you�d be happy, with the
people you love around you.�
�I think you misunderstood me,� replied Oscar with a smile, �Of course I will
do what you said� I�m sure I�ll get over it!�
The doctor�s face shined instantaneously:
�Oh, I�m so glad to hear it� I�ll be here whenever you need something, or
you feel bad� Don�t fail to drop by regularly��
�Thank you, I really appreciate your kindness,� said Oscar and walked
towards the door. The doctor called behind her:
�Andr� is waiting outside, right? Could you tell him to come for the
examination now?�
Oscar returned immediately, puzzled:
�Andr�?! Was he supposed to come for an examination? Is there anything
wrong with him??�
�What, hasn�t he told you yet?! It�s strange that he hides it from you, since he
is your servant�� Doctor was taken aback by Oscar�s reaction. �Anyway, he
is having trouble with his right eye� In fact, I�m afraid it�s a matter of time
that he loses his eyesight completely!�
Oscar�s beautiful blue eyes were opened with astonishment: No, this couldn�t
be true! She stepped back, started yelling at the doctor�s face:
�Why?! How come?? Why would something like that happen, what�s the
problem with his right eye?!�
Poor old doctor was frightened with the sudden bewilderment of Oscar, he
began to stammer:
�I� I don�t know exactly� Maybe.. maybe because of the strain on his right
eye after losing the other one��
�Isn�t there anything you could do about it?� asked Oscar desperately. She
was much more concerned with Andr�s situation than she was with her own!
The oldster was extremely amazed, he simply couldn�t understand a noble
woman behaving like this for one of her servants� He shook his head to both
sides sadly:
�Unfortunately� It�s impossible I could even tell you the true reason of it�
The science of medicine is not advanced enough for this kind of a situation�
But I can prescribe him some relievers and some medicines that may possibly
help delaying the unavoidable��
Oscar�s arms dropped to both sides slowly� She was truly devastated with
the news she had just heard. She spoke with a gloomy voice:
�I�ll send Andr� inside, Doctor� Please do whatever you can��
As she was about to leave, something came to her mind and she turned back:
�And Doctor: Please don�t tell anyone, neither Andr� nor my father, about my
situation; would you do it for me?�
The doctor said: �As you wish, Mademoiselle,� and she went out, closing the
door behind her. Andr� was waiting there.
�Oscar? What�s it? There isn�t something serious, right?�
Oscar bit her lip. She couldn�t possibly tell the truth about her disease to this
agitated man: That would surely devastate him! She managed to put a fake
smile on her face:
�Of course not! It was a simple cold, as I thought� However, doctor advised
me to take some rest to recover; so, it seems that we will go on leave for a
while��
Andr� seemed relieved. He exhaled a deep breath:
�Thank God! And I�m sort of pleased that you take a leave on these days�
The people and the army could get face to face any time, and I don�t want
you to get involved in this garboil��
Oscar bowed her head with sorrow, �Yes indeed� I hope everything can be
resolved without using force�� Then, she remembered Andr�s situation. To
see his reaction, she spoke with a calm tone, as if she didn�t know anything:
�By the way, the doctor wants to see you��
Andr� was taken aback. He stammered:
�Me? B-But why?�
�Well, he didn�t tell me anything, he just said he needed to speak with you.�
And she pored into the eyes of her love:
�Is there anything wrong, Andr�?�
Poor Andr� was baffled, he kept denying:
�No, no, nothing is wrong� Maybe he just wants to see me to make sure that
I�m doing fine��
�I see�� replied Oscar. She was feeling some bitterness in her heart with this
lie of Andr�. But she knew that he had done it for herself, scared of
desolating her� Ah, wasn�t she doing the exact same thing; then, what right
did she have to be mad at him? At least she had learned about his situation
before it was too late; it would be too dangerous for him to stay at the army
with blind eyes! But, still� While Andr� went into the room, she mumbled to
herself: �Ah Andr� Why?...�
And she couldn�t prevent a teardrop falling from her eye�
~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~
�Oscaaaar! Wait for mee!�
Oscar laughed loudly and kicked the sides of her horse even harder. She could
feel the beautiful summer breeze on her face, the warmth of the sun on her
skin. The cool water drops risen by the running horse caressed her thighs,
making her slightly quiver. The sound of the gulls all over the sky was so loud,
yet so lively. It was such a lovely day in Normandy! And it was even better
with the man she loved being by her side�
Andr�s horse approached hers at a gallop. Now the two lovers were riding
side by side. Oscar turned her face to see the man in her heart: His beautiful
face was shining with joy, the locks of his dark hair were dancing with the
wind of their ride.
