Post by gaston on Aug 29, 2019 13:36:17 GMT
Lorraine Fournier had everything to look forward to. The pampered eldest daughter of a country squire and engaged to Monsieur Gerard Despard who had just inherited the neighbouring estate from his father le Chevalier. What harm was there in bowing to Gerard's desire not to wait for the wedding night? The baby wouldn't be born until well after the wedding...
But then her dreams were shattered. A chance encounter with a noble's halted carriage, a pointless argument about precedence, a random spontaneous duel...and Gerard was taken from her forever. (It later transpired that the nobleman was a distant cousin, whose family inherited Gerard's estate in the absence of any legitimate heirs - a circumstance which cast severe doubt as to how much chance was actually involved in their fatal encounter).
Fortunately, before he died, Gerard had set up a trust for his unborn child providing an income of 540 livres each year - to be administered by Lorraine until the child was seventeen. Despite taking her to law Gerard's cousins could not get their hands on it.
The child, when it came, was a baby girl whom Lorraine named Helen, and she was doted upon by her grandfather who was happy to lend her his name. His health was failing, however, and the dashing of his hopes of a good marriage for his daughter with the son and heir of his best friend broke his heart. When he inherited the Fournier estate, Lorraine's brother lost no time in casting her out.
Lorraine drifted southwards to Paris to ponder her next move, buying a small house on the Rue de la Vielle Pellaterie in the eastern Isle du Palais. Helen's trust fund would allow them to live comfortably - but it would not provide her with the convent education which her mother had enjoyed.
Whilst at the Ursuline Convent at St.Dennis Lorraine had been fascinated by the work of Sister Agatha, the herbalist and infirmarian, spending every free hour helping her with her duties. Consequently, in addition to an education befitting a gentlewoman she left the Convent with a wide knowledge of the medicinal uses of plants and the treatment of illness. Knowledge which she now determined to put to use. She persuaded a local herbalist and apothecary, Christophe Hébert, to take her on as his assistant. His clientele soon began to enjoy being served by a knowledgeable lady of quality. The shop became fashionable and the clientele more refined - to the extent that Christophe moved his premises to the Pont St Michel to cater to the gentry of the Place Dauphine in addition to the nearby Faculty of Medicine. Not wishing to risk losing the cause of his success, he married Lorraine and proved to be a kind and indulgent husband.
Helen was a precocious child who spent her early years between school and running around the apothecary shop and herbarium asking what things were for. Her stepfather eventually gave her a few brothers and sisters, but such was the age difference that Helen hardly knew them before, at the age of ten, she was packed of the St Dennis convent to receive the same education as had her mother.
Old Sister Agatha was still at the convent and remembered her mother well. She became virtually her only friend - the daughters of the gentry and nobility looked down upon a mere apothecary's stepdaughter and bullied her mercilessly. Like her mother before her, she spent most of her free time helping Sister Agatha with her duties as herbalist and infirmarian. For the rest she learned all the skills necessary for an educated lady of quality: not only reading, calligraphy, latin, greek, Italian, mathematics, law, astronomy and history, but also dancing, embroidery, music and - at the convent farm - horsemanship.
Soon after her sixteenth birthday the attitude of one of her fellow pupils seemed to change. Genevieve, the daughter of a comte, decided to befriend her - to the extent of inviting Helen to stay with her family at their comtal estate over the Summer. Vacations at home weren't much fun for Helen - her younger siblings resented the fact that she was receiving an education which would be denied them - so she decided to accept.
Two nights into her visit the reason for Genevieve's invitation became clear - her brother came to Helen's room and forced himself upon her. Helen's cries for help went unanswered - Genevieve's purpose all along was merely to aid her brother's debauchery. Pleading illness, Helen secured a coach back to Paris the morning afterwards - Genevieve ignored her for the remainder of her stay and failed even to say goodbye.
Upon her return to the convent the results of Helen's visit to the large mansion soon began to show. Despite Sister Agatha's protestations that she was a good girl who had no part in bringing on her pregnancy, she was judged by the Reverend Mother to be a common whore who had brought the convent into disrepute - and promptly expelled. Helen would never forget the peevish smile of triumph Genevieve gave her as the convent gates closed on her for the last time.
When she arrived home, obviously pregnant, her mother and stepfather did the best they could for her. They found her a husband - a young doctor client who was willing to marry her for a hefty dowry and the promise of her trust income when she came of age.
At first, Docteur Claude Bacque was all smiles and kindness and everything that could be wanted in a husband. That changed on her seventeenth birthday when her father's provision became hers to dispose of and, under the terms of the marriage contract, immediately reverted to her husband's control. It's often difficult to spot a violent and abusive husband, but that's just what Docteur Bacque turned out to be - to the extent that Helen lost the baby after one his beatings.
She was trapped in a loveless marriage to a monster of a husband - and the family not nearly rich enough to secure an annulment. Helen could do nothing but make the best of it. She began to help Claude with his patients - and soon proved so indispensable that the beatings stopped. Soon she became a better docteur than Claude ever was - to the extent that patients began to prefer the ministrations of the 'lady docteur' to those of her professionally qualified husband. Claude meanwhile began to spend more and more of his time with the bottle and less and less with his patients. It came as no surprise to anyone when he fell backwards down the stairs to their apartment in a drunken stupor one night and broke his neck. (Foul play was never suspected).
Helen was left with the trust monies from her father, what was left of her dowry, and the clothes, medical instruments and personal effects of her late husband. Rather than leave Claude's (and her) patients bereft of medical care, she wished to continue with the medical practice but, since this was impossible for her as a woman, she did the next best thing and leased it as a going concern to a young student docteur whilst taking out a new lease on the apartment next door. Helen suggested that she might continue helping with the young doctor's patients given her knowledge and familiarity with them but was told that he preferred to work alone.
