Sophie's Treason. Beverley Boissery
it deliberately and felt aggrieved. While Lady Theo’s face would be hidden by shadows, her own would be as transparent as daylight.
For a few long minutes the three of them sat in silence. Luc fiddled with things on the table beside him and Sophie fervently wished she was anyplace else. Lady Theo seemed content to let them fret. Just as the silence became unbearable, she cleared her throat and turned to Sophie. “Now then, young lady, what was the last thing I said to you this morning?”
“That you supposed you had no control over what Luc did but that I had to stay in the house all day,” she answered sulkily.
“And did you?”
Sophie glared. “You know I didn’t.”
“Yes, I know you didn’t. What I don’t know is why you would disobey me.”
“Someone had to be with Luc.”
“And I planned to be,” Lady Theo answered sharply. Then she sighed and leaned forward, letting Sophie see the lines of exhaustion and worry on her face. “Sophie, child, this is a horrible situation for all of us. Unless we trust each other, it can only get worse. Can you understand that?”
After Sophie nodded her head, she went on, “What have I told you ever since we came to Montreal?”
Sophie quickly looked across to Luc. This wasn’t the scolding she’d expected. “That I had to watch what I said because we could all get into trouble. That if I said the wrong thing and the wrong people heard me, we could all be charged with treason.”
“And, today you saw just how serious treason is, Sophie. That could have been any of us on trial. A couple of the things we did during the rebellion made us just as guilty as some of those men.”
Luc nodded, his face haggard. “I feel terrible, Lady Theo. I know that I’m far more guilty than some of them. More than poor Lesiège, for sure. He’s just there because they’ve mixed him up with someone else. But when General Clitherow made his speech, telling us that treason was the worst of all crimes, I thought he was looking straight at me.”
“It’s not fair, Lady Theo,” Sophie burst out. “Mr. Christie, the man who explained everything to us, thinks the judges have already made up their minds. They’re not going to listen to anything — they’re going to find everyone guilty.”
“They shouldn’t be judging them anyway,” Luc added. “Like Sophie said, they fought against them. They can’t possibly be neutral. Maybe we need another rebellion to make sure they treat us fairly.”
“That’s enough, Luc,” Lady Theo said sternly. “That’s just the kind of talk the government wants to stop. As much as I hate to say it, I think your Mr. Christie was right. The verdict has already been decided. I’m sorry, Luc. Desperately sorry for Marc and the other men. I’m afraid, however, that you have to prepare yourself to accept the worst.”
When Luc choked on a sound that was suspiciously like a sob and buried his face in his hands, Sophie dragged her chair closer to him, then turned back to face Lady Theo. “You shouldn’t have reminded him.”
Lady Theo ignored her and spoke again to Luc. “I’m only trying to help you understand. I looked at those officers’ faces carefully today. They mean business, I’m afraid. However, that’s not why I wanted to talk to both of you.”
She waited until she had their complete attention. “Sophie, I gave you a direct order this morning when I told you to stay here. Now, why do you think I’d do that?”
Sophie squirmed in her chair, her fingers twitching on the armrests. She couldn’t gauge Lady Theo’s mood and didn’t know whether she should brazen it out or be contrite. “Maybe because you didn’t want me to get hurt in the crowds?” she responded, half-flippantly. “Or maybe you didn’t want me to see the courtroom because I might worry too much about what would happen to Marc and Papa?”
“I had both those reasons in the back of my mind. Neither was the main one. Now tell me, either of you: you saw the people in the courtroom today. What did you notice about them?”
Luc looked across the room to Lady Theo, his attention diverted from his brother’s fate. “A lot of ugly English who wanted my brother’s neck stretched by the hangman’s rope.”
“Well, yes. They were unforgettable,” Lady Theo replied. “But think. What other groups were there?”
“I suppose there were other English, the ones like Mr. Christie,” Luc said grudgingly.
“And the country people,” Sophie added, thinking back to the jammed stairwells and the smell of food in the courtroom. A few had looked resentful and seemed willing — like Luc — to start another fight. Most had seemed fearful, as though they, like Lady Theo, thought the verdicts were a foregone conclusion.
“Think. Harder,” Lady Theo responded. “There was one more group.”
Sophie shut her eyes. She visualized Alf’s friends behind her and the country people sitting silently on the left side of the room. “I know. Priests. There was a group of priests!”
Lady Theo smiled. A tired smile that really didn’t erase the sadness and exhaustion on her face. “And did you look at any of their faces, child?”
Sophie turned to Luc. He shrugged. “I saw Father Labelle of Châteauguay on the stairs, and I did wonder if Father Quintal had come across from Beauharnois.”
“Then you didn’t recognize anyone else? Either of you?”
Again Sophie and Luc looked at each other and, again, Luc shrugged. They shook their heads as they turned to face Lady Theo again.
She pursed her lips. “Yesterday, Sophie,” she said quietly, “I found out that your brother, Bart, is in Montreal.”
Bart was the most anti-British of Sophie’s brothers. He was also the father of the boy Sophie loathed most in the entire world: the sneaky, manipulative Elias, whose main delight appeared to lie in tormenting her. She would be defenceless against him if she had to go back to Malloryville without her father or Lady Theo or Luc to help her.
“Are you sure?” she asked, feeling her heart drop to her boots. “I didn’t think he would allow himself to even touch British soil.”
“He came here to the house and talked with John Coachman, pretending he was lost. John recognized him, but didn’t let on. He says Bart’s hurt and can only walk with a cane. That’s probably why I recognized him today. I can’t tell you if he’s come to find out about your papa, to see what’s happening with the trial, or, Sophie, to try to take you back to Malloryville. I wish I knew, but I don’t.”
Sophie clutched Lady Theo’s hand, words gushing as she fought her fear. “You won’t let him, will you? I promise I’ll never disobey again. I’m sorry for today. Truly. I won’t ever disobey you again.”
“Ah, Sophie. Of course, you will. Disobey me, that is.” Lady Theo laughed a little and tried to smile reassuringly. “You’ve such a big heart, child. But things are so complicated. If your brother wants to take you back to Vermont, I could fight him. In court, of course. But, legally, I have no right to keep you with me.”
Sophie saw that Luc looked as astonished as she felt. “Why not?” she asked. “You’re Luc’s guardian. I thought you were mine as well.”
“I’m Luc’s guardian because Marc and his grandmother want it. They are even making it legal because she’s far too sick to look after him. As well, if Marc is found guilty, he forfeits everything, including his right to look after Luc. So, you see, dear child, I’ve more right to have Luc here with me than you. I have his grandmother’s permission, and if Marc is found guilty and the courts formally approve our petition, I’ll have legal custody.”
Sophie had known a little of this but, until that morning, hadn’t been terribly interested in the legal niceties. Now she understood what an incredibly generous