Chapter 3

An Undercover Mission

It was approximately six in the evening when the carriage carrying Oscar and André entered the gate of the Normandy Villa of the Jarjayes.

The villa was spacious and beautiful. Despite its proximity to the sea, it was surrounded by lush bushes well-tended by gardeners who had worked for many years for the general's family. As they approached, Oscar and André couldn't help but admire its beauty through the carriage windows.

At the mansion's entrance stood a woman around fifty. She had brown hair, brown eyes, and fair skin. Her attire was identical to Oscar's nanny, and from the house entrance, she curiously observed the carriage that had just arrived.

It was Amelie, the housekeeper of the Normandy mansion. Unaware of the arrival of the general's daughter due to the hurried trip, Marion hadn't had time to announce the heiress's arrival.

A few seconds later, the carriage stopped right in front of her, and Amelie recognized her colleague's grandson disembarking, noting that he was accompanied by a beautiful woman.

- André? - she said to him, somewhat uneasy.

- Hello, Amelie! - he responded, happy to see her again. - It's been a long time since we last met. - he added enthusiastically. But she couldn't shake off her astonishment; more than surprised, she seemed worried.

- It's true... but... - hesitating, she approached him to murmur something in his ear. - André, I don't think it's right to bring a woman to the Jarjayes' villa... You could have problems, and so could I! What were you thinking? - she said.

Then André looked at her confused and turned to his travel companion, who had already realized that the housekeeper hadn't recognized her.

- Amelie, it's me. - Oscar said.

Amelie looked at her in shock; it was her mistress's voice emanating from that beautiful girl. At that moment, she realized that the young woman accompanying André was none other than the lady of the house.

- Lady Oscar!... Please forgive me! - the housekeeper exclaimed. - I didn't recognize you. - she added, distressed by her confusion, while André couldn't stop laughing.

- You must be wondering why I'm dressed like this... right, Amelie? - Oscar said, and after sighing from exhaustion, she continued. - It's a long story... but I'm very tired, so we'll tell you tomorrow... Is that okay? - the lady of the house asked, and Amelie nodded, still astonished.

After the three entered the mansion, Oscar spoke to her again.

- Amelie, can you ask one of the servants to prepare a hot bath for me? - the Jarjayes heiress requested.

- Of course, Lady Oscar. - the housekeeper responded.

- Amelie, can you order one for me too? And something delicious for dinner because I'm starving. - André added.

- You only think about eating. - Oscar teased, smiling, and Marion's grandson directed his gaze towards her.

- There's nothing better than a good meal to brighten any day. - he said, pretending to be serious, and after hearing him, Amelie smiled and headed to the kitchen.

A few moments later, Oscar and André went to a small but cozy room where the family usually received guests before leading them to the main hall. Upon entering, André closed one of the open windows and lit the fire, while Oscar sat in one of the comfortable violet and gold-accented armchairs in the room. They were tired; the journey had been long and exhausting, but despite moments of concern before reaching the city, they had also enjoyed the things that had happened along the way.

Several minutes later, Amelie returned to join them.

- Lady Oscar, André, your rooms and hot baths are ready. Would it be acceptable to serve dinner at seven? - the housekeeper asked.

After hearing her, Oscar sought André's opinion with a glance, and he nodded.

- Seven is fine, Amelie. Thank you for everything. - Oscar responded.

- Please let me know if you need anything else. With your permission. - the housekeeper said, and left the room to give instructions for dinner to the rest of the staff.

After that, André stood up from the chair to go to his room.

- With your permission, miss. - André said, teasing her, and she - still dressed as a woman - tried to hit him by throwing a cushion she found on one of the chairs, but he evaded it while laughing at her explosive temper.

...

Some minutes later, and now in his room, Oscar looked at himself in one of the large mirrors near his bed and was surprised to see his slender figure adorned with that simple dress. He didn't recognize himself in it, but he knew that the young woman in the reflection was also part of his yet unexplored feminine identity.

