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"Did he return the papers to you?" asked Camille, fanning herself. She had been nervous all day, waiting for her son to come back home. She couldn't believe that she had raised an idiot for a son.
"Not yet," he said, cheerfully. "But he will soon."
"What are you two talking about?" asked Charlotte.
Ricard ignored her. "You know why? He's interested in our dear Belle," he said, laughing.
Charlotte's eyes widened. "Who?"
"Levesque," said Camille, smiling as well. "Oh, goodness, I'm not loose my jewels and my clothes and this house! He's the miracle we've been looking for!"
They all got quiet when Anne entered the room. "Is my father feeling better?" she asked.
Camille sighed and dragged Anne to Stephan's study. "Your father is depressed right now because most of the crops were burned and we won't have enough money to pay the tariffs," she said. "And not only are we going to loose the plantation, but also this house because he intends to sell it, too, understand? And you, who is the only that can save us, refuse to help!"
"B-But, Mother," she said, worriedly.
"Until now we've given you everything. A roof, food, education, clothes, trips, and you what? You're going to let us end the last days of our lives in a miserable home!" cried Camille. Anne shook her head about to cry. "You have to marry and marry someone that can help us out of these conditions!"
"I-It's just that I can't! I can't!" cried Anne.
"You have to!"
"I'm in love, Mother!"
Camille took a step back. "In love? With who?"
"With a good man, who's intelligent, but doesn't have the money that you want and I won't give him up. I won't," she said. Anne walked away, leaving her mother in awe.
"She's in love?! With who?" asked Charlotte.
"She wouldn't say," said Camille annoyed. She turned at Ricard. "And you? Do you know about this man that she's talking about?"
He sighed. "Well, one of my friends told me a while back that he's seen Belle with a militia man."
Camille frowned. "A while back? Why didn't you tell me? We're talking about your sister, not just some random woman. What's his name?"
"Maurice Martin," he responded.
"Martin? I've never heard of that name!" Camille said.
"Of course not, he's a nobody, the only thing he has is a small farm that his parents left him," explained Ricard.
"My lord!" cried Charlotte.
Camille felt light headed and sat down, fanning herself. "How did they meet? How could you have kept your mouth shut for so long?"
Ricard sat next to her. "Mother, please, calm down. I thought that it was just rumors going around until Belle confirmed it to me yesterday."
"Does she have no shame?!" Camille said, shaking her head.
"Martin is even thinking about coming here and asking for Belle's hand in marriage," said Ricard.
"W-What?!" cried Camille. "She's going to listen to me right now!" she said, heading to her room.
"But don't say you heard it from me!" yelled Ricard after her. "You know how she gets. Say you heard in the streets!"
Charlotte breathed heavily as she fanned herself. "Let's pray that no one else knows about this because it'll be even more difficult for someone to marry Annie."
Anne cried softly as she listened to her locket that Maurice gave her. She closed it when she saw her mother burst into the door. "Where did you first meet Maurice Martin?" she asked.
Anne was shocked that she even knew his name. "H-He was wounded in the hospital that I was working in eight months ago."
"And you've been seeing him since then," hissed Camille. "Just who do you think you are? Have you forgotten who you are and what family you come from?"
"I swear that I haven't done anything wrong," said Anne.
"Nothing wrong? Do you think it isn't wrong that you go and see this peasant in secretion?
"No, Mother, he's not a peasant," said Anne, shaking her head. "He's an educated and decent man. He's a militia man and father was too when he was younger."
"Don't you dare compare the two of them," said Camille. "Your father comes from one of the best families. He's an important man and is highly respects, known throughout all of Europe, not a simple militia man that barely has a ranking." Anne sighed. "You're a disgrace. How is it possible that you've gotten so low?" Camille gave a sharp laugh. "Now I know why you turned down all those other suitors. I forbid you to ever see him again! In fact, you will not step foot out of this house alone or accompanied."
"Non! It's not fair, Mother! My father always told me that I could choose," she said, crying.
"Go right ahead. Go tell him everything. Do you think his heart would take it if you told him everything?" Camille sighed and left the room. Anne sobbed and picked up her locket, trying to receive some consolation.
"I still can't believe that you dared to make such an accord," said Nadir as they ate. "If I were Ricard Durand, I would have shot you then and there for speaking like about my sister."
