Book #1: Suzy's Dream (Chapter 5 - Part 3)

 Chapter 5 continued...

The first time, she walked past the front door, not daring to enter. Then, ashamed of her hesitations, she returned, and quickly, to remove herself from the opportunity of reflection, she asked the dignified concierge about Madame de Vricourt.

“Madame hasn’t come out yet,” he said, then directed her. “On the first floor.” 

Suzy said a brief thank you. She blamed herself for the fact that her voice sounded weak. To give herself time to calm down, she slowly climbed the stairs, feeling a little numb from the shade and the warmth of the entrance hall after having left the outside cold.

However little her feet touched the steps, she reached a high door too soon, the dark woodwork standing out against the lighter curtains against the wall. Her heart still beat so strong, and so much so that she could have counted the pulsations. Her cheeks burned. 

I'm going to be ridiculously red, she angrily thought. I never thought it was possible for me to be so afraid. Maman, my darling, how I wish you were with me!

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Footsteps resounded downstairs, in the hallway. She feared that she would be surprised and found motionless in front of this closed door. Unhesitatingly, she rang the bell.

After a moment of waiting and then a parting of the heavy draperies, there appeared the correct and impassive face of a valet de chambre. 

“Is Madame de Vricourt receiving anyone this morning?” Suzy asked when the door opened.

“Madame de Vricourt is going out. But would Madame like to give her name?”

Suzy smiled faintly at the title “Madame” which had rarely been addressed to her. For a second, and somewhat amused, she forgot her heightened emotion. She handed her card to the servant, with a note of introduction written by Madame de Guernes. 

“Please, give this card to Madame de Vricourt.”

Her voice shook a little. It seemed to her that it was someone other than herself who was in this strange waiting area. A vision of the real Suzy came to her mind, who, laughing, played tennis under the shade of the lime trees. The Suzy who had no greater concern in her mind than that of winning a game. Had this happy Suzy disappeared forever?

The servant showed her into a little drawing room, which had the appearance of a museum in miniature. Works of art, bronzes, statues, and pictures were scattered in a learned disorder, amid an abundance of green plants.

She was able to contemplate at leisure all the expensive trinkets adorning the tables and shelves. Ten minutes later the door of the drawing room opened, revealing a small, unattractive woman with a bored expression on her pale face.

She was in her going-out clothes, dressed in a fur-trimmed coat made of heavy silk, half thrown back, freeing her shoulders. Upon entering, the woman placed on a table a notebook emblazoned with a coat of arms and her gloves. 

Suzy stood up. Daylight fell through a high window, enveloping her.

The young woman gave Suzy a slight bow, strictly polite, nothing more. With a quick glance—one full of surprise—Madame de Vricourt examined Suzy, as if puzzled by her appearance. No doubt, Suzy did not seem to resemble that of a young girl without fortune, eager to find lessons to teach.

“Is it not you, Mademoiselle, who has been recommended to me by Madame de Guernes, a friend of my mother-in-law?”

“Yes, Madame,” Suzy said as politely as she could.

“You are a music teacher? Have you been teaching for a long time?”

The young woman's voice was direct, a little haughty even. Suzy's pride awoke in the depths of her heart, but she courageously controlled herself.

“I have yet to give lessons, Madame. Until now, I have worked on my own music education and attended the Conservatoire. But unforeseen circumstances this winter...”

She paused for a second. Her heart started beating furiously again. It seemed to her that this disdainful woman would surely notice it. 

“But unforeseen circumstances have given me the desire to use what talent I possess. Madame de Guernes has been kind enough to recommend me to you, Madame,” Suzy said, finishing quickly.

“Indeed, I am looking for someone who can take care of the musical education of my two daughters. The eldest is twelve years old and already plays very well. Only, I am afraid, Mademoiselle, that although I have never taught, you are a little inexperienced. I must also tell you that I already have a few other people in mind.”

Suzy's heart sank. Her mother wished so much that she would succeed. And she, Suzy, had such a desire to soften Madame Douvry's anxieties. Without knowing why, she thought of Georges de Flers who, five weeks earlier, had been so attentive to her and welcomed the slightest word she addressed to him as a favor. How distant that time seemed to her suddenly.

A poignant emotion tightened her throat, but she continued, nonetheless.

“I have never, in fact, given lessons in unfamiliar houses, Madame, but I have two little sisters whose work I have always supervised.”

“Oh, really! So, you're not quite a novice. I will ask you then, Mademoiselle, what are your conditions?”

A fiery flush invaded Suzy's face. This question of money was a torment for her. Nervously, she clasped her hands together, while Madame de Vricourt continued in her measured and cold tone.

Le rêve de Suzy is in the public domain. All original additions, including translations, illustrations and chapter summaries, are copyright © 2025 by Marriah K. Nissen and may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. All rights reserved.