Diary of a Plague Doctor's Wife: A Novella Set in 1720s Marseille, France

By Heather R Darsie

Our heroine, a young woman living outside Marseille, is delighted to marry a young medical doctor from Montpellier. The doctor shows an interest in studying illnesses, especially how to prevent the spread of disease. Unfortunately, his abilities and our heroine's marriage are put to the test in June 1720 when the Great Plague of Marseille hits, killing almost fifty percent of the local population. This epistolary novella tracks the woes and dangers of living through an epidemic in early 18th century France using humor and emotion.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jun 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781387875078

Book preview

Diary of a Plague Doctor’s Wife: A Novella set in 1720s Marseille

Heather R. Darsie

Copyright © 2022 Heather R. Darsie

All rights reserved.

E-Book ISBN-13: 978-1-387-87507-8

To my dear friends the world over, who have all been impacted by Covid-19 in one way or another. Special thanks to Susan Corrigan and Catherine Camacho for reviewing and commenting on the drafts of this work.

1

Part I: Early 1719

Our heroine finds herself a sufficiently refined lady of marriageable age, living on a pleasant enough, modest country estate outside Marseille, France in the year 1719.

March 6. Picking at my latest embroidery endeavor in the waning sun. Madame Callier, who is a handful of years older than me, plops into the chair across from me in the drawing room. Madame looking rather worse for the wear, I compliment her dress. I do not mean it. She says, ‘so nice to see you, sister dear.’ I nod and smile sweetly, while stabbing my embroidery. My sister-in-law insists she be called Madame. I must remember to ask my dear brother to address this. Madame takes out her far superior embroidery. I despair and abandon my project.

March 7. After Sunday dinner with my brother Guillaume, Madame, Father, and Mother, I resume my embroidery with Madame and Mother in the drawing room. Mother is much worse with a needle, but Madame and I praise her endlessly. Madame fauns unexpectedly over my roses that look like red violets, Mother says it is time I marry. Madame squeals. Feign intense interest in violets and wait for the candles to burn too low.

March 11. Mother and Madame take me into Marseille under the pretense of shaking off the winter cobwebs. Carriage ride pleasant, spells of sunshine, and green grass. Once arrived at Marseille, Mother and Madame make a beeline for the fashionable merchants. They declare that I need a new hat. I demur. Insist upon Hat with Large Feather, so I look my best. Unsure of why I need to look my best. Grow suspicious after I am taken to pick fabric which matches fashionable new Hat with Large Feather; excitement over new dress pushes away my suspicion.

Suspicion returns at supper, for which Father and Guillaume join us. Maid does her best to keep a straight face, much in contrast to mine own ability. Must remember to ask Maid how to keep a straight face. Father proudly announces that he found a ‘handsome, reputable young man’ who would make a darling son-in-law. Gertrude, the family parrot, squawks from her corner of the dining room. Maid pours everyone a touch more of the red Bordeaux. I am tempted to take the entire wine vessel from her. Engage in discourse with Father about Handsome, Reputable Young Man. Wonder if Gertrude and I could trade places. Eat delicious almond tarts. Contemplate fate.

Am pleased to find I can abandon my red violets under pretense of ‘making something special’ for Handsome, Reputable Young Man. Complete deception by continuing to pick at red violets; learn that Mother and Madame cannot discern one of my patterns from any other. Think this is best.

March 15. Handsome, Reputable Young Man joins us for family dinner. Guillaume and Madame utterly incapable of allowing him to say anything. Father exclaims delight that HRYM finished his training to become a physician. Gertrude shouts and fluffs her feathers.

Mother, Father, Madame, Guillaume, HRYM, and I go for a stroll after dinner. My new Hat with Large Feather will not stay pinned on my head. Struggle with hat throughout walk. HRYM seems unfazed. Men return to dining room to finish discussions. I go to bed.

March 21. My engagement to HRYM, also known as Lazare Hilaire, is announced at parish church. I have mastered Hat with Large Feather, and it remains properly pinned to my head throughout the day of well-wishers from the village dropping by. Feel that HRYM is indeed handsome and reputable. Thank the stars for my good luck.

April 7. Flurries of activity. Preparing for wedding ceremony in early May.

April 9. Easter Sunday. Receive multiple well-wishes for my nuptials.

May 3. Wedding ensues. HRYM remains charming. Father having small house built behind the main house for us. Feel grateful that I do not have to live with Mother and Father, and Guillaume and Madame. Insist that Gertrude comes with me. Lazare smiles sheepishly. Maid quite happy to be rid of Gertrude.

