A few days later, the train approached Quebec City from the opposite bank of the St. Lawrence River, leaving the destitute city of Halifax far behind. Lea watched as the town transformed from a thin grey line to an impressive European skyline.
Her friend’s eyes were wide with wonder. “This is so much like my Bretagne!” she exclaimed, her voice teeming with excitement. “The buildings are almost the same. What a pretty place. And look—there’s Château Frontenac!”
“Château Frontenac?”
“Yes, it’s a hotel the railroad built!”
“A hotel? Really? Wow! It looks like a castle. Perhaps Guy will take you there for your honeymoon.”
“You never know.” Marie-Ève wiggled her eyebrows up and down.
Lea watched as they approached the magnificent structure. Every nerve in Marie-Ève’s body seemed to have come to life as the train pulled into the station, sputtering out a final puff of steam as it drew to a halt.
Marie-Ève leapt from her seat. “I see him! I see my Guy!” She waved frantically.
Without even so much as a good-bye, Marie-Ève grabbed her suitcase, and nearly bowled Lea over as she slipped past and raced down the stairs into the handsome man’s arms. Lea’s shoulders drooped as the distance between them grew. She let out a despondent sigh, then reached down for a newspaper to keep her busy for the next little while. But before she had a chance to open it, Marie-Ève reappeared beside her.
“Come meet my Guy!”
Swallowing her disappointment, Lea raced after her into the chill air.
“This is Lea,” Marie-Ève said when she found her fiancé again. “We shared a room together on the boat. We’re the best of friends, and she’s going to Regina to get married.”
Guy bowed deeply and kissed her hand. “Enchanté, mademoiselle. Perhaps some day you can visit us with your husband.”
“I’d love that.” Lea smiled.
“Yes, we must exchange addresses,” said Marie-Ève, opening her bag to find a pencil and a scrap of paper.
The train whistle blew.
Lea gasped. “Oh, no! It’s leaving.”
“Wait. Don’t go yet.” Marie-Ève rustled inside her bag. “I didn’t get your address. We have to keep in touch.”
Lea shot a frantic look over her shoulder. Steam puffed from the train’s smoke stack. “But I’ve got to go!”
“Quick, Guy. Do you have something to write with?”
Guy dug in his pockets, desperately searching.
The side rods of the train began to move.
“It’s leaving!”
“But Lea…” Marie-Ève called, her hand in mid-air.
“Good-bye!” Scrambling up the stairs, Lea hurried back to her seat and waved to the distraught couple until she couldn’t see them anymore.
Wiping a tear, she bit her lip. What would she do now that Marie-Ève was gone? She had four days to go until she arrived in Regina.
I might as well make good use of my time.
Taking the dictionary out of her bag, she began circling words in the newspaper, looking them up, and memorizing them.
“I am Lea,” she practiced. “Robert Borden is the prime minister of Canada. Last week, the police arrested a criminal. Buy a Ford Model T for only $2,168. A made-to-measure dress from Eaton’s department store.”
After she’d concocted a few phrases, she took out a piece of paper and attempted to write a practice letter in English.
Dear Prime Minister Borden,
I am a Leopoldine from Belgium. I am coming to Canada because your government is good and because your policemen catch many criminals. Also, I want to buy a Model T Ford for only $2,168 and order dresses from Eaton’s.
Leopoldine Decorte
She chuckled to herself as she reread the letter. How odd the prime minister would find her if he were to receive such a correspondence. Reading through it one more time, she erased the last name and changed it to de Montigny. Satisfied, she folded the paper and put it away.
The carriage she traveled in had numerous empty seats. Lea had placed her bag in the space Marie-Ève had left beside her in her usual attempt to prevent unwelcome male company. Her strategy proved useful, enabling her to sleep lying down that night, bundled up in her coat, hat, and gloves to combat the freezing air of the train. She stirred several times in the night, drawing her limbs closer to conserve heat. When she awoke the next morning and stared out the window, her eyes widened. Vast expanses of forest stretched before her, frozen streams and lakes, and skies a bluish hue caused by tiny snowflakes that fell softly to the earth. Occasionally, she spotted peculiar animals with large, brownish humps and wide antlers who scraped hooves through the snow, searching for bits of grass to chew on.
“Excuse me.” She turned to the woman who sat in the seat behind her. “What was that animal?”
The woman smiled. “It’s a moose.”
“Thank you,” said Lea. “A moose,” she repeated, writing it down in her notes.
From time to time, the train rolled into a forlorn station surrounded by a smattering of shacks and a water tower. Lea felt a rush of fear. Was this what life had in store for her? But it got worse. As they arrived in Manitoba, miles and miles of flat land spread before her, no vegetation in sight, just white emptiness.
What have I gotten myself into? Do I even know this man? Perhaps Mathilde was right.
The familiar longing for Maman rose inside her, along with a stinging in her eyes. How she would give anything to hear her voice again. She fought a hardness in her throat and wiped her eyes from time to time. Then she remembered Palma’s words—Be strong. I’d come too if I could. I so envy you. Drawing strength from her sister, she sat up and pushed her shoulders back. She’d made a choice, and she had to go through with it.
A couple of days later, the train pulled into Regina. Lea heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the brick and mortar buildings that lined the streets and the tall church steeples that rose above the town. A domed edifice crowned the city, and telephone poles lined the streets, an assurance of electric lights.
