Chapter 3

The Arrival of a Fur Trader

One day everything changed for him. Somebody had come to the house. Things started out normal for him well enough. As usual when any visitor came, he was scurried up the stairs. You remember that whenever anybody came to the house he was forced into the attic until they left. Charles was usually the one to tell them the guest had left and they were free to come out.

Charles seemed unnerved when he came up and gotten them this time. She had to ask.

"This man had brought news to her. News about Madame DeMarigny's son." He muttered low to her but his voice carried. Prince who listened on attentively heard what Charles was trying to keep from him. "He is dead." They both looked to the boy. He was 8 at the time.

~.~ ~.~

Ben reflected on this. This person who brought the news of The DeMarigny's son's death was not named, but Ben new. It were he that was being spoken of. He was the mysterious stranger whom was being referred to as the 'Fur Trader'. He had a ranch already in Nevada but when he arrived in New Orleans it was on the business of offloading furs to market. He'd asked Madame DeMarigny for help in connecting her with her late husband's business partners.

This chapter confirmed that one key piece of information that Ben had wished were not true. That Marie's son really was in that house. Floors above him. Hidden away.

Oh God! He dwelled on this. How could he have known that the boy was up there? If nobody else knew he was alive how could he have known? God! This didn't stop the guilt from overcoming him.

It was high noon now and Ben had wanted to put the book down. Perhaps enough was enough but he had made a deal to read through the entire thing and he had only made it four chapters in and there was still so much more to go.

~.~ ~.~

This fur trader continued to be a topic in the house for weeks to come. Several people visited the house after this day. Of course Prince never seeing any of them himself. He only knew this of the number of times he was ushered into the attic. It went on like this for several weeks. DeMarigny had been agitated and when she was agitated the entire house would be set into a state of unease.

As Delphe would spend the entirety of these sessions up there with Prince making sure he stayed still and quiet, she would remain as equally in the dark of what was happening below as he. Because of this Charles made a habit of bringing her word. Typically, unless he felt it upon his breast that the boy should hear, he would have these conversations on the opposite side of the door of whatever room Prince was in. Prince if he remained quiet enough would pick up on bits and pieces of their discussions. When he was younger, they were never of any interest, now he was older he took more notice.

Lately the house had been put into such a state that he wished to know everything, especially that in which he knew they didn't want him to know. On one of these occasions, this was several weeks after the arrival of the fur trader. Prince had overheard Charles tell Delphe that a lawyer, the family's attorney in fact, had come to visit the house. He came with news that an acquaintance of hers had been arrested. Why should this concern Madam? He further went on to say that this acquaintance has implicated the madam in a crime. He said that the police are having difficulty believing this man's story. It will likely go nowhere. Still she did not take this news well. She demanded to speak with him, this acquaintance of hers, but the lawyer refused, telling her it was not a good idea and it would be in her best interest to steer clear. Let the police work this out on their own. It did not seem as if that was something she was intent on doing.

Just after breakfast was served on the following morning, Charles had disappeared for a while. Their lunch had not been on time. When he arrived back he informed Delphe that he had been tasked with delivering a letter.

"To whom?" She asked of him. He was to find a man named Simon Leroche and put the letter into his hand directly. Inside the letter were instructions for him to carry out. When the task had been done he would be rewarded handsomely.

~.~

Ben knew this man had been acquainted with madam DeMarigny. Just how deep that connection went he couldn't begin to imagine.

~.~

This man became a regular visitor of the house after that. Their conversations remained so private that not even Charles could pick up on them. After one such visit Charles had informed Delphe that the Madame had requested her. Prince had been so overcome with curiosity that he did something he was forbidden to do. He crawled to the top of the landing to listen in.

"I need you to pack the boy's things." His grandmother commanded.

"Is he going away?"

"Yes."

"For how long?" His grandmother then looked at Delphe with such a look of incredulity as if the mere question had offended her. Delphe explained. "I only need to know what to pack." The grandmother regained herself.

"He will be leaving the house indefinitely." Prince had stopped looking he leaned against the wall in such a state of fright. As much as he had grown to hate this house the mere thought of leaving it was terrifying. He had no idea what outside even looked like past the view from his window. "Pack only the essentials. Only what he can carry."

"Where's he going?"

"He'll be living in another home."

"Here in New Orleans?"

"Far from here. Say your goodbyes. You will not be seeing him again." Oh no. He thought. It can't be. He would be leaving Delphe which was the most frightening aspect of it all. The one face he'd seen every day of his life would not be joining him in his first venture into the outside world.

"Yes madam." At Delphe's obedience, he scurried back to the reading room, running straight through and into his room collapsing himself upon his bed. In a dreadful fit was how she came upon him.

"You've been listening in." He did not stop his tears to answer her. "You know better than to do that."

"I don't want to leave. I'm afraid Delphe. I'm afraid."

"Child, this is what you always wanted. Don't be afraid when you finally get the opportunity."

"But I am afraid. Where will I go? What will I do? What is waiting for me out there?" Delphe had few answers. "Why can't you go? Come with me."

"I can't. This is my place here."

"I can't lose you." He buried his head at her waste. She broke into tears at the thought of losing him too. They embraced each other for some time. The boy had eventually wept himself into exhaustion. Delphe laid him down and continued to watch over him smoothing back his hair.

