The Plains of Abraham

Chapter 43

Danielle brought candles. The light allowed me to work in my journal, as well as gaze upon my wife. She also brought blankets. Our diet improved to include mutton and garden vegetables.

"Told you," I said to Adrienne. "It's going to take baby steps, but we'll get through to these people."

Nevertheless the days passed with no new information about our case. I doctored my journal, improving passages with recalled memories and with the perspective of hindsight. Scenes of torture I'd softened or glossed over got a rewrite. It was best to tell the story as it happened and not hold back on account of delicate or squeamish readers.

The sex scenes were a different matter. It had been hard enough just mentioning the subject. I raised the issue with Adrienne.

She asked, "Do you enjoy having sex with me?"

"Enjoy is not the word to describe it. Sex with you is a drug that induces ecstasy, and to which I am hopelessly addicted."

"Then you aren't ashamed of doing it."

"Not in the least."

"Then there's no reason to be ashamed of writing about it."

Danielle brought soap and buckets of water. She brought toothpaste and toothbrushes. Fresh clothing, combs, razors. She helped cut and style Adrienne's hair.

"Everyone's talking about you two," she said. "The whole town, the whole countryside. As far as I can tell, the whole world."

"What are they saying?" I asked.

"Some are saying you deserve to burn."

"Great."

"But when they say it, their voices falter. More and more each time. People keep disappearing. We think they're joining the exiles."

"We?"

"A handful of us who think alike and get together to compare notes."

"Be careful. One of you might be an informant."

Adrienne asked, "What do you know about the exiles?"

"Not much. They exist, we're sure of that. They're run by Bishop Elijah Bennett. He disappeared, and if his disappearance were haphazard or meaningless the other council members wouldn't have defrocked him, wouldn't be touting his Jesuit sympathies, wouldn't be vilifying him and scaring children with stories of his evil cannibalism. Word is, they live in a camp some distance from the city. That's all we know."

Adrienne and I exchanged glances. We'd been to that camp. There was silent understanding between us that we should say nothing of it.

Danielle got what she needed to keep visiting and supplying us with food and candles. I told her at length about my adventure. I shared advice on how to snare game, locate roots and berries, and generally how to stay alive in the wild. About fending off bears, mosquitoes, and even mice that hankered after food stores. About staying warm in cold weather. How to ride rapids and how to fix canoes afterwards. About the superior intelligence of rabbits.

And about the weaknesses of Bounty Rock. I drew a map of the area. Ellanoy could best be conquered, I confided dishonestly, if the attacking army appeared in force before the palisade wall and demanded unconditional surrender. The Ellanoyans, who infrequently fought off attackers one or two at a time and had no experience facing armies, would see what they were up against and wave a white flag. The kingdom would be Kebek's to own and govern without shedding a drop of blood.