Her body tingled with excitement and trepidation. It had been so long since she’d last seen Napoleon. What if she discovered she didn’t care for him anymore? Or worse yet, that he didn’t care for her? Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her suitcase and stepped off the train. When she walked into the monumental station, she gazed in awe at the splendour of the marble floors and the dome overhead. Several people milled about, from simple farmers to men in suits and stylish women wearing the latest fashion trend. She scanned the crowd, searching for her Napoleon. Then she saw him…and reeled. This wasn’t how she remembered him! Had she been so blinded by love that she didn’t realize how bowed his legs were? Had the war marred her vision? He didn’t seem near as handsome as he had back home. Her heart pounded. She took slow, uncertain steps toward the man. He flashed her a crooked, leering smile.
Someone called from behind. “Lea!”
She wheeled about, wondering who on earth would know her in Regina besides her betrothed.
It was Napoleon! Her chest rose as she heaved a sigh of relief. She had been mistaken. The other man hadn’t been him at all.
Lea ran into his arms and they held each other tight until he took her chin in his hands and kissed her deeply.
“My Lea,” he said, over and over. “I’ve been counting the days, and you’re finally here.”
“Oh, Napoleon,” she cried. “It was so difficult on the ship. I thought I’d caught the Spanish flu and that I’d never see you again. And I was so seasick the whole way, and…” Tears spilled over her cheeks.
Napoleon wiped her eyes with his clean, white handkerchief, then placed his nose and forehead against hers. “Shhhh. You’re here now, and I’m going to take care of you.” Releasing her, he took her hand, then hoisted up her suitcase.
“Where are we going?”
“To a friend’s house. Then at six o’clock tonight, we’re going to be married at the church.”
“Tonight?” Lea raised her brows in astonishment.
“Yes. And then afterward, we’re going for supper and to see a show.”
“Supper and a show?” Lea smiled, thankful that at last she was back in civilization.
***
The marriage ceremony Napoleon had planned was to be simple, the bishop with two priests as witnesses. Lea took out the navy blue dress with the embroidered flowers she’d packed so carefully for the big day and smoothed out the wrinkles the best she could.
When she came down the stairs, Napoleon’s face lit up with admiration. “You’re so beautiful!”
Lea felt her face warm. “Thank you.”
After helping her with her coat, he took her arm and led her to the carriage that waited outside and gave her a hand up. He turned to his friend and thanked him for his hospitality. The man nodded, standing on the sidewalk as they drove away.
When the couple arrived at the cathedral, Lea broke into a grateful smile. What a beautiful church Nap had chosen—St. Mary’s—constructed of yellow stone, its one steeple rising above the rooftops.
Nap helped her down from the carriage and led her inside. Lea marveled at the church’s grey, marble floors and Gothic arches and at the rosetta window that lit up the altar. A carved crucifix hung beneath it.
They walked up the aisle to where the bishop awaited, flanked by the two priests.
His smile was kind. “You’ve traveled a long way, Leopoldine.”
“Yes.” She gave a shy nod.
“And you’re sure you want to marry Monsieur Joseph Napoleon de Montigny?”
Again she nodded, remembering how relieved she’d been the man in the station hadn’t been him.
“And you?” The bishop turned to Napoleon. “You’ve come of your own free will?”
Napoleon gave a vigorous nod. “More than my own free will.”
“Then let us proceed.”
The bishop recited the sacred words of the ceremony, the words that joined Lea for life with the soldier she’d fallen in love with and had waited what seemed an eternity to marry. Lea’s heart was filled with elation. How long she had dreamed of this, and now they would be as one. When the bishop finished the final prayers and they signed the documents necessary, he congratulated them.
Lea and Napoleon left the church hand in hand to the carriage that awaited them, their smiles ecstatic. When they arrived at a quaint hotel close by, Napoleon led her inside.
“This is where we’re staying and where we’ll have supper.”
Lea watched as he checked in at the front desk and handed their luggage to the footman.
Dinner was exquisite. She marveled at the high ceilings in the dining room and at the beautiful stained glass windows. Napoleon ordered stew while Lea chose the chicken. She was awed at the ornamental paper ruffle attached to the drumstick. But what surprised her most was that her new husband ordered two glasses of red wine and dessert!
After dinner, they attended the Regina Theatre where they watched A Dog’s Life with Charlie Chaplin and laughed themselves silly. When it was over, they returned to their hotel.
“You can take a bath if you’d like.” Napoleon set down her suitcase by the tub with a soft thud. “I’ll prepare myself for bed out here.
“Thank you,” she replied, her voice timid.
Lea’s heart quickened. She was a married woman now and she had to be perfect for her husband.
Removing her dress, she hung it on the door, and then ran water into the claw-footed bathtub, careful to pour the special bath powder supplied by the hotel. Then, opening her suitcase, she pulled out the small package at the bottom where the pretty nightgown her mother had given her lay.
“Thank you, Maman.”
She stayed in the tub for a long time, enjoying the luxury and the foam until the water cooled. Then she got out and dried herself, slipping into the nightie she’d saved for this special day. She brushed her hair using long strokes, tried several hairdos, deciding in the end to let her hair down. Admiring herself in the mirror, she whispered, “Not bad for a girl who’s just gotten off the train.”
But when she finally left the bathroom and made her entrance into the bedroom, Napoleon was fast asleep on the bed.
Lea’s face twisted into a scowl. On our wedding night!
Giving a small huff, she turned out the electric lamp and lay down beside him, nestling close to him under the blankets. It’d have to wait until tomorrow.
Napoleon suddenly jumped up. “You thought I was asleep, didn’t you?” He let out a laugh.
Lea squealed, then threw herself into his arms.