Reign of Fear: Story of French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars (Cantiniére Tales) by Alaric Longward Page B
Authors: Alaric Longward
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get up, but Colbert, looking aghast at the dying man, pushed her down.
I grasped the other pistol, and now my hand was shaking. Colbert eyed me, truly shocked and scared. ‘How could you? We are relatives!’ I screamed at him in tears. The twins were staring at us; their eyes open wide, sniffling.
He shrugged uncertainly as he saw Adam go white, with barely a twitch in his leg. Blood was leaking profusely on to the floor. Colbert turned to me, hiding his nudity with his old hands. He scowled as he eyed the gun, concern playing on his face, and I swear he tried to tug in his belly. He gathered himself, and took a scholarly note. ‘Your father, he was a nothing, Jeanette, and his nothingness, in the eyes of God, condemned you all to servitude. What kind of servitude would one expect? Cleaning? Your mother, she is a willful, beautiful woman, so it was only natural, dear. Make no mistake; no man would pass such an opportunity. Now, you are going to jail, Jeanette. For this murder, for Gilbert, no doubt. Put the pistol away, it has gone too far.’
No man would pass on such an opportunity, he said? ‘No! You will join him, and then you can print books for the devil!’ I yelled, and tried to pull the trigger, but it was then, when Madame Fourier in her nasty corpulence somehow sneaked up on me, and took the gun away and slapped me down. She eyed me malevolently.
‘Shooting him, you fool girl, will make me homeless, and devoid of a man and business partner,’ she said, as she walked next to Colbert, who, relieved, kissed her hand gently. I had never understood they were sleeping with each other, and evidently, Colbert’s appetites for other women did not bother her over much. I did not understand any of it, for I dreamt of princes and true love, though I did not know what that meant, other than what the book s had taught me. They were fine stories in those pages and the ballad singers and poets told of similar, wondrous things, but I had heard no terrifying stories of things like this nightmare, and I was so confused, my will to fight them stretched and broken by the terrible demons looking down at me, and I cried bitterly, in terror. I moved for my mother, but Madame Fourier gestured at me with a pistol and I stopped hesitantly, sobbing. ‘What shall we do with her?’ she asked Colbert. ‘And the useless babies?’
He shrugged, tired. ‘I will need to sell the useless business now, nobody left in the family.’ Adam stopped shivering on the floor. ‘We have to get rid of them, and find other pleasures in this world.’
‘You fancy the small one?’ She asked, gesturing at me lazily, smiling evilly, and I felt all-encompassing fear gnaw at me, as the old man glanced my way. He had always patted my head gently when I passed, and I never thought he had other motives than affection. His eyes sought mine, and likely read what I thought about.
He shook his head, apparently the demon inside him exhausted by the losses he had endured. ‘No, I do not. It’s Jeanette, after all, and it is just a mess, a horrid mess worth crying over. I will not have her, but I will not let her go, and will hire some very insensitive men to take care of them. I know some, many, in fact ,’ he muttered. ‘Make her immobile, then fetch some money from the cache, if you can move it, and hire that butcher’s gang,’ he said casually and pointed at me. I stiffened in fear, considering bolting for the door, but I was dizzy and Madame Fourier was coming quickly, her stiff silk dress swishing as her face had a curious look of perverse pleasure at the violence she was about to engage in. She lifted the brutal pistol, and meant to smack me with it, mother screamed muffled denial and Colbert sighed as he picked up his pants, and glanced out of the window. ‘Nobody seems to care, loves. Very good.’
He was wrong.
A shadow moved from the doorway, as Georges Danton pushed in. He swung a heavy baton at the surprised Madame Fourier, whose face
I grasped the other pistol, and now my hand was shaking. Colbert eyed me, truly shocked and scared. ‘How could you? We are relatives!’ I screamed at him in tears. The twins were staring at us; their eyes open wide, sniffling.
He shrugged uncertainly as he saw Adam go white, with barely a twitch in his leg. Blood was leaking profusely on to the floor. Colbert turned to me, hiding his nudity with his old hands. He scowled as he eyed the gun, concern playing on his face, and I swear he tried to tug in his belly. He gathered himself, and took a scholarly note. ‘Your father, he was a nothing, Jeanette, and his nothingness, in the eyes of God, condemned you all to servitude. What kind of servitude would one expect? Cleaning? Your mother, she is a willful, beautiful woman, so it was only natural, dear. Make no mistake; no man would pass such an opportunity. Now, you are going to jail, Jeanette. For this murder, for Gilbert, no doubt. Put the pistol away, it has gone too far.’
No man would pass on such an opportunity, he said? ‘No! You will join him, and then you can print books for the devil!’ I yelled, and tried to pull the trigger, but it was then, when Madame Fourier in her nasty corpulence somehow sneaked up on me, and took the gun away and slapped me down. She eyed me malevolently.
‘Shooting him, you fool girl, will make me homeless, and devoid of a man and business partner,’ she said, as she walked next to Colbert, who, relieved, kissed her hand gently. I had never understood they were sleeping with each other, and evidently, Colbert’s appetites for other women did not bother her over much. I did not understand any of it, for I dreamt of princes and true love, though I did not know what that meant, other than what the book s had taught me. They were fine stories in those pages and the ballad singers and poets told of similar, wondrous things, but I had heard no terrifying stories of things like this nightmare, and I was so confused, my will to fight them stretched and broken by the terrible demons looking down at me, and I cried bitterly, in terror. I moved for my mother, but Madame Fourier gestured at me with a pistol and I stopped hesitantly, sobbing. ‘What shall we do with her?’ she asked Colbert. ‘And the useless babies?’
He shrugged, tired. ‘I will need to sell the useless business now, nobody left in the family.’ Adam stopped shivering on the floor. ‘We have to get rid of them, and find other pleasures in this world.’
‘You fancy the small one?’ She asked, gesturing at me lazily, smiling evilly, and I felt all-encompassing fear gnaw at me, as the old man glanced my way. He had always patted my head gently when I passed, and I never thought he had other motives than affection. His eyes sought mine, and likely read what I thought about.
He shook his head, apparently the demon inside him exhausted by the losses he had endured. ‘No, I do not. It’s Jeanette, after all, and it is just a mess, a horrid mess worth crying over. I will not have her, but I will not let her go, and will hire some very insensitive men to take care of them. I know some, many, in fact ,’ he muttered. ‘Make her immobile, then fetch some money from the cache, if you can move it, and hire that butcher’s gang,’ he said casually and pointed at me. I stiffened in fear, considering bolting for the door, but I was dizzy and Madame Fourier was coming quickly, her stiff silk dress swishing as her face had a curious look of perverse pleasure at the violence she was about to engage in. She lifted the brutal pistol, and meant to smack me with it, mother screamed muffled denial and Colbert sighed as he picked up his pants, and glanced out of the window. ‘Nobody seems to care, loves. Very good.’
He was wrong.
A shadow moved from the doorway, as Georges Danton pushed in. He swung a heavy baton at the surprised Madame Fourier, whose face
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