"If he agreed, then his family is willing to give her to the highest bidder," he said calmly.
"And you bid her!"
Erik sighed and dropped his fork. "I don't even know how I agreed to it."
Nadir laughed. "Don't act so innocent. You obviously agreed because you like her."
"Yes, but… I also felt pity for her," he responded. Nadir looked at him. It was usually Erik who received the pity not the other way around. "If the family is willing to give her away, then they could have given them to anyone, to a bastard that will treat her bad or an old man. There are so many dishonorable men with money."
"Maybe she doesn't care," said Nadir, "as long as she gets a valuable marriage."
"Non, I don't think so. For that you need very little self-value and dignity. Even if we didn't speak a lot yesterday, she gave me the impression of a simple girl, sweet, even shy," he said, remembering back to Anne. "If she was only interested in a rich husband then she would have flirted with me like all those other girls."
"Maybe she's using that as tactic to get you to like her more and for the looks of it she's already starting to accomplish it," said Nadir.
Erik rolled his eyes. "Why are you on her opposition? Why can't you think she's decent mademoiselle with degraded parents?"
Nadir nodded and laughed. "Oui."
Anne paced nervously. "She told you that?" she said, looking at Elise.
She shook her head furiously. "She told me that if she found out that I've been sneaking letters to you, then she'll send me to jail," she sobbed. "W-What if she finds out about Monsieur Martin?"
"She already knows," said Anne.
Elise looked at her surprised. "Seriously?"
"I'm so desperate, Elise. If I could just speak to Father…"
"Then why don't you do it, Mademoiselle. He loves you very much," said Elise, desperately.
"Oui, mais, he's very delicate with his health right now and he's already worried about other conflicts. If I go to him now, I'll probably do him more damage," explained Anne.
Elise whipped her tears. "And now what? It all ends?"
Anne shook her head. "Don't even say it, Elise," she whispered, grabbing her locket. "Because if I loose him, if they force me to separate from him, I prefer death."
"Officier Maurice Martin?" asked Ricard, walking towards him.
Maurice looked at him curiously, wondering why Anne's brother was visiting him at his station. "I am he."
"Do you know who I am?" asked Ricard, smirking.
Maurice nodded. "I know who you are. You're the son of Monsieur Durand."
"And brother of Mademoiselle Annabelle Durand," he said. Maurice sighed. "I don't know with what purpose you search for my sister, but take this for granted that if you try to see her again, you will regret ever seeing her way in the first place. So, I suggest that you forget about her."
"My only intention with Mademoiselle Annabelle is marriage."
"Marriage?" spat Ricard. "Don't you know who you are and who we are?"
"I only know that your sister and I love each other and all your arguments of your sociable lives doesn't change how I feel about her," said Maurice, getting angry.
"Feelings that disrespect her and disgrace her," hissed Ricard.
Maurice glared at him and took a step forward. "Watch your words, Monsieur."
"You will never marry my sister," Ricard growled. "I swear that nothing good will come your way, Officier Martin."
"Oh, stop crying, Annie," cooed Charlotte, trying to soothe her niece. "You're going to turn ugly if you keep on crying."
"But I love him a lot, Aunt Charlotte," cried Anne.
Charlotte sighed. "I know I can see that and I don't doubt that he's a gentleman or a handsome beau, but…"
"It's not just because of that. I'm not that stupid to only look at a man for just his looks. Maurice is noble, intelligent, educated, and if I fell in love with him is what he had inside not what he looks like," she said, smiling through her tears.
Charlotte bit her lip. "I know, sweetheart, but he doesn't have a last name and is poor."
"Is money the most important thing? The good in a person's heart doesn't count!"
"Of course it matters…"
"And then, Aunt Charlotte?"
"Well what do you want me to say?" asked Charlotte. "It's your mother who decides everything and I'm just here because I had no other place to go, so I have to listen to her."
"Do you think my father won't listen to me?" asked Anne.
"W-Well, I wouldn't know," stuttered Charlotte. "Suppose he does accept him, but you have to think that we're in the borderline to losing everything."
"And I have to make the sacrifice so that my family won't loose their social status!" cried Anne. "What about me? My feelings and desires don't count? I will have to be with a man that I don't love and it disgusts me knowing that he's going to touch me."
