This evening, the Baron de Challon presented his daughter with a choice in which she could not approve of either option.
"You can either get married or enter a convent, Alexandrine," the man told the young woman, and his very tone made it abundantly clear that he was not to be trifled with. Obviously he was running out of patience. She had therefore no other choice but to take his words seriously.
But she had not to ponder for long, before realizing that in any case she preferred the former to the latter. Even if doing so, she also harbored the hope that it would be difficult for her father to be able to provide her with a suitable husband within a short period of time. Of course, there was a reason for her to cherish this hope altogether, as she was well aware of the fact that she was already of an age when other young women were long since married. Her father however had promised to her mother on her deathbed that he would not marry her off against her wishes prior to her twenty-first birthday. Up to now none of the young men he had introduced to her had met with her approval.
She had to admit, however, that this was not the fault of the young men, for among them there had indeed been one or two who would certainly have made good husbands. But she feared that each of them would curtail the freedom she enjoyed, for that was exactly what she had observed in her friends. Even if none of them was unhappy, at least not for that reason.
The freedom she so readily availed herself of, however, was the other reason she had hopes that her father would take longer to find a husband who met his expectations. After all, there was no family in their neighborhood - by which she meant quite a large area - and among her parents' friends - not exactly few, either, for both her late mother and her father were well-liked - who was not aware about the fact that the young woman was not an example of an ideal daughter. She could therefore assume that this would limit the number of men willing to marry her considerably.
On the other hand, she also knew that it would not be an impossible feat for her father to present her with a husband, as she had never crossed a particular line. Even if she had not always complied with the conventions that were applied to young women in her peer group, she had not once been intimate with a man. Furthermore, she had also known how to protect herself if someone would consider her to be easy prey. In most cases, however, it had not even come so far, for she had her ways and means to avoid situations like that.
But the bottom line was that this was truly something good, since her father would otherwise not be in a position to give her a choice. Moreover, she was aware that she would consent to a marriage eventually, for if she had to enter a monastery for really, her life would be at an end. For her that would be similar to a death sentence and therefore had to be avoided at all costs. For this purpose, she was even willing to make sacrifices. In fact, she had always known that this particular day would come at some point. The day of her wedding.
Her brother had nevertheless to provide her with a shoulder to cry on. He had also to listen to her - and not for the first time – about the world being unfair. After all, Father never threatened him with any consequences if he did not come home all night. He had never made him choose between getting married or going to a monastery. And this was only due on account of her brother being a man and she being a woman. These facts signified a tremendous difference - to her chagrin and therefore, it was no wonder that she saw this as a great injustice.
It was only later, that she would realize that her brother was not having an easy time either. At some point, he would have to get married, too, for the Barony needed an heir. Father would in all probability choose a wife for him. But that would still be better than the Baron learning what was really going on in his son's mind. Otherwise, it could well happen that he would send his heir to a monastery. In this he would certainly prefer one where nobody would ever see him again.