Episode1
852 Words
1709,Charrone
Angelica was hardly more than a girl when she was given to Frederic Richelieu.
Her youth was traded like a coin between two families hungry for power and place.
A union,her father called it.
Her fate decided even before she knew how to walk.
“ The two families uniting is the best”, her father had said
Her mother hadn't said much either,
Just the occasional stares that cut deep into her soul,
Angelica sat in the drawing room listening to her mother talk about duty, about how getting married was the best thing that ever happened to her
How it was going to be the best thing for Angelica too
How her to be husband was a gentleman in all aspects and she would always live in comfort while being treated like a princess.
She listened as she held a cup of tea in her hands.
She remembered every detail of the day the news was told to her.
Her mother’s hands, firm and cold on her shoulders, and her father’s voice, calm and final, the choice had been made for her.
There was no space for questions,no room for fear. There was only obedience.
Their wedding was large and bright. Music filled the hall. Candles burned late into the night.
Tall doors and archways welcome guests inside.
Opening into a space softened by flowers, draped fabric, and gentle lighting.
Candles cast a warm glow that makes everything appear slightly golden, as if the room itself is celebrating.
Rows of chairs and long tables are arranged with care.
Guests spoke of harmony and fortune, of how well the young bride suited the groom.
The wedding was between the heir to Wellington palace, Frederic Richelieu and Angelica,the precious daughter of the richest vigneron in France.
He was to inherit the Dukedom after his father and she would be Duchess.
A match made in heaven the guests said,they looked perfect with each other.
His brown eyes complimented her blue ones that shined like stars in the night sky.
Her wedding gown was long and flowy.
The skirt falls in gentle layers, cascading from the waist to the floor in waves of silk.
creating the illusion that she is gliding rather than walking.
The bodice is fitted just enough to shape Angelica’s figure, balancing the looseness of the skirt.
Delicate lace trace the neckline and sleeves, adding detail without overpowering the gown’s natural elegance.
She was the envy of all.
His dark hair was a contrast to her blonde one,but still guests said they fit together like a “perfectly sewn glove”.
Angelica smiled because she was taught to smile.
_ _ _
When the vows were done, she didn't know yet but her girlhood ended.
When the doors closed behind them after the wedding, her life became something owned.
At the moment in time,the sweet words got to her,she let the compliment overshadow her previous sadness.
She didn't think of the marriage as an arrangement,but rather a union like her father had called it.
As the carriage takes them to their new estate,she starts to dream of the life she would live.
Of the love that would blossom between them.
Of how their two souls would come together and become one.
She imagined a love like the one she had read in the books her mother had forbidden and called sacrilegious.
The estate was expansive and symmetrical, its tall carved pillars frame the entrance, supporting a broad balcony that overlooks the grounds.
The front doors are heavy and imposing.
Frederic takes her hand as they leave the carriage.
The interior of the estate grand foyer is lined with marble floors that gleam under a crystal chandelier.
The walls are adorned with oil paintings.
A sweeping staircase curves gracefully to the upper floors.
Long corridors are lined with family portraits.
She would miss her family, parting with them so abruptly broke her,but the promises of the new life sparked a new found excitement in her.
Angelica stares at the paintings with curiosity.
Frederic says to her
“Very soon,your portrait will also be commissioned to be hanged on the wall”.
“As the future duchess of Bellingham palace “ he continues.
Angelica only smiles.
She couldn't wait for what the new life had to offer .
But life wasn't always a fairytale, even a bed of roses had thorns underneath.
Soon after the wedding,they moved to Paris to be closer to Frederic’s academy.
He had inherited a tall townhouse near the river,its stone walls cool and grand.
“ You would love Paris”, Frederic said to her on the journey there, placing his hand on her lap.
“I'm sure I would…” Angelica replied as she stared at him
She was going to say more.
To start a conversation but he had returned to staring at the window as quickly as his hand had touched her lap.
She knew the conversation that didn't even get to grow has ended just as fast.
Up until yesterday,she didn't even know she would visit Paris let alone live there.
- Writer
