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Authoress' Note: Firstly, I
am a pagan by faith, and I HATE people who use underhanded means to try
to force their religion
down other people's throats. However, I could not just make my missionaries
look dumb or malicious out
of hand. A good strategist never underestimates his enemy.
I tried to make all my characters as true to life
as possible.
Historical Note:
Just in case you didn't know. An indulgence, as is referred to in
this part, was a paid-for pardon, sold by
the church in the middle ages and renaissance. If you sinned and
you wanted the Church's forgiveness,
you would donate a large sum to the church and would be granted absolution,
with little or no penance
required. It could also keep you out of prison if your crime was a matter
of morality, and it was one of
reasons the first protestant groups broke away from the Catholic church.
They viewed this as the church's
selling out and not taking the saving of souls seriously.
THE MISSIONARY POSITION
Part 2
by Arianwen P.F. Everett
Jack and Emilia both felt their hearts racing in fear, as Brogard pounded once more on the front door.
"It is no use hiding! I know you are in there! Don't force me to break down this door!" Captain Brogard demanded in his think French accent.
"Alright! Alright! We're coming out!" Emilia shouted, as Jack unlocked the door, and they slowly exited the house.
The minute they were out the door, Brogard's Lieutenant had Jack in manacles. Emilia moved protectively towards him, only to be suddenly blocked by Brogard. "Madam Rothschild! You will remain under house arrest! Your Lover will come with me! I will inform the Governor of this unfortunate situation, and he will arrive to discuss whatever is to be done with you, at his earliest convenience! For now, Louie will stand guard outside your door," Captain Brogard stiffly informed Emilia.
"But, we haven't done..."
"Madam, I am just doing my duty. Your fates are in the good Governors' hands!" Brogard firmly stated with finality, then turned and began the march towards the jail, with Jack in front of him.
Emilia recognized the route Brogard planned to take, and anger flooded
her. He was going to march Jack straight through Pulau Pulau's shopping
district, the social center of the Island. Within an hour, everyone
would know what was going on, and because of the Captain's uniformed gorilla
on her doorstep, Emilia could do nothing to stop it.
* * *
Governor Croque's eyeballs nearly popped right out of his head, when Captain Brogard informed him of what had transpired during his tour of the island the previous afternoon. Upon his return home that night, he'd insisted he not be bothered with anything that wasn't an absolute emergency, so it was only upon coming down to breakfast, that he learned of the situation. The minute he'd shaken himself out of his shock, he grabbed a piece of fruit and two croissants off a serving tray, and headed towards his front door.
When Croquette entered the jail, Jack jumped up from the hard bench he had slept on. Several of his back muscles were cramped, and he was looking forward to getting out of this cage. He'd never been in jail against his will before, and his pride was definitely bruised at this moment, especially staring down a giggling Croque.
"Monsieur Stiles, my friend! I didn't want to believe it, but it seems you have finally been hoisted upon your own petard!" Croque burst out, laughing as hard as the older Frenchman could.
"Listen Croque, we're friends right?" Jack began slowly, the humble pie beginning to gag him.
"But ofcourse Jack! Ofcourse!" the Governor answered, once he had caught his breath.
"Well then, I gotta ask, as your friend, can't you just let this whole incident pass?" Jack requested, trying to scrounge a tiny shred of dignity.
"I wish I could Jack, but my dearest brother wishes to restore France's somewhat tarnished image, as an Empire of moral strength. If I were to let you and Madam Emilia continue with your little ARRANGEMENT, now that it is public knowledge, it could seriously undermine Napoleon's position. And I would not be a good brother, if I allowed that to happen, would I Jack?" Croque asked, trying to make the young American understand. He really did like Jack Stiles, and he sincerely hoped that once this whole incident blew over, that they could resume their friendship, that was, if Mr. Stiles were to remain on his island.
"But we did nothing wrong! Emilia Rothschild is my boss, nothing more!" Jack insisted.
"That is not what Captain Brogard would say, since he claims he caught you and Madam Rothschild in a romantic embrace. Not to mention, you can not deny you were breaking the law, in living with the Madam alone, out of wedlock. You know, Jack, I always suspected the two of you were paramours. Madam Emilia is quite the prize, is she not?" Croque crowed, winking at Jack.
"Yeah, Em's swell. Look, Croque, I have no problem being the laughing stock of Pulau Pulau, but Emilia has a business to protect, and this scandal could seriously harm all that she's worked for. I know Brogard will drop the charge if you ask him to, and maybe you could speak to Mrs. Bellsot for me. Offer her a deal, get her to keep this whole affair quite. She can hold me up as her prime example of an unrepentant sinner all she wants, and I won't protest, just so long as she keeps Em's name out of it! " Jack offered, imploringly. He really didn't care if he became scandalized. He could operate just as well, possibly even better, as an idiot or a bad boy. However, Em's cover demanded she be above reproach, and as her partner, he was obligated to see that her image remain lily white.
