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let’s not think any more sad thoughts. Today we are going to be as happy as children, eh?”

Chapter 10
     
    M arc jumped down from the small buggy and held out his hand to Louise. Even dressed in her simple Huguenot clothing, her long skirt made walking in the sand difficult.
    “Do you have something decent under that?” he asked. “Maybe you could take off that dress?”
    “Well, I do have my chemise,” she said, her face turning red. “It covers me quite well, but my ankles will show.”
    “Well, I’ve seen your ankles before.” He laughed. “Today we will be like back in the village when we were young. I want you to see the tide pools with all the astonishing sea creatures they hide. Maybe we’ll want to swim in the ocean. You can’t do that with that long skirt. It would weigh you down too much. You’d better take off your boots too.”
    She still looked doubtful, but he laughed at her embarrassment. “Just pretend it’s five years ago, and go as we used to. Here, I’ll take off my top and be barefoot, as well. It’s difficult to walk in the sand.”
    It was years she had seen him without a shirt and vest. With his darkly tanned body and rippling muscles, he looked so masculine and powerful she was once again breathless. “What will the people say?” she managed to whisper.
    “There are no people here now. All the peasants, who live around here, have gone over to the island, to help with the salt harvest. After that, they rake the oyster beds and dig for clams. And the fishermen have gone off to sea for the good fishing season. They all work hard now to get ready for the winter months ahead.”
    “Where do they live then?” she asked. “In those little grey shacks?”
    A few feet away, stood a small structure built up on stilts. A short ladder stair led up to the door. When the tide was in, water would surround the building.
    “No, no. The peasants live back in the marshes along the river. Those are the fishermen’s shacks,” he explained. “If the weather turns bad they can go up into them and stay for awhile. They usually have a small cot as well in case they have to spend the night.”
    Wearing only her chemise, she felt rather undressed. However, it was certainly easier to get around. They left their extra clothing in the little carriage. Marc unhitched the horse, so it could eat the small grasses growing along the marsh.
    “I’ll tie him to this post, and he’ll be fine there,” he stated. “Now try the stairs. Can you make it?”
    “Oh yes. It is quite easy even without my boots. Whew. It smells a little of fish in here. Look there’s a table and a couple of chairs. If we were younger we could play house, Marc.” She laughed.
    He came and stood close to her, and she was aware of a sudden tension between them. She quickly stepped away from him as his body touched hers. She was not naïve as to the nature of men. Helping her mother look after little Andre had prepared her for growing up, and her mother had explained to her about marriage and babies.
    “It is right to have much passion for your husband,” Claudine had told her. “Although one should restrain these feelings until you are truly married in the eyes of God. Then it is blessed, not a sin.”
    To her relief, he turned to the door and motioned her to follow him outside, down to the water’s edge. For an hour or more, they explored the beautiful rock pools, examining the tiny creatures inhabiting them. Finally, they left the rocky shore and returned to the glorious curve of sandy beach near the little shack. The sun was high in the sky and quite hot by now.
    “Do you want to go in the water, Louise? The ocean is cold, though. It’s much different than swimming in your lazy river.”
    “Let’s try it, Marc. It looks so refreshing, and I must say I am rather warm now.”
    Laughing like a happy child, she ran into the rolling surf. Feeling quite buoyant in the salty ocean, she swam further out to the deeper water