Peeking Under the Covers

Chapter 6 This time, unlike her arrival, Suzy did not linger, and   she quickly descended the stairs. A fiery flame flushed her cheeks, so fierce that the cold air striking her face, when she found herself in the Avenue du Bois, was powerless to calm the burning. An indignation bubbled up within her, and she shivered, diminishing the irrational sensation that pursued her upon leaving Madame de Vricourt's house. Feverishly she began to walk straight ahead, without even thinking where she was going, so absorbed was she by the memory of the interview she had just endured. “Oh, never! I will never repeat such an ordeal!” she murmured passionately, her lips trembling, her soul bruised. “Never again! It's too terrible!” With a gesture of anguish, she twisted her slender fingers that had just played Chopin's Preludes with such talent.  “It’s terrible,” she repeated, as if these words summed up all her thoughts on the matter. Inside herself, Suzy experienced an urgent need for happ...

At the end of Chapter 5, we find Suzy in a bit of a predicament. Hope's for her family's financial future hinged on her meeting with Mme. Vricourt, a meeting that ended up going poorly for our dear Suzy. I sense she feels a bit lost by the end of this chapter. She feels she has failed her mother, failed her family's financial future, and even doubts her own talents when it comes to the idea of making a living. Even though Suzy knows that taking any kind of working position would beneath her station in life, she seems to take the challenge head-on, and I like this about her. What will Suzy's next steps be? Will she return home, lick her wounds, but get right back out there and try again with another family? Will she lie to her mother, and make it look like she has gotten a position teaching piano until one finally turns up for her? Or, perhaps, might she have a chance encounter with the mysterious Lady Graham? Let's dive into Chapter 6 to find out! Chapter 6: Cast of...

  Chapter 5 continued... “I prefer to warn you straight away, Mademoiselle, that I can only accept propositions that are very…understated because they are lessons for children whose work does not require much of the teacher's talent. In addition, the people who have already been sent to me have not been very demanding in their requests.” Suzy looked bewildered at the elegant young woman who was speaking like this, in the middle of this luxurious room where the smallest trinkets were expensive objects. A frank retort crossed her mind, invading her with a bitter feeling of contempt. Fortunately, a discreet knock at the door of the drawing room stopped all words on Suzy’s lips. “Who is it?” Madame de Vricourt said impatiently. “Come in.” The footman appeared in the half-opened doors. “Madame's carriage is on its way.” “Good, well,” she said. “I'm busy. You mustn't disturb me.” She turned back to Suzy, who was waiting, as unyielding as a young fighting cock. “Ah, I forgot, ...