His room was warm and adorned with the beautiful canvases that his nanny had sent to the villa a long time ago to brighten up his girl's room.

There, right in front of the mirror and without stopping looking at himself, he began to undress. It was easier for him to take off the dress than to put it on—after all, he was no longer in a moving carriage but in the cozy room of his Normandy mansion. While unbuttoning his dress, he couldn't help but laugh, remembering André trying to fasten the buttons with closed eyes and jumping into the carriage while doing so. He realized he wouldn't have asked that of any other man.

A few seconds later, and now without his clothes, the heiress of the Jarjayes entered the bathtub and could feel the pleasant sensation of warm water on her naked body. She thought that, just a few hours ago, she had played the role of a commoner, a commoner who would be denied the pleasures she enjoyed: a beautiful house, a warm bath, and abundant food.

Meanwhile, in his room and also in his bath, André had other concerns. The main one was the uncertainty of not knowing how his life would be without the sight of one of his eyes. Although he could see well with his right eye at the moment, he hadn't yet accustomed himself to the feeling of perceiving nothing with his left eye. "Will I be able to use the sword or shoot with this perspective?" - he wondered thoughtfully, but then returned to his usual optimism. - I will... I just have to adapt. - he said, trying not to lose his spirits.

...

The next morning, both got up early for breakfast, and Amelie was already ready to attend to them.

While the Normandy Villa had several servants, when Oscar was there, Amelie preferred to take care of his attention directly to ensure that everything pleased the only heiress of the family.

- Thank you very much for breakfast. As always, everything looks delicious. - Oscar said to his housekeeper.

And after a short pause, and somewhat thoughtful, he addressed his maid again.

- Tell me, Amelie... How are things around here?

- Things are well around here, Lady Oscar. - she replied, and then continued. -Many of the people living in the surroundings live modestly, but they lack neither food nor medicine... And it's all thanks to you, miss... We are all very grateful to your family for the help they have provided to the needy since taxes rose. The situation would have been unsustainable without your support. - she said.

After hearing her, André and Oscar felt relieved.

Since the time they visited Arras and saw closely the poverty in which many French people lived, Oscar had set a goal that at least on his lands—and in the surrounding areas—residents could live decently, and everything seemed to indicate that he had achieved his goal.

Before Rosalie became part of their lives, Oscar and André witnessed the drama of a humble worker on the Jarjayes' lands in Arras when his son Gilbert fell seriously ill. Sugán did not have the economic means to take his son to a doctor, and if it weren't for the intervention of Oscar and André, the child would probably have died.

After that event, the heiress of the Jarjayes returned to her Versailles mansion, determined to talk to her father so that they could together find a way to intercede with the royal family to do something about the fate of their subjects. However, her father responded angrily that she was an aristocrat and the commander of His Majesty's Royal Guard and, as such, had no reason to worry about such things. In addition, Regnier played down the matter, telling his daughter that if she had time to think about it, she should better use it to improve her fencing technique.

Oscar filled with rage and indignation after that conversation. She couldn't understand her father's indifference to the problems the citizens of France were going through. But Regnier had other concerns in mind, or perhaps he considered that such matters should be resolved by the king and his ministers; no member of his family had to spend time thinking about such things.

So, filled with frustration and already alone in the library where that conversation with her father had taken place, Oscar began to cry, and André—who was passing by where she was—stopped, surprised to see her so affected.

- Oscar... - he said worriedly from the door.

- What are nobles? What is aristocracy? - she asked André, and sensing what had happened, Marion's grandson approached her.

- Don't worry... We will find a way to help those people. - he said decisively and embraced her tenderly, trying to console her while feeling her tears falling continuously on his shirt, where she had her face resting. - We can't change the world, but within our means, we can make the lives of some of these people as good as possible.

And after a brief pause, he continued.

- Oscar, I don't need anything... I have everything... so for now we can use my salary to help those people... and then we will look for other ways to do it... Please, don't cry anymore. .. - he said, hurt by his sadness.