"I shall do what I can for you, Monsieur Stiles. If Madam Bellsot is willing to dispose of the matter, I will order Captain Brogard to do so as well," the Governor stated, smiling at his friend.
"Thanks Croque. This really means a lot to me," Jack said, truly grateful. Perhaps the Daring Dragoon would forego personally humiliating Croque, if possible, next time they met.
"It is no problem, Jack. I will be visiting Madam Emilia in an hour or so, to discuss this situation. Do you, perhaps, have a private message you would wish me to deliver?" Croque jested, winking at the man in the jail cell.
Or perhaps not.
* * *
Emilia Rothschild was so incredibly tense, she had been pacing for nearly two hours already. She was still under house arrest, and Jack was still in jail. She had expected Governor Croque to show up yesterday afternoon, or, at least, first thing this morning, but it was just past 10:00 AM, and the Frenchman had yet to appear. So she paced even more, up and down her drawing room, hoping not to ware a hole in the carpet.
The knock on the door at half past ten startled her, but Emilia quickly recovered, throwing open her door. "Governor, I am quite relieved at your arrival! So, as our mutual friend, Jack Stiles would say, let's get right down to business!" Emilia greeted, only a moment later realizing how self incriminating that sounded under the circumstances.
"I couldn't agree more Madam. The Empire's standard recompense for this type of indiscretion is around 10,000 franks, per offender," Croque bargained.
"But what will you be charging myself and Mr. Stiles?" Emilia countered, her haggling skills coming to the fore.
"Since you and Monsieur Stiles are good friends of mine, I will only require 15,000 franks totaled. And, ofcourse, the promise that, in the future, you and the Monsieur will reside individually, or at least maintain those appearances," Croque insinuated, with a conspiratorial wink.
"15,000 franks, when we're innocent to begin with?" Emilia protested, hoping to bring the Governor down in price. She doubted it would do any good to affirm their innocence as the truth wasn't about to set them free, in the face of juicy gossip and an out-of-context eye witness report. Still, the attempt couldn't hurt and would be expected.
"If you wish, I can summon a magistrate to Pulau Pulau, to settle this matter, but it would take at least five days for him to arrive, and it would have to become a matter of public record if you were to proceed..."
"You've made your point, Governor. I accept your terms, and if you would be kind enough to escort me to the customs house, we shall conclude this nasty business and then liberate Mr. Stiles from his prison," Emilia proclaimed with excited finality.
"Indeed Madam," Croque answered gentlemanly. He thought no less of
Emilia Rothschild now than he had yesterday. His opinion of her had
even increased slightly, if that were possible. It was reassuring
to learn that his seemingly detached friend was indeed only flesh and blood,
that she, like everyone else, had her own desires and weaknesses, in this
case, her American attaché'. The two of them might continue
to protest it, but Croque understood that little game well enough.
And everybody on Pulau Pulau knew of the intense affinity between Madam
Emilia Rothschild and Monsieur Jack Stiles. So, either they were
already lovers or they were fools not to be. Neither option had anything
to do with him.
* * *
Captain Robert Fitzroy walked along the north beach of Pulau Pulau, feeling the sand between his bare toes, easing tension from his body. After a few months at sea, nothing felt better than three weeks of shore leave, even if it was in French held territory. He took a deep breath, and then turned his back upon the ocean to spot the crouched figure of his ship's naturalist, Charles Robert Darwin. The man was married to his work, which was a good thing, considering his lack of social skills. A conversationalist Darwin was not, unless ofcourse you were talking biology or botany. Then the man was a verbal swashbuckler.
"Mr. Darwin, why don't you remove your boots, relax a bit. This is shore leave, for God's sake," Fitzroy chided, concerned for his crewman and friend. Everyone needed time off, occasionally.
"I fear these sand crabs would eat my toes off, if I did, Sir. They are quite upset at my having moved this rock. I didn't even see them at first. They seem to have taken on the color of the sand and were well camaflouged," Charles rambled on, excited by his discovery.
"I'm sure they're fascinating, but I'm beginning to get hungry. Why don't you come have lunch with me, in the village, and then you can return to your little sandy friends. After all, we have to eat as well don't we?" Fitzroy asked rhetorically, mildly amused at the younger man's joy in something so simple as a sand crab.
"Alright, let's go," Charles returned, sheepishly, having gotten a little
too enthusiastic over the crabs. Together, the two men walked toward
the main road that lead to the center of the island.
