Gavrillac
<Andre-Louis>
It was four days since Moreau's drunken heart-to-heart with his friend Isaac. The day after, he'd felt positively awful. At first he could remember nothing of the previous night, but slowly the memories returned and with them the pain. Aline's face when he had told her he loved her. He would never forget that look, not ever! And Isaac's warning too... who was Mme de Plougastel that she should excite such interest from the republic's authorities? If she were suspect then Aline would be to and the more Moreau had thought about it, the more convinced he was that his godfather, Aline's guardian, was the only person who could persuade her to leave her friend and return to Gavrillac, out of harm's way.
Now he was on a coach west-bound and the hills surrounding the little town of Gavrillac were coming into view. To the right lay the estates of the Marquis de la Tour d'Azyr; off to the left was the road to Rennes and then... any moment... there! Just passed the bend in the road, his godfather's stately home. Comfy, shabby and unassuming... just like the man himself. It lacked the splendour of d'Azyr's chateau, but Andre had always loved it the more for that. He knew every nook of it of old, for his had been a happy childhood, playing with Aline like brother and sister. Moreau elected to alight from the coach at the village inn and walk to the house on foot. Somehow he felt that there was something missing from the familiar scene before him... was it just Aline's sweet presence, or was it something more than that?
At the door, he paused nervously. For Aline, Moreau was prepared to swallow his pride before M. de Kercadieu, but would the old man even deign to see him? Summoning the confidence of Scaramouche from somewhere within, Andre-Louis Moreau got into character and rang the bell. The butler answered. At first he did not recognise Moreau, but then he exclaimed "M. Andre! Is it really you?" and when Moreau confirmed that it was, the man grinned broadly and said he would inform M. de Kercadieu. Not wanting to give the old man chance to order the door slammed in his face, Moreau followed the old butler, who was clearly willing to let bygones be bygones, and waited outside the door of the room in which his godfather was obviously working. Moreau heard his name announced and held his breath for the response.
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
Quentin de Kercadiou, Lord of Gavrillac, was never one to stand on ceremony � never felt the urge to pay his respects at court nor expected anyone else to go through the routines of paying homage to the nobility for him, he left that for his brother, Etienne. The time wasted on such formalities could be put to better use and they served little purpose. It was the fact that was Benoit was making the effort to introduce a visitor that disturbed him more than any interruption to his work. Typically Benoit brought the visitor in with him, but then again since her stay at court Aline had been fighting desperately to see that the house was run in that over-polished manner she had become accustomed to at court.
�There� there is a visitor�� Benoit began, wondering at Gavrillac�s reaction to the return of his wayward godson, given that the young man was told not to return if he would not stop the foolishness he had undertaken.
�My niece is the one who requires an announcement of guest, Benoit. Not I. We can forgo that practice while she is in Paris, hmmm?� Quentin commented, then paused. Benoit usually saved such formalities for titled quests, but no one had written. �Who is it then?�
�Young Msr. Moreau,� the valet said hesitantly.
Gavrillac stared at the old retainer. �Andre?� The man nodded. The last time Quentin de Kercadiou had seen his godson had been at the end of a heated argument. He had demanded that Andre give up politics and that ridiculous so-called government and was refused � so he expelled the boy! The young man was determined to stay a foolish course and since then all the news that had reached Gavrillac of young Moreau was cause to worry. D�Azyr had brought news that the young man was slaughtering representative of the nobility � Andre?! And of a duel between D�zyr and Moreau � D�zyr was one of the best swords in France , what chance did Andre have?! Then came the news from Aline that Andre had won � shock and relief there � and now he had returned. �Well, send him in!� he said. Aline had said Andre had come off without a scratch, but he had to see with his own eyes before he would believe such a thing.
<Andre-Louis>
Moreau, who had been listening intently at the door, did not wait for Benoit to relay the message. He entered swiftly and caught the friendly glance of the butler as the latter left the room. "I half feared you would refuse me an interview." he said to his godfather with a self-assured smile which belied the authenticity of the statement. However, it had been a genuine fear, one which even now had not left him, but he could not bring himself to show such a sign of weakness when a simply front of confidence could mask it entirely. For better or worse, that was not Scaramouche's way.