Pretending to be furious for being left behind, Andr� yelled in a fake anger:
�Now, what is the meaning of this?! Are you running away from me,
Mademoiselle Oscar?�
�Yes, why not?� she replied with a laughter.
Andr�s eyes were wild with playfulness:
�Then I should state with sorrow that, this is by no means possible: Oscar,
you will never find a moment of your life passing without me any more!�
�Mon Dieu! You�re scaring me! You know how indulged I am in my freedom!�
answered Oscar and snapping the reins, she took a quick turn to the reverse
direction.
Until Andr� could realize what was happening, she had already put a distance
between them! Andr� pulled the reins and stopped his mount, yelling behind
her: �Heyy, again?? No, I won�t let you go away! You�ll regret when I catch
you, Oscar!�
�Go ahead!� yelled Oscar and gave out another merry laughter.
The cheery race continued until the horses arrived at the pavilion of Jarjayes
family on the beautiful coast. Oscar and Andr� had been staying here for
nearly a week now. They were sharing the most beautiful days of their lives,
all alone in the grand house. Every morning Andr� went to the small village
nearby and brought fresh fruit, milk and eggs for his beloved one. The
peasants were usually still nice towards this man they had known for years;
and they still loved his Mastress Lady Oscar as well; she was one of the best
nobles on the earth! Most of the people in this countryside were not too much
involved in the passionate spirit of revolution that was prevailing in the Paris
streets. Here the life conditions, although still not very good, were better than
that of the commoners in the capital city; thus, the bearance limit of the
peasants in these generous soils was not reached yet� Nevertheless, the
people were still thrilled about the days they wouldn�t have to serve the
needs of nobles any more� The news regarding the Estates-General and the
incidents going on in the capital city were closely followed by the residents of
Normandy day by day.
Half an hour later than the joyful moments in the seaside, now the two young
lovers were back at the villa. Oscar stepped out to the terrace of the house.
The view of the ocean was to die for. However, Oscar was too lost in deep
thoughts to recognize the beauty before her eyes: She was thinking of the
last time she saw the Queen� It was the day after her visit to the doctor.
Having learned her illness, she had decided to resign from her post� It hadn�t
been an easy decision to take, she knew that her country needed her on
these turbulent days� She was becoming more and more pessimistic every
day about the course of events; and on that very day she had learned that the
army was dispatched to Paris� Oscar was desperate, she would like to do
something to reverse the events which caused her beloved France to turn into
a carriage going full speed towards a crag! But she was powerless, especially
with this growing disease in her lungs� Yet, she had wanted to warn the
Queen at least once more, when she had visited her to ask for her permission
to resign�
�Please order the army to withdraw from Paris, your Highness�� she had
begged, �The royal family should never kill its own subjects��
�Oscar, if that happens, you�ll protect me, won�t you?� asked Marie
Antoinette, in reply.
Oscar stopped with a pain in her heart� She now had to tell the reason she
came here:
�Your Highness� I came here to ask for your permission: I have to resign
from the army, due to my worsening health��
Marie Antionette�s eyes were widened with concern:
�Oscar?? What are you saying? Are you okay?�
�Indeed, I�m not� I have to quit my duty, your Highness� I�m very sorry, but
I cannot be by your side on these hard days�� Oscar bit her lips harshly as
she said these words. She was suffering so much right now, she was feeling
as if she was running away from danger. But she wasn�t, she would never ask
for leave if the matter of concern was her own life only! But now she had to
think of Andr� as well; she was a hundred percent sure that Andr� would
never leave her alone and stay by her side if she didn�t quit the military, and
he would be in a great danger if a war with citizens broke out. Oscar could
never allow this to happen... Yet, she felt sorry for her old friend Antoinette...
