Mother, Marguerite, Danielle and Jaqueline waited outside to say goodbye. Even a dozen servants awaited his send off. When her new (Two weeks still counts as new, right?) father stepped through the doorway, he was pulling his riding gloves on. He was the only happy one around her. He was already riding off, without getting to know them at all. "I've never seen so many gloomy faces around her. I'll be back in a week." Still not fair to bring them here and then leave, even for a week. He bent to kiss mother's check.

But she almost pushed him away. "Then go, the sooner you leave, the sooner we can celebrate your return." Trust mother to find any excuse for a party.

"Perhaps, by then, the three of you will have gotten to know each other." He nodded to each of the girls, before kneeling in front of Danielle. "I'm counting on you to teach them the ropes around here. The Baroness isn't used to getting her hands dirty." Mother would be delighted, she was inordinately proud of her lily white hands. One day Jaqueline hoped he'd look at her as he looked at Danielle. She hoped he'd be proud of her like he is of Danielle. Maurice held his horse as he mounted. Jaqueline hoped she didn't look ridiculous, as she stared at him hoping he'd look at her once more. He dropped the reins and Maurice handed them back. "Thank you, Maurice." He looked at his hands confused. He must have been up late reading to Danielle.

They had barely wished him a safe journey when mother called the girls back to their studies. Danielle tried to make her wait, "its tradition. He always waves at the gate."

But with a patronizing smile mother swept inside anyway. Marguerite followed willingly and when Jacqueline sensed she had no choice, she followed as well. It was Danielle screams, "papa, papa, papa," that alerted mother to a problem. Mother turned and Jacqueline followed her out the door. Father lay at the end of the driveway. Danielle was running toward him.

"Auguste," mother screamed as she ran toward him. I took off after her along with all the servants. She was at his side in a moment. "Auguste," she called, "Auguste." Danielle was also shaking him. I was close enough to see him reach a hand for Danielle and whisper something to her. Then he slumped down unbreathing. "No," mother screamed to the wind.

"Papa," Danielle screamed.

Jacqueline felt her dreams of a father crumble. She blinked back the tears filling her eyes. But they spilled over and down her checks.

Mother was weeping now, "Auguste, you cannot leave me here. You cannot leave me here." Maurice lifted mother and let her cry on his shoulder. But Danielle refused to be parted from her father.

One of the servants noticed Jacqueline standing there, crying. "Here," she handed Jacqueline a handkerchief, "dry your eyes." She hugged the girl to herself. "Come inside." Jacqueline allowed herself to be propelled inside.

Get ahold of yourself. You've survived so far without a father. You'll just have to do without. Though she'd barely known Auguste de Barbarac, Jacqueline felt a strange sense of loss at his death.