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
The joy and relief felt at the thought of seeing Andre was quickly dispelled by the cocky self-assured manner of his godson. Not an ounce of penitence for the worry he caused, not a sign that he had amended his foolish ways. �It would have served you right if I had refused,� Quentin scowled. �When last we spoke, I expressed my opinion of your newly acquired pastimes. I hear you continue to ignore my wishes.�
<Andre-Louis>
"I had my reasons." replied Moreau calmly. "I dare say that you did not intend your godson to become an orator, fugitive, actor, fencing master or politician. Indeed, had you asked me three years ago how my life would turn out, I doubt I would have named any of those careers for myself... but for Philippe's murder I would probably now be a very respectable lawyer's clerk with a respectable house, a respectable wife and equally respectable children." He smiled again. "It is strange how fate leads us down such unexpected paths."
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
Quentin stubbornly folded his arms across his chest and coolly regarded Andre. �And has fate intended you to serve a base government that wishes to up-stir the way of the world, because a group of self important lawyers wish to grasp at power? This Republic of yours is out for blood, not the needs of the people. What I cannot fathom is that you still support this monstrous institution now that your revenge the Marquis de la Tour D�Azyr has played out.�
<Andre-Louis>
He didn't get it! After all Moreau had done, all he had said, the old man still just didn't understand. "Because d'Azyr is just one of many. I've seen them there in Paris ... hoards of them... different names, different faces, same way of thinking! It's they who destroyed the monarchy, not I. I once told Le Chapelier that it is a fool's errand to overthrow the status quo, unless one can be sure that the replacement is better. I meant it then and I still believe it now. All that changed is that d'Azyr convinced me nothing could be worse than a status quo which condoned Philippe's murder. I stood up for what I believed, even though it cost me my home, my friends, my career and nearly my life." There was a slight reproach in his voice as he spoke. You left me destitute, it said, you knew I was in the right, but you cast me out rather than back me up, coward. "Yet once the Estates General was called, d'Azyr and his kind came crawling out of the woodwork, like hounds scenting blood. It's they who were the most radical reformers and sought to make themselves rich by dividing up the throne. They were simply too stupid to realized that when a throne falls, it crushes those closest to it. Why do I stay on? Because we're trying to build something out of the ruins." He didn't say that he disliked the current direction of the repairs... he didn't have to... but Moreau firmly believed that he had a better chance of helping to steer the ship in the right direction from the inside than from without.
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
All of Andre's life, Quentin had seen to it that the young man's needs were met - he provided the boy food and shelter, paid a doctor to see to him when he was injured or sick, saw to Andre's schooling so that he might support himself, and most important of all thought of him as almost a son. The son he never had. And now after years of nurturing the boy, the little viper reared back and bit him for his pains. Ingratitude! Disrespect!
While it was true that d'Azyr acted unjustly to Vilmorin, but what was done was done. Andre had made his point, but rather than settling the matter with defeating d'Azyr, he had to persist in this foolhardy venture. "And you think this government of yours is any better? Presumptuous lawyers who want the power that neither blood nor fortune has granted them! Can you really say that they represent the people they claim to? There are people still starving, still miserable while the bourgeois climb to the top."
<Andre-Louis>
"Maybe not better, but can you honestly say it is worse, Sir?" Moreau was defiant. "I want it to be better for everyone. That's what I've been fighting for. That's what I promised Philippe. I still have a chance to keep that promise. If I walk away now I'll have achieved nothing." There was a certain romantic idealism in his speech. Moreau always gave himself 100% to whatever he did. He would not drop his crusade to please a godfather who learnt the news from Paris third-hand.
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
Quentin shook his head stubbornly, as always Andre was too stubborn and too arrogant to see reason. It was the great asset and flaw of his character - he would not yield in a cause. "I can see how it will get worse. A tyranny implemented for the good of its victims is the most oppressive of all tyrannies, for those tyrants justify their own actions. You judge the aristocracy by the action of the outspoken few, I suppose next you will attribute their crimes to me as well?" Quentin stood abruptly. The conversation was agitating him visibly.
"You know my feeling on this matter... I told you to leave this household if you intended to continue on with this rubbish, now you return against my wishes to further aggravate the matter. Did you think I would change my mind?" Quentin crossed his arms over his chest, emphasizing his point.
