Chapter 4
Disclaimer- I don't own anything. Ever. End of story. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while.
Louise sat on a bale of hay in the poorly heated stable. She was doing something that the others had teased her about when they had found her last time, and that was talking to Snow White, the old white carriage horse. Louise had, when she was small, always conversed with animals but now, being the respectable age of fourteen and a half, she only did it on most dire of occasions, such as after a fight with her sister.
On this cold, February morning she had arose before even the servants and snuck down to the stable, her coat pockets stuffed with sugar for Snow. Louise shook the real snow out of her rust colored hair, which sometimes curled and sometimes was straight and on unfortunate days like today chose not to be tamed at all. Sometime last night the cold rain had changed to snow and turned the world white
"Ya know Snow; I wish sometimes I wasn't good at anything. Is it bad to say I'm more talented then them?" she looked at the horses steady brown eyes. "I don't say it with pleasure; I mean it's a bad thing. It just sounds so stuck up. I wish Danny would listen and Julie would talk." Snow snorted and Louise fed her sugar from her pocket. "I wish Pierre would be my best friend like he used to. He tries so hard to be the big kid. I don't think I ever want to grow up Snow... except not growing up would surely be far worse." Snow nuzzled her. "Would you still do that if I didn't bring you sugar?"
It was because of Louise's early morning escapade that she was the first to see the man approaching the house. She heard the distant crunching of boots on snow and had ventured into the silent frozen world to see who it was. She observed with interest a dark haired man, rapt in a thin black coat, walking with uncertainly up the front walk. Louise considered approaching him but decided she'd rather watch and see what he was up to first.
Silently she crept through the sugar frosted bushes, stepping so lightly her boots barely left footprints in the fresh snow. She heard Martin, the butler, let the mysterious stranger in. Nosy as ever, Louise ran to the back entering the house through the servants' door. She sped through the clattering kitchens, servants shouted at the familiar red head who so often snuck in for food or simply as an escape from the 1incesense of everyday life.
Louise flew through the dining room and listened through the key hole of one of the great white doors. She heard footsteps, low voices and then her hair stood on end, she heard her name. Her real name. No one had used it since she was very small, but it was her name never the less.
"Where is Satine?" said her grandfather's voice, tight with fear. For a second Louise was filled with confusion. She was right here... but her grandfather had never called her Satine. Then she realized it wasn't her who he was talking about, it was her aunt, who she was named for. The response was too low and gruff for her to pick up but it wasn't necessary. Her grandfather's reaction was quite audible.
"No! She can't be... not after Alice..." Louise heard someone coming behind her. She spun around to see Juliet in a night gown and pink slippers.
"What's going on?" She said, her grey eyes heavy with confusion.
"Er..." Louise said, glancing from the door to her cousin.
"Lou, I'm sorry we fought yesterday." Juliet wrapped her thin arms around Louise.
"It was my fault; I've got such a bad temper. I didn't mean that stuff." Louise said returning the hug.
"I know, I forgive you." Louise bit her lip. She was certain that now wasn't a good time to tell Julie what she had just heard it the other room. Louise wasn't sure what was going on she doubted it could be good.
"Who's grandfather talking to in there?" Louise hesitated.
"I'm... I'm not sure."
"Well what are they talking about?"
"Er... I don't know."
"Louise, I saw you listening. Just tell me ok?" Juliet was close to whining, one of her most annoying habits that only those who knew her best even noticed.
"Ok... well don't get mad... they're talking about your Mum." Juliet took only a few seconds to recover from this new.
"And what are they saying?"
"I'm not actually sure," Louise said truthfully. Juliet nodded, feeling anger mounting inside her. Not just that it was about her Mum, also that she was left out and that it was never fun to be thirteen and forgotten. Juliet threw open the door, ready to throw a Louise-esque tantrum but the scene that faced her came as a shock. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't this.
Her grandfather had his face in his hands and was presumably crying. The other man looked like he had already cried out all the liquid in his body. He was thin, sallow, and malnourished. His eyes were blood shot and baggy. He didn't look like the handsome young poet who had sung silly love songs on the roof.
Although he was disturbing, her grandfather's tears were more so. Juliet had never in her memory seen him cry although she knew men cried. They didn't cry in the novels she read but her uncle had cried when Alice died. Pierre had cried more times than her or Danielle, although Louise beat him. A man crying wasn't weak; it was noble, provided the cause for tears was noble. Knowing what a noble man her grandfather was, she knew the news wasn't good.
"What's going on?" They both ignored her. She said the only thing she could think of that would stop them ignoring her. "Please I know you're here about Satine... I mean... I guess my mother." The word mother tasted odd on her tongue.
"Juliet, this doesn't concern you."
Christian looked at her. He had thought nothing could surprise him by now but that the skinny child before him was her daughter... how? Juliet was too extravagant a name for this plain, frumpy girl. She clearly had none of her mother's beauty. Her hair was limp and mouse colored and her eyes a toneless grey. Her skin was speckled and blemished and her nose was small and flat. And the obvious question arose. Who was her father?
"Doesn't involve me? Well she is my mother, although she has ignored me my whole life. So I guess you could say this doesn't concern me. But it should." She had tried to sound as Louise like a possible, for when Louise spoke she got her point across. Instead she ended up sounding like a lost child. She was a lost child.
"Satine was your mother?"
"Yes. She still is my mother. You can't change these things or I'd have found a new mother years ago."
