Born into the lap of luxury and a time of turmoil, Duchesse Eleonore Vigneron experiences her coming of age in the Court of Louis XVI . Embroiled in the chaos that surrounds Versailles, Eleni uses her unique blend of wit, charm, and beauty to ensure...
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"Nature says to a woman: 'Be beautiful if you can, wise if you want to, but be respected. That is essential.' "--- Pierre Beaumarchais
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29 Octobre 2015 Aubrey Parish, Louisiana
In the faint glow of amber lamplight, the world is a cozy retreat of silence and memory on a rainy October evening. There is an invisible spark that flies through the air as a pair of dark and hypnotic blue eyes flutter open. They are haunting in their expressiveness, the sort of beauty conveyed by a sad piano or the glint of moonlight against an expanse of ocean.
The chaos of centuries passes within seconds. Time stands motionless and unblinking, having arrived at its destination. A gentle sweep of heavy black lashes renews the recognition of the present, the melodic presence of an antique grandfather clock being hard to ignore. In the corner of the room, the sound of a fireplace crackles elegantly, welcoming newcomers to the charming old hotel.
Eleni sits upright in the old-fashioned damask chair cosily placed within the hotel. It is the kind of place time has forgotten, a relic of things that once were treasured and had since fallen into disrepair. The lights are dim, erasing the unkindness of age and replacing it with an air of mystery. In Eleni's lap is her most precious treasure, the lost pieces of a long-shattered heart. She clings to them as if one day, they might rejoin the rest and make her whole again. Most people would merely see a letter.
She lifts it carefully, and stares at the already exposed insides, treating it with the utmost of delicacy and a slight sense of shame. This paper cannot be where the world will see it, she thinks to herself, afraid to breathe in case someone else is around. Anxiety stiffens her already proper posture. Did I genuinely make a sound, or was it only within the safety of my mind?
It is not always a conscious choice, but Eleni knows she allows her mind to travel to the past. When it does, it invariably takes the entirety of everything that makes her Eleni with it. As these reveries always do, the memory takes her deep into a vision, one that holds her prisoner within her mind. The state she enters is still a trance, one deeper than any dream could ever be. It is not an unfamiliar experience for the young woman, but it is always jarring. Eleni's petite figure visibly trembles and her wide blue eyes attempt to focus on the writing beneath her. Upon her lap is a sizeable leather-bound journal, although the real treasure is the delicate parchment perched upon the much stronger book.
