Canadian Historical Mysteries Manitoba
by
When the British arrived in Winnipeg in the 1800s it was convenient for the men to take Metis wives. They were called a la vacon du pays – according to the custom of the country. These women bore the brunt of ensuring survival in the harsh environment. Without them the British army and fur traders would not have survived the brutal winters. However, as society evolved it became accepted that wives must be white, schooled in British ways, fashionable in the European sense and married by the Anglican church. The Metis wives and their ‘country born’ offspring were thrown out and forced to fend for themselves. The unrepentant husbands continued to live comfortably with their ‘new’ wives. It was inevitable that some discarded wives did not accept their fate quietly and hard feelings on both sides were unavoidable. When the bodies of two discarded Metis wives, Marguerite and Marie-Anne, are found bludgeoned to death on a cold Winnipeg street, Guilliame Mousseau, sets out to get to the bottom of his sisters’ murder.
“Marguerite, you must go to him. Ètienne needs medicine, the fever is eating him up,” Marie Anne urged her sister.
The younger woman shook her head, wringing out a cloth in cold water to soothe her child. “How can I? The English woman, she is there now, I doubt Miles will even speak to me.”
“He must, Ètienne is his son!” Marie-Anne insisted.
“No longer.” The words were bitter. “He has disowned the bebes and me, discarded us like so much offal. Now that his fancy English lady has arrived.”
“Still, Marguerite, you must go and ask. I will come with you. Together we will convince your Miles to either send the British doctor or give us money for the medicine.” Anne Marie pulled the dripping cloth from Marguerite’s hand and threw it on the pounded earth floor. “Look at him! You cannot just let him die. If you won’t go yourself, I will go in your stead.”
READ MOREMarie-Anne whirled around, grabbing two thick shawls from the back of a chair, and wrapping them around her shoulders. She planted her hands on her hips and glared at her sister. “Are you coming?”
“Yes, oui, of course. I know you are right. It is just my pride that stops me. For how long was I his wife in every sense of the word? If not for me, and you, and others like us, those soft Englishmen would never have survived their first winter."
COLLAPSEDS Dehel, Amazon Review wrote:"Discarded is a Canadian Historical Mysteries written by author Nancy M. Bell. Discarded is the first book by Nancy that I have read. I sorely enjoyed reading Discarded and certainly hope that it is not the last as I do plan on checking out more of her work."
"This topic is one of great interest to me, since one of my dear friends, Maggie Blackbird, writes about First Nations Peoples. So, I was excited to read another novel on the same topic. Bell does not disappoint in her tale, weaving history and mystery together to create an engrossing story. Guilliame is a compelling character, and he grows throughout the story...The writing gets better and stronger as the story progresses."
