Journeys: Endless, #3

By Christopher Whitta

This is the third book of the Endless Series, but the first in the history of the Fournier and Gardet families. My intention was to publish the first two before writing this third novel, as I felt the prequel would possibly be of interest only to those readers who battled through the first two stories.

The parents of Etienne and Amelie have their own romantic and dramatic stories to tell, Etienne's father Antoine has both physical and mental challenges to overcome, while Amelie's mother, Charlotte, also faces peril but finally romance. Her husband, Thomas, is the reason Etienne's father survives a marksman's bullet in 1806, and marries Etienne's mother Marguerite.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christopher Whitta
• Release date: Jan 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393496915

Book preview

ENDLESS

Book Three - Journeys

"Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow.

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead.

Just walk beside me and be my friend."

Albert Camus

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Introduction

This is the third book of the Endless Series, but the first in the history of the Fournier and Gardet families. My intention was to publish the first two before writing this third novel, as I felt the prequel would possibly be of interest only to those readers who battled through the first two stories.

The parents of Etienne and Amelie have their own romantic and dramatic stories to tell, Etienne’s father Antoine has both physical and mental challenges to overcome, while Amelie's mother, Charlotte, also faces peril but finally romance. Her husband, Thomas, is the reason Etienne’s father survives a marksman's bullet in 1806, and marries Etienne’s mother Marguerite.

It is because of the courage and complete loyalty Thomas Gardet shares with Antoine Fournier, that Antoine is able to overcome a tragic loss and later find a semblance of happiness, many years later. He becomes a successful banker and Town Councillor in Amiens, while Thomas and Charlotte raise a family on their farm, Les Chenes which means The Pines.

Here then is the story of men and women of their time, the late 18th and early 19th Centuries in France, one family from wealth and status, where money has provided nothing but frustration, disappointment and sadness.

The second family is not wealth because of their forebears, but makes its mark in many other ways; successful farmer, father and a close friend to the future Mayor of Amiens, and a wonderful, educated, wise and loving wife, who provides four children, and years of happiness.

E&OE: Once again the author apologises for any errors or omissions, but I don’t have the wherewithal to have my books professionally edited. I hope the readers will still enjoy the life and times of two seperate but conjoined families, each with their own voices to offer.

Christopher Whitta, Wellington. 12/27/2019

Empty-handed I entered the world, Barefoot I leave it. My coming, my going - two simple happenings, That got entangled. - Kozan Ichikyo. From Chris Mitchell’s website: travelingmitch.

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Part One - Beginnings

01: The Parented Orphan

The birth of their only child, Antoine Charles David Fournier, on the 6th of August, 1782, happened in the Fourniers diplomatic residence in London, where his father Charles, was finishing a posting as Senior Secretary to the Ambassador to Britain. His diplomatic career was solely thanks to his wife Aurore’s influence, with the fledgling Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through her father Edouard Durand, who was one of the Nantes, Mayoral representatives in Paris.

Both Charles and Aurore had been taken by surprise by Aurore’s pregnancy, when in her late thirties, and even more surprised at Aurore’s running full term and producing a healthy, male heir. Charles was 42 when Antoine was born, and tired of being a servant to France, while Aurore had nothing but distaste for the ‘foreign object’ growing inside her. The birth was difficult and gave Aurore more cause for anger and self-pity, that the ‘thing’ inside her was refusing to come out.

Twenty-four hours after an excruciating, totally exhausting battle, Antoine Charles David Fournier, announced his presence to the world with gusty bellows, and resistance to any form of peace-making.

This was the pattern that ‘that horrible object’ followed for his first few days, whenever his mother picked him up, but he immediately mellowed and bubbled almost joyfully, when a wet-nurse was found. This wonderful woman fed the child for the first six months, which eased his hunger pangs after futile assaults on his mothers breasts, which produced almost nothing. In fairness to Madame Aurore Fournier, she did attempt to nurse her child, out of self-defence more than anything else, as her nipples hurt fiercely, relieved only slightly, by releasing their offerings to a ravenous infant. Once the wet-nurse took over, Antoine thrived and bloomed, not that either parent cared, nor noticed.

Antoine was their only offspring. Charles was not a career diplomat, but had agreed to a three year posting to London, purely through his already beneficial commercial association with Sir Andrew Palmer, President of the British Board of Trade. The Fourniers and Palmers had accrued great wealth through overseas holdings, especially in Africa and the West Indies, where they did little but watch the money rolling in.

After serving out their remaining eighteen months in London, with several, ultimately unsuitable nannies hired and fired, they returned to their Paris apartment, where they decided to leave the diplomatic service and the child. Charles had finally found an excellent nanny, Ginette Lebrun, who spent the next fifteen years giving Antoine the love, nurturing and compassion his parents never showed, nor intended to offer. The now childless couple then retired to Charles’ family holdings on the island of Jersey, at Le Mont des Vignes, without a single backward glance.

The future of two years old Antoine Charles David Fournier, was no longer of any concern to Charles and Aurore, except to check every receipt sent to them, before payment was authorised at the Bank of France. The Fournier and Durand families were landowners and wealthy in their own right, but foresight had imbued them with great caution over the acceptance of honours and titles.