But still, having some little hope that she could save the Queen if she listened
to her advice, Oscar continued:
�Nevertheless, if you deign to listen to me, I�d beg you to order the army to
withdraw from Paris� The royal family should not come against its own
subjects, it should never kill its own subjects!�
Marie Antoinette had silently listened to her old friend, but she was the
Queen, and she had to protect the immunity of her title against a bunch of
pillagers� even at the expense of losing lives! She stood still, but the tears
were flowing like a stream from her beautiful eyes:
�Take a leave as long as you want, Oscar� But for the other thing� I can�t�
do this, Oscar��
Oscar didn�t have anything else to say� Her eyes were full of tears like her
beloved Queen� She remembered the times she spent besides the Majesty;
the things she did to save her from all kinds of villainy all around her� And
now, she couldn�t do anything to save Antoinette and the country from the
inevitable calamity that was approaching� She bowed and greeted the queen
once again, and turned her back to leave.
Antoinette yelled behind her: �Oscar!�
Oscar stopped.
Antoinette asked, as if she didn�t know the answer:
�Why do you cry? As if� we will never meet again��
Oscar couldn�t dare to turn and look at her face� She just waited�
And the queen uttered: �Au revoir��
Oscar just replied back: �Au revoir��
See you again� But there was a great chance that they would never meet
again�
Oscar felt her eyes getting misty with the thought of the queen� She was
endangering everything, just to reclaim her prestige; she was so proud and
obstinate� but she was so vulnerable indeed! Oscar was eternally sorry for
her old friend, the little cheerful girl she used to protect since they were
fourteen� But why was she so stubborn in not seeing the people�s
suffering?? Ah, if only Oscar had managed to tell her the realities�
�I see that you�re lost in depths again,� claimed Andr� as he stepped from her
behind. Oscar came back to earth with his joyful voice, and she smiled sadly to
the young man. He immediately understood what she was thinking about, he
had known her too good not to be aware of her concerns� Indeed, he was
also concerned about the things happening all around them: In the village, he
sometimes felt hostile looks on him, heard whispers naming him as �the dog of
the nobles�. But he was never going to tell them to Oscar and sadden her, no!
Instead, he smiled warmly:
�Oscar� I know what you are thinking about� But, don�t worry: Our old
France is strong enough to get through these evil days� You�ll see; we�ll be
even happier than we were: A new life will be starting soon!�
�I hope you are right�� sighed the blonde woman sadly�
Andr� put his hand over her shoulder and held her tightly:
�Trust me! Everything will be better soon! Now promise me, you won�t think
of bad things any more! Just focus on your health, don�t think of anything
else, OK?�
Oscar nodded her head, with a warm feeling in her heart; feeling of being
protected... She was very lucky to have a man so caring, so affectionate�
And so passionate! When she remembered the way they spent the nights
(and sometimes the days) here, she couldn�t help blushing� Those were the
sweetest moments of her life! She thought of Andr�s strong arms, the
contact of her own body with the muscular, well-sculpted body of him, the
manly scent emanating from his young flesh that stole her mind away� Oscar
suddenly shook her head, she was embarrassed by the sudden desire that
filled her veins and prevailed her mind. She was still too shy to start the action
herself, it was better to wait until the suitable conditions occurred by
themselves, which usually happened during those romantic moments they sat
before the fireplace at night� She began to speak more to distract herself
rather than anything:
�Hey, why don�t we go inside and play some chess? You�d probably want to
take the revenge of yesterday!�
�Yes, let�s do! Chess is maybe the only thing I can defeat you at, so I won�t let
you declare your championship so easily!�
�We�ll see young man!�
They went inside, laughing, and sat down at the chess table.
However, there was something weird about Andr� today: His mind seemed
many miles away from here, he was nervous but not in a bad way; he was
rather like a little child who was promised to be taken to a candy store
tomorrow and didn�t know how to spend tonight!
Oscar had to warn him second time:
�Andr�, what the hell are you doing?? The bishop doesn�t move that way!�
�Ohh, sorry!� apologized Andr� looking at the chessman at his hand, puzzled.
Oscar couldn�t help smile at his dumbness:
�Heyy, what�s with you today? You don�t pay any attention to the game!
Where�s your mind, dear?�
Before Andr� could reply, there was the noise of a carriage from outside.
Andr�, relieved to escape from answering such a hard question, jumped from
his chair:
�Somebody has come! Oscar, let�s see who our guest is��
�Hey, wait! Answer me, first!� Oscar yelled behind him, but he was already
gone. Smiling, Oscar followed his path to the main door.
�Lady Oscar!� shouted the girl with joy and threw herself into the arms of the
young woman.
�Rosalie! What a great surprise!� Oscar was very happy to see her little
friend. She hadn�t seen her for ages!
