by T E Elliott
“Get up,” she demanded. He did so. “I have an alternative for you.” She had their complete attention. “If your daughter here will agree to marry my son, I will agree to drop all charges against you.”
A stunned silence descended on everyone, including the carriage driver and footman. Léa held her breath. François, now fully awake, stumbled forward a few paces.
“Did you hear me?” her words severe.
“Yes! Yes, I’m sorry…um…Madame,” Du Bois stumbled through his words, then chuckled a bit, “I couldn’t possibly.” He found his voice, “I mean no offense to your son, but I couldn’t possibly trade my daughter’s life for my own.”
Léa put a hand to her head as her thoughts scrambled.
“She would be treated well, I assure you. You and your family will be compensated,” she continued as if she didn’t hear him, “My only stipulation would be that she remain at Château Rousseau and no one come to see her.”
“Duchesse, really, for you to presume…”
“How long will you give us to decide?” Léa interjected.
“A day.”
“A week,” she returned.
“Three days. And then I send a carriage to fetch you.”
“No need, Madame, I shall walk myself,” she insisted.
“I have not agreed to this!” Du Bois’ anger rose.
Duchesse d'Aramitz turned and re-entered her carriage.
“Three days. Starting today,” she stated before the footman closed the door.
As the carriage drove off, no one moved for several moments. Du Bois turned to Léa, but before he could speak, she put a hand on his chest and said, “Not out here, Father, let’s go inside. Please.”
They all made their way inside, a heaviness descending on them. Finally, Marie broke the silence, “I think it only right for Beauty to take this upon herself for the sake of the family, seeing that it is because of her this all happened.”
Suddenly everyone spoke at once.
“It might not be a bad prospect if we are compensated and she is treated kindly,” this from Pierre.
“But what about Olivier? Perhaps he could do something, or we could say she is engaged to him already. And what the blazes is going on here anyway?” François exploded.
“What I want to know is why she would choose Beauty! I’m the oldest daughter and equally as beautiful. Imagine living richly again! I was born for such a life! I’m sure I wouldn’t need to see the man that often…” Juliette went on.
“Enough! Enough!” Du Bois shouted over them all. “This is your sister we’re talking about! There is no way I could ever agree to such a marriage. Ever!”
Everyone quieted and, slowly, each one turned their eyes on Léa.
“Father, perhaps we should discuss this privately,” she finally spoke.
“All of you go get dressed!” Du Bois snapped and heaved a great sigh. He turned away from them and put his hands on his hips.
Each one left to their respective rooms. Léa waited until Du Bois turned and sat next to her on the settee. They didn’t say anything for a moment, just sat and held each other’s hands.
When she spoke, there was a calm to her voice, “Father, I know you would never willingly agree to this.” He grunted and sniffed as tears came to his eyes. “And that is because you love me so much. I can’t tell you what it means to me to hear you stand up for me and be willing to give yourself to prison rather than see me unhappy.” He looked into her soft and loving brown eyes as she continued, “But, Father, consider the opportunity that’s been placed before us. Perhaps the means by which it has been presented to us are less than ideal, but listen, who would I have to marry in the village? Olivier? Martin?” She laughed softly and Du Bois smiled reluctantly, then she grew serious, “I must confess that the prospect of the unknown is more desirable to me than the one that is known.”
Du Bois turned to her in surprise, “I would never force you to marry Olivier, you know that.”
“Yes, I do, but consider, the longer I refuse, the more of a burden I am on the family. The more François and Juliette will hate me. The more the prospects of all of them will diminish.” She lowered her head and closed her eyes, then opened them and stared directly at her father to say, “I don’t believe Olivier will give up on his prize that easily, and not even you may be able to stop him. At least if I go to the château with Duchesse d'Aramitz, I will be safe from him. As spiteful as she is, I know she does what she does out of love for her son. That’s something, isn’t it? And I will be giving my brothers and sisters a chance at a better life.”
“And what of the son? What if he is everything people say he is?” his words grew desperate.
“Madame Beaumont doesn’t think that he is, and I trust her more than any of those gossips. Anyway, I believe Duchesse d'Aramitz when she says I will be treated well. She had no reason to promise such a thing given the power she has over us, unless she meant them.”
Du Bois was struggling, “How can I possibly say yes to this? And yet how can I possibly say no? Oh, Beauty, you have no idea how powerless I feel to defend my own child. Were I still what I once was, this would never have happened. Curse that fleet of ships! Curse my curiosity! Curse the day I was born!”
“Father, don’t say anything more now, you need rest. You haven’t slept all night, and we still have three days to talk this over. Lay down now and you’ll have a fresher mind to talk later.”
He sighed again, “Very well, I know when to admit defeat.” He touched her cheek and leaned down to kiss her forehead, then rose and went to his cot in the kitchen.
Léa leaned against her knees and pressed her hands to her face. More than anything in this moment she wanted to get away, to be alone.
After walking to the large pines of the forest and letting the peace of the wind rustling through a thousand trees wash over her, Léa found a large boulder to sit on. Leaning her head against the tree behind her, she wept unhindered until the tears stopped flowing of their own accord. A twig snapped and Léa’s head jerked up to find Jacques a stone’s throw away. Caught, he walked tentatively toward her.
