‘You have had a long and tiring journey, monsieur,’ he said, anxious to get the lawyer out of the hall and into the library before Louise was informed of his arrival. ‘A glass of wine while we discuss business?’
‘Thank you, but I stayed overnight in Bordeaux and I’m not in the least tired. Nevertheless, a glass of wine would be welcome. But I’m here to see the marquise.’ Then his face lit up as he saw her appear at the head of the stairs. Turning away from the threshold of the library, he went to greet her, bowing over her hand when she reached the foot of the flight.
‘I have no objection to my husband being present,’ she assured him as Fernand stood stolidly in the doorway of the library. The lawyer showed no surprise, having been forewarned what to expect in a letter from her. He sat at the library table, since he had papers to show her, and she and Fernand sat opposite.
‘How much?’ Fernand demanded at once, tapping his fingers impatiently on the wooden arms of his chair. ‘What’s the total figure?’
‘All in good time,’ Terain replied coolly. He then proceeded to go through receipts and papers dealing with the sales of everything Violette had owned. Fernand became more and more elated as the total figure rose in leaps and bounds to culminate in a fortune beyond even his expectations.
All the time, the lawyer had addressed Louise as if they were on their own. ‘That is the total figure,’ he concluded, indicating where it was written down.
Fernand thumped a triumphant fist on the desk. ‘Well done! Now all that remains is for you and one of the servants to witness my wife’s signature on this document drawn up by my lawyers!’ He took a key from his pocket and reached forward to unlock a drawer on his side of the library table. Taking out the document, he handed it to the lawyer with a flourish.
Terain read it through carefully before he looked across at Louise. ‘Have you agreed to sign this or any other document?’
She shook her head. ‘No.’
The lawyer pushed the document back across the table to Fernand. ‘I advise you to tear it up. There is a clause in the will that, if you should contest it, your wife would lose everything and the trusts would be held instead for the progeny of any marriage other than yours. As it is, Madame la Marquise is willing for you to have the house of your choice in Paris, other than that of her late aunt, who would never have wanted you to live there, and an income that should keep you in comfort for the rest of your life. If you wish to have a country estate, it will be purchased for you, but it will not be on the scale of this château and its extensive vineyards. In all, I think that is an extremely generous arrangement.’
Fernand narrowed his eyes in disbelief. ‘You speak as if the Marquise were no longer my wife!’ he exclaimed in outrage, half rising to his feet and thumping the table as before but in rage instead of jubilation. ‘I’ve no intention of having a country estate anywhere other than this one!’
‘That will not be possible, since it is already bespoken to a new owner and your wife will relinquish the property at the end of next month.’
‘What? I can’t believe what I’m hearing!’ Fernand, purple with wrath, swung round to Louise. ‘What trickery are you attempting?’
She met his eyes. ‘It’s not a trick. Alexandre told me long ago that he and Blanche had always hoped to return to France one day for their children to grow up here in this lovely countryside. After he heard from me that his château had been destroyed and his land sequestered, that hope died. I have been able to rekindle that chance. The American Ambassador understood how important it was that my letter to Alexandre and his reply to me should not go astray, which is why both my letter and his reply travelled in the personal care of an American courier. I offered Alexandre this château, which he knows as well as his own lost home, for the token sum of one dollar. He accepted at once and the dollar duly arrived in his letter, which you saw me receive a short while ago.’
Fernand sank down again in his chair, his face frozen. ‘I shall refuse to leave,’ he stated implacably. ‘No court will accept a wife selling the roof over her husband’s head.’
Louise exchanged a glance with the lawyer that showed she wished to take over from him now. ‘It’s only fair to tell you, Fernand, that, when I was in Paris for my aunt’s funeral, I instigated divorce proceedings against you on the grounds of incompatibility. Monsieur Terain assured me there should be no difficulty. Josette would bear witness to the brutal way you have treated me.’
‘Any husband has a right to chastise a wayward wife!’ Fernand roared. ‘You’re married to me and so you shall remain!’
Terain felt it time to intervene, for he had something to tell that Louise herself had not heard yet. ‘I have not been idle since your wife first spoke of divorce to me. She also related in confidence her meeting with the Duchesse de Roget. Now that our Emperor has raised up again the glory of the ancien régime, with all its splendour and titles and fine manners, there is a great loathing of those responsible in the past for sending the innocent to the guillotine. Unbeknown to your wife, I have had extensive enquiries made and a witness to your crimes has been found. He was a clerk in Orléans’s employ and still has a list, endorsed by your signature, of those who died as a result of your treachery. No court would keep a wife tied to a husband with blood on his hands.’ He saw how he had astonished Louise and stunned her husband with his information. Fernand was gripping the arms of his chair, his knuckles as white as his face.
‘Lies! You’ve paid the fellow to forge it!’
Terain raised his eyebrows. ‘The list has been proved genuine. So, I suggest you do not contest the divorce, Monsieur le Marquis, and then your past will never come to light. Otherwise it could have terrible consequences for you. Without a doubt, you would be challenged to any number of duels by those wanting to avenge the deaths of those known to them. Accept the generosity of your wife and be thankful for her magnanimity.’
