XI
Victoria had been crying. She hadn't wanted to admit it, and she hadn't, she thought proudly. But she was going to miss her aunt terribly. Victoria had held out. She'd resolved not to leave the country, and by God, she remained in Paris. Elisabeth did everything she could to convince her niece to accompany her, but when it came right down to it, Victoria knew she was meant to stay. Elisabeth hadn't wanted to leave Victoria, but she was old now, and if she'd wanted to finish out her life on English soil, she would have to go now, while she could still get around.
So, for the first time since her arrival, Victoria was absolutely alone. Oh sure, there was always the household staff, but Victoria didn't really know them, as was proper, she supposed. Of course, the Gillenormands would look after her. Not only were they Elisabeth's friends, but they were distantly related to the Duvaliers. Really, they were the closest thing to family Victoria had in this country. And although distant, they were Antoine's only living relatives. But right now, they were all too occupied with Marius' recovery…if he would recover, that is. If not, they would soon be occupied with his funeral. At any rate, it would be months before Victoria could call upon them expecting any sort of support
Victoria sighed. She seemed to do that an awful lot lately. She looked around the house. It was really a beautiful home. Spacious, yet not terribly ostentatious, it possessed a certain simplicity. That was mostly Victoria's influence. Anything ornate was more to her late husband's taste. She had been thinking about Antoine a lot lately. Aside from the depression brought on by the anniversary, Victoria had been doing well. She was ready to move on now. She went to her bedroom, and reached inside the wardrobe. She took off her black mourning dress, and was going to put on the blue dress from her portrait, but thought better of that, and instead put on a simple, dark green dress that was trimmed with ecru lace. She still kept her hair down, but she found a pair of side combs that she used to keep her hair out of her face.
She felt suddenly much better now, but she still thought of the man she'd rescued over a week ago. Impulsively, she took the hat she'd found on the parapet out of the place she'd made for it on the mantelpiece, and put it on. Victoria laughed out loud as she looked in the mirror. She did look a sight! Just then, there was a knock at the door. Victoria rushed downstairs to answer it before the maid got it.
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XII
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