Chapter 27
Thérèse had tried all the keys unsuccessfully. First, she had gone to the root cellar. There was nothing inside that little room that even needed a key, except for the door. The next place she searched was a little boathouse, which no one ever used. Nothing.
She had also tried all the large rooms in the manor itself, but she had the same luck.
Where else could she go?
Suddenly, she remembered something that Auguste mentioned the day he arrived at her chateau. She had never seen him so upset.
"I shouldn't have done it, Thérèse. I don't know why I married her."
Thérèse shook her head. "There, there, Auguste. Sit down for a while. You married Rodmilla so that Danielle could have a female influence."
Auguste looked up at her. "Yes, that's what I wanted, Thérèse, and before she married, she had promised to care for Danielle and raise her as her own daughter." He shook his head. "The minute that we moved into the manor, however, all that changed. She schemed to rid the house of Danielle and anything related to Nicole. I am frightened that if anything should happen to me, Danielle's future in that manor is uncertain. I am convinced of it, Thérèse. I do not trust that woman."
He stood up and walked to the window in the well-lit music room. "I need to change my will, Thérèse. I want to ensure that Danielle will have a loving home and a kind, wonderful woman to look after her." He turned to face her. "And, as her godmother, I feel that you are the woman to look after her once I depart this earth."
Thérèse shook her head and smiled sadly. She walked toward him. "And where do you think you're going, Auguste? You are still young yet. You have your whole life ahead of you. I am sure Danielle will be fine.."
Auguste looked at her and shook his head. "No, no Thérèse. Danielle will be fine as long as I live. And I am not as young as I used to be. There is heart trouble in my family and many of the men, including my father, have died young and all of them were strokes. I say again that I want to make sure Danielle has every opportunity to grow with a loving woman like yourself and to make sure she gets all the proper, loving care that she needs. I do not want her to grow up as a servant. "
He waited for Thérèse to say something and when she didn't, he continued.
"You have always told me that you wanted to care for a child, one that you can tell stories to and put to bed. You have told me that you were lonely and wanted a companion, someone to care for you in your old age, someone to talk to and most importantly, since you have no children, someone to leave your inheritance to. I don't mean to be blunt, but there it is. Please, Thérèse, please make me a happy man and say yes."
And so she promised to take care of her, never expecting that two weeks later, Auguste would have a stroke on his own property and pass as quickly as he had. It was a good thing that she and Auguste had all the papers drawn up and that it was all legal and binding. Now she had to find those papers and remember where he had told her they were.
She knew that if she thought long enough.. Wait, they were in that greenhouse, put behind a brick in the fireplace there. Thérèse smiled at the thought and began to run. She had to get there before someone discovered that she was gone.
Thérèse had tried all the keys unsuccessfully. First, she had gone to the root cellar. There was nothing inside that little room that even needed a key, except for the door. The next place she searched was a little boathouse, which no one ever used. Nothing.
She had also tried all the large rooms in the manor itself, but she had the same luck.
Where else could she go?
Suddenly, she remembered something that Auguste mentioned the day he arrived at her chateau. She had never seen him so upset.
"I shouldn't have done it, Thérèse. I don't know why I married her."
Thérèse shook her head. "There, there, Auguste. Sit down for a while. You married Rodmilla so that Danielle could have a female influence."
Auguste looked up at her. "Yes, that's what I wanted, Thérèse, and before she married, she had promised to care for Danielle and raise her as her own daughter." He shook his head. "The minute that we moved into the manor, however, all that changed. She schemed to rid the house of Danielle and anything related to Nicole. I am frightened that if anything should happen to me, Danielle's future in that manor is uncertain. I am convinced of it, Thérèse. I do not trust that woman."
He stood up and walked to the window in the well-lit music room. "I need to change my will, Thérèse. I want to ensure that Danielle will have a loving home and a kind, wonderful woman to look after her." He turned to face her. "And, as her godmother, I feel that you are the woman to look after her once I depart this earth."
Thérèse shook her head and smiled sadly. She walked toward him. "And where do you think you're going, Auguste? You are still young yet. You have your whole life ahead of you. I am sure Danielle will be fine.."
Auguste looked at her and shook his head. "No, no Thérèse. Danielle will be fine as long as I live. And I am not as young as I used to be. There is heart trouble in my family and many of the men, including my father, have died young and all of them were strokes. I say again that I want to make sure Danielle has every opportunity to grow with a loving woman like yourself and to make sure she gets all the proper, loving care that she needs. I do not want her to grow up as a servant. "
He waited for Thérèse to say something and when she didn't, he continued.
"You have always told me that you wanted to care for a child, one that you can tell stories to and put to bed. You have told me that you were lonely and wanted a companion, someone to care for you in your old age, someone to talk to and most importantly, since you have no children, someone to leave your inheritance to. I don't mean to be blunt, but there it is. Please, Thérèse, please make me a happy man and say yes."
And so she promised to take care of her, never expecting that two weeks later, Auguste would have a stroke on his own property and pass as quickly as he had. It was a good thing that she and Auguste had all the papers drawn up and that it was all legal and binding. Now she had to find those papers and remember where he had told her they were.
She knew that if she thought long enough.. Wait, they were in that greenhouse, put behind a brick in the fireplace there. Thérèse smiled at the thought and began to run. She had to get there before someone discovered that she was gone.