Fernand sprang to his feet, breathing heavily, and glared down at Louise for a few tense seconds in concentrated hatred. ‘Your aunt would never have left such a will if you hadn’t plotted it together!’ He almost screamed the words.
‘No! I knew nothing that was in the will until after the funeral,’ Louise replied.
But Fernand was not listening. He grabbed her by the neck, wrenching her to her feet, and shook her violently as his grip tightened. ‘Don’t lie to me, you scheming whore!’
The lawyer was on him at once, hooking an arm about his throat and forcing him back to break his hold. Both men were well matched in height and strength, but Terain had gained an advantage. Fernand lost his footing, sending them both crashing down together and Louise was left coughing and gasping. She reeled across to open the window for air while Fernand sprang to his feet only a moment before Terain.
Fernand shook a fist in Louise’s direction. ‘I want all that has been offered to me!’ He gave Terain a great thrust in the chest, making him stagger back. ‘My lawyers will contact you as to my terms regarding the income I intend to receive!’
‘You’ll take what has already been decided or nothing at all!’
Fernand slammed out of the room. Louise was never to see him again, for he left for Paris within an hour, leaving instructions for his possessions to be packed and sent on to him.
Next morning Louise talked with Terain, who had stayed overnight in one of the guest rooms at her invitation. Her throat was still extremely sore, making it difficult to speak, and she was wearing a chiffon scarf around her neck, tied with a soft bow to hide the purple bruises.
‘Where are you planning to live?’ he asked her. ‘Shall you move to Paris?’
She shook her head. ‘There is nothing to keep me in France any more. By now Alexandre and his wife and children will be halfway across the Atlantic. I shall wait to welcome them here. Then, when my bailiff and I have made him familiar with all the workings of the estate, I shall take ship for the United States. I have cousins in Boston and my sister lives in Washington.’
‘A wise decision. Meanwhile, the monies you have decided to invest in the estate will eventually give your returning friends rich rewards.’
‘I’m the one reaping the main reward in knowing that my home and land will always be loved and cared for.’ She did not add that the family ties with the château had not been broken, for Delphine’s blood ran in young Philippe’s veins and it would be his inheritance.
Louise was disappointed, but not surprised when Josette felt unable to return to America with her.
‘I never wanted to leave France last time, madame. If your friends will employ me, I’d like to stay on for a while. You see, Barnard, the gardener, will be entitled to one of the new estate cottages being built, and then we shall be married.’
‘That’s splendid news, Josette. I wish you every happiness.’
It was a memorable day when Alexandre and Blanche returned. Louise ran from the château to hug Blanche while Alexandre put his arms around them both as they laughed and talked together. Then Louise turned to the children. Henrietta at twelve years old was as bright and friendly as before, eager to see everything around her. To Louise’s delight when she spoke to Philippe, a sturdy, handsome boy, now eight years old, he put his hand into hers to lead her back into the house.
‘Papa says we’ve come home,’ he told her.
‘Indeed you have, Philippe.’ She could see a likeness to Delphine in the hint of copper in his brown curls and in the colour of his eyes, but otherwise – as so often with children adopted from birth – his features seemed a blend of both his foster parents.
In the hall, Blanche and Alexandre stood together to look up and around at the place they remembered so well.
‘It’s wonderful to be here again,’ she declared.
Alexandre took hold of Louise by her arms. ‘We can never thank you enough for giving us the chance to come home again.’ His voice was full of emotion. ‘You’ve made a dream come true.’
She put her forefinger against his lips. ‘It is I who should be thanking you. You have set me free to live my own life again in America, where I most want to be.’
It seemed to Louise in the days that followed that the château had come alive again. There was the laughter of the children and the clatter of their feet, Alexandre’s booming voice echoing throughout and Blanche moving gracefully from room to room, overseeing household matters with a contented smile that never seemed to leave her lips.
Louise received the date of the divorce proceedings from Terain and set off to Paris to arrive the day before the case was to be heard. Although he had reassured her in his letters that nothing should go wrong, she was uneasy. She could not be sure until the last minute that Fernand would not find some way to delay the divorce or complicate matters in some unforeseen way simply out of revenge. She had arranged to meet Terain at the court and he was waiting for her when she arrived, coming to her immediately.
‘There will be no divorce proceedings today,’ he said seriously.
Her heart sank. ‘What has happened?’
‘Prepare yourself. Fernand de Vailly was shot and killed last night in a drunken quarrel over cards. Your marriage has ended in a way that neither of us expected.’
There were many farewells to be said in the neighbourhood before the day of Louise’s departure came. Rose was particularly affected by her going away. Both knew that it was highly unlikely that they would ever meet again.
It was for the same reason that Blanche shed tears when the moment came for Louise to leave the château for the last time. The servants had lined up in the hall and she said goodbye to each in turn.
Outside, the coach was waiting, her baggage loaded. She and Blanche embraced and Alexandre put his arms about them both as he had done before, binding the three of them again in lasting friendship. After Louise had kissed the children in turn, Alexandre handed her into the carriage. As soon as she was seated, both Henrietta and Philippe each held out a tiny bunch of wild violets that they had picked earlier.
