The Madrigal of Vertilene and Ambrose

Sometimes the expression of passion doesn't always have a happy ending.

Vertilene Eudora Renton has always been the center of attention wherever she goes �" and rightly so. She's charming, clever, but not so much so that men find her an intellectual threat. She's kind, generous, always up on the latest gossip. Her mother's tea parties and socials are always the place to be. And on top of all of these wonderful qualities, she's beautiful. Stunning, even. And what physical attributes might not be the height of perfection, she has an innate talent for enhancing with color, clothing, hairstyle, and cosmetics. She's the perfect society lady, even now before she is, in society's eyes, a lady, only permitted to attend parties with her very proud parents.

Which is why, at the tender age of sixteen, thirty-two year old Major General Ambrose Merritt Lebrocq becomes infatuated with her.

Vertilene can't help being flattered, even if she had actually wanted to. The truth is, Ambrose Lebrocq is one of the most decorated, celebrated officers of his time �" and still relatively young at that. His family has always done well and is well-respected in most circles of society. Which is why Vertilene just doesn't understand why her own parents suddenly become seemingly preoccupied with the question of continuing to extend invitations to him.

“We cannot simply stop inviting him,” she hears her father insist while discussing the guest list for their upcoming ball. “What would people say?”

“What would they say if our daughter were to be courted by one of them?”

“A flight of fancy,” her father dismisses. “It will come to nothing, I promise you. A man like that would never seriously consider our daughter a prospect. My darling, take my word: Vertilene is in no more danger than you are from that man.”

From the sound of the sniff Vertilene's mother answers with, she isn't very convinced. However, when the guests begin arriving for the ball, it's clear who came out the victor in that argument.

Vertilene wastes only enough time to not seem improperly eager before having Jedediah (a recently rediscovered friend) escort her over to the Major General to properly greet him. He is just as sincere and flattering as she remembers him being and all she can think is that it won't be hard at all for her to prove her father wrong; after all, what man in their right mind WOULDN'T want to consider her a serious prospect? She has it on good authority, in fact, that there are several right there at the ball that would kill to be in Ambrose's place. But, unfortunately for them, her parents actually approve of most of them; besides, none of them are anywhere near as charming or handsome as the Major General.

Vertilene really only pays the other young gentlemen any mind out of social obligation and to assure her parents that she isn't treating Ambrose with any special intentions. This becomes harder as the season goes on and Vertilene starts finding herself eager to see Ambrose more than simply to defy her parents. By spending so much time with him, Vertilene learns what a good, honest, hard-working man he is. He is surprisingly easy to smile and ever thoughtful to Vertilene's wants and needs; though even she can admit that he would do well to be a bit more mindful of common social mores. Still, it only serves to confuse Vertilene more as to why they dislike Ambrose so vehemently.

By the time the Rentons realize what is going on, their daughter is already too fond of the Major General for any warning to do much good. Which, of course, doesn't mean that they don't try; but once she's turned seventeen and had her Coming Out, they have very little control over the invitations Vertilene receives and answers. The most troubling to them being the weekly teas with Miss Geneve Umbrell.

At first they think their daughter is merely doing the woman a kindness �" after all, a woman who has been of marriageable age for so long and yet remains quite single isn’t often welcomed into society with open arms. But upon wondering and looking into why Miss Umbrell has taken such a sudden interest in their daughter, they soon discover that Geneve Umbrell is dear friends with Major General Ambrose Lebrocq.

Despite the social stigma of spending many an afternoon with a well-known spinster, Vertilene finds herself looking forward to her teas with Ambrose and his friends more than any of her regular engagements. Geneve is a surprisingly entertaining hostess, pretty in an understated way and remarkably cunning in her small talk. There are times when Vertilene thinks that the only reason Geneve isn't married is because most of her prospects have been too intimidated by her. In almost no time at all, Vertilene finds herself nearly as taken with Geneve as the very man these teas were set up to help her see more.

Though, she must admit, if only to herself, Vertilene finds she enjoys Geneve's company more when Ambrose has business elsewhere; he is clearly very fond of her, which is only understandable given what close friends they are. But sometimes Vertilene simply can't help feeling a little bit jealous of her.

So when the chance to see Ambrose without Geneve to host the meeting comes, Vertilene is more than eager to take it. Naturally her parents disapprove of the entire affair, but since the invitation comes as an opportunity for some of Ambrose's closest friends to meet another old friend of his �" now a renowned opera singer �" they have few reasons to make her miss such an exciting event. So long, they negotiate, as she's escorted by Jedediah.

