Lizette saw Sophie look in the direction and she quizzed her.
“An acquaintance,” she murmured.
“He’s very handsome.”
“He’s secretary to the Duke of Dorset.”
“Ah, the duke. Your conquest.”
“Hardly, Lizette.” She smiled, but the smile was forced.
Sebastian came towards them and Sophie groaned inwardly. She didn’t want to see him. Not tonight. But she would not be rude either.
“How are you, mademoiselle?”
“Very well, thank you. My friend, Lizette. Lizette Robidoux, Sebastian Fairfax.”
“Monsieur.” Lizette pinkened as Sebastian kissed the back of her hand.
He introduced his guest as Juliette and the woman nodded coolly to both ladies.
“Have you missed the chateau? Those long walks along the river?” Sebastian asked politely.
“Yes. The pleasure of those walks in the cool shade of the trees was enjoyable,” she admitted.
Lizette had moved away and Juliette had excused herself as well.
“Surely not the only pleasure you had?” he asked quietly.
Sophie watched his dark eyes under the candlelight of the chandelier. “I recall no other.”
“I’m wounded. I must work to reinstate your memory.” Sophie knew he was teasing her and shook her head in a small smile.
“How is your sister?”
“Leila is doing well. I think Paris quite agrees with her.”
“She’s lovely and young. Of course Paris would agree with her. In fact, I almost thought Juliette was Leila from the back,” she admitted.
Sebastian nodded. The dark hair. “No. Leila could not attend.”
“And Juliette? Such a beauty.”
Sebastian smiled. “She’s a friend.”
“Is that what they call it?” The jealousy coiled inside her. “Excuse me.”
Sebastian did nothing to soothe Sophie’s jealousy and calm her. It was best they remained apart, for both their sakes.
Chapter 15
Sophie had spent several evenings at home with her family and Marc. He was a quiet man who was educated and subdued.
He was still handsome, with red hair graying at the temples, and seemed quite taken with Sophie. But he was also still in mourning. He mentioned his wife in each conversation and was quick to point out what she had liked and disliked about a certain meal, music or any subject matter that came about. Sophie did not think he was ready to remarry and Jean Pierre had to agree.
Her grandmother found a young man in his early 30s who was the grandson of a dear friend of hers. He was handsome, with sparkling blue eyes and blond hair. His name was Luc and he was wealthy and well regarded. Eugenie was ecstatic that her granddaughter wished to marry and even happier to see her good friend’s son be considered.
Luc was dashing and charming and had many female admirers. He was quite the womanizer but had received pressure from his family to marry. He didn’t want to marry, but had been introduced to Sophie at a concert and had found her exceedingly lovely. He could well imagine bedding the beauty several times to breed her and then take up with his favorite mistress again.
He could never picture himself with one woman but knew he could play the part for awhile. He was solicitous and polite to Sophie’s family and complimented her on her clothes and hair. It was an accepted practice that men of a certain class kept mistresses and only bedded their wives for heirs. He did not think Sophie would mind and was not at all concerned that it would be a problem.
Meanwhile, Sophie was beginning to understand the true state of France, and as a result, was being pulled into a dark world that she was barely able to comprehend. Since her time spent at the chateau she had begun to educate herself about the situation in France and was becoming more knowledgeable on the subject.
The first thing she had discovered was that she lived a truly privileged life that was very different from the majority of the French people. The majority lived in poverty, as Madame Necker had mentioned in one conversation.
She also discovered that since the 1750s, many had believed that the constitution of France was no longer working. France was based upon an absolute monarchy. As the enlightened thinking came to a head, so did the view that the monarchy was no longer functioning. The new bourgeoisie class sought a voice and new words began appearing, such as “public opinion,” “nation,” and “citizen.”
Sophie’s heart beat faster. The more she educated herself, the more she agreed with the bourgeoisie’s thinking.
In 1771, the Parlement of Paris had refused to cooperate with the nation’s chancellor, René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou. He had tried to exile Parlement and create a replacement. But the chancellor never gained national support for his changes and the new King Louis XVI had responded by reversing all the changes. The king had shown exactly what everyone feared—that Parlement was weak and bowed down to the king’s wishes.