“But of what use?” he insisted. “You will still remain his wife, and your property will be in his control. The church will hold you to the marriage contract.”
“Not if I can establish the truth that I was deceived, defrauded, and married by force. Once I have the proofs in my hands, I will appeal to Louis––to the Pope for relief. These men thought me a helpless girl, friendless and alone, ignorant of law, a mere waif of 152 the frontier. Perhaps I was, but this experience has made of me a woman. In Montreal I talked with the Mother Superior, and she told me of a marriage in France where the père officiated under threat, and the Pope dissolved the ties. If it can be done for others, it shall be done for me. I will not remain the wife of Francois Cassion.”
“Yet you would make him love you?”
“In punishment for his sins; in payment for those he has ruined. Ay! ’tis a duty I shall not shrink from, Monsieur de Artigny, even although you may deem it unwomanly. I do not mean it so, nor hold myself immodest for the effort. Why should I? I but war against him with his own weapons, and my cause is just. And I shall win, whether or not you give me your aid. How can I fail, Monsieur? I am young, and not ill to look upon; this you have already confessed; here in this wilderness I am alone, the only woman. He holds me his wife by law, and yet knows he must still win me. There are months of loneliness before us, and he will not look upon the face of another white woman in all those leagues. Are there any French of my sex at Fort St. Louis?”
“No.”
“Nor at St. Ignace, Père Allouez assures me. I shall have no rival then in all this wilderness; you think me harmless, Monsieur? Look at me, and say!”
“I do not need to look; you will have your game, I have no doubt, although the final result may not prove what you desire.”
“You fear the end?”
“It may be so; you play with fire, and although I know little of women, yet I have felt the wild passions of men in lands where there is no restraint of law. The wilderness sees many tragedies––fierce, bitter, revengeful deeds––and ’tis best you use care. ’Tis my belief this Francois Cassion might prove a devil, once his heart was tricked. Have you thought of this?”