She knew she must do what she was told. She found a suitcase and gathered what clothes of his she could fit. Beside these clothes she placed a single toy. The small doll she had made for him many years ago. She stitched it together with her own hands. The suitcase was placed by the bedroom door where it remained for three days more. No further word was said of Prince's departure. No further instructions were given in this time.

Life carried on solemnly between the two of them but as each day passed Prince had seeded some hope that all this would have been forgotten about. But as long as the case remained packed the threat loomed. He could almost believe that life could return to normal if only Delphe would unpack that case.

This man, this Leroche fellow continued to visit the house making that threat resurface each time. It became a habitual thing for he to bring some word to the madame and the madame to further instruct him. What instructions she gave, Charles could not always pick up on. For sometimes she spoke so low it was as if she feared that the walls themselves would turn her in.

To whom this Leroche carried these messages to at first was not known. It hadn't taken much to figure out that it was this prisoner that he had carried the messages to. This Eduard. She knew of Leroche to be a close friend of his which was why she had decided to use him. He would be best to go undetected. He was bringing word from the prisoner. He wasn't the only one he carried messages between though. It also seemed he spoke with someone who lived far off by way of telegraph. This man whom Prince was supposed to live with.

"If I am to be arrested, you will take the boy away?" He nodded. "You will not wait to hear from this man. You will take him and make him disappear. I can talk my way out of whatever D'Arcy says about me but I cannot do it if that boy is to be discovered."

"I understand. Have no fear madam." She shuddered and palmed her necklace.

"I do not want that boy killed." She stressed. "I just want him to disappear."

"Madam, you have a very distorted opinion of me. I could be no more capable of taking that boys life than you. But rest assured, I do have other ways of making him disappear." She righted herself, resting in new assurances.

~.~

A time had gone by since the family's attorney had first come when he arrived again. He informed Madame DeMarigny that D'Arcy had decided to recant the accusations he had made that implicated her. Her honor had been restored.

There was a return of hope that this news would end all the upheaval and turmoil in this house.

The following day this Leroche, came back. "He has agreed to your terms."

"Of course he has agreed. How could he not when the offer is so great? But you are a day late with the news. Mister Julius was here yesterday to inform me."

"I figured he would come by which was why I stayed away. But this is not the news I speak." She turned to him. "Your late husband's associate. He has agreed to your conditions."

"The threat has passed. You could tell him his services are no longer required."

"Madam. If I may. You've been fortunate thus far to avoid detection. This thing has died down, but it would be wise to take into consideration that at any moment this thing could flare back up again. As long as the fur-trader remains, you are at risk. We don't know how he will react whence he hears the news of D'Arcy's recant. He could continue to make trouble for you. If not him it could be anything. You remain at risk every day that boy remains where he is. What would happen if one day that boy himself decides that he no longer wishes to abide? The boy is growing. He will be too old to keep soon enough. What then?" She reflected on this. "Please madam. Think about what I have said."

~.~

Delphe approached her employer that night.

"Madame. I beg a word with you."

"Yes child what is it?"

"I hope you don't think me too forward. But." She froze.

"Say it child."

"I should like to take the boy. Care for him." She had been thinking on this for a while. At first she thought it impossible but the more she considered the more she wanted it and thought it wasn't so unrealistic of a prospect.

"You already care for him and you can't keep him."

"In my own place."

"You don't have a place."

"Far from here."

"Don't be ridiculous. You are but a child yourself."

"If you don't mind, many a women my age are birthing children. If you remember madam, I was of child not long before you took me in."

"You can't afford to raise a child on your own. You have no money. How do you expect to keep him with no money?"

"With a little spare from you I can take him away."

"You want my money." She said this with such contempt. "What I have to give you is not good enough?"

"Just a little to start us off with would be fine. I would take him to the Faubourg district. I could find a way to support him. You would never have to hear from us again."

"No. He must never go there. He would be discovered there."

"Madam. Pardon my saying but Prince and I, we have a connection. If you take him away well I just don't know what will become of him."

"It's been arranged. He has a home. He is leaving in three days."

"Madam, if you have any love for that boy at all…"

"Love him?" She cut her off. "Whatever gave you the impression that I love him? That boy is nothing more than the dirt I walk on."

~.~

She knew he heard. As often as he had been sneaking out of his room lately. The way he sat poised and angry. Prince sat on his bed ringing his hands with such force, he was liable to tear his own flesh off. It was no point scolding him any longer.

"All these years she hid me away. Why? You told me it was because I was a prince." He scorned. "A prince that needed protecting."

"You are." She fell on her knees before him.

"No!" He shouted. "I'm not. Stop lying. I'm no prince. I'm nothing. She didn't hide me because she wanted to protect me. She hid me because she was ashamed of me. I'm nothing to her. Nothing but 'dirt'." He said this last word with such disdain.

"You're something to me. No. You're everything to me. From the moment I first laid eyes on you I loved you. You are my life. The reason I wake up in the morning." He flung his arms around her and wept.

"I love you too."

"Forget about her. Nobody cares what that crabby old woman has to say anyways."

"How can I? She wants to give me away."

"Have faith my child. Have faith."

~.~

The next day Charles came up to Delphe. "The arrangements are being made. The boy will leave in two days."

"Charles, wait. You are going to market tomorrow. Please take this."

Prince who had been listening through the door had no concept of what 'this' was.