The Salt Smugglers (12 page)

When night had fallen and it was time to go to bed, Angélique said goodnight to her mother with a heavy heart, — and, upon reaching her room, told her chambermaid:

« Jeanne, go to sleep. I have something on my mind; I'm going to stay up a bit longer ... »

She threw herself on her bed fully dressed and waited for midnight to strike. — La Corbinière arrived exactly on time.

« Oh Lord, what an hour! — Angélique writes, — I trembled when I heard the pebble he had thrown at my window ... for he had come in through the small garden. »

P.S. Someone wrote me today from a public library in Paris that there were two abbés de Bucquoy who existed, — a real one and a false one.

I had my suspicions, especially after reading the
report that d'Argenson submitted to Pontchartrain which contained the phrase: « The
alleged
abbé de Bucquoy », etc.

We shall try down the line to unmask the interloper who supposedly usurped the identity of the descendent of the count de Bucquoy, generalissimo in the Austrian army during the Bohemian War.

THE DEPARTURE. — THE SILVER CHEST ARRIVAL AT CHARENTON. — DESCENT OF THE RHÔNE. — GENOA. — VENICE

When La Corbinière reached her room, Angélique said to him:

« “Things are not going as planned. Mother has placed all the silver dishes under lock and key, something she has never done before. But I have the key to the larder where they keep the trunk.”

« To this he simply replied: “Just get dressed and then we'll figure out what to do.”

« With his help, I proceeded to pull on the boots and spurs over my stockings. Then the groom came over to my quarters with the horse. I was at my wit's end and quickly slipped on a ratine skirt to cover up the men's clothing I was wearing below the waist. Then I took the horse from Breteau and led it out the front gate of the castle and tied it up to the elm tree under which the girls used to dance during village festivals. Then I went back to my quarters where I found
my cousin
(that was what I was supposed to call him) waiting impatiently for me. He said: “Let's go see what we can find; otherwise we'll have to leave empty-handed.” — We proceeded to the kitchen, which was near the larder; having stirred up the coals in the hearth to create some light to see by, I caught sight of large iron shovel, which I picked up. I then said to him:

“Let's go into the larder”, and having located the trunk, we tried to force open its lid, which was not tightly closed. I then said to him: “Place the shovel between the trunk and the lid.” We tried to pry it open, but nothing happened. We tried again, and the hinges snapped and I put my hand inside. »

She found a pile of silver plates which she handed over to La Corbinière. She was about to dig more out, when he said: « Don't take anymore out, the sack is full. »

She wanted to take more articles, such as bowls, chandeliers, and ewers. But he said: « We'll never be able to carry it all. »

And he told her to go put on her doublet and her cape, — so that nobody would recognize her dressed as a man.

They went straight to Compiègne, where they sold Angélique's horse for forty écus. Then they took a post-chaise which brought them to Charenton that evening.

The river was flooded, so they had to spend the night there. — Angélique, dressed as a man, managed to pass unrecognized by the innkeeper's wife, who said, — as « the postilion was pulling off her boots » : «
Gentlemen
, what would you like for supper?

— Whatever you recommend, Madame », was the reply.

But Angélique went to bed, too exhausted to eat. She was terrified they would be found out by her father the count de Longueval « who was in Paris at that moment ».

The following morning they took a boat as far as Essonne, but the young lady was so worn out that she said to La Corbinière:

« Why don't you just proceed on to Lyons with the silverplate and wait for me there? »

They stayed on at Essonne for three days, waiting for the coach that was to take them on to Lyons and tending to all the scratches that Angélique had received on her thighs in the course of her wild ride.

Somewhere beyond Moulins, a man who was in the coach and who claimed to be a gentleman began mumbling:

« Do I smell a rat? Do we have a young lady here dressed as a man? »

To which La Corbinière replied:

« So what, sir?... Would you care to make anything of it? I believe I have the right to dress my wife any bloody way I choose. »

They arrived in Lyon that evening and stayed at the
Red Hat
inn where they sold their dishes for three hundred écus. With the proceeds La Corbinière had himself made « a handsome scarlet outfit with golden and silver braids, though he had no need for it whatsoever. »

They then took a boat down the Rhône and, having stopped at an inn for the night, La Corbinière wanted to try out his pistols. He was so clumsy that he managed to lodge a bullet in Angélique de Longueval's right foot. To those who accused him of ineptitude, all he could say was: « What a stroke of bad luck ...
if I don't say so myself
, — after all, the woman is my wife. »

Angélique spent three days in bed, then they once again embarked and followed the Rhône down to Avignon, where Angélique had her wound treated; when she recovered, they took another boat to Toulon, where they arrived on Easter Sunday.

As they were leaving port for Genoa, they were caught in a storm; they anchored in a safe haven, at a castle known as
Saint-Soupir
. Seeing them safe and sound, the lady of the manor had the
Salve regina
sung. Then she had a meal prepared for them, — a local preparation featuring olives and capers. Their servant was in turn served artichokes.

« You see what
love
can do, notes Angélique; — here we were in a place that was completely uninhabited and we went three days without food while waiting for the wind to rise. And yet the hours seemed like minutes to me, even though I was famished. Fearing the plague, they would not allow us to stop at Villefranche to take on provisions. We were thus forced to sail onward, all of us starved. But afraid the ship might go down, I first wanted to confess myself to a Franciscan priest who was on board, also on his way to Genoa.