* * *
Mrs. Helena Bellsot walked towards the Governor's mansion, her husband, William Bellsot, Minister and newly appointed head of the Christ's Kingdom Mission, beside her. This island was rife with sin. The people, a hodgepodge of Oriental and East Indian backgrounds, followed heathen faiths replete with deformed pantheons of false gods and seductive half coverings on their bodies. Even their European and American neighbors had fallen into writhing in lustful depravity, believing themselves secreted in the murky darkness of immorality. These people desperately needed the warming light of God to show them the way to righteous living, else they were damned to hell. Helena Bellsot knew in her heart that she couldn't let that happen and that she would do whatever it took to rescue these heathen souls. Like always, one had to go to the top, if you wanted to get something done, and here on Pulau Pulau, that meant Governor Croque.
When she was lead into the sitting room, by a French soldier, she was surprised to discover the two sinners she had exposed yesterday, sipping tea and coffee and eating pastry with a wigged man she had to assume was the Governor.
"Ah, Monsieur and Madam Bellsot, it is good to finally meet you," the Governor stated, shaking Mr. Bellsot's hand, and attempting to kiss the gloved hand of his wife. She pulled it away, swiftly.
"Governor, If I remember correctly, I insisted that your Captain Of the Guard arrest these wanton creatures yesterday, and now they are sitting here in your home. I thought French law forbade a single man and a single woman to cohabitate out of wedlock," Mrs. Bellsot curtly replied. You were either with the Lord or with Sin, and she had believed the new French government to be an agency of almighty father.
"Indeed Madam, but French law also wisely acknowledges that people can make mistakes, and some mistakes can be remunerated without the need for long term confinement. France believes in Mercy, Madam," Croque responded diplomatically.
"Especially if one of the offenders is a wealthy exporter, I suspect! You're just selling indulgences, Governor!" Mrs. Bellsot chastised, repulsed at the worm of a man before her.
"Alright, I've had enough of this! Croque hasn't done anything wrong, and neither have myself or Emilia! Normally, I would say to hell with your accusations, but this has already gone too far, and my back is killing me from the night I had to spend in jail because of you! Emilia shouldn't of had to part with her money either! I had my own room, and NOTHING ever happened between us! I've never been as chaste as I've been these past six months! It's been a nightmare!" Jack shouted, having lost hold of his temper.
"Mr. Stiles, you will not speak to my wife like that! And as for your relations or lack there of, with Mrs. Rothschild, the fact remains that in the public's eye, you were supporting a repugnant way of life! You are leaders within this community, and from speaking with a few of the people, you are well liked among the native population! They follow your example, therefore, your example should lead them to, not away from, the Lord! That is where your true crime lay!" Minister Bellsot rebutted, hotly, coming to stand defensively in front of his wife.
"Well, what's done is done. The past can not be changed, and Jack is moving into the inn, so everything is solved," Emilia stated conciliatory, trying to to undo the hostility in the room. These people might have made excellent allies, but they also had the potential to make equally efficient obstacles in their work against the French. She didn't want to see Jack's mouth ruin everything. She had to remain level headed.
"I wish it were that simple, Mrs. Rothschild, but, as you have said, what's done is done, and it is our job is to see that it is undone, for the very souls of all those on this island!" Mr. Bellsot stated with conviction.
"Meaning what, exactly?" Jack asked, knowing he was not going to like what came next.
"Meaning that, unless you come before the Lord and seek his forgiveness; unless you take responsibility for your actions and do what is right, setting a positive example for the people of Pulau Pulau; I will be forced to warn the good Christians of this island, just who they are doing business with!" Minister Bellsot firmly replied.
Emilia stood up at that point, and looked the minister straight in the eye. "If you do that, I will be forced to stop funding to your mission, and you would be driven off this island! Ask the Governor. I'm the biggest exporter here, and I am friendly with most of the business'. I also carry favor with the people, as I donate much to local charities. To be blunt, there aren't enough Christians on Pulau Pulau to give a darn, and I believe it was the dear governor's brother who said that 'an army travels on it's stomach'. Unless you can multiply loaves and fishes, Minister, your army will be forced to retreat, and these pagans will remain unChristianized! You don't have to like me! You don't even have to work with me! But don't you DARE threaten me or anyone who works for me!" Emilia spat back, furiously. Nobody controlled her or her business. It may only be a cover, but her father had taught her that a good spy NEVER lets anyone intimidate them. It was the principle of the thing.
"Then there is nothing more to say. We thank you for your hospitality Governor, and we look forward to seeing you again tomorrow at the dedication ceremony to the mission. Come Helena," Minister Bellsot replied, taking his wife's arm, and turning to leave.
As Jack, Emilia, and the Governor watched them go, each knew one thing
for certain. This was definitely NOT over.
