looked unsurprised. “Kieran’s mother told me it was very important that we never, ever sell the tapestry or give it to anyone else, including a museum. She told me it was given to them in trust.”
“But why did it need protection?” Calvin asked his uncle.
“During the Nazi occupation of France, our family found it prudent to remove the tapestry from our house in Paris. My parents,” he nodded to Natalie and Calvin, “your great-aunt and uncle, were not on good terms with the Nazis. In fact, they were in considerable danger from them.”
“Why is that?” Natalie asked.
“Because it became known by the Third Reich that our family was Roma.”
Everyone stopped eating and stared at Julien, puzzled. “You mean gypsies?” Natalie asked, confused.
“Well, we don’t really like that term, but yes, that’s what I mean.”
“But our great-aunt and uncle weren’t nomads,” Calvin protested. “The Paris house has been in the family for at least two hundred years, hasn’t it?”
“That’s true, but consider our family as a whole.” Julien paused to gather his thoughts. “Richard couldn’t stay in one place for more than a month, and both of you are the same way. I don’t think Natalie has entered her flat since last August.”
Natalie looked a little abashed. “July, actually.”
“And Calvin,” his uncle said, fixing his eye on him seriously, “you are even worse than your sister. You appear on my doorstep every few months, freshly arrived from some far-flung corner of the globe.”
“Well, what about you, Uncle?” Calvin retorted. “You’re not exactly a stay-at-home type yourself!”
“You illustrate my point, dear boy. We are all of us wayfarers at heart, despite our thin veneer of civility.”
Natalie and Calvin considered this. It was true that they had an unusual family, who were generally unsettled, but gypsies? It seemed strange to imagine themselves as Romani when they were so wealthy. Calvin mentioned as much to his uncle.
“Gypsies are generally poor and live a hardscrabble life,” Uncle Julien agreed, “but there’s one difference between us and the rest of the tribe.”
“What’s that?” asked Kieran.
Uncle Julien looked around the table, then fixed his gaze on his niece and nephew. He hadn’t meant to tell them in this way, but things seemed to have a way of working out unexpectedly. “Our family name, Romarin, is really a mutation,” he explained. “In ancient times it was Rom, and as our family migrated, our name evolved to what it is today. What I’m trying to say is that we are the leaders and progenitors of that tribe, the Roma.”
The First Gypsies
Kieran refilled wineglasses and lay a plate of truffles before them. “I knew you were an ancient family, Julien, but I had no idea just how ancient, or how totally Bohemian.”
“What do you mean we’re leaders?” Calvin asked, interrupting. “Gypsies don’t have leaders, do they? They aren’t a traditional sort of tribe by any means. Even I know that.”
“Indeed you are absolutely right,” Julien explained. “The Roma have no masters, and I’m not trying to say that our family makes any attempt to rule over them. We are simply their figureheads. Our purpose is to occasionally intervene, and sometimes to guide our people. We make no laws, nor do we require anything from them. The Roma have survived by their own adaptability. As head of the tribe, it is our family’s duty to be accessible to them, and to advocate for their cause when required. I hate to say it, but it’s a thankless job at times.”
“Why have we never been told we were the head of some kind of gypsy dynasty?” Calvin asked, completely astounded. “It seems like Uncle Richard might have mentioned it.”
“We both agreed that we wanted you to be raised without that knowledge because we wanted your dreams and personalities to form naturally. We wanted to see what you would become, without being influenced by what you are. In fact, we had agreed that the time was right to inform you of your heritage and your responsibilities. We were waiting till you were both well out of college, and had set your own paths.” Uncle Julien shook his head sadly. “I wish we could have told you together, as we planned. Richard would have explained everything so much better than I.”
“No, Uncle, I get why you didn’t tell us,” Natalie reassured him. “I’m glad we didn’t have the burden of that knowledge while we were growing up. But what are our responsibilities now?” she asked.
He smiled, relieved that she understood. “Luckily for us, the demands on our time are small. My duties in recent years usually have included nothing more than blessing marriages or settling minor disputes between different parties. The Roma are a superstitious lot, and are disposed to consider our family as their good luck charm. It’s quite funny sometimes. I was asked to attend the birth of twins recently because the mother was convinced that if I wasn’t there, the babies would come out backwards, both literally and figuratively, it turns out.”
His tone turned serious. “It isn’t always so frivolous, though. During World War II, our family had much to do. We organized the exodus of hundreds of families. Hitler hated our people almost as much as he hated the Jews. Many Roma were lost in those years.”
Natalie looked thoughtful. “And our parents … what did they do? Uncle Richard said they were diplomats, and I vaguely remember traveling with them when I was very young.”
“They were diplomats, in a sense,” he replied. “They went wherever they were required, in order to advocate for our people. Thomas and Minnie were dedicated to the Roma, as well as to their two little children,” he added, smiling.
It became quiet in the dining room for a few moments, as everyone digested what Julien had just told them. Finally Janette said, “I never knew this tapestry was infused with so much of your family’s history. Now I feel guilty for keeping it all these years. I think it’s high time you reclaimed it.”
“Nonsense,” said Julien. “It was given to your parents for two reasons: first, to keep it from the Nazis, and more importantly, as a gift to your family for all you did in helping our people. Many Roma crossed the English Channel into safety because of the Beaulieu family.”
When it was time to leave, Kieran insisted that his visitors consider staying overnight.”You’ll be more comfortable here, and we can get an early start tomorrow,” he argued.
Natalie and Calvin borrowed his car early the next morning to retrieve their belongings and check out of the hotel. “What do you think about all this Tribe of Roma stuff?” Calvin asked his sister as they drove back to the Beaulieu’s home.
“I don’t know what to think yet. I’ve always thought of our family as a little eccentric, but gypsies?”
“It explains Uncle Richard’s passion for their music … I mean, our music,” he amended. “He was always playing something of the kind.”
“It