<Andre-Louis>
"No. I did not come here with the object of winning you over. We are never to be reconciled, you and I, I see that now... but the matter I come to discuss is far above our petty squabbling. If you wish me to leave I will. I shall quit Gavrillac for good today, so that your eyes and ears need never again be offended by my presence." Moreau had waxed theatrical and, with the timing ingrained in him, he suddenly dropped his voice low with a tone of utmost seriousness. "But I will not leave until I have said what I came here to say and you have listened. Sir, if you seriously believe that I would tar you or your family with the same brush as I would tar d'Azyr and his kind, then you do me a grave injustice. However, there are those who might. You have allowed Aline to go to Paris as the companion to Mme de Plougastel. I would beg you now, sir, not for my sake, but for Aline's... recall her at once and sever all ties with Mme de Plougastel!"
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
Quentin gave up the opportunity Andre gave him to further his point, so surprised was he by Andre�s request. �Sever all ties with Mme de Plougastel?! Why ever should I do that?� he demanded. His friendship with the lady in question was older than Andre and he had more reason to trust her at this time than his errant godson. �I knew Mme de Plougastel before you were born and trust her completely. Why on Earth should I abandon that friendship now? What has Aline to do with it?�
<Andre-Louis>
"Mme de Plougastel's husband is spying for the Austrians and they think she may be sending him information. That's know as treason, sir, and I have sources who tell me she is being watched, night and day. If they find proof, as I have reason to suspect that they will, her guilt will also stain anyone close to her. Surely you see now why Aline cannot be allowed to continue her friendship with the woman?"
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
The words hit him like physical blows, causing him to sink back into his seat. 'Spying' ...'treason'... 'watched'... De Plougastel was certainly likely to use his wife to further the royalist cause, but certainly he would not knowing she would be watched... and Therese... surely she would not endanger Aline so without informing him. Then again, Therese kept many secrets.
"Are you certain of this?" he asked knowing full well the answer. "If what you say is true, then we must get them both out of harm's way as quickly as possible. Would your government still have reason to watch Mme de Plougastel if she were here in Gavrillac where there would be nothing of importance to report to her husband or would they still continue to pursue her?"
<Andre-Louis>
"I very much fear that you misunderstand me, sir. Mme de Plougastel cannot not leave Paris . If my informant is correct, and I've no reason to doubt his veracity, she is under such close surveillance that any attempt on her part to quit the city would be curtailed before she could reach her door. Even supposing she could get out of Paris , where could she go? From now on Mme de Plougastel must become a social pariah to all those faithful to the Republic. No, there is no other way... Aline must leave Paris and return here alone."
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
"If Mme. de Plougastel is in such peril then she must leave Paris . Her husband's actions are no fault of hers," he explained, rising again and moving around the desk to where Andre stood. "She is not only my cousin, but a very dear and valued friend. And you... you have the power to help her." Andre appeared unmoved, resoluted. It was chilling to think that he could leave the lady to her fate, especially when... but then he would never know. "How can you be so cold? Have you no heart? Listen, Andre, if what you say is true, she is in greater danger than Aline and her need to quit Paris that much greater! She must be rescued at all costs, Andre - she must be rescued!"
<Andre-Louis>
To be truthful Moreau had not anticipated so passionate an entreaty on Mme de Plougastel's behalf. Of course he knew her to be a friend of his godfather's, but from the man's reaction it seemed that they were more than that. "I'm sorry, that is impossible. If Mme de Plougastel attempts to flee, she and all those with her will be condemned as traitors. Aline must leave Paris first and alone." On this point Moreau was resolute. "Once she is safe Mme de Plougastel must do whatever she can to save herself."
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
"Andre, you must!" he replied, no longer the obstinate, stern figure he had been on Andre�s arrival. Pride and stubbornness must give way if a tragedy was to be averted. Andre had come to beg him on Aline�s behalf and now it was time for the Lord of Gavrillac to beg his godson on Mme. de Plougastel�s behalf. Pale faced and shaking, he stood as suppliant before Andre. "There are overwhelming reasons that you must help her� circumstances I am not at liberty to tell you. But please believe me when I say you must help her!"
<Andre-Louis>
He was non-plussed by the older man's pleas. The only explanation he could think of was that the pair had been... perhaps were still... lovers; but if that were the case, then why would his godfather not own with words, what his ever gesture screamed? Gently he put a hand on each arm of the trembling man before him and gripped firmly until the hysteria passed. "You speak with great feeling for this woman and beg me to help her, when to do so would be to condemn myself in the eyes of my friends. Were it for you or Aline, I would gladly throw myself to the lions without a second thought." He paused to see whether that statement would get a reaction before resuming, "But for a woman I scarcely know? You say you are not at liberty to tell me why I should help her, but what you ask is too great a sacrifice to be made without just cause. Please consider, in my position, would you not need to know the reason however compromising it may be? Sir, I stand here now as your godson. Should you tell me that Mme de Plougastel is in secret negotiation with every monarch in Europe , it would not leave this room. That I promise."
