The Albigensian Chronicles Lettre 4

Narbonne 10 decembre Julian Calendar

To Ramon, Count of Tulouse I send greetings and wishes for a most holy Holiday

 

  Honored Sir and Mentor

              I pray this epistle finds you in good health and spirits.

 I arrived home without incident. However every pot hole between Carcassonne and Narbonne managed to find at least one of the cart's wheels sending the pain coursing through my leg with every lurch.

Narbonne seems oblivious to the war and celebrates the holy season with its usual fervor. Masses are sung every hour, chruch bells ring continually and the people, after attending mass visit with one and other as is the custom.

 I, being convalescent, have been excused from attending Mass but not from friends and relatives visiting at all hours.

  At first I welcomed the visits. It did me good to see friends, cousins, aunts, uncles; to laugh, to sing, talk about "remember when." Now however I am tired and wish I were back in winter quarters.

 I know I should be happy to be home but mama has changed since Poppa died, all she talks about is how Poppa was stingy, mean and how he ignored her. How he never let her do as she wished--- how he was a "ladies man" chasing after Mademoiselle X or Madam Y.

   This is not how I remember him. It is true Poppa had a "joie de vive, loved his beer and good food and had an appreciative for the ladies. I remember how he would talk at length about a certian dowger Baroness after he had been in his cups for awhile. He always maintained that the relationship was "Platonic."

 Now, however mama insists that he had formed a liaison with her and stayed "dallying at her court for days, sometimes weeks on end, leaving her the burden of running our estate from day to day. This I do not and cannot believe for one minute. I think mama is angry at Poppa for dying.

  My leg is mending although it still looks terrible, the swelling has gone down but an ugly yellowish, green, purple color still surrounds the wound. Dr. Amery says that if it does not begin to lessen in a few more days he will apply a treatment he heard the Moors use to cleanse mortifying flesh. He will not say what it is but assures me that it is almost 100 per cent successful. I willlet you know futhuer of my progress and if Dr. Amery has had to use his "new" treatment.

                                 In Service to Toulouse and Occitania

                               En* Raphael de Estange Captian

 

*En---- Old Occitan meaning Lord

                                 

Reviews

[anne p. murray- LadeeAn..]

You write with such flair and honesty, recreating a scene of authentic historical venue. Your unique ability to focus on this crusade and the Inquisition and your own words of what it entailed and held for it's inhabitants in the time of history, is very captivating.
Anne

[Robin]

enjoying , enjoying

[Patches I'm not so new..]

Yes Kathie please to read the introduction it gived the background .

[Valentine]

Does this take place in France...and in which century..you are becoming a very talented story teller..Kathie