After the infamous Christmas row, Auré was cut by Ottawan high society. If an aristocrat, especially a lady, comported themselves at variance to the rigid Edwardian rules of etiquette, they quickly found themselves cast out from polite society, and often times irrevocably. Aubrey wished her husband had not ostracized himself so much. Affairs were now certainly harder to have. Auré did not seem to mind being cut, but in the new year, he had grown silent on the topic of war and no longer defended his not being in uniform.
In the afternoon of a late February day, the sky was a dull grey. It had recently snowed, and the powder lay fresh across the landscape. Given the elder sons were gone, Vauréal was rather quiet. Aubrey was with Mme. Laurentien in one of the parlours. Mme. Laurentien gifted a small brick to Aubrey. It was purchased from the Ottawa Women’s Canadian Club that sold pieces of debris from The Hill fire as a fundraiser for the Prisoners of War drive.
On an evening in early February, a fire broke out in the reading room in the centre block of Parliament. The blaze soon engulfed the lumbered room. Roofs fell through, which sent millions of sparks flying. Within a short time, the whole of the centre block was in flames. Borden and his secretary managed to exit the building almost by crawling. The Victory tower still stood intact, but before the clock could reach midnight, the grand bell plunged from the tall spire. The Prime Minister looked on as the Victoria Tower crashed down into rubble. The roof of Parliament caved in. Seven people perished. An inquiry found that the blaze was started by papers that caught fire from a lit cigar on a table. Scepticism about German treason would not entirely diminish the length of the effort. The neo-gothic style of Parliament was a matchless structure in terms of architecture, in England as well.
Objective gained40, Nico and Joseph were sneaking chocolate chip cookies to the nursery. On the main floor and when Nico, sweets in hand, was precisely before a side glass door, their father was found to be on the other side. Last words to his comrade “Go on, I’ll manage,”41 whispered Nico to Joseph, in front, who slipped around the corner to the back staircase, unnoticed.
Michel and his nephew came in from out of doors. They had just visited Pierre’s tombstone. Michel handed his coat to Thierry.
Michel related to Auré about the fire on The Hill, “Hundreds of books of immeasurable value would have perished that night but for one of the librarians. The bright, dear lad was able to close the library’s giant steel doors before managing to get out. But the Victory tower was reduced to ruin; it will need to be reconstructed.”
Nico piped, “The new tower’s name ought to have the word ‘peace’ in it.”
Deciding to overlook the baking, his father asked, “Whatever for?”
“After the lads, Sir.”
Michel turned to Auré and said, “Parliament should have a lasting tribute to our boys. Nicolas is right. They left us to defend the empire and have been gone far too long, indeed.”
“It is well done, dad42,” Nico ended the conversation, speaking out of turn.
While Auré walked up the staircase, he heard the little boys’ conversation in the upstairs nursery, since the door was ajar. Auré listened while the little ones carried on. The boys had yet to learn English. Albert Desrosiers spoke in French, “Our dear daddy and our hero43 said more chaps are needed over there so wives can go on spending all their husbands money in freedom”. Auré rolled his eyes in agreement. “Mother got cross and father laughed. Father says it’s only a matter of time before conscription passes. Maybe they will conscript us. Then our fathers would have to let us go! I would capture all the Hun I cared to and France’s Croix de Guerre.”
Joseph Laurentien then declared that any man not in uniform was a shirker. Valiant in battle44, Nico defended their uncle Auré; he was not a coward, even though he was not fighting. The boys went on to say that perhaps the war would last long enough for René to fight, as there should be a uniformed male in every family. Auré stood in the nursery entryway and took a long look at his son. René was being used as one of Bijou’s dolls for tea. Bijou was one of the younger Laurentien girls and was petnamed “Bijou” for her love of jewellery. The best air was being served at her tea party. Once Nico saw his uncle, he ran up to Auré and gave him a bear hug. For once, Auré did not turn away from physical affection but took Nico in his arms for an embrace and then put him down. Auré then met Michel in the study for coffee and a discussion of the protest on The Hill about Francophone rights in the province. In late February, five thousand Franco-Ontarians denounced Regulation 17 and demanded the law be annulled.
Aubrey actually returned to Pembina before Auré did. When he came in the door, she asked where he had been.
“Michel said you walked back. That was a long walk in the snow.”
In lieu of a response, her husband came up to her and gently cuped the side of her jaw. He seemed distracted. He went to inform Llwelleyn that instead of a customary five-course supper, the chef was to lessen the meal to a four-course one. How very peculiar of him, thought Aubrey.