So, here she is: a young and beautiful widow of independent - if modest - means with time on her hands. What she will do with it remains to be seen.
But then her dreams were shattered. A chance encounter with a noble's halted carriage, a pointless argument about precedence, a random spontaneous duel...and Gerard was taken from her forever. (It later transpired that the nobleman was a distant cousin, whose family inherited Gerard's estate in the absence of any legitimate heirs - a circumstance which cast severe doubt as to how much chance was actually involved in their fatal encounter).
Fortunately, before he died, Gerard had set up a trust for his unborn child providing an income of 540 livres each year - to be administered by Lorraine until the child was seventeen. Despite taking her to law Gerard's cousins could not get their hands on it.
The child, when it came, was a baby girl whom Lorraine named Helen, and she was doted upon by her grandfather who was happy to lend her his name. His health was failing, however, and the dashing of his hopes of a good marriage for his daughter with the son and heir of his best friend broke his heart. When he inherited the Fournier estate, Lorraine's brother lost no time in casting her out.
Lorraine drifted southwards to Paris to ponder her next move, buying a small house on the Rue de la Vielle Pellaterie in the eastern Isle du Palais. Helen's trust fund would allow them to live comfortably - but it would not provide her with the convent education which her mother had enjoyed.
Whilst at the Ursuline Convent at St.Dennis Lorraine had been fascinated by the work of Sister Agatha, the herbalist and infirmarian, spending every free hour helping her with her duties. Consequently, in addition to an education befitting a gentlewoman she left the Convent with a wide knowledge of the medicinal uses of plants and the treatment of illness. Knowledge which she now determined to put to use. She persuaded a local herbalist and apothecary, Christophe Hébert, to take her on as his assistant. His clientele soon began to enjoy being served by a knowledgeable lady of quality. The shop became fashionable and the clientele more refined - to the extent that Christophe moved his premises to the Pont St Michel to cater to the gentry of the Place Dauphine in addition to the nearby Faculty of Medicine. Not wishing to risk losing the cause of his success, he married Lorraine and proved to be a kind and indulgent husband.
Helen was a precocious child who spent her early years between school and running around the apothecary shop and herbarium asking what things were for. Her stepfather eventually gave her a few brothers and sisters, but such was the age difference that Helen hardly knew them before, at the age of ten, she was packed of the St Dennis convent to receive the same education as had her mother.
Old Sister Agatha was still at the convent and remembered her mother well. She became virtually her only friend - the daughters of the gentry and nobility looked down upon a mere apothecary's stepdaughter and bullied her mercilessly. Like her mother before her, she spent most of her free time helping Sister Agatha with her duties as herbalist and infirmarian. For the rest she learned all the skills necessary for an educated lady of quality: not only reading, calligraphy, latin, greek, Italian, mathematics, law, astronomy and history, but also dancing, embroidery, music and - at the convent farm - horsemanship.
Soon after her sixteenth birthday the attitude of one of her fellow pupils seemed to change. Genevieve, the daughter of a comte, decided to befriend her - to the extent of inviting Helen to stay with her family at their comtal estate over the Summer. Vacations at home weren't much fun for Helen - her younger siblings resented the fact that she was receiving an education which would be denied them - so she decided to accept.
Two nights into her visit the reason for Genevieve's invitation became clear - her brother came to Helen's room and forced himself upon her. Helen's cries for help went unanswered - Genevieve's purpose all along was merely to aid her brother's debauchery. Pleading illness, Helen secured a coach back to Paris the morning afterwards - Genevieve ignored her for the remainder of her stay and failed even to say goodbye.
Upon her return to the convent the results of Helen's visit to the large mansion soon began to show. Despite Sister Agatha's protestations that she was a good girl who had no part in bringing on her pregnancy, she was judged by the Reverend Mother to be a common whore who had brought the convent into disrepute - and promptly expelled. Helen would never forget the peevish smile of triumph Genevieve gave her as the convent gates closed on her for the last time.
When she arrived home, obviously pregnant, her mother and stepfather did the best they could for her. They found her a husband - a young doctor client who was willing to marry her for a hefty dowry and the promise of her trust income when she came of age.
At first, Docteur Claude Bacque was all smiles and kindness and everything that could be wanted in a husband. That changed on her seventeenth birthday when her father's provision became hers to dispose of and, under the terms of the marriage contract, immediately reverted to her husband's control. It's often difficult to spot a violent and abusive husband, but that's just what Docteur Bacque turned out to be - to the extent that Helen lost the baby after one his beatings.
She was trapped in a loveless marriage to a monster of a husband - and the family not nearly rich enough to secure an annulment. Helen could do nothing but make the best of it. She began to help Claude with his patients - and soon proved so indispensable that the beatings stopped. Soon she became a better docteur than Claude ever was - to the extent that patients began to prefer the ministrations of the 'lady docteur' to those of her professionally qualified husband. Claude meanwhile began to spend more and more of his time with the bottle and less and less with his patients. It came as no surprise to anyone when he fell backwards down the stairs to their apartment in a drunken stupor one night and broke his neck. (Foul play was never suspected).
Helen was left with the trust monies from her father, what was left of her dowry, and the clothes, medical instruments and personal effects of her late husband. Rather than leave Claude's (and her) patients bereft of medical care, she wished to continue with the medical practice but, since this was impossible for her as a woman, she did the next best thing and leased it as a going concern to a young student docteur whilst taking out a new lease on the apartment next door. Helen suggested that she might continue helping with the young doctor's patients given her knowledge and familiarity with them but was told that he preferred to work alone.
So, here she is: a young and beautiful widow of independent - if modest - means with time on her hands. What she will do with it remains to be seen.