May 6. Lazare and I disembark to Nice for sea air and honeymoon for a fortnight.

May 7. Briefly debate whether the sea air at Nice will be any different than the sea air at Marseille. Assure myself that it will be. Immediately doubt myself upon arrival.

May 10. Large fish market on the bay side of town smells too much like fish.

May 15. Stroll around the castle grounds and cathedral. Sea air overall pleasant. Resume mental debate about whether it is different from the sea air at Marseille. Later discover that due to lack of proper hats, I gained more color from the sun than intended. Lazare seems not to notice.

May 22. Return home to find house completed and furnished. Bedspread created by Madame and Mother hideous. Gertrude making contented parrot sounds. Help nowhere to be found. Lazare promises to right the situation. Our new house is made of yellow stone with white plaster inside, in contrast to the big house being a brilliant white inside and out.

Dine with Mother, Father, Guillaume, and Madame at what is now the main house. Madame begins referring to the main house as ‘la Grande Maison’. Find this surprisingly reasonable and suitable.

Dining room noticeably quieter without Gertrude. Maid seems much relieved. After dinner, realize that I need not pretend to do embroidery in the drawing room, and skip home to our small house.

May 31. Trying day with the vegetable garden. Madame comes by to offer her advice, which is to say, tell me all she knows about gardening, which is almost nothing. Smile sweetly and nod. Give up gardening after the chickens offer their assistance, which is to say, peck away everything I planted. Hear a hen clucking from inside the house. Upon entering the house, learn that Gertrude is the clucking culprit. Go to the main house to ask for vegetables.

Maid gives me a cheery greeting. Madame, since recovered from the strain of advising me as to my garden, is startled at the idea of me carrying my own basket of vegetables. Asks whether Lazare, or ‘Monsieur le Physicien’, as she insists upon calling him, has hired any help. Explain he is a country doctor, and has not gone to Marseille yet. Madame asks Maid to prepare a picnic basket for tomorrow, and further declares that the three Matrons of the Family shall go to Marseille tomorrow. Become uncomfortable at being now accurately described a matron. Nod and smile sweetly.

Return to clucking parrot and await Lazare.

June 1. Lazare returned late last night and seemed very preoccupied. Gertrude tried her best chicken impression for him. Lazare, usually of cheerful disposition, remained unamused. Seems serious. Poured Lazare a small glass of watered wine and offered candied rose petals, the one thing I learned to make. Madame of course horrified when she first discovered me years ago toiling away at stove to make candied rose petals. After consuming one, she declared them a worthy undertaking. I digress.

Lazare’s agitation remains. Try to find out what was wrong, but he has no genuine comment. Was concerned about very ill patient he saw today, the next village over. I gently mention need of more help around the house, and planned escape of the Matrons of the Family to Marseille. Lazare smirks, teases me, then pulls out a medical tome to read. I read François d’Amboise. We go to bed.

Lazare up early, takes merely water and a slice of bread at breakfast. Asks for me to decorate a length of cloth to put to his mouth when visiting patients who have a cough. Makes declaration that my embroidery, ‘is of the utmost refinement’, and that he would like to carry it on him. Gertrude, unimpressed with Lazare’s praise, rifles through her food dish. Note to self that parrots hold grudges. I nod and smile sweetly, even if my embroidery is on par with a girl half my age, which is to say, more or less an utter child. Swear to purchase fine threads in stately colors for Lazare’s pocket-cloth. Lazare leaves for work.

Don Hat with Large Feather. Immediately trip over chicken upon leaving the house. Am thankful I wore a brown dress, and tactfully pin shawl around waist to cover the dirt. Upon reaching the Maison, Madame notices dirt immediately. Mother despairs that she raised me to be better than that. Maid keeps a straight face and fetches a small bowl of water to blot dress. Attempt largely unsuccessful. Mother praises my ingenuity in pinning the shawl just right around my waist. Madame huffs. We enter the carriage.

Carriage ride splendid enough. I enjoy seeing roads dappled with sunshine. Birds chirp merrily. Think that I must attract these birds to the house so Gertrude can improve her linguistic abilities beyond Parrot and Chicken.

Arrive at Marseille. Admire the efficiency and vivacity of the city. Secure practical lady, Alice, as help. Alice agrees to come with the Matrons of the Family to find embroidery materials. Alice to move in by the end of next week. Things seem promising.

June 6. Alice arrives earlier than expected. Lazare asks her series of health questions, seems satisfied by Alice’s responses. Find Lazare’s questioning mildly bizarre. Gertrude does her best to show Alice how talented and pretty a parrot she is. Alice shows delight. Unknown whether said delight was