Haiete Gaudet

Name: Haiete Bonnet (born Gaudet)
Born: 1609
Traits: Impertinent, Gossipy, Curious, Industrious, Black-hearted, Egoist
Romantic History: None
Husband: Renost Bonnet
Parents: Marcelet Gaudet and Chrestienne Gaudet
Aspiration: Fortune
Character Alignment: Evil
Class: Working Class Laborer


When she and Renost left their village, Haiete hoped for a better future somewhere in Paris, where her husband could find a job and she could earn some money to sent back home, in order to help her family.Even if at the beginning everyone from her family stood out against their love and were disappointed when they found about their run out, the hardships of life determined Haiete and Renost to try to reconcile with their families, who's refuse transformed the young girl in a bitter woman.

Children
Elise Bonnet (1622)
Sacha Bonnet (1629)
Eliane Bonnet (1630)
Esther Bonnet (1630)

Fall 1616-1620

A trouble shared is a trouble halved, tried to think Marcelet as the sorrow seemed endless.

In 1616, when his youngest son was born Marcelet had the courage to hope that God was finally merciful to his family.Margot, his second wife, gave birth without complications to a healthy baby boy and Haiete, his youngest daughter, along with Guillaume, Margot's son, were getting along very well, practically raising each other and helping their parents.

Guillaume and his step-sister, Haiete, resting after a tiring day of work with their parents.

Two years passes by without other major events.The crop looked well and with Margot's money from her first deceased husband they were able to buy and cultivate some more acres of land, so everyone was sure that they will have a lot of work to do in the fall.

Unfortunately, in 1618 little Marcelet, their youngest son, started showing signs of pneumonia and died in just a couple of months, cut down by the high fever.His sister Haiete and his mother, Margot were devastated by his death.Marcelet and Guillaume tried to be strong for their family, but poor Marcelet couldn't stop murmuring curse words.

Blinded by rage and sorrow, he blamed God for all his griefs and even refused his son to be laid in the ground by a Catholic priest.

Seeing her father so weak, Haiete couldn't stop her tears from falling down her cheeks and burning her skin.She couldn't recall feeling so lonely and so helpless ever in her short life until now.

Of course, their mother's death, only one year later nearly lead the way to Marcelet's suicide.

In 1919 Margot died few weeks after giving birth to another son, Clement.Unable to feed her son because of her illness, the baby didn't seem to have too many survival chances, especially now, that the winter was closer.

After carrying out his second wife, Marcelet would never be the same man.He started keeping away from his children, letting Haiete and Guillaume to take care of the feeble baby who wasn't even strong enough to cry from his cradle, where he spent most of his days.

In this time, all Haiete and Guillaume could do was simply watch their father turning in on himself, getting isolated in his own world.He left home early in the morning, long before the sunrise and simply took to the roads, often to come back home some days later.

But when they heard him talking to himself like he would have been talking to his first wife, Cherestienne, the two children knew something was very wrong to him and started fearing that he might do something to take his own life.

Because there was no way Marcelet would ever marry another woman and also because Haiete was still too young and especially too poor to get married, Guillaume decided that he had to find a wife for himself, because only he and his step-sister couldn't care for a baby and a madman by themselves, while working to survive.

Winter 1604-1608

It hasn't been exactly the greatest winter for the poor serfs.

Little baby Anne (Marcelet and Chrestienne's second daughter) died in the winter of 1606.Poor parents thought that after loosing one child, God will be merciful to them, but no, they lost little Anne (only 4 years old when she tragically died of smallpox ), only to be followed by her younger sister, Mariot, the next year (winter of 1607).Her parents were devastated.

Even so, their children's tragic death didn't impress the assessor, who insisted that they had to pay their taxes to the Court.Chrestienne cried and begged for a little more time, just until the crops will be ready to be harvested, but the heartless man took almost everything from their hovel, letting the family only with the clothes they were wearing.

Chrestienne's fourth pregnancy didn't make the things easier for them either.

By the end of the winter, she gave birth to Haiete.Unfortunately, the the mother died of childbed fever a week later, leaving poor Marcelet alone with their baby.

assesor - an official who evaluates property for the purpose of taxing it (I translated it from my language, where the definition is "Officer in charge of collecting taxes from people" ).

childbed fever - A bacterial infection of the female reproductive organs following childbirth.

