“Leila is doing well. I think Paris quite agrees with her.”
“She’s lovely and young. Of course Paris would agree with her. In fact, I almost thought Juliette was Leila from the back,” she admitted.
Sebastian nodded. The dark hair. “No. Leila could not attend.”
“And Juliette? Such a beauty.”
Sebastian smiled. “She’s a friend.”
“Is that what they call it?” The jealousy coiled inside her. “Excuse me.”
Sebastian did nothing to soothe Sophie’s jealousy and calm her. It was best they remained apart, for both their sakes.
Chapter 15
Sophie had spent several evenings at home with her family and Marc. He was a quiet man who was educated and subdued.
He was still handsome, with red hair graying at the temples, and seemed quite taken with Sophie. But he was also still in mourning. He mentioned his wife in each conversation and was quick to point out what she had liked and disliked about a certain meal, music or any subject matter that came about. Sophie did not think he was ready to remarry and Jean Pierre had to agree.
Her grandmother found a young man in his early 30s who was the grandson of a dear friend of hers. He was handsome, with sparkling blue eyes and blond hair. His name was Luc and he was wealthy and well regarded. Eugenie was ecstatic that her granddaughter wished to marry and even happier to see her good friend’s son be considered.
Luc was dashing and charming and had many female admirers. He was quite the womanizer but had received pressure from his family to marry. He didn’t want to marry, but had been introduced to Sophie at a concert and had found her exceedingly lovely. He could well imagine bedding the beauty several times to breed her and then take up with his favorite mistress again.
He could never picture himself with one woman but knew he could play the part for awhile. He was solicitous and polite to Sophie’s family and complimented her on her clothes and hair. It was an accepted practice that men of a certain class kept mistresses and only bedded their wives for heirs. He did not think Sophie would mind and was not at all concerned that it would be a problem.
Meanwhile, Sophie was beginning to understand the true state of France, and as a result, was being pulled into a dark world that she was barely able to comprehend. Since her time spent at the chateau she had begun to educate herself about the situation in France and was becoming more knowledgeable on the subject.
The first thing she had discovered was that she lived a truly privileged life that was very different from the majority of the French people. The majority lived in poverty, as Madame Necker had mentioned in one conversation.
She also discovered that since the 1750s, many had believed that the constitution of France was no longer working. France was based upon an absolute monarchy. As the enlightened thinking came to a head, so did the view that the monarchy was no longer functioning. The new bourgeoisie class sought a voice and new words began appearing, such as “public opinion,” “nation,” and “citizen.”
Sophie’s heart beat faster. The more she educated herself, the more she agreed with the bourgeoisie’s thinking.
In 1771, the Parlement of Paris had refused to cooperate with the nation’s chancellor, René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou. He had tried to exile Parlement and create a replacement. But the chancellor never gained national support for his changes and the new King Louis XVI had responded by reversing all the changes. The king had shown exactly what everyone feared—that Parlement was weak and bowed down to the king’s wishes.
Madame Necker had also been correct when she spoke of France’s support of the American War of Independence. The equivalent of the state’s entire income for a year had been spent to support the war effort.
Sophie brushed her hair back away from her face to avoid the ink that seemed to stain everything. Madame had been right. Sophie had not doubted her friend, but she had not thought it to be so serious. She felt sick when she read in other pamphlets tales of starving children and about the extravagances of the queen’s wardrobe, the court and the general lavish wastefulness at Versailles. She closed her eyes. She wanted to write a pamphlet. She wanted to add her voice to those of her fellow writers.
She decided she would not publically chastise the monarchy but merely point out the discrepancy and the need for equality. She would move from equality between the sexes to equality for all people. Equality must exist for everyone. The large lower class could not exist to solely support the upper classes and their excessive way of life. It was not correct.
She pondered how to phrase it. Sophie wished she could speak to Madame Necker about what she was learning but she had gone to England for a month. It was vexing. Her dearest friend, Lizette, was not interested in such affairs and her father would not want his daughter delving into such subjects.
She would write a rough draft of her thoughts and read it several times before she submitted it to Monsieur Blanche. She didn’t even know if he would publish it. If both Madame Necker and Sebastian were to be believed, this new pamphlet would be too revolutionary and perhaps even the printer would not want to print it. She would write and see what ideas formed on the page. Once she was certain of the contents, she would send it to the printer.
***
Etienne had entered a sort of heaven and hell on earth. He had become increasingly tantalized and tortured by his good friend’s sister, but it was of his own doing. He tried to keep his distance but he was also spending a great amount of time thinking of her and wanting her.
Since the chateau they had not been together, but he wanted to be with her. He ached to be with her. That Leila felt the same way was more than obvious, but there was no chance of anything happening. If they went out to a concert or ball, she was always accompanied by her brother. If she went out shopping or on an errand, she was with her maid. They were never alone. Etienne was both relieved and troubled. He wanted to approach Sebastian, but what could he say? That he wanted to marry her? That he wanted her as his mistress? It was all too complicated.
***
Sebastian had spent much of the day with Dorset. They reviewed papers and discussed several matters, but Sebastian was only half listening. Although being the ambassador was a prestigious position, Dorset was little more than a representative of his sovereign. It was the reason Dorset had become obsessed with the cricket game and women. He had too much time on his hands. They all did.
The evening before, he had bedded Juliette and he had been unnecessarily rough and quick. He had not been rough in the sense of hurting her, but there had been no affection, just lust.
She seemed to understand and said nothing. She had not risen to the rank of Paris brothel madam by stupidity. Juliette was a wise woman who knew when to speak and when to hold her tongue. She also kept an eye on Sebastian as she poured two glasses of wine and handed one to him. She waited for him to speak first. If he did, she would offer her advice.