Letters to James
To Monsieur Villiers,
It has been 2 months since we last met and I have been wanting to write you for some time now, but my life has been so busy with the constant things us ladies must do with our lives. I had a good time with you at the ball, you were quite the dapper gentleman that night. How have you been? I have heard that you have earned yourself a promotion in the Royal Army, Congratulations! It is great to see others doing so well that truly deserve it such as yourself. I do not know much about military ranks, so I am not sure what your new duties entail but I am sure you will do just a lovely job with it.
As for me, I have been working on my skills as a gardener recently. I will admit that I have improved little and that the heat has made things quite unpleasant for me. Nonetheless, I am eager to see how well the tulips grow! Tell me if you know any secrets as to how to get the best tulips, as your mum knows very well her way around the garden, certainly better than mine!
Maurice is currently out of town on a hunting trip, he worries me so much with his recklessness and thrillseeking. The other night, he came home bloody after a bear attack! That fool was laughing about it despite having his clothes turned a soddy red because of the blood loss! Do find some time to pray for his safety, please.
Also, my mother has been rather ill lately with Consumption. What a frightful disease! I ask you to pray for her as well. Tell your family that I said hello and that I am hoping they are doing well. We all miss them!
Yours,
Jeanne de Mirabeau
To Monsieur Villiers,
Thank you for the reply, I am happy to have got it back faster than I expected! It was quite shocking, I guess the mail service has gotten faster in recent years. Perhaps it is the new roads that have been built, but alas, I know nothing about how that all works! Thank you for the prayers, we dearly appreciate them and I think they have worked as my Mother has recovered fully. Unfortunately, bad luck seems to have struck us as my Grandmother had Apoplexy and just died a few days ago. We are all in mourning of her and pray for her soul.
I tried your method for my tulips, it appears to have worked quite well but I have gotten many terrible looks from others while applying the method. My own mother questioned why I was "raining" on the flowers and I told her that it was your mother's secret way. Perhaps this is the way our ancestors did it? I don't know but I am just happy that it works well enough and without much effort!
I must agree with you on the treerrats, they are simpletons from all of the tales I have heard. The one exception seems to be this one they call "Great Squirrel". I don't know if you know the tale but my father's friend, the Marquis of Maumigny and this "Great Squirrel" worked together to defeat the terrible watermelon raiders that have plagued our land and the lands of the squirrels for so long! News has just come in that the new Prince-Consort has won us a great victory and is close to driving these awful people from our sacred soil! Reine be praised!
Oh, and about a trip, that sounds lovely! I would love to come down and see all that I can see with you! It gets tiresome being around the house all the time, as I am sure you know. We can make it a family affair too and bring our family down to see our cousins across the border. I will make sure we pack the finest of sweets!
Yours,
Jeanne de Mirabeau
Mon Amour,
Receiving your letter made me as giddy as a child recieving a precious toy from their parents! Oh, how the words you shared made me feel weak in my legs and made me want to be held tightly by your arms! The greatest joy I share is that the feelings are mutual, and that my love for you is not in vain. I have laid in bed many nights since then, dreaming of you and me together. But I dare not say it to my parents, for as you know, I am planned to be wed to a gentleman from the north.
Amour, I am torn asunder by this! I understand my duty to my family but my heart says no and wishes to be with you! Truly, I say this has made me cry and totally unsure of what to do! Monsieur Crussol is a nice man. He promises to treat me right, and to make me feel like I am the Queen herself, but I cannot say the feelings are mutual. He is rather displeasing to look at and his voice is rather irksome in its tone. He is rather unintelligent, and lacks any wit. But he is the son of a wealthy landowner, and that is why he is my match.
Why must love be as fickle as such, where a girl who loves her family is stuck between someone, she truly does love in yourself, and her duty? It is the most problematic situation I find myself in, and I hardly know what to do. I will be miserable if I marry Monsieur Crussol, but my duty will be fulfilled. If I chose you, my heart will be torn as well. For the love I have for you is great, but so is the love for my family. They will never forgive me for it, and I do not know if I can stand that! Amour, you are a good man, as good as any under the sun. Pray tell me in your opinion what I should do. My aching heart cannot take much more!
Yours with love,
Jeanne de Mirabeau
"The two forbidden lovers succeeded in making their dreams come true. With a signal, Jeanne climbed down from her window with her belongs and joined her amour at long last. She left her family a note explaining her decision in detail, and by the time the Mirabeau's realized what happened, the couple were long gone. After a month's ride, they reached their destination near the city of Tyrana and were wed their quickly. They set up their homestead around 20 miles out of the town."