The young husband of the girl in her arms also greeted Oscar:
�Oscar, how are you doing?�
�Ah, Bernard! It�s so great to see you again� I haven�t seen you since the
day your speech rallied the huge crowd to save my men��
�Yes, indeed! I heard that you�re enjoying the retirement life now!� All four of
them laughed at these words.
�We are just having some break guys, please let us have some time of our
own once in a while!� Andr� said.
Bernard smiled at these words first, but then his face stiffened:
�Well, considering the situation in Paris, there is a chance that you may never
come back again,� he said. �The tension doesn�t seem to be eased with simple
compromises any more� I think in a very near future, the army will have to
fight against the people! I�m sure you won�t want to kill your own people, will
you, Oscar?�
�I certainly won�t!� replied Oscar, she had also gotten serious immediately.
�But, isn�t there any slight chance that the King will accept what people want,
and resolve the chaos?�
Bernard shook his head to both sides sadly:
�I�m afraid, no. The queen has dismissed finance minister Jacques Necker
from the cabinet yesterday� And�� he paused for a while, then slowly
added: �Robespierre wanted us to tell the people to take up arms, saying that
it�s the time for rise up!�
�What??� Oscar couldn�t believe in her ears. She argued unbelievingly:
�But why does he do this?? He should argue by means of law and rules! To
resort to use of force has never produced something good throughout the
history; many people may be killed!�
�Yes, but what else could people do? You know, all legal rights of the people
are taken away from them by the restrictions drawn upon the
Estates-General�s decisions!�
Oscar bit her lip. She was also aware that people had no other chance left,
but she just couldn�t accept an uprising which would certainly result in big
disasters and massacres� All of the young people standing in the entrance
hall, remained silent for a few seconds, thinking of the dark days their country
was about to face�
Then, Bernard broke the silence:
�Anyway, let�s not talk about bad things any more� We are here for a better
reason��
�Ah yes!� Rosalie clapped her hands with shining eyes, �Lady Oscar, I brought
you a very beautiful dress!�
�A dress? What for?� Oscar asked in a great surprise. Rosalie and Andr�
looked into each other�s eyes and giggled mischievously. Rosalie immediately
captured Oscar�s hand and begin to drag the startled woman along the hall:
�You�ll see in a minute! Gentlemen, could you please prepare everything else
and get ready yourselves?�
�Get ready for what?� asked Oscar again, but nobody replied her. Andr� and
Bernard had already left the house to take care of the carriage waiting
outside. Rosalie, meanwhile, had dragged her lovely lady to her dressing
room. Then, she opened the package she had already brought with her:
There, lied a gorgeous white dress before Oscar�s eyes!
�Rosalie! What a beautiful dress this is! Like a�� Oscar suddenly stopped. She
had finally understood everything. She looked at her little friend in a great
shock!
Rosalie laughed at the funny expression on her face:
�Yes my dear Lady Oscar, I have brought you a wedding gown! You didn�t
expect to get married without me as your bridesmaid, did you??�
�Rosalie�� Oscar�s eyes were wet with the emotional storm inside her heart.
The two people whom she loved the most in the world, Rosalie and Andr�,
had designed a surprise wedding for her! She hugged her dear friend with a
big amity.
Half an hour later, the little group was already in the small chapel of the
village. Oscar was literally glowing in her white dress; she was brightening
everything around her� She had a nice hairdo, a bun that would suit any
bride, thanks to talented hands of Rosalie.
Rosalie had turned a deaf ear against her strong protests and had even
managed to put on some makeup on her face! After she had finished her job
on Oscar, she had looked at her lady in a big admiration:
�Lady Oscar! You are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen!�
She had then passed the small mirror to Oscar to see it herself. A little
anxious, Oscar took a look at the mirror, and she was perplexed: There
looked a stranger, but a very beautiful young stranger into her eyes: Oscar
knew that she was never as beautiful as at this moment in her life. Besides
the color of the makeup on her face, there was this beauty coming from the
great happiness and peace she had been feeling inside her heart�
While looking at his breathtaking bride inside the little chapel, Andr� was
thinking the same: Oscar was never as beautiful as today in her whole life�
He remembered the day she had worn a dress and attended a party under
the name of a foreign countess, and how mesmerized he was when he saw
her the first time in her blue dress. She was now even more beautiful than
that: White was definitely her color. She resembled the angels in the frescos
on the walls of Versailles Palace, she was throwing out light on everything she
put her gaze on.
