A/N- A Warning, my computer has decided to stop using spell check. I cannot spell to save my life, and I know it is really frustrating to read fics that have mistakes. I am trying my best, and am deaply sorry. Feel free to point them out to me. I apreciate all feedback, flames and all. All reviewers are loved, thanked and replied to.
Shame- Phillipe's youngest sister comes to terms with the events of PotO, but she has her own problems to deal with. One shot, unless you can persuade me otherwise...
The vicomtess de Noailles read the letter again.
She sat alone in the villa on the Brittany coast. She liked the sound of the sea just outside her window. It reminded her of her brother. Her brother…
She read the letter again.
Her hands found another piece of paper, a death certificate. There was a note attached that requested her presence at the Paris mortuary. Apparently, the police had some new sort of system. 'Formal identification' they called it.
Lizette had received her letters a week ago. One was from her brother, Raoul, so she had opened it first. The other was from the Paris police. She was glad she had opened her brother's letter first, otherwise she would not have believed what the police where telling her.
Her brother was dead.
Not Raoul, her older brother Phillipe. He had been found drowned in the cellars of the Paris opera. And now Raoul was in trouble.
She had known of his involvement with the opera singer long before the rest of the family did. In truth, she couldn't have been more happy for him. Lizette had become a champion of true love ever since her own marriage had…
When Phillipe had been found, the only suspect they could think of was Raoul. The police had invented some sordid story. According to them, there had been a love triangle. Phillipe was drowned by Raoul because the elder brother had tried to stop the young lovers eloping, out of his own jealousy and pride.
It wasn't like that.
The thought of her brother's lives being marred in such a way made Lizette blush with rage and shame. They did not deserve this.
That was why she had called her husband to her. Away form work, away from Paris, away from the shame. She needed him.
The Vicomte and Viscountess de Noailles had not been as close as Lizette would have liked. They had met at one of the high society balls when Lizette was still quite new to love. Her elder sister, Sofie was just as bad. She had just become engaged and was full of the joys of love. Lizette was eager to follow in her sister's footsteps and know of the happiness of which she spoke. Adrian de Noailles was tall and dark, the perfect image of a knight in shining armour.
They where married within a year.
Lizette had believed herself to be truly happy. The couple had honeymooned in Italy and Florence. Adrian was handsome and loving. He bought wonderful things for her, gowns, jewels, any trinket her heart desired. He presented her at all of the balls and functions as his smiling, French bride. He loved her well.
When the honeymoon was over Adrian brought his young bride to this beautiful villa on the Brittany coast. There he left her to go to work in the various cities, always retuning to the arms of his little French bride.
Lizette fulfilled the duties of a wife well. She was presentable, kind, everything a wife should be. Most of all she was understanding about her husbands working arrangements. She never scolded or complained that she saw very little of her husband. But there was one duty she couldn't fulfil. After a year and a half of marriage, she had still not produced an heir.
This was something that did not worry Lizette as much as it might have. She still quite young, at twenty four she was still a year younger that the age at which her mother had Phillipe. But Adrian did not see it that way. After a scathing argument he had left the villa and not returned for three months.
Then he started to leave for longer intervals at a time. The last time he left was five months ago.
But now, Lizette needed her husband. They could hide from her family's shame together.
There was a knock at the door and a small maid entered, "Madame, Mousier le Vicomte is here to see you"
"Thank you Rose" Lizette uttered in a voice that was more cracked then she had expected. Suddenly she found herself quite nervous at the prospect of seeing her husband again.
She took a turn about the room in order to calm her nerves. In truth, writing to her husband had not been her original plan. She had thought first of writing to her sister. But then she reasoned, Sofie was many days away, living in America. The last she had heard from her, she was expecting yet another child. No, she could not ask Sofie to travel so far, with a babe in arms and the rest of her young family in tow.
Instead she wrote two letters, one for Sofie, the other for her husband and addressed them both to him. She asked him to break the news of Phillipe's death to her but not to divulge any of the details of Raoul's elopement, or the fact that he was wanted for murder. She left the decision of telling Sofie to her husband. He would be able to pick the right time; she trusted her brother-in-law more than her own husband.