“Beauty, are you all right?” he asked, then turned his head in embarrassment, “I’m sorry, of course you’re not all right. Is Father…has Father been taken away?”
“Taken away?” she was confused. Of course, he hadn’t been there. “No, Jacques, Father is inside resting.”
He came closer, “Then the lady will not press charges?”
“Come sit down,” she slid over to make room for him, and he joined her on the rock. Unlike the others, he was dressed and appeared as though he’d been that way for some time. “Where have you been?” It wasn’t an accusation.
“I…” he began, “I couldn’t bear to see Father dragged away like a common criminal. I know it was a coward’s decision, but I just couldn’t…”
“Oh, Jacques!” she slid her arm around his waist and leaned her head against his shoulder. He hesitantly placed his arm around her and they sat that way for a moment.
“I’m sorry I didn’t show more concern last night, and I’m sorry I’m such an awful brother.”
“I don’t think you’re awful, Jacques, I never have.”
He hugged her a little closer and leaned his head on hers.
“So, what did she decide? About Father, I mean,” he asked.
Léa sat up and hesitated, then stood up and walked a few paces, turning back toward him.
“Duchesse d'Aramitz wants me to marry her son in exchange for Father’s release from any further obligation.”
“What?”
“And I have accepted that arrangement.”
“Beauty…I…is there nothing to be done? Can we fight this?”
Her siblings had never shown her as much care as she saw in Jacques’ face in that moment.
“I don’t believe so,” she looked down at her hands, “I fear this is my best option, in fact.”
Léa went on to explain everything. It
felt good to have someone other than her father to talk to about it, to find a friend in Jacques. It brought her the small measure of comfort she was desperately seeking in that moment.
Duchesse d'Aramitz smiled to herself as she exited the carriage back at her palatial home. Inside, she found Francine, the housemaid.
“Where is Monsieur Rousseau, Francine?” she inquired.
“I believe he is in the garden, Madame.”
Duchesse d'Aramitz nodded her acknowledgement as she took off her gloves and started in that direction. She should have known that’s where her son would be, he spent most of each day in there or the garden cottage. It was sheer providence that he wasn’t there when the horrid Monsieur Du Bois invaded it. It was all coming right now, though, a silver lining, as it were, to the potential disaster. If only her husband were alive to see his son married. It was his idea at the start to hide their son away, to make him nonexistent to the nobility and something fearsome to the villagers. Though she protested at first, not wanting to isolate her son, she soon came to see the soundness of her husband’s reasoning. It was safer this way.
But to see her son married, happy, that was her greatest wish. One that had begun to look impossible. There was no way to trick a noblewoman into marriage without the entire court knowing, but it was unthinkable to her to settle for some backwoods peasant. Mademoiselle Du Bois was no princess, but she was of an acceptable rank and bearing. Yes, this situation was perfect, if she could convince her son of her brilliant plan. Audric was a man of conviction, something she admired, but which made her schemes harder to carry out. She knew he wouldn’t be happy about this one—at first anyway.
She opened the garden door and, not seeing him, made her way over to the small stone cottage that had been built within the garden for her son’s use. As she approached, she could see Audric through the window sitting at his desk, scribbling away at something with several books open around him. She knocked and opened the door without waiting.
“Audric, if you aren’t too busy, I would like to speak to you about something.”
“Yes, Mother, let me just finish one thing,” he went back to his writing.
Duchesse d'Aramitz stepped back outside and admired the roses that her son took such great pride in. When Audric came out, he gave her a warm smile and kissed her on each cheek.
“Good morning, Mother, you’re up early,” he put on some gardening gloves and took up a pair of shears as he started examining the flowers.
“Yes, I had some business in the village this morning,” she tried to sound innocent.
“The village?” his brows lifted in question as he continued his work, “What kind of business could you have there?”
She decided a straightforward approach might be better, “Audric, I have found you a wife.”
His head shot toward her, “A wife?” he laughed nervously, “I wasn’t aware one could just be found; was she in some shop in the marketplace on display?”
“Audric, I’m serious. I had some business with her father and she has agreed to marry you.”
He examined her face for a moment, then went back to his roses, “Business with her father? Did she agree willingly? Does she know…”
“So many questions, can’t you just accept that your mama has arranged everything for you?”
“No,” he answered simply.
She sighed and clasped her hands, her next words must be chosen wisely: “I want grandchildren.”
Audric burst out laughing. “I’m sure Lisette will be happy to oblige when the time comes.”
“Lisette is a child,” his mother argued.
“She is of age.”
“It is unlikely that Lisette will settle here, and I will see her family but rarely.”
“You could go and live with her for a time, I am old enough to look after myself,” his voice was playful, he knew full well that she would never leave him for more than a short visit.
The Duchesse opened her mouth to argue more, then stopped and grew quiet. “I just want you to be happy,” she finally said.
He grew serious, “But at what cost? And who says that marriage is the sole source of happiness?” He went back to pruning his roses.