This time she sounded wistful. She didn't realize it until much later, but her deepest desire was to have a mother and a father and a little white house with lilies and begonias and a dog. This desire was so deeply imprinted on her that she didn't remember a time when she hadn't wanted it since she didn't know what it was like to not want it.
"Julie, sit down," he grandfather growled. Something in his voiced filled her with fear. She slowly lowered herself into a chair.
"There is something I need to tell you. This is Christian. He was the man you're mother loved. She... she died, last summer." He looked completely miserable and Juliet bit her lip. She ought to have felt something; after all, this woman was her mother. It was like hearing about wars far away, faceless people dying. She knew she should care, but she didn't. Looking at her grandfather she felt a hot anger rising inside her.
Juliet was sure that her grandfather probably loved Satine more than anyone else in the world but she had never written him, never visited, never looked back at the family she left behind. Instead she had found someone else to love and left her father to mourn her. Now Christian had come and rubbed in their faces. What right did he have to do this to them? Juliet wanted to hurt him, hurt her mother, hurt all these self centered adults who made her grandfather cry. Instead she stood up.
"Juliet, wait…"
"I'm going to my room."
"Juliet!" he called after her. She ignored him.
Dinner was an awkward affair. Pierre sat in the farthest corner from Christian, his face in the shadows. Danielle was acting professional like never before, measuring her food into exact portions before eating them. Mr. Desmereges was sweating so profusely he looked like he'd gone swimming.
Juliet had brushed her snarled hair and tied it in a bow and was wearing her best dress. She had an intense desire for Christian to like her, so it would hurt him more when she hated him. Juliet was not the kind of girl who had these mixed up feelings, and she felt as though she'd stepped into someone else's skin. Louise chose not to show up at all and Mr. Desmereges told the servants to make her come if she could be found.
Christian had washed his face and straightened his still dirty clothes. The result was that he looked twice as pale and his clothes looked twice as filthy. Juliet looked at him with distaste as he slowly and self consciously ate his dinner. He barely ate, she noticed, he didn't seem to be in the habit of having proper meals.
She found she had very little appetite as well. Mr. Desmereges was looking at his fork, seeming to have forgotten what it was for. Pierre was unconsciously cutting his meat into tinier and tinier pieces. Only Danielle ate much and Juliet was sure she was forcing herself.
Louise arrived halfway through, sulking and scruffy. Christian watched this miniature version of Satine walk briskly to the table, wearing her best sparkling diamond pout. That's more like it, he thought.
She wasn't as tall as Satine had been but she was well on her way. Her big hands and feet showed that she still would soon catch up to her infamous aunt. She had thick, red hair, the dark curls falling to her shoulder. She was slightly heavier set than Satine, but she lived in luxury and wasn't half dead from consumption.
The most noticeable difference between the two was their eyes. Satine's blue had been replaced by chocolate brown. Less original but still warm and charming. Louise lacked Satine's confidence but had an unconscious grace and didn't seem to realize her own beauty. None of her family seemed to feel she was anything special either. Living around Louise you forgot she was deathly gorgeous.
Juliet watched Louise enter with a sinking feeling. She saw how Christian absorbed Louise's ever move. Juliet's hate for Christian grew more and more but at the same time so did her curiosity. She couldn't imagine what her mother had seen in this cold, dirty man. He wasn't even attractive. She could feel the distance between her and her mother growing as she sat.
Louise ignored her food and continued to sulk. Christian still hadn't looked away. When Louise saw that she flashed him an unladylike smile from the corner of her mouth. Juliet scolded herself mentally for behaving as rude as her cousin. She picked up her fork with trembling fingers and began eating her meat. It tasted like sawdust and felt like lead as it slid down her throat. Still she ate. She even had a piece of pie that went down like led. She was beginning to feel ill.
After dessert Mr. Desmereges suggested some music and they all proceeded to the living room. When asked by her grandfather if she'd like to play her new piano piece, Danielle blushed and shook her head. Juliet clenched her fists as Louise took the piano seat and began to play.
Christian sat closest to her, his eyes closed; listening to the music like it was God's own Angels playing. Danielle watched from the couch with what she seemed to think was a polite expression. Pierre had taken a chair by the fire and was looking at Danielle with sympathy. Juliet was beside Danielle on the couch and could practically feel heat radiating off her. When Louise was finished Mr. Desmereges tried to make conversation.
"Where are you staying Christian?"
"I'm not sure; I was going to find a cheap hotel somewhere…"
"No need, we have many extra rooms. You can stay here as long as you need."
"Well…"
"Satine would have wanted it."
"Thank you."
"Tell us about Paris, Christian!" Demanded Louise.
"Paris… it's a beautiful city. I honestly didn't see much of it." Christian was clearly struggling. He looked at Louise as he spoke; his eyes grew misty as he remembered. Louise's eyes never left his face. "The Eiffel Tour it lovely, and the seine. But your mother was the most beautiful part."
"Satine was Juliet's mother." Danielle interrupted.
"What?" Christian looked up suddenly, his concentration broken.
"Not Louise's mother, Juliet's." Pierre spoke this time, looking fearfully at Danielle who was unconsciously on the edge of her seat.
"Yes… that's what I meant."
"Don't interrupt, either of you!" Louise said furiously. "Please continue Christian."
"Alright, well there is a revolution going on in Paris, soon it will come here too. It's full of artists, poets, dancers. Satine was an actress, a great actress. None of us had much money, but it doesn't matter, we live by our art." Louise was enthralled. And so began the Bohemian revolution in London.