Lizette wished that Phillipe was still there. He was the eldest by far and had seen the family through the roughest of times. When Phillipe was twelve and Sofie was still a babe their other sibling Charles had been involved in a boating accident. Sofie, Lizette and Raoul often went to the six year old's grave when they where younger. Their mother often said that Charles was away, playing with the angels. The realisation that two of her bothers had drowned hit Lizette hard and unexpectedly. She turned her back on the sea, angry with the element for taking two of her brothers, and for helping transport the other so far away from her.
"Lizette" he husband's voice brought her out of her revive
"Adrian" she took a step towards him, meaning to embrace him. But when he didn't respond she stopped in her tracks. "I'm glad you've come"
"I had no choice. All of Paris is talking" he spoke with no emotion in his voice, "the de Chagny name is mud"
"I'm sorry" the words escaped Lizette lips before she could stop them. She wasn't sorry; it had nothing to do with her. But Adrian was staring at her with such an accusing eye that she felt she had to apologise.
He walked to the window and closed it. Lizette did not even move her eyes. She felt so small.
"Are you going to Paris?" he finally asked
"I have to. The need me to look at..." she choked and then instantly blushed, ashamed of showing weakness.
"Have you sent word to your sister?"
"Yes, but she is with child. I asked her husband not to mention Raoul. I don't want to harm her or the baby. She's in no fit sate to deal with this." speaking about her sister's child made Lizette blush with shame again. The memory of that argument still burned in her mind, and on her cheeks.
There was a silence
"What are they saying in Paris?" she finally asked
"That the de Chagny's are in shame. That you are murderers and liars. You have brought shame on me Lizette"
"No, Adrian"
"Yes, my clients will not listen to me; they know who you are"
Lizette felt foolish yet again. Of course, no one would want to do business with a man married into a shamed family such as her. She just couldn't imagen that everyone in Paris would be so fickle.
"What about the de Chagny estate?" the tone of Adrian's voice had changed to something that Lizette did not quite recognise.
"I'll have to sort it when I get to Paris. I don't know if Phillipe made a will. I doubt it. He would not have expected to die." her voice cracked again, but this time, Lizette was beyond shame.
"You will be the Comtesse" he said with the same tone
"Perhaps. It all depends on Sofie."
"It would make me the Comte" now Lizette wasn't sure that Adrian was listening to her
"No it wouldn't, the title would stay with me"
"You can change that"
"Perhaps. But I wouldn't"
There was a flash of anger, suddenly familiar, in her husbands eyes, "Why not?"
"I don't see why I should"
"I'm your husband"
"And my equal. Except we're not are we?" all of the anger from the past few days suddenly flared up in Lizette, "for ages you've kept me locked up here. You haven't spoken to me for five months! When you do see fit to speak to me, it is not to console me as a good husband should, but to try and lay your hands on my inheritance!"
"You shouldn't speak like that!"
"It's true!"
"Your family are all liars and cheats. I only married you because I was tricked into it!" Adrian almost screamed at his wife
Lizette wasn't sure if he was simply tiring to shock her into submission, "What?"
"Your father tricked me" Adrian moved toward her in a way that was almost menacing, "he promised me monthly payments for your up keep"
"My father died years ago"
"and when Phillipe took over the estate he refused to pay me. You see, your brother knew more of me. When you married me I was penniless."
"But you said..."
"I lied about my wealth so that your father would let me marry you"
"I don't understand"
"I needed to net myself a rich wife"
"And you caught me"
"a dowry the size of yours was all I needed to sustain me for quite some time. Your family was gracious enough to pay for the honeymoon too."
"then your brother died"
"conveniently. Or so it seemed. When your father died soon after the de Chagny payments stopped. Your brother said that I was rich enough to provide for you myself. He was always suspicious of me. He wrote you a letter stating that if you needed more money, you where to write to him and not to ask me."
"I never got a letter"
"I made sure of that"
"You wern't the one who was tricked. You married me for the money. All that stuff about the children was a lie. You where covering your own back. You let me think I'd failed as a wife"
"But you haven't, you obtained a rather large portion of money for me"
"No I haven't. You are not laying a finger on my brother's money!"
She hadn't judged how close Adrian actually was to her, for she found herself suddenly being grasped around the neck.
"Who's going to stop me?" he hissed at her
She could feel his hand around her neck and she desperately struggled against him. Then she noticed. Adrian was left handed. She threw him off of her.
