TO CARVE AN ANGEL FROM MARBLE act three, chapter twenty one
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( january 1832 )
THE FOLLOWING MORNING, the weather was clear. Sunlight shone through the window of Madeleine's bedroom as she dressed herself, warming the otherwise cold atmosphere that hung over the empty home. Her brothers had already left for work, leaving her to keep herself entertained until the meeting at the Musain that night.
With the pleasant weather, Madeleine believed it to be a perfect day to spend some time in the gardens. As she gathered her belongings, she also decided to stop by Monsieur Toussaint's bakery on her way to purchase one of the delicious puff pastries she knew he'd prepared that morning.
When she stepped outside of her little apartment, she was surprised to find that someone had seemingly been waiting for her. She recognized the familiar uniform that she knew belonged to an officer. At first she thought it was Leon, perhaps coming to apologize for last night's conversation-turned-argument, but when she looked up at the much taller man's face, she found that it was Laurent Aubert instead.
Madeleine fought back a scowl at the sight of him, forcing her lips into a polite grin. "Monsieur Aubert," she greeted him with a quick, barely noticeable curtsy. "What are you doing here?"
She was unable to explain the sudden uneasiness she felt, as if her body was warning her against being alone with the man before her.
Laurent smiled down at her. There was a look in his eyes that only added to her nervousness. "I came to tell you how delighted I am that you finally accepted my proposal," he said to her.
Immediately, Madeleine felt sick. Not even a day after her argument with Leon, her brother had gone to this man and accepted his insane proposal on her behalf! But there was no way she was going down without a fight. She was going to fight this marriage in every way that she possibly could.
Mustering up every ounce of her confidence, she raised her chin high and said: "I didn't accept your proposal."
Monsieur Aubert tilted his head to the side. His smile was gone, his eyes growing dark. "Oh? Now why would your brother say such a thing?" he wondered.
"Because he believes me to be some property that he can sell off whenever he pleases, but he can't," Madeleine shrugged. She hoped that the shakiness behind her voice wasn't noticeable, for the last thing she wanted was for Laurent to know how much she feared this marriage. "I'm sorry, monsieur, but I am not going to marry you."
No sooner than the words left her mouth, she felt herself being shoved backwards. Her back hit the stone wall of her flat, and she let out a breath of surprise at the impact. Laurent loomed over her, tightly gripping her arms to hold her in place. He stood so close to her that she could feel his breath on her face.
