Free Love's Vengeance by Dana Roquet Page A

lately?” he teased.
    Desiree looked at the three before her and then to Philippe at her side. He watched her intently; leaning his arms upon his knees, his chin resting upon his folded hands, expectant. She would have answered in a lighthearted vein as Antoine had asked but she knew that beneath the light words, they honestly wanted and deserved to know her reasons. Solemnly she began, while looking one by one to each of the four.
    “In a matter of weeks, I have lost my father, my mother, my home—nearly every material possession. And I have lost more than this. I have lost my freedom, my security. My whole life has changed! I don’t walk out of this house without fearing what may await me. I am guarded constantly, night and day and it is not part of my nature to live in fear. I shall find passage to the colonies—go to my Aunt Colette’s home and see a new land and my only relatives—without fearing for my safety or the safety of those I love—which includes all of you! What befell my parents and almost myself could be repeated at any time. I want some time away and I know—it shall not solve the problem, but in some instances it is better to run away from a foe rather than to attempt to fight—especially when your foe has no form which can be battled.” She leaned back in her seat, indicating she had finished her piece.
    Honore’ cleared his throat and spoke up, taking the first swipe at her resolve, “For a young beautiful woman to travel with only the company of her maid is foolhardy Desiree. Then to board a ship—a ship full of men that shall be in close proximity for a long voyage—it could be…dangerous!” he nervously looked to his companions for assistance.
    “What he means…” Antoine continued in his stead, “Is that sailors are not known to be the most gallant—” he paused.
    “What Antoine is trying to say is that you may find yourself—they could…” Rene’ attempted but also faltered, so quickly changed the subject, “And there is your arrival at the colonies, finding your aunt! It is just too large an undertaking! If you must leave—go to Paris! Travel Scotland, Wales, England—somewhere closer to home!”
    Desiree shook her head decidedly, “No I have been to Paris and I have no desire to travel England or the rest. Listen to me—Bridgett has no qualms!—Not in the least. She grew up in Liverpool. She is familiar with ships and sailors. She has no fear for our safety. Goodness, you make it sound as though civility has forgotten the waterfront! I have met many of my father’s sailors and they are fine, decent men. As for the colonies, I shall be going to a port town. My Aunt lives near the port and I shall have no trouble locating her. I have sent word already which shall precede our arrival and she will be looking for us.” she laughed gently, “Next question.”
    “In that case, since you are so sure of your father’s men, take one of his ships or Francois’, he has a vessel.” Antoine pleaded.
    “Once more my reasoning there is sound. For I want no forewarning of what ship I will be taking. I wish to arrange this with a party completely disassociated with myself. The only way to do this, is to search out and attain passage on my own and immediately before my departure and with this task, Bridgett shall assist me.”
    Philippe reached out, taking her hand, “Well Ma Cherie ’ how long do you plan to be gone?” he chuckled, resigning himself.
    “Philippe!—you are not helping matters!” Honore’ growled kicking Philippe’s chair soundly.
    “She has her head set on it.” Philippe grinned, patting Desiree’s hand, “Once she is set on something, no amount of talk will change her mind and all of you know that as well as I.”
    “Finally! The voice of reason!” Desiree laughed, leaning over and hugging Philippe excitedly.
    “How long will you be gone?” Antoine grumbled.
    “I hadn’t thought on that—it shall depend. A year possibly.”
    “A year!”