Consequently, during the Revolution, five years later, the leaders of the uprisings nationwide, mercifully ignored these two families in their quest to rid France of its aristocracy. Young Antoine was therefore untainted by the possible stigma of the considerable wealth his father’s and mother’s families had carefully disguised from prying eyes.

At the age of four, Antoine was beginning five years of happy living and learning, as taught by his new Governess, Dominique Caron, a former novice in the Ursuline Order. She was a gentle woman, but with a firm insistence on good behaviour and attention. Antoine thrived under this talented tutor, while enjoying a happy life away from the schoolroom, with his nanny Ginette, the woman who had become his de facto mother

Dominique’s contribution had been a not inconsequential choice for the boys future, as Charles had called on the good graces of one of his distant relations, who was a Secretary to the Foreign Minister for a few years. His recommendations had been  based on his admiration for the woman who had produced miracles with his own three rather boisterous offspring. 

Both women instilled in Antoine his life-long ability to mingle with all facets of french society, plus his well-rounded general knowledge and sense of propriety. These five years of study, interspersed with enjoyable outings to the opera, the Louvre and other galleries, the magnificent Cathedral of Notre Dame and the Tuileries complex and gardens, gave the boy an excellent education in scholastic and visionary terms..

At the age of nine, after having matured in a happy house, where he was treated with respect by Dominique and love by Ginette, Antoine left for boarding school. His boarding school years, from August 1791 to July 1794, trained him well in self-discipline, the sciences and mathematics, and the study of politics and philosophy. He was an eager student, again because of the background in learning he had inherited from Dominique, and in his final year, he became the Senior Student and tutor to the younger boys.

He spent holidays at the apartment at 15 Rue Saint-Roch, with Dominique and Ginette, a time where he continued his duties as the heir to the Fournier fortune. He was a good-looking, reasonably tall young man at 176 centimetres, with a slim but athletic body which he had developed during his time at the boarding school.  His appearance, allied to his charm and eloquence won him many friends, and regular invitations to dinner, with Madame Caron as chaperone, of course!

In September 1794, after making his mark as a leader of students and achieving very good academic marks, Antoine entered a Central Private School as a day boy, again at the insistence of Madame Caron and the usual lack of interest from Le Mont des Vignes, He again gained good marks in science, mathematics and philosophy, and made his mark as a natural leader of men, although he was still just twelve years old.

Three years later,  already a very wise old head on young shoulders, having completed his studies with honours, he received a letter from his father, which in itself came as something of a shock. In the letter, his father congratulated him on his educational achievements and advised him that he would be receiving an annuity of 150 livre (pounds approximately).

Antoine wrote an effusive letter of thanks to his dear father, to which he never received a reply, nor did he really expect one. His letter was written out of courtesy, as though to an unknown benefactor, which in fact, his father was.

In June of that year, he was accepted by the Military School on the Place Joffre, a year before he would normally have been enrolled, but his academic record was very good, and the government of the day needed young officer blood in order to feed the voracious appetite of ‘The Little General’.

The Military School had a set compulsory course of two years before graduation, Cadet Antoine Fournier, took eighteen months before graduating as a Second Lieutenant in late September 1799. His instructor and the man who recommended Fournier’s early graduation, was twenty-seven year old Sergeant-Major Thomas Gardet.

Second Lieutenant Fournier’s first taste of action was in Egypt, where he was in charge of a reserve platoon of Chasseurs a pied, or Light Infantry. Neither he nor his now well-trained troops were called on, apart from post duty at encampments, so most of that Egyptian campaign in 1800 was spent achieving nothing. Antoine began to despair of seeing action, especially after the French victory, whereupon his orders were to return to Paris.

The eighteen year-old Lieutenant was then posted to Germany, where he finally saw action in December of that year, although these were skirmishes with opposing troops, none of which achieved anything. A loss and a victory two days later meant that at least, young Lieutenant Fournier was blooded in, having watched several of his platoon picked off by musket fire from well-concealed enemy positions.

After a quiet start to 1801, Portugal was the centre of attention, while Antoine was kept in Paris, as adjutant to a Major Marchand in the Artillery Stores an appointment he had tried to refuse. Refusal of a senior officer’s demands, is not conducive to rapid progress through the ranks, but Amand Marchand was a twenty-year officer who had himself, turned down promotions. He saw the ability of Fournier immediately and used his many influential allies in the French Command, to put matters right.

2. Chapter Two. The Teacher and The Officer

Thomas Gardet was born in May 1772, the son of Ignace and Blanche Gardet at Villeurbanne in Lyon. He was the third son and youngest child, looked after by two older sisters as he was a large baby, weighing 3.9 kilograms who exhausted his mother by fighting all the way into terra firma. Ignace was the local blacksmith, who had hoped his family tradition would have been carried on by Thomas’s older brother Henri, or second son Romain, but sadly both succumbed to smallpox in 1770.

Thomas therefore became the focus of his father, and every care was taken to protect him from any further epidemics. French medical science had advanced considerably, and knowledge of cleanliness and sanitation was becoming well-known. Thomas was oblivious, and just grew and grew, until his father, a very strong and fit gentleman, could no longer best his son at arm wrestling!

Thomas had inherited his mothers educational ability, except that he refused to study at home after school, the public school less than half a kilometre away, neither did Thomas share his fathers passion for hammering in the mouth of Hephaestus. He even so, an expert at shoeing horses and his father would watch in amazement as Thomas had the horses bowing