‘For you,’ they chorused eagerly.
Emotionally, she waved the family out of sight. Then she waved again to the peasants who paused in their work to wave her on her way. When all were left behind, she selected one of the violets from Philippe’s bunch and put it carefully into her purse to press later as a memento of her childhood home and its future master.
Twenty
Seven weeks later and, after a smooth voyage, Louise stepped ashore in Charleston. She had given a great deal of thought to whether she should go to South Carolina before travelling to Boston, knowing how it would tear at her heart. Daniel would have been married and settled in Alabama long since and she had no hope that it could be otherwise, but she had long wanted to see the house where he was born and the town in which he had grown up. He had talked of Charleston many times and had planned to take her to visit his sister in their family home, but pressure of work, on her side as well as his, had caused postponement until it was too late.
She took a room in a new hotel in the centre of Charleston and then went out to start exploring the town, with its wide streets and shady trees, its brick mansions and carefully watered flower gardens. Every kind of trade was represented in the shops, workshops and stables. Slaves in smart livery carried parcels and drove fine carriages, while every woman, on foot or as a passenger, held a parasol, all in a variety of pastel colours that protected them in tinted shade from the strong sunshine. As always, Louise paused to look with interest in the windows of any milliner’s that she happened to pass. Each time, she was reminded poignantly of the hat that Daniel had bought for his sister after she had displayed it for him.
She knew the address to which it had been sent, for after she and Daniel had married, Elizabeth had corresponded with her from time to time. Although she was eager to see the house, it was too soon yet. She needed time to adjust emotionally to being here.
By the end of the week, Louise had picked out several places that Daniel had mentioned from time to time. She went to a comedy at the theatre where he had seen his first play and strolled across a small square where he had played as a boy, for it had been ideal for bowling a hoop. When he had spoken once of the rustling of the palmetto leaves in the ocean breeze, it had sounded so alien to her, but now she was hearing them for herself and it was one more memory to take away with her.
After three weeks, and on the last day before sailing north to Boston, she made her way to the avenue where Daniel’s family home was located. She found it set in green lawns and stood to look up the short drive at the large, wide-fronted house. Built of red brick, sun-weathered to a mellow hue, it had many windows, which were presently shaded against the sun. Its paintwork was a gleaming white and six steps led up to the entrance porch. She stayed long enough to take in every detail of the house before she turned sadly away.
She had taken no more than a step or two when a woman’s voice called out to her.
‘Louise de Vailly?’
She swung round to see a woman older than herself, dressed to go out and hurrying down the steps. ‘Elizabeth?’ she replied uncertainly.
‘Yes! Surely you weren’t going to leave without calling on me?’ Elizabeth hurried to her. ‘We meet at last!’
‘How did you know me?’
‘From the miniature that Daniel showed me! Your hair is dressed differently, but its beautiful colour is unmistakable. If I hadn’t come out of the house at that exact moment, I should have missed you. Come in!’ She linked her arm through Louise’s and led her towards the house. ‘My appointment can wait! I’ll send someone to say I’ll come another day. How long shall you be in Charleston?’
‘I leave tomorrow for Boston.’
‘So soon!’ Elizabeth exclaimed as they entered the house. ‘Then we must not waste a single moment of today. Gregory, my husband, will be home later and he’ll be delighted to meet you too.’ She discarded her hat and then held it for a moment before handing it to the waiting maidservant. ‘Do you remember the hat you advised Daniel to
choose for me?’
‘Very well indeed.’ Louise smiled. ‘I can see now that it would have suited you very well.’
Elizabeth, whose hair was as dark as Daniel’s, had a creamy complexion and a smiling mouth. She led the way across the hall to a large drawing room. As Louise sat down she could no longer hold back the question she most wanted to ask.
‘How is Daniel?’ Her voice faltered slightly.
Elizabeth gave her a direct look. ‘He’s well and settled in Jonesville in Alabama. The past is behind him. He has made a successful new start to his life. I should not want anything to spoil it.’
They continued into the drawing room with its sofas and chairs upholstered in rose-patterned silk. Above the fireplace was a portrait of Elizabeth that must have been painted when she was about eighteen, dressed in a cinnamon-hued gown with a fichu such as had been fashionable at that time.
‘That’s a very fine likeness,’ Louise said admiringly as she and Charlotte sat down opposite each other. ‘I would have recognized you from it just as you knew me from the miniature. Please don’t think I’m inquisitive, because I’ve been looking around me at everything, but it means a great deal to me to be in Daniel’s family home.’
‘I’m sure he felt the same when he visited your château.’
‘He was never there!’ Louise replied.
‘Indeed he was! Afterwards he went to Paris to see the city that you had known so well. He told me all about it.’
‘He was in France?’ Louise’s cry tore from her. ‘I never knew! I must have been visiting my aunt in England at the time!’
Elizabeth was regarding her steadily. ‘No. You were in France, but you chose to absent yourself from the château as soon as you knew he was in the district. I realize you did it for the best,’ she added quickly, ‘but it would have meant so much to my brother just to see you again, even if a divorce on your part was still out of the question. It was a final blow when your housekeeper gave him your message.’
New World, New Love Page 29