Monday, June 13, 2011

Elizabeth Laurier-Beaumont, Chp. 5, Gen. 1, 1705


~April, 1705~
Dear Diary:

      I haven't been feeling very well again. This is a sure sign that baby #3 is coming! I truly am so thankful that I have been able to give birth to two beautiful little girls. Emilie is my spark of hope on a dreary day. She has shown me not to give up. Felicity is so small, but I love sniffing her fuzzy head- don't laugh! She smells like sweet wild berries.

      I can't believe that my dream of a home full of children is actually coming true. It seemed so far away before, but now it is in my grasp. I hope Claude won't change his mind about having many children. I secretly know it will be hard to fit all of us in one tiny house. Claude has not said anything about this, but I have a feeling he knows it. Maybe he knows how much it means to me.
      When I feel sad, I think of Emilie and how I should never give up.

      With love,
 
               Elizabeth
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     Claude was very happy to hear the news about the third baby. Elizabeth noticed he spent more time with Felicity and Emilie.  
      "I want them to know that we will love each and every one of them the same. There are no favorites," Claude replied when Elizabeth asked him about it. 
      "I agree, Claude," she said, "I think each child should feel like they are treated equally. At least Emilie is getting old enough to know that our attention is divided between her and the other children. We need to stress to them that we love them all the same."

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     Elizabeth was working hard on Emilie's speaking skills. 
     "Sweetie, can you say 'Papa' for me?" 
     "No." 
     "Well, just try. Pa-" 
     "Puh." Emilie squealed. Elizabeth smilied. "Try saying it, Sweetie." 
     Emilie got a stern look on her face. "Pah... Peh... Pah-puh! Papa!" 
     "Yes! Good girl!" Elizabeth laughed. "Can you say Felicity?" 
     "Fewity! Fehwicidy. Yay! Fehwicidy!" All Elizabeth could do was smile at her daughter.
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     Claude willingly continued to allow Elizabeth to use the easel. Elizabeth knew that the creativity would be passed on to her children. Emilie, after all, loved making flower crowns and often put together different colors of flowers together.




     Elizabeth spent many hours playing with Felicity during the pregnancy. Felicity always broke out in a dimpled smile when she saw her mother come near. 
     "You are such a pretty girl. You are going to get along fine with the new baby," Elizabeth said as she kissed Felicity.


     An incredibly warm January night in 1706, January 6-to be exact- welcomed not only one baby, but two! The nurse wrapped the two young girls in pink blankets. Claude and Elizabeth named the children Hettie and Mabeline. Elizabeth was overjoyed at the thought of the two new children who had just become part of their family. Claude and I are creating something much bigger than the two of us. We are creating a large family line. My babies! Elizabeth thought and sighed.







     Now that there were four children (and six total mouths to feed), Elizabeth threw herself into cooking. She quit her seamstress job to be with the children more. There was much more strain on Claude. He knew he needed to earn more income for the family. He told Elizabeth he would gladly do all he could.


     Felicity, once a tiny baby, now had become a tiny tot. Elizabeth noticed a special bond between Felicity and Claude. She was glad to see that. Hopefully, Felicity would not feel jealous of the twins.




     Felicity was so similar to Claude. She had his natural color of hair (Claude's was very light blond, but he had a white wig) and his eye color. She was truly a beautiful girl, and that made Elizabeth very happy to be her mother.


     One evening in late April, Claude found Elizabeth resting on the bed. He joined her. 
     "Claude, what do you think so far? Of what we've done with our lives? I'm just so happy. We have four darling, healthy girls. What more could we ask for?" She sighed, then whispered under her breath, "Well, at least maybe one more child..."
     Claude, apparently, had not heard the last sentence. "I think we have created a marvelous life for ourselves. We have been blessed. Truly blessed. I agree. I wish we would have a boy! He could be my apprentice in the Printer's..." 
      Elizabeth stiffened. Maybe he had heard her last sentence.

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~Early May, 1706~ 
Dear Diary:

     It is becoming nicer outside, so I think today I will take Emilie out to learn to walk. She loves being outside, and sometimes I have to force her in. What better way to teach her to walk in her favorite place?

      With love, 
              Elizabeth 
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     It was a beautiful May morning.




     Emilie seemed to adore learning to walk. Maybe it was just because she was outside.






     After many a trial and error, little Emilie did learn to walk. Elizabeth was so proud of her! 
     "Oh, Emilie! You have done so well today!" Elizabeth said. 
     "Thank you, Mama!" Emilie had finally learned to talk correctly.



      As Emilie bobbled around, Elizabeth watched with wonder. She whispered softly, "My dear Emilie, who will you grow up to be someday?"



      But Emilie was not thinking of what she wanted to be. She just wanted to get a good look at those bright, blooming flowers.



     The next morning, Elizabeth found Claude eating bad food. 
     "Oh, gross," he complained. 
     "What on Earth are you doing?" Elizabeth yelled. 
     "I'm eating this because I wanted to save the good food for Emilie and you. And, I'm not the cook around here." 
     Elizabeth got over her look of surprise and shock, and began to smile. "Claude, if you would have asked me, I would have prepared some good food for you." 
     "Yes, I know you would have, but you were busy with Hettie. I just was thinking about you. And Hettie probably wouldn't have liked the idea of less attention from her mother..." 
     Elizabeth could tell that he was hiding something, but she didn't know what.


     Elizabeth sat down to join him. "I know you're hiding something. Come on, how do you expect me to believe your story?" 
     Claude sighed. It was a few moments before he spoke again.  
     "Elizabeth, Father del Halle was murdered by an Ottawa man yesterday."  
     The food Elizabeth was chewing got stuck. 
     She coughed. "What?" Father del Halle was the minister of the Detroit church. The Beaumonts went every Sunday. 
     Claude spoke again. "That make's Detroit's first murder. And murderer." 
     Elizabeth shook her head, feeling sick. She wondered if it were a fifth baby or because of the situation. She tried hard not to cry. 
     "Claude, why would you try to hide that from me?" 
     "I-I... well, I just didn't want to make you upset and afraid. Afraid for the children." 
     "Claude, the fact that you were trying to hide it from me makes me even more afraid."
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Dear Diary:

Claude doesn't think I can handle difficult events. That makes me upset. He 'didn't want to make me afraid' or 'mad' but him trying to hide it just makes it all worse. I admired Father del Halle. Why did he have to be murdered?

      If Claude is worried about me, he needs to talk to me. Whatever happened to the days when he respected me? When he respected that I started a fire? This situation is no different. I am not weak. I am strong.

      With love,

              Elizabeth

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*The Antique Legacy* 
Elizabeth Laurier-Beaumont

4 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness!!! Wow... I can't wait to see what happens next. o_________o

    ReplyDelete
  2. I really like this! I'll be back to read more soon! Keep up the good work!

    Just to let you know, my blog is now here at:
    http://crzydramaqueen5.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. Okay, thanks Crzydramaqueen5! I'll check it out!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Their children are so beautiful!

    I'm off to read the next chapter!

    ReplyDelete