Читать книгу Forget-Me-Not - Bowen Marjorie - Страница 12

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Mademoiselle Lucille was not wholly occupied in her labours; now that she had surrounded herself with reliable underlings she had a great deal of leisure. This was devoted to the children.

There were visits to the grandfather, the magnificent Maréchal Comte Frediani del Marco, to the grandmother, the blind Dowager Madame du Boccage who lived with her son, Comte Edouard, recently betrothed to the exquisite Mademoiselle Schickler; to the pretty, blonde married aunts, all of whom had made brilliant marriages when the Revolution of July brought the House of Montlosier du Boccage a position of wealth and splendour.

And it was not difficult for a clever young woman to find constant amusements for five lively children, the eldest of whom was only twelve, when she had so many resources and unlimited money at her disposal. The little Marquis, Philippe Joseph, was as delighted as his eldest sisters, Isabelle, Cesarine, to visit General Tom Thumb again and again at the Theatre du Vaudeville, or to drive in the Bois in the hopes of seeing him in his azure carriage drawn by the six white ponies. Even the two younger children, Gaston, Laure, enjoyed the fairy pantomime, La Biche au bois, at the Porte St. Martin and they all looked forward to the opening of the Hippodrome, which they were driven to see being built at the barrière de L'Étoile, and delighted in the concerts, marionette shows and diversions Mademoiselle Lucille never failed to find. There were brief visits to Tortoni's, to the restaurant Royale, for an ice, a shop, in the company of the dandies, and the society men and women; and Mademoiselle was always so gay, kind, loving and charming that the happy children did not notice that they were seeing scarcely anything of their mother.