"You're not wearing your wedding ring!"
"How do you expect me to?"
"You haven't been working in Paris have you? I'd heard stories but I never thought the where true. How many mistresses have you got now. Two, three?"
"Does it matter?"
Lizette sunk into a chair, unable to say anything
Finally, she managed, "I want a divorce" she said quietly. She couldn't believe she said it. Neither could Adrian
"What?" he stammered. She nodded her head and he realised, "you can't do this to me"
"After what you've done, I think I can"
"You don't have your brothers to protect you now Lizette, you've only got me." he knelt in front of her, "I'm you husband Lizette, your lord and master."
"You've none nothing to earn that right"
"Neither have you."
"Don't try and scare me Adrian. It's not going to work any more."
She did not expect for him to hit her. But he did, landing a harsh slap on her right cheek
"Are you scared now?"
He rose her to her feet and made to hit her again. She screamed. It was the reaction he wanted.
"Now, listen to me my dear" he spat the words at her, "We'll have no more foolish talk. You will come with me to Paris, you will identify your bother, claim your inheritance and give it all to me"
"No... no I won't" she muttered trying desperately not to cry. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction.
Another slap; he was beginning to leave bruises, "I don't think you are in a position to bargain, my love"
He threw her back into the chair. "Now, I have some business to attended to. When I get back, I want you packed and ready to leave for Paris in the morning. Have I made myself clear?"
Lizette didn't trust herself to speak, so she simply nodded.
He turned on his heal and made for the door.
Suddenly, Lizette saw red. It was if all the anger and sadness and shame of the last few days exploded with in her. She found herself reaching out for anything she could throw. Before she knew what she was doing. She had thrown a vase at her husbands just before it reached him, he slammed the door and the vase shattered into a thousand pieces.
Lizette fell tot he floor and hastily grabbed a piece of glass, terrified that her husband would return. But it was the maid who opened the door.
"Oh Rose" was all Lizette was able to say
"I'll fetch a brush" she said and scurried out of the room
Lizette finally felt hopeless. She lent her back against the wall and cried for the first time since reading the letter.
Rose was back almost instantly. Lizette dried her eyes hastily and got to her knees, "Here, let me help"
Between them, the cleared up the mess of water, glass and flowers. When they had finished Lizette felt like she was holding the shattered remains of her life in her hands.
She wanted to talk to Raoul so much. Of all her siblings, she had been most close to him. They had grown up together, reading farytales in the Library. Except now, Raoul had rode of into the sunset with his princess and she was left to rot in the dragons lair. He left no address. She had no way to contact him.
"Oh Rose" she finally said again, "What am I going to do? What would you do?"
"You want my opinion Madame?" the maid asked, a little confused. The mistress nodded. "I would go to Paris"
Lizette felt disappointed, "You think I should stay?"
"No miss. I think you should go now. Before the master comes back"
"But how?"
"There is a trunk upstairs. I'll help you pack. The other servants are out buying suplies. If you move quickly you can be gone before them or the master are back."
"And you Rose, you've been so good to me. You would come too?"
"I would miss, but I have my family to look after. My father is sick."
"Yes Rose, you must look after your family"
Rose helped her mistress to rise. Seeing the pair, it would have been hart to believe that Rose was the younger of the two, barely out of her teens.
"Come Madame, you must go soon"
"Yes" Lizette said, standing tall, strong again. "Yes, I will go to Paris. I will collect my title. I will clear my brothers name."
She turned around and faced the room that had been her prison cell for so long. Then as a final thought she went to her desk and scribbled a note.
Adrian.
You know where I have gone. Don't follow me. Even if you do, I'll be there quicker then you. Be careful what you accuse me of. Society will not look too kindly on you either. You have brought this shame upon yourself. It has nothing to do with me.
Expect divorce papers in a week.
Lizette, Comtesse de Chagny.
She left the letter where he couldn't fail to miss it; with the whiskey decanter. With a final sigh she picked up her letters, turned on her heal and, without a trace of shame, walked out of the door.
A/N wow, that was exhausting to write! I didn't imagine it would be so long. i haven't decised wether Lizette is incredibly brave, or realy niave. Let me know what you think about this little experiment. I thrive on reviews! L x