Swamp Wife by Jill Penrod

Author:Jill Penrod
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: sweet romance, coming of age, clean romance, clean and wholesome romance
Publisher: Jill Penrod
Published: 2017-04-03T00:00:00+00:00

ANATOLE AND FLORA RETURNED in a few days, having heard about the auction. Both were shocked and angered by Bastien’s manipulations, and both told Luc he’d been wise not to let Bastien win.

“And where does your family live?” Anatole asked me. I told him they lived near the South Fork Trading Post, and he grinned.

“Ah, not far from Flora and me. Much closer than now. You and Flora can visit.”

Luc said very little. Since his papa’s announcement, he’d said even less than before, wandering around fuming in anger, and I was glad to have someone else here, because his fury frightened me. I didn’t think he would hurt me, exactly, but I also didn’t wish to be with him at the moment.

Flora and I cleaned the furnishings and linens to prepare them for auction while Anatole helped Luc clean up the barns and prepare to auction the animals. We didn’t know if Bastien had promised the land would come with animals or the house with furnishings, but it also didn’t matter.

“I never really looked at any of this,” Flora said, running her hand over one of the kitchen chairs. “Luc did this?”

“When his uncle was alive and his grandpapa was healthy, he had more time.”

“They are beautiful. Emilie, he could build for others. Anatole knows everyone and could find buyers. If this brings him joy, he could do it.”

“Would it make enough money to get us off my family’s land?” I asked. “We have nothing, Flora. No land, no home. We plan to arrive unannounced and beg Leon to let us stay. I’ve told Luc that will be easy, but I’m not sure that’s true.”

“Your brother is that hard a man?”

“He can be. Faustin will say yes, and he’s the oldest, but Leon truly runs the farm. He’s smart, but he isn’t always caring.”

Flora sighed. “Oh, Emilie, I wish there was something you could do. Luc’s grandpapa should have changed things so Bastien could never get this land.”

“I know, but he didn’t, or if he did, we have no way to know. And in truth, I’m not sure Luc could do this on his own, and we had no way to get ahead and hire help. I think this was inevitable. At least this way, we don’t leave because we failed.”

Flora nodded. “I see your point. But still, I wish things were different.”

“You can visit me,” I said. “Meet my mama and Claudette.”

“I will. You won’t be far, unless the bogs shift. And I guess the bogs and rivers always shift, but still, we’ll find a way.”

The auction took place three days before we had to leave, and everything sold. Luc’s furniture fetched many coins, as did the cows. The chickens we almost gave away, and two little girls asked for the cats, and I watched sadly as everything on the land was loaded onto rafts and hauled away. Luc had remained silent most of the day, which was becoming normal for him, and when the last raft left, he let out a long breath.

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