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
M. de Kercadiou broke away from Andre and began to paced the room, hands tight-clasped behind him until his knuckles were white, and his brow wrinkled, as his word against the life of the one for whom he gave it. Was not life infinitely more important? But there was no other choice. He stopped his pacing and came to stand before his godson, taking him by the arm and leading him to a seat. "What you ask for violates my word of honour." His stomach churned. "But I can see no other way to convince you and since you so callously insist, I shall have to tell you... there is no other choice. I pray she will realize that when she learns of my betrayal.� He set a hand on each of Andre�s shoulders and took a deep breath to steady himself. �Andre, my dear boy, "Mme. de Plougastel is no mere stranger to you... she is your mother."
<Andre-Louis>
At first he thought he had misheard. Then realising he had not, he was slightly stunned. Of course he had always known that he had once had a mother and it would certainly explain Mme de Plougastel's uncommon interest in his well-being; but somehow it didn't seem quite real. Moreau had never enquired about his parentage, so he had never prepared himself for this moment. He didn't know how to react to the news. Suddenly his godfather's seriousness and his own lack of reaction seemed absolutely absurd. So absurd that a smile cracked his face, first one side and then the other, and he was laughing. It must have seemed a callous laugh to anyone who couldn't detect the slight undertones of hysteria and self-preservation. Andre-Louis had retreated in utter shock, leaving Scaramouche to pull up the draw-bridge and man the fort in the only way he knew.
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
The Lord of Gavrillac stared at Andre in disbelief, shocked by the peels of laughter that issues from his godson. Any other man would have been humbled to know that the woman he was so ready to condemn was in fact his own mother. "Have you gone quite mad? I tell you in truth that Mme de Plougastel is in fact your own mother, the very same woman you are so ready to abandon... and you find some amusement in this? That is too low!"
<Andre-Louis>
"Did you expect me to be surprised at the revelation that I have a mother!" he exclaimed, "By heavens, but I already knew that. A mother is a necessity to getting oneself born!" Suddenly Scaramouche abandoned his post. Moreau found himself shaking uncontrollably and almost fell into the chair behind, as he endeavoured to sit down before his limbs gave way with shock. There were tears now. No sobbing, no theatricals... the weeping eyes set in a deathly pale face, stared blankly into the middle distance. He had a mother. He had not asked for a mother, nor ever felt her absence from his life. Now this ephemeral concept had become a stark reality. It was simply too much to take in.
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
Quentin stared at Andre in perplexity, first laughter and now tears. He took the tears to be genuine, for it was the first time he had seen Andre shed them. The laughter could be dismissed as shock, but it appeared that now reality had set in. �My poor boy� how could I have believed that you were heartless?� he laid a comforting hand on Andre�s shoulder. �But it is the truth. I swore to her that I would never reveal it to you� but now you can understand my desperation in helping Mme de Plougastel. I am so sorry you had to find out this way.�
<Andre-Louis>
Impulsively he grasped at the hand on his shoulder and squeezed tight. "Why? All this time, yet she never said a word. Why?" Then another thought hit him. "And my father... who's he?"
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
"Your father's identity is a secret even to me,� Quentin replied, sitting down beside his godson. �Your mother never told me his identity nor did I press her, it is not in my nature... I know that there were times that she wanted to tell you, but the reasons she did not are the same reasons she left you in my care. Mme de Plougastel gave birth to you some eighteen month after M. de Plougastel had been left and four months before he returned. He does not know of the pregnancy nor of your existence and for gravest family reasons he must not. Mme de Plougastel went to the village of Moreau under false name to hide the pregnancy and while there gave birth to you and after place you and her secret in my keeping � a secret I�ve kept until today.�
<Andre-Louis>
"Oh." For some reason Moreau was disappointed. He had never yearned to know the identity of either parent, never been seized with the belief that he must seek them out... quite the opposite in fact. If two people, he had reasoned, thought so little of him as to abandon him at birth, why should he care a jot for them? Yet now... now that he knew who his mother was... now that the idea had entered his head that M. de Kercadieu may be able to tell him his father's name too... he was disappointed to learn that he could not. For some strange reason, it mattered... now. "It's silly," he said still staring straight ahead and speaking as though in a daze, "when I was very little I once thought that you might be my father. I suppose part of me held on to that thought. Perhaps I wanted it to be true." Finally he turned to face his godfather and added simply, "I think I would have liked that."