André's words managed to calm Oscar's troubled heart. His proposal had been very generous, and just hearing that he was willing to give up his salary to help the poor people made her regain peace. She realized that she wasn't alone in her struggle to try to improve the lives of those in need.

- André, it wouldn't be fair for you to give up your salary. - she replied, slightly moving away from him to look at him. - As the heiress, I have a percentage of the income that comes from my family's properties. It's my money, and my father has never asked me to give an account of what I do with it. I will allocate one hundred percent of those earnings to this cause. - she said.

And after a short pause, she continued.

- I don't need much either. Besides, I have the salary assigned to me as the Commander of the Royal Guard.

Then, much calmer and looking at him with determination, Oscar spoke to him again.

- You're right, we can't change the world, but at least we'll give a dignified life to as many as we can. Will you help me think of the best way to do it? - she asked the heiress of the Jarjayes, although she knew his answer in advance.

- Count on it. - André replied, and after that, he wiped her tears with a white handkerchief.

From that moment on, both dedicated much of their free time to finding the best way to help the people who worked on the Jarjayes' lands—or lived nearby—with the resources they had, and the formula had worked. However, that wasn't the case in more distant areas, like the village they had both visited.

- I'm glad to hear that everything is fine here, Amelie. - Oscar said to her housekeeper, satisfied to know that all the effort and work of André and his own were still yielding results.

- That's right, miss. - the maid replied. - But, as you know, tension is growing every day due to the increase in taxes in other villages where luck is not the same. - she commented, visibly concerned.

- Why do you say that, Amelie? - André asked with curiosity.

- Because one of my nephews, who is a journalist, tells me truly tragic stories about the places he frequents, mainly the place where he lives now. They are such sad stories that sometimes it's hard for me to believe them. - Amelie replied, and André and Oscar looked at each other intrigued.

- What's the name of the place where your nephew lives? - the homeowner asked.

- Abbeville. - she replied. - It's a very beautiful town, but in many areas, poverty abounds. - she added.

Then, after a short conversation with them about the situation in that village, the housekeeper decided to leave to be able to advance with the multiple tasks she had in charge of the villa.

- I must leave, but if you need anything, please let me know. - Amelie kindly said, but Oscar wasn't even able to respond to her because of how restless she had become after hearing everything she had told them.

For his part, André did say goodbye to her, and after the housekeeper left, he turned to his travel companion, noticing the clear concern reflected on her face.

- Oscar, what are you thinking about? - he asked her.

- It's nothing, André. - she replied, avoiding the subject, and immediately changed her expression to a calm one.

At that moment, the last thing Oscar wanted was to address complicated issues because his goal was to spend a peaceful vacation with his best friend and try to make him feel better after being deprived of the sight of one of his eyes.

- André, shall we go for a walk in the afternoon? - she asked him with a smile.

- Good idea. - he replied, and after a few minutes of after-dinner conversation, they retired to rest.

...

Several hours had passed since Oscar and André had breakfast, and as they had agreed, both had left the mansion and were walking on the beaches of Normandy.

The sun was beginning to set, and by this time, Oscar and André had talked about a bit of everything: about Rosalie and her decision to live in Paris, about Oscar's sisters and what was happening in their lives, about the latest court gossip, and other things that entertained them as they walked.

The sea reflected the bright sunlight, and André, while still talking to Oscar, picked up, from time to time, the brightest and most colorful pebbles he found in the sand and put them in a small leather bag where he also had some coins. For his part, Oscar watched him smiling, trying to guess the reason that motivated him to collect them.

Both were very close to each other, as they used to be when they walked. Suddenly, in a gesture of familiarity and trust, André put his hand on one of his companion's shoulders, and she looked up at his face, somewhat surprised by his action.

- Oscar, you didn't have to do all this for me. - André told her, while smiling calmly and looking at the horizon. - You've changed all your plans just to make sure I'm okay, but believe me when I say I'm fine, and I'll get through this. - he added.

