Their "happily ever after", or rather their married life , was not going well at all, ...indeed it was a disaster.
Isabelle,being pregnant, had been forbidden to do many things, such as: attending tea parties, going to the theater, but especially going to her favorite boutiques.
They kept her in the house, not because they cared about her and the health of the unborn child, but because by doing so they prevented her from squandering d'Alberic's family money.
And if this was not enough, their financial situation was worsening day by day.
Although for most of the people, the d'Alberic family was powerful and wealthy, it was not so at all; it was a mask.
The family was on the brink of crisis, and to make matters worse, the union with the House of Davout had aggravated the situation.
By forcing Isabelle to stay in the house, they were sure they would hold out for a while,.... but it wasn't so.
The woman secretly sneaked out to have fun;
"But then.... How was she able to pay if she was penniless?" You may be wondering; well, she just wouldn't; and she promised that the D'Alberic family would take care of it.
She used her title and , recently acquired, surname as insurance.
By doing so, little by little, debts piled up.
This went on for a while.
She really thought she could get away with it, but although Alexandre, future heir of the duchy, took care of many things concerning the family, his father still didn't trust him enough to manage the finances ;the duke was a very meticulous man, he controlled the entrances and exits, he had eyes and ears everywhere.
After a few weeks Isabelle was discovered.
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----------14:06 a.m. ;25 September 1748-------------
*crash*chair that breaks
"DID YOU REALLY BELIEVED YOU COULD FOOL ME!?!": Duke Lèandre
"ARE THE THINGS YOU HAVE DONE NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU!?! YOU ARE RUINING US!"
"You should thanks the fact you are pregnant with the offspring of my son, otherwise you would be married to a wrinkled old man by now!!".
"*ah!*And then, with your reputation, I doubt it's really my nephew the one you're carrying in your womb!": Duke
"*ah!* I can assure you that he is his blood, I love only him and no one else!": Isabelle
"We'll see this!": Duke
"I have been too tolerant with you, you'll remain locked in your quarters until you'd give birth, you'll have only one servant, and all the jewels and dresses you have bought will be confiscated and sold to pay YOUR debts. You should be grateful ,if it really were for ME you'll be out this house, begging for money on the streets!": Duke
"*Argh! *No, you can't do this to me!.... Alexandre do something!!": Isabelle
"STICK IT IN YOUR HEAD THAT THE ONE WHO STILL MAKES THE DECISIONS HERE IS ME... NOT HIM!!!": Duke
"*Mmpf*Not for long!!": Isabelle
*Slam*
"*Ah! *how dare she be so disrespectful to ME!! , all this is your fault Alexandre.
If you had done as I told you, we wouldn't be in this shitty situation!!!"
"Find a way to solve this mess and QUICKLY!!": Duke
"*Mmpf*Yes father!": Alexandre
Everything was took away from her even her freedom and it was normal for her to feel hate toward that family.
This was not the life she had so desired.
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Thanks to my helper, Babette, I kept an eye on what was happening in that house.
And lucky for me, she had obtained the position as the only and exclusive servant of Isabelle; on the other hand "WHO wanted to serve a woman so unpleasant and arrogant?" no one wished for it.
For me this was an unmissable opportunity.
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In the letters that Babette sent me, she wrote me how much Isabelle hated and despised that household, she being a proud, ambitious and manipulative woman, couldn't stand the idea of being controlled by others, BUT ABOVE ALL she couldn't stand POVERTY;She loved luxury, riches and abundance; she felt pleasure in spending money.
So I came up with a brilliant plan to "get" her to do the job in my stead ; this time was Isabelle's turn to get her hands dirty.