Fall 1600-1604

Cherestienne knew her life as Marcelet's wife wouldn't be an easy one, but she never expected to live in a shanty house and survive with only what they plant and grow.

She got pregnant in her first year and gave birth without any complications to a healthy baby girl whom they named Jois Gaudet.

Chrestienne, pregnant with her first baby.

Jois was a quiet and tranquil baby, never demanding attention from anyone else and rarely crying, even when her busy parents left her alone in the house, tied into the cradle and went to work for their neighbors.

Even so, Crestienne had no moment of peace, always cleaning the house, cooking or feeding the little baby girl.And, as if that wasn't enough, soon after she gave birth to Jois, she was pregnant again.Both she and her husband hoped that this time will be a boy who will carry on the family's name (well, the family's name would be the only thing that he would inherit, considering that both his parents are poor as a church mouse).

Chrestienne with baby Jois, also pregnant with her second child.

Marcelet leaving for work.

Seemed like life wasn't complicated enough for them ... because soon, Marcelet and Crestienne had to go to fields for the harvest.

The next year, Chrestienne gave birth to their second daughter, Anne, without any complications.Unfortunately, the saints' fire* stroke down little Jois, only 2 years old.Anne was a lot stronger than her older sister and survived.

Jois, before her tragic death.

Now, with another baby on the way, that means more children to feed and a lot more work for the two serfs.

*saints' fire (devil's fire, evil fire, St. Anthony's fire, correct = Ergotism) - Poisoning from a fungal infection of grain, especially rye.

The Gaudet Family

Name: Marcelet Gaudet

Born: 1577

Died: 1630

Traits: Loyal, Hard Worker, Protective

Romantic History: None

Wife: Chrestienne Gaudet

Aspiration: Popularity

Character Alignment: Neutral

Class: Serf

Marcelet, the youngest of the seven children his family raised, fell in love with Chrestienne when he first met her, at her older sister's wedding.At first, the young girl refused his wedding proposal, but a sad incident made her reconsider the idea.

Unfortunately, the tragic death of 4 children and 2 wives was enough to make the poor man see the world different from the others.

After his second wife's death, Marcelet changed forever and now everyone that used to know him calls the poor man a lunatic.

Name: Chrestienne Gaudet

Born: 1582

Died: 1609 (childbirth)

Traits: Avaricious, Idealistic, Conservative

Romantic History: Nicolas Colbert (lover; dead)

Husband: Marcelet Gaudet

Aspiration: Knowledge

Character Alignment: Evil

Class: Serf

The year before her marriage, Chrestienne was happy.She was in love with a soldier, Nicolas Colbert, who promised that he'll marry her.So, when she first met Marcelet, she didn't pay him any attention.Unfortunately, her lover was killed in the war and she was forced to marry Marcelet, only to die some years later, leaving her husband to take care of their only surviving child, a girl.

Name: Margot Desmarais Gaudet

Born: 1587

Died: 1619 (childbed fever)

Traits: Optimistic, Determined, Dependable, Stubborn, Independent

Romantic History: Jaques Desmarais (ex-husband ; deceased)

Husband: Marcelet Gaudet

Aspiration: Family

Character Alignment: Neutral

Class: Serf (remarried widow)

Margot was raised by her parents as an obedient young woman, so at the age of 19, when her family decided that is was time for her to get married she quietly accepted the man they chose for her, Jaques Desmarais.So, from an obedient daughter she turned into an obedient wife.Unfortunately, just a year after her wedding, Jaques died of Malaria, leaving his wife alone and pregnant.She gave birth to a son, whom she named Guillaume and raised all by herself.When the boy turned 6, she decided to remarry and Marcelet was the best option, even if he was poor.

Unfortunately, after only few years of marriage, Margot died after she gave birth to a son.

Children

Jois Gaudet (1601-1603)

Anne Gaudet (1602-1606)

Mariot Gaudet (1605-1607)

Haiete Gaudet (1609)

Guillaume Desmarais (1601 ; stepson)

Marcelet Dupuis (1616-1618)

Clement Dupuis (1619)