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
�And I would have been honoured to have fathered a son like you,� Quentin took hold of Andre�s hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze. It truth he thought of Andre as being very match the son he never had, care for him as he would a son... Andre and Aline were his children in his heart, if not in fact so that Andre�s words touched him deeply. Pity that the young man�s true father would never know the amazing young man he had sired. After a moment his thoughts returned to the dilemma at hand: Mme de Plougastel and Aline. "Now that you know, what will you do?"
<Andre-Louis>
"I don't know." He replied. "I'll have to think of something, but right now..." It was an unhappy choice he would have to make. Madame de Plougastel or his friends. When he had thought of her as just an interfering woman, the choice had been unquestionable; but now... how could he desert his own mother, even if she had once deserted him? "I'll have to see her... talk to her, somehow. If I can only convince her that she is in danger, perhaps she can flee of her own accord. I have some property across the border in Koblenz. If she and Aline escape Paris, they could go there. You should go to. Even Gavrillac might not be safe for those who help the wife of a traitor."
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
�Do you really think the danger is so great?� He had never considered, until this moment, the possibility that his own life was in danger. Andre�s request was almost an alien concept. Gavrillac was his life... but then how long would it be his? �If you think it necessary I will make the arrangements immediately.�
<Andre-Louis>
"I'm afraid I think it very necessary. You must not under-estimate the wealth of bad feeling towards traitors and any who associate themselves with traitors." He shrugged in a matter of fact way, "Indeed it has always been so. Mme de Plougastel's husband is an enemy of the people and the state. Mme de Plougastel herself," he couldn't call her his mother, "is thought to be actively working with her husband. Aline is already tainted. It would not take much for the connection to be made with you. I, at least, am fairly safe, but no one must know I have been here. Your household must remain silent on that point. As far as France is concerned we have not spoken for months... that belief must hold if I am to help either of the women."
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
This was an opportunity for Quentin to pursue his earlier point, but wisely did not. It would not do to antagonize the young man after he had worked so hard to persuade him. �Have no worries on that account,� he assured Andre. �I will speak to them immediately, they will keep silent. But is there anything I can do to help you?�
<Andre-Louis>
Moreau shook his head. If he had had the faintest idea what he intended to do, he might have been able to take his godfather up on the offer; but as it was... "You must go to Koblenz and prepare things for their arrival. Their ordeal may be a traumatic one and they will be glad of a friendly face and comforting words. Here," he took a pencil and scribbled down an address, "my tenant's name is Herr Bauer. He speaks tolerable French... or at least he writes it well. I've never met the man."
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
The Lord of Gavrillac took the slip of paper and stared unseeing at the address, it seemed unthinkable that he would be leaving his home in this way, possibly never to return. He rarely traveled far from Gavrillac and never out of France, it was his home and he as much a part of it as the trees and the field. But needs must meet�
�I will settle matters here immediately and set out directly in the morning,� he said finally.
<Andre-Louis>
His business seemed concluded and Moreau knew he ought to leave for Paris right away. However, he was hungry, physically tired and mentally exhausted. He dallied in his leave taking in the hope that his godfather would invite him to stay the night.
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
There was much to do before leaving, he had to instruct Benoit on what needed to be done in his absence, after all he had a duty to the tenets on his land and there was the possibility, remote though it may be that he would return. Pierrick would be the best man to help on that account, he knew the land almost as well Quentin did. Quentin chanced to glance out the window to the distant field, turned russet under the lightr of the setting sun. In a few short hours it would be dark.
�Heavens, Andre!� Quentin exclaimed. �You can�t think of going now. It�ll be dark soon and there are bandits on the road and there are a score of flaws on the road that might lame a horse. At least stay the night. You can have supper and I�ll have Yvonne make a bed.�
<Andre-Louis>
Moreau looked gratefully at his godfather. "Thank you, I shall." he replied, "Much as I should return to Paris, I would be of no use to either one in my present state." It was a break-through, he felt. At the start of their conversation Moreau would never have expected the Lord of Gavrillac to offer him such welcome. He took his place one more, knowing he must keep clear of politics as a subject of discussion. His burning curiosity provided a ready replacement. "Tell me, please, all that you know about me and where I came from. Everything, please. I want to know."