André knew Oscar better than anyone, and that's why he knew she had made up having pending matters in the Villa de Normandie just to be by his side while he fully recovered. Marion's grandson was very sure that she hadn't had a moment of peace since he got injured, and it saddened him to think she might feel tormented by what had happened.

After hearing him, Oscar made a long pause, and without stopping looking at him with her large sapphire eyes, she said:

- André... You will always count on me.

Then André directed his gaze towards her. The confidence with which Oscar had pronounced that phrase was such that he was deeply moved, and in those seconds—in which both looked each other in the eyes—he had a profound desire to kiss her, to forget everything and let himself be carried away by his feelings for her. However, he restrained himself and turned his gaze back to the horizon.

- I know, Oscar. - he replied, somewhat melancholic.

André had not doubted her affection again. Since Oscar offered to die with him—after the incident with Marie Antoinette's horse—he was sure that what his best friend felt for him was very strong.

However, although he sometimes thought he saw in her gaze a feeling much deeper than that of a simple friendship, Marion's grandson believed that—at least at that moment—Oscar's romantic thoughts were focused on someone else, and that's why he was convinced that if he declared his love, she would reject him and stay away from him.

And while he reflected on it, the memory of a beautiful maiden who had fallen in love with him came to his mind. She was a girl of noble heart, and although he had done nothing to nurture that feeling, she couldn't help but feel a great love for him. So, one afternoon, when André was waiting for the girl's brother, who was a good friend of his, she confessed her feelings, but he rejected her and distanced himself from her life, preferring to keep his distance.

Remembering her, Marion's grandson thought that his best friend would act in the same way he had acted on that occasion since he knew Oscar hadn't forgotten about Fersen. And although many times he thought it was impossible for her to feel true love for the count, he was very aware that Oscar constantly thought about the man who had been the great love of the Queen of France.

In those endless silences in which Regnier's daughter remembered Fersen, André tried not to succumb to his own suffering. He knew that Oscar only had him to protect her, so he preferred to remain silent and endure in silence the pain that his best friend's melancholy caused him. Unlike her—who probably had idealized the figure of Fersen in her mind—André did feel true love for Oscar. He didn't love an idea or a fantasy; he loved her, with her flaws and virtues. He loved her truly.

And as he thought about all that, the sweet voice of the woman of his life brought him out of his thoughts.

- André, I challenge you to get to the pier. - Oscar suddenly said, smiling enthusiastically. - If you lose, you'll go without dinner. - she added and ran off without giving him a chance to react.

- Hey!... That's not fair! - André shouted after her, returning to reality, and quickly went after her.

He wasn't willing to lose... Skipping dinner? That phrase wasn't part of his vocabulary. Oscar knew it, and that's why he couldn't stop laughing since the race started; because of that, his speed wasn't optimal, and he already felt his best friend getting closer.

Then, at the precise moment when he was about to reach her, an unexpected wave pushed them, and both ended up on the sand, completely soaked.

After the initial surprise, lying on the sand, André lifted his head and observed Oscar laughing. She was trying to get up, but the weight of the water on her clothes didn't allow it. Finally, she fell back onto the sand, completely soaked. Then André, after taking a few seconds to catch his breath after laughing at her, stood up and extended his hand to help her get up.

- I would have won if the sea hadn't intervened in my path. - said Oscar as she stood up with his help.

- Do you really think I would have let you win? Not in a million years would I have allowed you to leave me without dinner. - he replied, and after hearing this, she laughed at his comment.

A few seconds later, both walked away from the shore, with the difficulty of carrying the weight of the sand and water on their bodies.

- Let's go back to the mansion, André. The salt from the sea could harm your eye. - Oscar suggested.

- Alright. - André replied. - I hope Amelie has ordered something delicious to be prepared for dinner at the house. - he mentioned, and both returned to the mansion.

...

