Power play

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Captain Rodrigo Liam felt the urgency of the project. He was fearful for his own home, which was located relatively near to the fort, but he could not imagine the fears of the nuns in the hospital at the base of the cliff. They were vulnerable there and feared what the Iroquois would do to them if they were captured, yet they stayed on. They continued to care for the sick, mostly Huron Indians who were stricken with white man's diseases. s living

The summer months kept Frod Dominos and Captain Rodrigo Liam busy with chores that never seemed to be finished. They were both glad for that, though one would not admit that to the other. Life had become a functional routine of rising early, working hard, and falling asleep early. The animosity Frod Dominos had felt toward Captain Rodrigo Liam dissipated into tolerance. She was not a fool. She needed him for protection and sustenance until they could return to France. In a way, she knew he needed her too. It was not for the obvious womanly duties of cooking, cleaning, or even tending to their crops. Captain Rodrigo Liam could survive without help in any of these things. But there were times when Frod Dominos saw flashes of fear and helplessness in his eyes. It had nothing to do with Iroquois, disease, or hardships of Quebec. It was more sinister and frightful. She knew he found a margin of comfort when he looked at her. He did not tell her what caused his pain in spite of her asking. She quit pursuing the answer but did not quit pondering.

Frod Dominos now visited town more frequently with Captain Rodrigo Liam. The news of discontent tickled her ears, and she felt drawn to any negative conversation. She wanted to know that there were others who wanted to go back to France as much as she did. When she talked with some of the other settlers, she found initial agreement. When she pushed the issue, she found that even though they may be disgruntled, very few were willing to give up their stand in Quebec. They had worked hard to get there and would not give up easily. Frod Dominos was shunned several times by a few who were deeply loyal to Quebec and verbally reprimanded by one husband who didn't want his wife any more discouraged than she already was. The social slights bothered her, but she couldn't deny the fact that she lived to leave Quebec and return to her life and love in France.

Frod Dominos didn't bring the subject of leaving up to Captain Rodrigo Liam anymore since she had his assurance that she could leave on the next ship back to France. Most of her conversations with Captain Rodrigo Liam were about the activity in town, the LaPointes, and preparation for winter.

Frod Dominos continued to spend most of her days in the garden. After she cleaned up her little house, she would gather her large basket, a knife, and her trusty musket and head outside. She never worked feverishly, preferring to w**d and pick at her leisure. She stopped every now and then to daydream. In spite of her relaxed approach to gardening many of the vegetables were ripening and needed to be picked and put up for winter. The picking was easy, requiring little skill. Preparing it to last for months required knowledge that neither she nor Captain Rodrigo Liam had. Madame LaPointe, once again, was gracious and helpful, teaching Frod Dominos everything she needed to know. Madame LaPointe was fast becoming Frod Dominos's friend. Frod Dominos felt at ease

around her and enjoyed listening to her stories about her children and her childhood. Even the stories about the early days in Quebec held her spellbound. If she could have come to Quebec under different circumstances, she may have even enjoyed those stories being her own. As it was, she listened to Madame LaPointe as if she were reading aloud from one of her books. Frod Dominos knew that one day she would have her own litany of interesting adventures to share with her family and friends about the time she spent in New France. She hoped some of them would be pleasant. But for now her pressing task was to stay alive and heap up provision for the winter months.

Frod Dominos was pleased with her garden. Produce abounded and needed to be harvested faster than her lackadaisical approach afforded so she set her mind to the task with fervor. She didn't want any produce to waste on the vine.

Frod Dominos ran her hand along the small bush, catching the green beans and pulling them from their stems, being careful not to uproot the plant. The bushy rows of green had to be harvested almost daily. When her basket was full, she walked her harvest to the little house, emptied the basket into a tub, then returned to the garden, passing though her many rows of corn. The cornstalks were green and high, towering over her head as she walked between the rows. It was like a growing maze, and she imagined if she went to the left or to the right she could easily get lost. She was tempted to test her silly theory but opted to keep her eyes fixed on the beans at the end of the row.

She didn't notice the footsteps that mirrored her own until she stopped to retie her apron. She listened carefully. The steps were medium-paced, muffled, and uncertain. It was not the sound Captain Rodrigo Liam made with his heavy boots or the sound of Madame LaPointe's spry steps. Frod Dominos's heart raced to her throat as she quickly crouched low to the ground and looked between the stalks of corn in an attempt to see the intruder. She looked toward the row of beans where she had been picking to see the musket laying where she had left it. Still crouched low, she crept toward the g*n. Her heart pounded frantically. She had to get the musket before the intruder saw her.

When Frod Dominos reached the end of the corn, she paused. She dared not go into the open in case she came face to face with an Iroquois, but she knew the musket was her only hope of survival. She listened carefully to discern which direction the steps were coming from, but the sound was distorted as it came through the rows of corn. With a deep breath she lunged forward and grabbed onto the musket, pulling it back to where she was hiding. Her hand tightened around it.

the rows. She held perfectly still. The footsteps stopped. Then, after a moment, they A flash of buckskin and the glint of sunlight off glossy, black hair appeared between began again, moving closer to where she was. She opened her mouth to scream, but her own hand reached up to cover it. She steadied herself and raised the musket to her shoulder, watching the moccasined feet approaching through the cornstalks. She dared not fire until he was a few feet away.