"Oh, Annie, don't exaggerate," scowled her aunt. "One thing is to be married with a bastard that doesn't treat you right, but another if he's a young kind man that will probably treat you like a queen."
"Who then? Edmond Lambert who can barely get up without anyone's help? O-Or Jacques Laurent who always makes a fool out of himself in all his parties?"
"How about that composer, Erik Levesque?" asked Charlotte with a smile.
"Oh now I get it," said Anne. "It's him that my mother wants me to marry, huh? That's why my mother was so eager for me to dance with him at his party and that's why he invited us. We haven't received a party invitation for months since we started loosing money and suddenly the great mysterious composer decides to invite us. So typical," she scowled.
"You're not going to tell me he's not handsome," gasped Charlotte. "He's a gentleman and oh his voice. Have you ever heard such a beauty voice?!"
"I don't care!" shouted Anne, making her aunt jump. "He could be just as beautiful as the archangel Michael and covered with gold, but the only man that I want and the only one I want for a husband is Maurice Martin! And if it's not with him, then I won't marry anyone!"
"Did you talk to him?" whispered Camille to her son.
Ricard sighed. "He's a difficult man."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"He says that his intentions with Belle are serious and he doesn't give a crap about the differences between our social statuses," said Ricard.
"How dare him?" she hissed. "Do me a favor and write a letter to Monsieur Levesque. We have to get him to marry Annie soon. Very soon."
"What about Martin?" asked Ricard, getting paper and pen out.
"I'll deal with that. I have my ways," said Camille with a knowing look.
Ricard nodded. "What do I write then?"
"Ask him if he'd be so kind to accept me over to his house tomorrow," she said. "It's time for him and me to talk more seriously about Annie."
Maurice ran through the side of Anne's house in the middle of the night, making sure he wasn't seen. Once he was under Anne's window, he threw a pebble to get her attention. Anne stirred in her sleep hearing something outside her window. She heard it again and she immediately got up to check. She looked outside the window, but saw no one. She sighed and grabbed her robe, opening the window. "It's me, Maurice," hissed the person below.
She gasped and tried to make out his figure. "What are you doing here?"
"I need to speak with you," he said.
Anne looked around, making sure she wasn't heard in the house. "Alright, I'll be right down," she whispered. She walked down the balcony stairs. When she got down, Maurice twirled her around, making her laugh. He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into the gardens so they wouldn't be seen. Once hidden, Anne took the opportunity to kiss him. Maurice pulled her closer and kissed her back. "What was it that you needed to tell me?" she asked as they pulled away.
"Your brother came to see me today," he said.
Anne frowned. "Ricard? What did he tell you?"
Maurice hugged her. "What he said doesn't matter, but it's obvious that your family doesn't want me."
Ricard stumbled across the yard as he got home. He's had a lot to drink from his gambles. He lost some money, but he also gained this time. His luck was turning around to his laughter, since him and his mom started to arrange Anne's marriage with Erik. He didn't care about loosing money anymore. It will all come back to him once they married.
"Maurice, I'm sure that I can convince my father," said Anne sternly. "I still haven't talked to him."
"It'll be useless," he said, sighing.
"And what then?"
Maurice sighed and grabbed Anne's hands. "I know what I'm going to tell you is going to be difficult, but there's no other way."
Anne nodded. "What is it?"
"Belle, do you love me in all truth?" he asked. "Are you sure that I'm the man you want to marry? That what you feel for me is deep and with no hesitations?"
Anne cupped his face. "You know it's true," she whispered. "I love you. I couldn't live without you."
Maurice nodded. "Come with me, Belle," he said.
Anne looked at him in shock. "Flee? Run away together?"
"Yes, Belle, run away with me," he whispered. "When your family finds us we'll be married already."
Anne shook her head. "What you suggest is… terrible."
"I know, but this is the only way your parents will accept me," he said.
Ricard sighed as he leaned back onto one of the house's columns. He turned his head and frowned seeing Anne walking back from the gardens. What is she doing up this late in the gardens? He thought. He watched as she climbed the steps back to her room. He looked down and saw Maurice watching Anne going to her room, making sure she made it back safe. When she was safely in her room, Maurice retreated back and left. Ricard smirked in deep thought seeing the two love birds sneak around.
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