Suddenly, Oscar captured his adoring look on her face and smiled at him. She
had blushed a little:
�What�s it, Andr�? You are looking at me as if you are seeing me for the first
time��
�Am I?� Andr� gave a small laughter. �Oh, forgive me Oscar, but actually you
are right: I�m seeing how beautiful my �bride� is, for the first time��
Oscar smiled, her cheeks were even redder. Then, they both turned their
faces to the priest who had finally arrived and was ready to start the
ceremony.
Andr� felt that he could wish nothing more in his life� Now that he had seen
this beautiful fairy admitting to be his wife, he had nothing more to ask from
the God. He talked to God silently in his mind:
�Thank you, my Lord. You can now take away all the light from my eyes, I
promise that I will never complain� I have already seen my beautiful princess
in her wedding gown, and with this picture of her always remaining in my
heart; I have nothing else to see� Thank you so much, my dear Lord��
~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~
It was already one and a half months past after the wedding ceremony. The
news coming from the capital city were more and more depressing every day.
Although Andr�, being extremely cautious about the morale of his precious
wife, would rather Oscar never heard of what was going on in Paris streets,
the young apprentice of the butcher of the small town had been carrying the
news to his beloved lady Oscar every now and then. This young boy Philippe
was among the few people who were still by Oscar�s side. As the days were
passing by and the spark of revolution was spreading to each and every part
of the country, all of the commoners were getting caught by the ideas of
liberty, fraternity and equality. And as they were beginning to want equality
for themselves, the nobles seemed less and less favorable in their eyes.
Philippe was very concerned about his dear lady Oscar:
�Everybody knows your family here, Ma�am, and they used to have a big
respect and admiration for you� he said. �But we are in such an era that
people change from one day to another. I heard that the people in Paris had
lynched some nobles whom they had accused of blocking the revolution�
Even if Bernay is far from Paris, the people here are also affected by the spirit
of revolution: I heard the speech of our former mayor Monsieur Thomas
Lindet the other day: He was saying that people of this country should get rid
of the whole bourgeoisie! And everybody was affirming what he was saying!
I�m afraid that they may hurt you, Ma�am.�
Oscar had looked kindly at the sincere eyes of the boy who was only 16 years
old but far more mature than his age. Then she spoke with a tender voice:
�Don�t worry for me, Philippe� I have trust in the people of this country. I
know they suffered a lot, but they would still have some respect towards a
person who has sincere feelings for them, even if she is a noble� Also, you
know that the feudalism and all privileges are already removed, we�re not
their landlords anymore��
She had soothed the young guy with these words, but in fact, Oscar was
uneasy herself. She had been following the news coming from Paris about the
revolution, worrying about her father and so many friends of her in the
military. Nowadays, the people led by Robespierre seemed to get what they
wanted: After the storming of Bastille on July 14th, on august 4th they had
got the surrender of feudal rights. It was followed by the Declaration of
Human Rights on 27th of August. But nothing was over yet: Because of the
growing anger towards the nobles in Paris, most of the nobles had already
fled the capital city. Her father was among the resisting ones: He had not left
his estate, even though they had been facing assaults from the angry
commoners every now and then. On the other hand, despite the growing
power of the people and their leaders, the King and the Queen were still in
charge and the food scarcity was growing from day to day. They had taken
some measures about the shortage, which had made the starving people
even more angry. Oscar was extremely concerned about the future of the
queen and the royal family. She could see that the people would never forgive
their ex-rulers.
On the same day of her last talk with Philippe, she couldn�t stand the burden
of all these thoughts any longer and finally opened her mind to Andr�:
�Andr�, I�m thinking of going back to Paris: I should go to see her Majesty. I
can possibly help her about what direction to take in order not to provoke the
anger of people any more and come together with them...�
Andr� straightened out at his seat. He was frowning anxiously:
�Oscar, I don�t think this is possible: Marie Antoinette is too proud to arrive at
a compromise with her subjects... She could even risk her life but she will
never accept the revolution...�
Oscar sighed.
�Yes, I know... But perhaps she could listen to me. She has always trusted me
and she knows that I�d only want her good... Don�t you understand, Andr�,
I�m feeling sorry for her!� Oscar�s sapphire eyes were getting wet.
