Upon Your Return Read Free

feet. She picked up the dressing gown which lay near the bed, gathered it around her, and pulled the string tight. At the basin, she splashed water on her face and toweled it dry. She finished her morning ritual by dragging a brush through her unruly length of auburn curls. Then, she reached over and pulled the cord.
    Within a few minutes, a maid entered demurely . It was not Rosalie. “ Mademoiselle ?”
    She tried to hide her disappointment that her nursemaid had not appeared. “I wish a gown please.”
    “Of course. Your uncle is expecting you at the breakfast table.” The maid, an average-sized woman with plain features and brown hair shoved beneath a white cap, shuffled around and removed a crimson colored dress from a set of drawers. She began to shake out the wrinkles.
    “Oh? I thought perhaps he would have business to tend to.”
    “Usually he appears at breakfast, but rarely for dinner unless he does not have plans.”
    “I see.” Fara swallowed back the dread of having to appear before her uncle again. Averting her thoughts, she watched the maid working. “What is your name?”
    “Marie, at your service, Mademoiselle .”
    She smiled pleasantly and took the woman's hand. “It is good to meet you, Marie.”
    The maid blushed and busied herself with helping Fara into the gown.
    When she was prepared for breakfast, Fara thanked Marie and left the room. As she ascended the stairs, a chill ran over her arms, dousing them with goose bumps. Her uncle was not a terrible man, she supposed, only difficult to approach. She doubted they would ever be close.
    When she rounded the corner and came to the door of the dining room, her hand rested on the knob, lingering on its cold metal. Her uncle would be her sole caretaker now. She was his responsibility until one day when he would relinquish her to another man. The very thought filled her with terror.
    Why did they have to die? Why couldn't her life go back to the way it was?
    She shook her head. There was no use lamenting things she could not change.
    She would never forget her parents. But, perhaps she could learn to love her uncle in time. And he might feel the same in return one day.
    Her heart clenched on the hope of future happiness and she turned the knob, and then stepped into the room. She sat down with the assistance of a butler and glanced across the table at her uncle. He was reading a newspaper. When he glanced up, she thought she saw surprise in his eyes.
    “Good morning, Fara.”
    Her heart soared. “Good morning, oncle .”

Chapter One
     
    April 12, 1863
     
    “Oh, dear, did you see the Follets the other day? I'm surprised they have the nerve to show their faces.”
    Fara Bellamont nodded to Juliet Masson and attempted a smile. The chandelier lighting cast a harsh light over the dinner party this evening. The tapestry panels about the room depicted a floral motif; huge bouquets of flowers against a crimson and ivory background. There were twelve people at the dining table, mostly comprised of her uncle's business partners and their wives and daughters. There were also a few available gentlemen whom her uncle occasionally consorted with.
    She then heard an unforgivable giggle from her female companion. Focusing her attention on her plate of chicken almondine and roasted potatoes, she tried to ignore the ruckus the lady to her left caused. Juliet must have had too much wine; most young women her age refused to gossip at dinner parties, especially if men were present. Usually that kind of talk was reserved for the parlor or at tea.
    The woman began to laugh uncontrollably. “Oh, Monsieur ! You are too much!”
    Good Lord. What is she about? Fara hadn't heard either a flattering or humorous comment all evening. Most of the talk had been about the political uncertainty, it being a time of war. The gentlemen were concerned about invasion. Surprise attacks were known to happen, especially if the emperor's ambitions were getting out of hand.
    The gentleman