“Yes, but are you happy? Are you content to be alone?” she persisted.
He stopped and turned his head to the side as she placed a hand on his arm.
“You can’t hide it from me, I’m your mother, remember?”
He faced her and replied, “Do you really think that caging her with the beast will make her learn to love him?” He turned and strode toward the garden door, throwing the shears into the dirt and yanking his gloves off in frustration.
“Audric!” she called after him as he pushed open the door and stalked out.
Chapter 5
News traveled quickly among the villagers. It was only the day after Duchesse d'Aramitz’s visit, but already they were whispering and staring as Léa walked by them in town. She had to see Madame Beaumont. The woman was the closest person to a mother that Léa knew and so needed her wisdom and comfort.
Coming up to her house, she knocked. The servant answered the door and told her Madame was out at the moment but knew she would return shortly. So Léa decided to wait in the sitting room. She went to the bookshelf and chose a book, then sat in her usual chair by the fire. After reading the same paragraph several times, she finally gave up; she simply could not concentrate.
Léa was lost in thought when the front door burst open and in swept Olivier. Léa started and half rose from her chair, but he came toward her quickly and planted himself in the chair opposite her. She looked around for the servant, who rushed down the hall at the sound of the door with a look of confusion.
“Mademoiselle?” the maid questioned.
“Go find Madame and tell her a visitor has arrived,” she tried to communicate urgency in her look, then turned back to Olivier.
“Do you make a habit of barging into other people’s homes?” she asked more coolly than she felt, then sat up straight, every muscle in her body tensed at his uninvited presence.
“Only when you are present, darling Beauty.”
Was that supposed to be a compliment? she thought to herself.
“I’ve come because I’ve heard of your predicament and knew I could help. You see, I’ve come to rescue you,” his smile was proud. He was so annoyingly sure of himself.
“I wasn’t aware that I needed rescuing,” she answered flatly.
He gave a short humoring laugh and continued, “You see, if we marry today, the Rousseau family can have no legal claim on you.”
“That would solve nothing, Olivier, my father would still be arrested and imprisoned if I do not fulfill my obligation to them.”
“Yes, but then we would be married and we’d all be better off,” he chuckled again.
Léa blinked at him. Madame Beaumont came in then, a concerned expression on her face, sparing her from continuing such an insipid conversation. Seeing Olivier, she straightened up and turned on her commanding schoolmistress face. She set down her basket full of parcels and came around the chair to face the man.
“I am not in the habit of admitting uninvited men into my home, Monsieur, especially when I am not at home to admit them!”
Unfazed, he turned back to Léa, “So what do you say? Shall we?”
Madame looked between them, hands on her hips.
“Shall we what?” Léa wasn’t going to give him an inch.
“Why, marry of course!”
“Well, that would explain the priest that’s standing outside my door,” Madame huffed.
“Priest?” Léa asked in surprise. She took a moment to gather her wits and courage. Standing, she stared straight into Olivier’s eyes, “I will not, and will never, marry you, Olivier.”
He smiled as if she were joking. Upon seeing her determined expression, he blanched, then turned angry.
Rising slowly, he came alarmingly near her face. She turned her head to the side and
he grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. Madame tried to grab his arm, but he shoved her away.
“Very well, Beauty,” he emphasized the word with a sneer, “don’t marry me, but you will come to regret the day you rejected a man for a beast.” He stormed out of the house, slamming the door as he went.
Léa rubbed her chin and spoke without hesitation, “You are wrong, Olivier, I will not regret this day because today I rejected the beast for a man!”
The maid came over to make sure Madame was all right after being shoved. After assuring her she was well, Madame quickly went over and locked the door. Adjusting her hair, she let out a sigh and came back to the other two ladies. “Perhaps some tea is in order.” The maid nodded her agreement and went to the kitchen.
“Are you all right, Beauty?” Madame sat down in the now vacant chair and put a hand on Léa’s knee.
“I am fine. This has only confirmed my decision and erased any doubt that still remained. You have heard the news, I’m sure.”
“I have but would like to hear it from your own lips. Town gossip isn’t the most reliable,” she sniffed.
By the time she was done with her tale, tea had been served and they sat sipping it and eating biscuits.
“I wanted to hear your advice and hoped that you would share any insight and information you might have about the Rousseau family.”
Madame put down her tea cup and leaned over her knees, looking into the girl’s vulnerable eyes.
“You are so very brave. Your family is fortunate, indeed, to have such a loving daughter and sister.”
“I don’t feel brave, not at all,” tears choked Léa’s voice.
Madame Beaumont came around and sat on the arm of Léa’s chair and took her in her arms. She kissed her head as Léa nestled into her.
“I’m afraid I don’t have anything more to offer you about the son. The late Monsieur Rousseau was always a private man, even before his son was born. I knew him and his wife before they came here, and before my own fall from grace. I do agree with you that Duchesse d'Aramitz would not have promised fair treatment if she didn’t mean it, she’s not one to mince words. But of course I cannot guarantee that since there is so much mystery surrounding the family. I want you to be prepared—to prepare your heart and mind—for the possibilities.”