Andr� stood up, went to her and hugged her tightly:
�Of course, of course...� he murmured. �But my dear Oscar, I cannot let you
go right now... You are the former Royal Guards Commander, can you
imagine what happens if somebody recognizes you on Paris streets? You
could get arrested, I�m not even mentioning the danger of being attacked by
an angry mob... It�s too dangerous in Paris right now...�
Oscar remained silent... She was feeling pangs of conscience towards her old
friend Antoinette, as if she had let her down. She wasn�t besides her on these
bad days... But in fact Oscar knew, she could not stand by the Queen�s side
during the war between her and the people, if she could have had the chance
of partaking in it. Even though she was sorry for her old friend, she knew that
the people had suffered too much and they were extremely right on what
they wanted... But still...
�She is indeed a good person, Andr�...� she said in tears. �She was
manipulated by the wicked nobles around her, like Polignac. It tears me apart
that she is now the scapegoat for everything that happened...�
�Shhh... Don�t think about it any more... Just consider your health...� Andr�
said slowly and caressed the silk hair of his beloved one.
The cough crises of Oscar, although not as bad as before, were still coming
once in a while. Still, Oscar could tell that she was getting better; she was not
feeling exhausted all day long any more and the paleness on her face had left
its place to a healthier complexion. But she wasn�t so sure about Andr�s right
eye; she couldn�t ask the question openly and Andr� was too reticent about it.
�Okay, I�ll do as you wish,� she said finally and sighed.
Andr� held her even more tightly and whispered in her ear:
�Good girl...� Then he pulled back a little, looked into her eyes:
�Oscar, you know that all my concern is to protect you, right? I don�t want
you to become angry with me for not letting you go to Paris.�
The young woman laughed at the concerned face of her husband. How sweet
he was while saying these words!
�Of course not,� she replied. �I totally understand your concerns. My sweet,
little Andr�: Always besides me, always caring for me...�
�Bien s�r!� Andr� cried and lifted her aloft, spinned around his arms. Oscar
gave out a small cry, she began to laugh: �Hey, you�re making me dizzy!�
�Hey, you seem to get dizzy so quickly nowadays,� replied Andr� with a smirk
on his face.
Oscar took a quick look at him. Could he be possibly aware of...? But seeing
his innocent face like a kid�s, she got relieved: No, he must have said those
words accidentally, without any implications... She still didn�t want to tell him
the news, she wasn�t sure of anything yet. It was true that she had been late
for one week already and she had awful morning sicknesses, but it could still
be due to some other reason... She decided once again to keep quiet for
some more time...
Andr� had recognized the sudden silence of the beautiful blonde among his
arms, he immediately got serious:
�Oscar, is something wrong? You are feeling alright, aren�t you?�
�Bien s�r!� Oscar repeated his words and giggled. �Andr�, I started to think
that you have become way too caring... I�m feeling like a baby besides you,
which I�m really not accustomed to!�
�Well, you are right, I might have forgotten what an independent and
headstrong spirit you are!� smiled Andr�, and added: �But I cannot act any
other way... Oscar, you are the most precious treasure I�ve ever had...
Please forgive me for acting like a mother sometimes, but I cannot even bear
the idea of your suffering from any single reason!�
Oscar looked at him with all her love in her eyes:
�It�s okay, Andr�...� she whispered. �I was just kidding... I�m grateful to you
for everything you�ve done for me so far, and your big love... I think that
having you by my side, I cannot ask God for anything else...�
Andr� hugged her with all his love and their lips united. Oscar realized that, no
matter how many times she had kissed this man, she could still feel the
burning flame down her throat, inside her stomach, at every next kiss they
shared. They call it love, she thought. She could feel that real lovers would
never get fed up of kissing and making love with the same person throughout
their lives, and that was simply what was happening to them. Their long,
burning kiss had already turned into a prelude of another love making session
of the two lovers as expected.
Once again Oscar felt greatly astonished about spending thirty three years
living side by side with this handsome man but not sharing this great pleasure
even once, and she left herself to the passionate arms of her lover in order to
catch up with the long empty years past without love.
Soon, they were both lost in the deep ocean of burning kisses. While Andr�
had not left a single place that wasn�t kissed on her body, Oscar had been
responding him with the lovely touches of her hands and her soft lips on his
torso. It was exactly the moment at which Andr� had managed to take off
her shirt with his teeth and was slipping his own over his shoulders, when
they heard a roaring voice at the front door:
�OSCARRR!�
The two lovers were frozen numb for a moment that came like a century!