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
Quentin scratched his head thoughtfully as he considered the question, it was a simple, reasonable inquiry, but there was much that even he did not know. "I fear my knowledge is limited, my boy. I first learned of the matter a few months after you were conceived. I knew from my correspondence with your mother that M. de Plougastel had been away with the army for over a year and was justifiably shocked when she came to call with earliest signs already showing." He made a gesture with his hands near his stomach to emphasize the point. "She came to me, as her dearest friend, seeking advice and assistance in light of a possible scandal which would have destroyed her reputation along with her husband's. I made arrangement for her to stay in Moreau, under an assumed name, until she gave birth to you. She sent word to me the day you were born and when I arrived, I saw to it that she was sent back to Paris as soon as she was fit to travel. I know that she longed to stay with you, but M. de Plougastel was to return shortly and there was much for Therese to put in order... and, to her credit, M. de Plougastel has never suspected. When she left, I hired a wet nurse and brought you home with me to Gavrillac, arranged for yours cares, I believe that most of the locals have come to the conclusion that I am your true father and so none question from whence you came, and... well... the rest you know... "
<Andre-Louis>
In the hallway a clock chimed the hour. It was getting late. "So that is why she took such an interest in me." Moreau said softly. "All these years and I never guessed... never dreamt... so obvious now, but I didn't see it." A thought occurred to him, "And Aline and I, we're not cousins."
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
Quentin thought on the question a moment, then explained, �Aline�s father was my younger brother, while Madame de Plougastel was the niece of my uncle�s wife... so I suppose you are correct. Why do you ask?�
<Andre-Louis>
"I..." he hesitated, "I think I am in love with her. Not that it signifies," he added morosely, "she does not care for me."
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
�Oh?� Quentin remarked, his eyebrow raising curiously. It was shocking for him to see a greater variety of emotion in Andre-Louis in one night than he had seen in the young man in most of the time he�d know him. It seemed after so many years, the mask had slipped away and that Andre-Louis Moreau was someone entirely different. �What makes you think this?�
<Andre-Louis>
He wanted to tell his godfather everything, but dared not. To mention D'Azyr would only turn the conversation towards politics. "Her manner when last we met." he replied simply, the pain of that encounter flooding back into his soul.
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
"I have only known Aline to have fond affection for you... except when you had planned to marry that actress," Quentin rushed through the last part, not wanting to linger on that sore subject. "Perhaps it was the circumstances of the situation... what had you been talking about?"
<Andre-Louis>
"We... I mean... oh, it doesn't signify! Mme de Plougastel... my mother," he forced himself to say it, though it felt so strange, "gave me to understand that Aline had shown feelings for me and I had misinterpreted them as feelings for someone else. I went to ask Aline if that were true." He sighed, �Perhaps Mme... my mother was wrong. I see now that maybe she was biased towards me."
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
�Perhaps...� Quentin said thoughtfully, though he was more inclined to believe Therese. He recalled that it was because of Andre-Louis that Aline stooped to plea with D�Azyr, bartering her hand in marriage if only to keep the two men from fighting � not the actions of a woman who doesn�t care. But that was not something he had the right to tell his godson. �Since Aline spends so much more time in the city then here, Mme de Plougastel more opportunities to observe Aline... than I.�
<Andre-Louis>
"Yes." He replied. What else could he say? That even if Aline did love him with her heart, she was being over-ruled by her head... a head which even now saw d'Azyr as the better the match... a head which had been filled with silly, snobbish notions at the school M de Kercadieu had taken such pains to send her to. It was not M de Kercadieu's fault. He had wanted the best for his niece and Moreau could not blame him for that... but it was eating at him inside... the knowledge that he would never be good enough for her... never! It bit at him so deeply that he didn't even realise that he'd said the last sentence aloud.
<Quentin de Kercadiou>
�You are too hard on yourself, my boy,� Quentin lay a hand on Andre-Louis�s shoulder. �I believe we will get to the bottom of this. I will speak with Aline when we meet in Koblenz. I cannot betray any confidience she tells me, but I can you tell where this opinions of yours are misguided.�
<Andre-Louis>
"Thank you" he gave a weak, though grateful, smile. It was good of M. de Kercadieu to be so supportive after all their differences. Perhaps he did have a chance with Aline, albeit a very small one.
*** This thread is currently in progress***
This thread is continued from Rejected and Dejected
This thread parallels Desperately Seeking Solace
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