Chapter 13: Adele
April
A dark eyed young woman with a massive amount of curly black hair on her head plopped herself into the mud as she stepped off a coach. Her large trunk was thrown into the mud beside her. She didn't have enough money in the eyes of the coach driver to cover kind treatment from him. She defiantly glared up at him and picked the rope of her trunk up without breaking eye contact with him. She dragged it behind her with her head held high and trekked across a frosty field. Her walk was quick and agitated. She could not wait to reach the end of her journey. She was nearly there. She lost her breath and plopped her trunk under a tree so she could sit for a second. She looked around her and sighed, watching her breath cloud up in the air. It had been a very long winter. Adele huffed and stood up again, angrily pulling her trunk behind her.
Adele had basically been raised in a convent ran school, upon her father's insistence. She barely knew the man. He kept himself so far away from his family, she rarely saw him. Her mother was also a victim of his coolness. She was a beautiful woman, who had been born to a Spanish mother and an English father who had a great fortune. Unfortunately for her, Adele's father married her for her wealth and not for love. Adele spent summers with her mother in London, Madrid, or Paris but the rest of the time she was tucked away in school. When she came of age, her father thought it best to send her to finishing school so she could procure a good match. He was not willing to leave her money in his will and sought to perhaps marry her off so it was unnecessary. However, there was too much scandal plaguing the family that she could not expect to marry too well. Every man she sought to marry knew her father's debauched ways, assuming that her character would be the same and she would make an unfaithful wife. Eventually she gave up on being her father's pawn. Her only hope to procure a fortune was to live off her two brothers or become a mistress. She didn't wish to do either.
When she finally reached her uncle's manor, she stopped and cracked her back. She was tired and couldn't take another step with her heavy trunk. A maid opened the door and rushed out to grab Adele's great burden from her. Madame La Roque ran to Adele and hugged her. She started crying and gasping for breath. Her journey had been so long and tiring, and on top of the loss of her father accompanied by a feeling of uncertainty, she couldn't help but let all her emotions go at once.
Madame La Roque took Adele inside and made her sit down. A hot cup of tea was immediately poured for her and a maid began to remove her wet shoes. Adele sunk down into her chair and took deep breaths. Her eyes were closed as she tried to rest. Alphonse peeked into the room as the maid left with Adele's shoes.
"Shoes so filthy have no right to be on your feet," he said, shattering the silence. Adele's eyes popped open and she sat up straight in her chair before jumping onto her feet. Alphonse took Adele in his arms and twirled her around. He hadn't seen his sister in a year.
"Alphonse, I am so glad to be rid of that terrible finishing school!" she happily said.
"Did you have to drag that big chest with you the whole way?"
"It holds my entire life. Father, didn't leave me much of anything," Adele frowned.
"That was father's way," Alphonse said, "you know how he felt towards girls inheriting things."
"No, he would rather pass me off to another man," she bitterly said as she sat down again.
"Well, you have no need to worry about that anymore," he comforted her, "Were the girls at school sad to see you go?"
"Well, two of them," Adele smiled, "I miss them too but I know they're alright. That school is so terrible and dull, that they couldn't wait to leave either."
"I read your letters, it didn't sound like a great place."
"I have no idea what sort of finishing school it was but father did not choose the most comfortable one, I can tell you. It was grey and dark."
"Like your dress?" he teased.
She pouted and pulled the pleats her drab grayish black dress and smirked up at her brother. He chuckled.
"I have to wear black, brother," she said, "you know that yourself."
"Not a drab black dress," he said, "I will give you some money. Go to town and get a nicer one made."
"Really?" she said as she excitedly perked up.
"It would be my pleasure," he smiled. It was his pleasure to dote on his little sister and now that he had money, he was more ready to do so.
...
An older more distinguished woman climbed out of a carriage. She had an air of sophistication and jolliness about her. She was almost bouncing jovially on her way up the steps to the front door of the Villeneuve Manor. She rapped on the door and a maid answered. She rushed to receive the woman and scuttled into Jean's study. He looked up and dropped what he was doing.
"There's a Madame Dubois to see you," she said quietly, curtsying.
He walked out of his study and greeted the jolly woman. She clapped her hands enthusiastically.
"I hear miss Miss Adele is in town for the remainder of the year!" she said excitedly, "Is it true?"
"It's very true," he said with a grin.
"Oh happy day!" she squeaked and clapped her hands again, "Now, I won't take no for an answer. You must come for supper tonight! I haven't seen miss Adele for so long, I have much to catch up with her about. Please take up my offer and join me and my husband, won't you?"
Jean nodded in acceptance and she happily smiled before bounding back to her carriage to ready the house to receive them.
Adele came out of the drawing room and leaned to look out the window as the carriage drove off.
"I don't have a suitable dress," she said quietly.
"I'm sure it's not your dress she wishes the company of," he comforted her.
...
They arrived at the Dubois household later that night. Adele was not very happy with her dress but she knew she'd be the talk of the town if she didn't wear black. Perhaps a drab black dress was the only proper thing for her to wear. It wasn't too bad but it was made of a rougher fabric. She had outgrown all of her fine dresses in her years at school and her father thought she could do without new ones. He was a strict disciplinarian and the fact that Adele had refused marriage from a very suitable match, made it worse.
"Stop fretting," Jean said as she gained her footing after stepping down from the carriage. Alphonse jumped out and laughed. Adele glared at him and took his arm. They made their way into the manor. Adele stared up at the decorated ceiling but Alphonse kept her from tripping on her dress.
"Miss Adele!" an excitable old woman shouted out. She rushed to her and took her hands jovially, "you have much to tell me, Miss Adele. I have not seen you for so long and I must know what you have been up to."
"I haven't done much of anything too exciting, madame," Adele nervously said.
"nonsense," the old woman laughed, "we shall discuss everything during dinner."
...
Jean sat by the fire with a look of boredom on his face. He was holding cards in one hand and tapping his fingers on the little table as Madame Dubois looked at her cards. Adele was sitting across the room at the piano forte as Alphonse leaned over her shoulder and tapped on one chord constantly, trying to annoy his sister.
"Alphonse," Jean admonished his nephew.
Adele smirked up at her brother and began playing a little tune. He looked bored. He peeked over at his uncle who was huffing and waiting for the old woman to play a card.
"Mr. Villeneuve," the woman said in a very low tone, "Forgive me for being forward, but have you thought of remarrying? It has been over ten years, hasn't it?"
Jean shook himself from his sleepy state and kept himself from outwardly showing his shock.
"There are many young ladies in society," she smiled, "Mademoiselle Cromwell, for example."
"She wouldn't want an old seasoned man like myself," he tried to joke.
"On the contrary, she might like a man with a weather worn exterior," she joked as she put her card down, "Evangeline Cromwell would make a very good wife for you I think."
He put his card down, "may I ask, what is your sudden interest in this matter?"
She smiled and placed another card down, "a man cannot go the rest of his life without a companion and you need a son."
Jean became very sober for a moment and watched Madame Dubois swipe up all the cards. He cleared his throat and stood up, bowing. Alphonse and Adele looked up from what they were doing.
"It is getting late, I must bid you farewell," Jean dismissed himself. Alphonse and Adele followed.