« My husband (this is how she refers to him from here on in) seeing a gentleman from Genoa entering our room and addressing us in broken French, said: “Sir, is there anything I can do for you?” — Yes, said the gentleman of Genoa, I would like to have a few words with Madame.” My husband instantly drew his sword and said: “Are you acquainted with her? Get out of here before I kill you.”

« M. Audriffet came to see us forthwith and recommended that we immediately depart, for this gentleman of Genoa would certainly be taking his revenge.

« We disembarked at Civitavecchia and then proceeded on to Rome, where we stayed at one of the finest hotels while waiting to move into some furnished
rooms located on the street of the Burgundians in the house of a gentleman from the Piedmont whose wife was Roman. One day, while I was at the window, the nephew of His Holiness was passing by with nineteen armed escorts, one of whom called up to me in Italian: “Signorina, His Eminence has asked me to inquire whether you would agree to receive him.” Trembling, I replied: “If my husband were here, I would gladly accept this honor; but since he is absent, I humbly beg your master to excuse me.”

« He had stopped his carriage three houses down from ours and was waiting for my answer; having heard my reply, he moved on in his carriage and I never heard from him again. »

Shortly after this, La Corbinière informed her that he had met one of her father's falconers, a certain La Roirie. She felt a great desire to see him; when he laid eyes on her, « he stood there speechless »; then, having assured himself that she was indeed Angélique, he told her that the wife of the ambassador had heard about her and would like to see her.

Angélique de Longueval was well-received by the ambassador's wife. — Nonetheless, she had reason to fear that the falconer had said things about her and La Corbinière that might lead to their arrest.

They were disappointed to have spent twenty-nine days in Rome and to have made so many efforts to get married without succeeding. « Thus, — Angélique observes, — I left Rome without ever seeing the Pope ... »

It was at Ancona that they caught the boat that was to take them to Venice. They got caught in a storm in the Adriatic; upon arriving in Venice, they found lodgings on the Grand Canal.

« Although a lovely city in all respects, — writes Angélique de Longueval, — I couldn't bear the place because it was in the middle of the sea. Only the fear of dying made me continue eating and drinking while I was there. »

Meanwhile, their money was running out and Angélique said to La Corbinière: « What are we going to do? We shall soon be out of money! »

He said, « Once we're back on terra firma, the good Lord will watch over us ... Get dressed, we're going to mass at San Marco. »

When they got to the cathedral of San Marco, the couple sat in the pews reserved for senators; and though they were foreigners, nobody dared say a word to them; — for La Corbinière was wearing chausses of black velvet, a doublet and cloak made of the finest brocade and a silver plume.

Angélique was very elegantly dressed as well, and she was delighted to realize that the senators were unable to keep their eyes off the French fashions she was wearing.

The French ambassador, who was marching in the procession behind the doge, nodded in her direction.

But when it came time for dinner, Angélique did not want to leave the hotel, — preferring to rest rather than take a gondola over the waters.

La Corbinière, for his part, went to take a stroll on the piazza San Marco, where he met a certain M. de la Morte who offered him his services. Learning of the various obstacles that he andAngélique had encountered in their attempts to get married, the latter suggested he join him at his garrison in Palma-Nova where they could try to sort matters out and where La Corbinière could enlist.

At the garrison, M. de la Morte presented the future bride and groom to
His Excellency the general
who could not believe that a man as
dapper
as he was should want to
take up a pike
in a company. The company in which he had chosen to enlist was commanded by M. Ripert de Montélimart.

His Excellency the general nonetheless agreed to serve as a witness to their marriage ... after which they threw a small party which cost them the
last twenty pistoles
in their possession.

Eight days later, the Senate ordered the general to dispatch the company to Verona, — which plunged Angélique de Longueval into despair, for she was enjoying herself at Palma-Nova, where the cost of living was low.

Passing through Venice again, they bought household articles, « two pairs of sheets for two pistoles, not to mention a blanket, a mattress, six earthenware platters and six plates ».

When they got to Verona, they made the acquaintance of a number of French officers. — One of these, the lieutenant M. de Breunel, recommended them to M. de Beaupuis who put them up in comfortable, — and very cheap, — quarters. Across from their house there was a convent; the nuns invited Angélique de Longueval to come visit them, — « and were so affectionate to her that she was at a loss for words ».

It was at this point that she gave birth to her first child. His Excellency Georges Alluisi and the countess Bevilacqua acted as the godparents at his baptism. When Angélique de Longueval had recovered from the birth, His Excellency began sending over his carriage quite frequently.

At a ball that took place somewhat later, she astonished all the ladies of Verona by dancing with General Alluisi, — in her French fashions. — She adds:

« All the French officers in the service of the Republic were delighted to see that this great general, who was universally feared and admired, was bestowing such an honor on me. »

As they danced together, the general spoke to Angélique de Longueval « away from her husband ». He said to her: « What are you doing here in Italy? All you can expect from him is misery for the rest of your days. Don't tell me it's because he loves you, for you know I love you far more ... I'll buy you the most beautiful pearls in the world and all the brocade you might want. Mademoiselle, forget your love for him and think of your own welfare; with me, you will be able to get back in the good graces of your parents. »

Meanwhile the general was advising La Corbinière to go off and join the wars in Germany; he told him that he would find things
most advantageous
at Innsbruck, which was only seven days away from Verona, and that he would be able to
hook up
with a company there ...