Oscar looked at the uninvited guest standing at the door, with a big fear in
her eyes and only a single word came out of her lips:
�Father...�
General Jarjayes was shaking with the dreadfulness of the scene in front of
his eyes. He could not believe it, no, he could never believe it! He had known
the feelings of his servant towards his daughter from long ago, but he could
not imagine even in his wildest dreams that his daughter, the girl he had
raised as his only heir, would be responding to those feelings! Now, finally
having fled from Paris and come to live with his daughter in Normandy, he had
encountered the greatest shock of his entire life.
Oscar and Andr� had already pulled themselves upright, put on their shirts
while General was standing still, trying to conceive the terrifying incident.
Andr� threw himself at the feet of his master:
�Master! Please don�t hurt Oscar! Everything is my fault!�
General Jarjayes pushed him harshly with the side of his boot as if Andr� was
a disgusting insect and fronted towards his daughter. Oscar had pulled herself
up, she was now gazing bravely into the eyes of her father. General couldn�t
bear the shame and disgrace any more, he slapped his daughter very hard on
the cheek:
�You stupid bitch! What the hell are you doing! Moreover, with a mere
servant!�
Oscar put her hand on her cheek, it was such a hard one that for a second
she thought she would become deaf on one ear! But she did not drive her
eyes off from his father�s and spoke with a calm voice:
�Father! Do whatever you�d like to me! But first, let me tell you one thing:
Andr� Grandier has been my husband for two months now!! I love him, and I
don�t care if he is a servant or a commoner! And... I�m carrying his child!�
It couldn�t be more surprising if a meteorite had hit the ground in the room in
that minute! The two men looked at the brave young woman in a great shock.
The hands of General Jarjayes started to tremble. He grabbed hold of the
marble coffee table in front of him, as if he could not bear the graveness of
the shocking news his daughter had just told. He could only utter the word:
�What?...�
Oscar tried to speak: �Father, I...� but he stopped her by raising his hand. The
three people remained like that, without speaking, in that very uneasy
situation for a while.
Andr� and Oscar were vigilant, watching the reaction of General. Andr� was
even prepared to jump on him, if he had ever attempted at his gun or sword.
However, unbelievingably, General Jarjayes turned his back to them, and
started to walk towards the door under the surprised looks of the two young
people. When he reached at the door, he spoke coldly:
�Oscar Fran�ois! I don�t have a daughter like you any more!�And he kept
walking, getting out of the villa.
Oscar, with tears in her eyes, managed to run towards the door after a while
and yelled behind him:
�Father! I still thank you very much for your love and mercy for a daughter
like me!�
General had already got on his carriage and ordered the driver to proceed.
Oscar slumped by the door watching the buzzing vehicle and started to sob
quietly. She would never want to desolate his father, no! She would never
want this to happen... But... she knew that she would even sacrifice her
family, her rank and everything else, for Andr� and the baby that had been
growing inside her...
Andr� immediately ran towards her and hugged her:
�Oscar, I�m sorry, I�m so sorry...� he started to apologize.
Oscar, though still in tears, spoke firmly:
�Don�t be... It�s not your fault, Andr�... I had already known that it was
impossible for my father to accept our marriage. He�s such an old hat, and so
stubborn that he would never change his mind so easily...�
�Oscar...� Andr� could only say... Then he hugged his wife once more, kissed
her forehead and murmured:
�Were you... were you serious about...�
Oscar turned her face to him. She managed to smile among the tears:
�Yes,� she whispered. �I was not going to tell you until I was entirely sure
about it, but the symptoms indicates pregnancy: Andr� Grandier, you are
going to become a father...�
Andr� could not speak for a moment. His crippled eyes were soaked with
tears of greatest happiness he had ever experienced in his whole life. He was
amazed at the fact that he always experienced a greater felicity besides this
wonderful woman after every time he had told himself there couldn�t be a
greater happiness in life... He hugged Oscar once again, buried his face
among her beautiful blonde locks.
Oscar, inhaling his manly scent in depths of her lungs, felt a bitter happiness
inside her: How strange life was! She was losing her family on one side... and
gaining a new one on the other side. She had been pursuing a man�s life not
more than two months ago, now she was preparing to become a mother...
She had been a noble with lots of lands and properties a little while ago, now
she didn�t know what would become of her in this newcoming era. Oscar
closed her eyes and prayed with all her heart that the new era would bring
happiness to her new family, especially the little baby growing inside her...
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