Old Charles' words caught Fanny off guard, nearly causing her to stumble over her own feet.
"Don't mind him; my father's mind has been a bit muddled since the revolution. He tends to talk nonsense. Please don't take it to heart," Fanny blushed as she reassured Joseph.
"I understand," Joseph replied, though he wasn't entirely sure what his own words meant. Did he understand it as, "I know your father's eccentric," or as, "I know he wants me to pursue you and get you married off quickly"?
Joseph couldn't help but steal a glance at Fanny with a sense of curiosity. Fanny noticed Joseph's gaze and felt a slight shyness, but she didn't turn away, nor did she resort to the techniques some high society women employed – such as fainting.
During this era, many noblewomen were accustomed to wearing corsets. It was a peculiar practice, akin to foot binding in the Far East, and it was equally harmful to the body. Foot binding led to foot deformities and impaired mobility, but corsets were far more dangerous, with the potential to be fatal when tightened too much.
Just as foot binding in the East was rumored to originate from the imperial court (attributed to Emperor Li Houzhu), the habit of wearing corsets in Europe was also said to have royal origins, possibly traced back to the French court.
The extreme tight-lacing of corsets intensified during the reign of Louis XV. It was believed that cinching the waist made the bust appear larger, and a slim waist was a symbol of beauty. Even today, people engage in games like trying to touch their belly buttons from behind.
However, the waists that could touch the belly button with ease in modern times would be considered excessively wide in this era's Europe. What was the standard waist size for European beauties during that time? Well, according to the French court, it was fourteen inches, which is approximately 35.56 centimeters. If we simplify it, envision the cross-section of a woman's waist during that period as a standard circle, and the diameter of that circle would be just over 11 centimeters.
It's easy to imagine that when the waist was constricted to such an extreme extent, the internal organs couldn't fit within this tiny 11-centimeter diameter space. This led to various health problems, from dizziness and fainting to death. Many classical European plays depicted young ladies fainting at the slightest excitement, and this was not an exaggeration but a common occurrence. Of course, intentional fainting in the arms of a loved one was a tactic employed by some young ladies.
Fanny's waist, however, did not conform to the standard, not even close. Perhaps her parents' excessive indulgence during her childhood had made them reluctant to cinch her waist tightly. As a result, her waist likely exceeded twenty inches, a slender figure by contemporary standards but a significant deviation from the norms of her time. Fanny had not yet found a suitable match, which might be partly attributed to this. Although her brother Armand often praised her beauty, in this era, Fanny couldn't be considered beautiful. Furthermore, her slightly thicker waist had deprived her of the ability to faint when necessary, a trait admired by some men of this era.
Joseph, coming from a future time, could not appreciate such a peculiar beauty. Whenever he encountered high-society women, he was baffled by their excessively slim waists, finding them aesthetically unpleasing and even disturbing. This might be one of the reasons why Joseph, despite numerous opportunities, remained single.
"Ah… Miss Fanny, I mean…" Joseph hesitated, "Oh, by the way, are you planning..."
Joseph stopped abruptly, fearing that Old Charles might overhear the rest of his words. So, the two continued walking in silence until they reached the entrance hall. Only then did Joseph finally ask, "Miss Fanny, did you forge Armand's letter?"
Fanny replied, "Yes. I used to help my brother with his writing, so I'm familiar with his handwriting and choice of words. My parents' health is not great. You saw my father earlier. My mother is even worse; she can't even get out of bed anymore, and she can't receive visitors. Ever since she learned about our uncle's execution, she's been like this. I can't let them know about my brother's fate."
Perhaps Fanny had been suppressing too much grief while concealing her brother's death and had been putting on a happy face in front of her family after receiving her brother's letter. This girl was holding back an overwhelming sorrow in her heart. Now, she had someone with whom she could discuss the unspeakable, and her tears began to flow.
Fanny didn't dare cry aloud, only silently weeping. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her shoulders trembled, much like a young sapling in a storm.
"Such a girl, if she were in modern times..." Joseph found himself inexplicably compassionate and tried to console her, "Miss Fanny, you shouldn't be too sad... There are some things..."
"Goodness, I have no idea what to say," Joseph thought. He reached into his pocket, but he didn't carry a handkerchief, so he found nothing. Helplessly, he watched Fanny cry. But when he saw Fanny crying so deeply, he couldn't help but extend a hand to stroke her flaxen hair.
Fanny quivered slightly but didn't push Joseph away or throw herself into his arms. She stood silently, weeping.
After some time, she managed to stop crying and, feeling embarrassed, said, "Sir, I'm sorry I couldn't control myself..."
Joseph awkwardly tried to console her, "It's alright. I'm a friend of Armand's; you can think of me as a brother..."
As soon as he said it, Joseph regretted it; it seemed like he had touched upon her grief. So, he quickly adopted another common approach – changing the subject.
"Miss Fanny, um... You can write and create, right? Have you read many books?"
"Well, I haven't read many books," Fanny replied.
"In that case, there's a job I'd like to entrust to you," Joseph said, while he wracked his brain to come up with something suitable for her. "Ah... I have some documents at my place that need reliable sorting. It's not too difficult, but it's quite tedious. Uneducated people can't handle it, and educated people aren't willing to do it. I don't have the time to do it myself. Ah, could you help me with this kind of work? I can pay you 300 livres per month. How does that sound?"
"Well, sir, I know that this salary is rather high," Fanny said, "but... I won't hide it from you. Due to my parents' illnesses, I really need money right now. I'll work hard, but I can't leave home."
"No problem. I'll have someone deliver the materials you need to sort. I'm leaving Paris in a few days and heading to London. Can I write to you?"
"Oh, of course. That's perfectly fine, sir."
"Also, um, Fanny, I don't want to bring up painful subjects, but do you know where Armand's grave is? If you have some free time in the next few days, could you take me to visit him?"