Several minutes had passed since the sea pushed them, and while they dined and laughed, remembering everything that had happened since they left Versailles, Oscar stopped for a moment to reflect on the fact that she would never have had such experiences if she had been raised as a normal woman. For a noblewoman, it would be unthinkable to change clothes inside a carriage with a man on board or play in the sand the way she did with André.

Despite all her problems, the daughter of General Regnier de Jarjayes felt grateful for the freedom that growing up the way she did had given her, and she wouldn't have traded that freedom for anything.

- You became suspiciously pensive... - André said, trying to guess her thoughts.

And after a brief pause, Oscar addressed him again, for different reasons than her initial reflections.

- André, would you dare to embark on a mission with me? - she asked.

- Always. - he replied immediately, taking a sip of the wine accompanying their dinner.

Then, after a brief pause, Oscar said

- I would like to know how the people in the city where Amelie's nephew lives, Abbeville, live... André, I want to know what is happening in that place to tell the queen, firsthand, what is going on outside Versailles. I know she knows it, but this time I want her to know it from me. - the Jarjayes heiress asserted, very determined.

However, after a brief pause and with a much calmer voice, she addressed him again.

- However... if you don't agree to go there, we won't mention the subject again because I planned this trip mainly for you to be happy. - she confessed.

That last sentence rekindled his love for her.

- "I planned this trip mainly for you to be happy." - he repeated in his mind, and after a few seconds of looking at her tenderly, he thought about what Oscar had just proposed. How could he miss an opportunity like this? - he wondered; his nature as an investigator couldn't resist such temptation.

- We would have to have a very good plan. - André replied after a few seconds of silence. - And blend in with them to prevent them from discovering that you are noble... You saw how dangerous it can be. - he added.

- Yes, you're right. - she replied.

- Oscar, do you still have the dress I bought you in the previous village? - André asked.

- Yes, I have it, but... you don't expect me to wear it again, do you? - Oscar replied, and André looked thoughtful.

He was aware that she attracted attention when she played the role of a man. Therefore, he thought it would be best for her to play the role of an ordinary commoner, even if her beauty didn't go unnoticed by those around her.

After a few seconds, Oscar addressed him again.

- André... I could dress in one of your suits... With them, I would look like an intellectual, a journalist, or a lawyer. - she said, trying to convince him that there was no need for him to wear any dress. From the beginning, dressing as a woman had been extremely uncomfortable for the heiress of the Jarjayes, and she wasn't sure if she could play the role of a commoner.

- Oscar, none of my suits will fit you. - André said, smiling at her naivety. - You are very slender, and besides, your face... is...

- What's wrong with my face? - she asked.

- In Versailles, everyone knows you're a woman, so they don't question your beauty. But if you were to dress as a man in a place like Abbeville, you would arouse everyone's curiosity... On the other hand, if you wear a dress and pretend to be a commoner, no one will have suspicions about you, although we may not be able to prevent many from turning to look at you. - Marion's grandson told her with a smile and overwhelming honesty.

After hearing this, Oscar fell silent and pensive. Once again, André was right; she had no choice but to play the role of a commoner again if she intended to carry out her mission without exposing both of them.

- All right, André. - she said resignedly. - But we need to get another dress. I would like to stay there for at least two days. One day would be insufficient. - she added.

- Perfect, I'll take care of that and get another carriage. We can't arrive in Abbeville with the same one we came here in... Does it sound good if we leave the day after tomorrow? - André asked.

- Yes, that's fine. - she replied. And then, with her face illuminated again, she decided to change the subject. - Well, we have the night free... What do you want to do? - she asked her travel companion.

- Shall we go to Le Mont Saint-Michel? - André asked excitedly.

- Yes, let's go. - she said, and she looked at Amelie, who was arriving with more wine. - Amelie... André and I will go to Le Mont Saint-Michel. Please, can you tell Don Bertino to prepare our carriage? - Oscar asked.

- Of course, miss. - Amelie replied, very kindly.

And while they waited for their coachman to go to their next destination, both continued to chat.

...

End of the chapter.