The gathering is a small, intimate affair, starting with an elegant dinner and followed by a retiring to Ambrose's drawing room for a brief, private performance by the guest of honor, accompanied on the piano by Ambrose's younger sister. However, as talented as Mr. Northrup is, Vertilene can't keep her eyes from drifting to Ambrose the whole evening.

When the guests finally begin breaking up, Vertilene designs to stay behind. It's a simple thing to convince Jedediah to go home to his baby, assuring him that she'll be along soon in a cab. Ambrose reassures him that he'll see to Vertilene's safe return and, before she knows it, Vertilene is finally alone with Ambrose.

The attraction between them comes to a passionate head that night. And when Vertilene is on her way home in one of Ambrose's own carriages making final retouches to her hair, she realizes that her parents had been right to be afraid for her. But, for the time-being, she can't quite bring herself to care.

It feels like nearly a lifetime later that Vertilene's mother, worried over the persistent nausea that's lately been plaguing her daughter, has called on the family physician. He assures her mother that likely it's only a bit of stress from over-excitement �" he sees it quite often in new debutantes in their first years taking up social obligations they hadn't realized would be so taxing. After the examination, however, he isn't quite so flippant about his patient's condition.

Vertilene is sure that she's never seen her parents so angry in her life.

That night, she borrows a plain walking dress from one of the maids and makes her way to the Lebrocq house in secret. Ambrose is understandably surprised to see her, but doesn't hesitate to invite her inside.

“What in the world are you doing here at this late hour? This is hardly proper.”

She can hear the warm teasing in his voice and, where once it would have made her laugh in pleasure, now it only further angers her, “Oh, you're certainly one to speak of propriety.”

The sharp retort only surprises and hurts Ambrose, she can see that clearly in his eyes. But it does nothing to either quell her anger nor make her feel any better.

“Vertie? Has something happened? What's the matter?”

“You! The answer to both questions is you!” He only stares at her, baffled and hurt, so she presses on. “My parents warned me to stay away from you, Ambrose Lebrocq. I should have listened to them! Then I wouldn't be in this state!”

“What state?” Ambrose begs her, taking her by the shoulders with an air of desperation. “I don't understand, Vertilene. My dear, what has happened?”

“Again, I tell you, you have happened! Ambrose Lebrocq, I am with child!”

He is speechless again, but not for long, “This cannot- … Whose-”

Vertilene cuts off the rest of his question with an outraged slap, losing whatever sense of decorum she may have been trying to save shoving the Major General with all of her might.

“How dare you?! You know as well as I do whose child it is! Is that the sort of woman you take me for?! Is THAT why you pursued me, you vicious, lying pig!”

Ambrose grabs her wrists and stills the rest of her with a sharp, “Vertilene! Cease this at once! This mad behavior is unbecoming of a woman of your station!” It's the same tone of voice he uses on his subordinates, but even as he softens seeing the tears in her eyes, he feels no remorse for it. Releasing her hands and turning his back to her to look up at his parents' portrait over the fire, he tries to decide how to approach this exceedingly sensitive turn of events.

“My apologies, Vertilene. I did not mean to imply such things about your character. You're correct, of course: I am … intimately aware of who the child's father is.” The almost mindless apology allows Ambrose to get much more important thoughts together to come up with a solution that had really been the obvious answer from the moment Vertilene had confessed (or accused).

Ambrose turns back to her and, with a note of somber triumph, informs Vertilene, “Tomorrow, I will go to your father and ask him for your hand in marriage.”

“No!”

The vehemence behind the single syllable is what brings Ambrose up short, but she doesn't give him a chance to assure her that it's natural to feel confused and scared, given the circumstances.

“I don't want to marry you! I will never marry you! My parents told me who you work for, now I know for certain why they wanted to keep you away from me! And now you know: My parents will never allow you to marry me �" never!”

Ambrose's eyes narrow, but Vertilene only turns and runs off into the night. He does not follow.

Over the next few days, Ambrose meets with Geneve to seek her advice and she goes with him to call on the Rentons. No one is surprised by how long it takes for a solution to be agreed upon by all parties involved.

Within a week's time, high society is abuzz with the news of a wedding and a potential engagement. The Rentons, it seems, have invited widower, Jedediah Lidgett, to their mountain cottage to encourage a proposal to their daughter they're confident is but a heartbeat away. Even more intriguing, though, is that, because of their dear friendship with Vertilene, Geneve Umbrell will be joining them with her soon-to-be husband, Major General Lebrocq. Presumably, the Rentons hope that the puppy love of a newly married couple will inspire Jedediah's proposal and Vertilene's acceptance to come all the quicker.

Some of the more ruthless gossipers suspect that the Rentons are looking in the wrong place for romantic inspiration, however. Surely no one could be inspired by a couple who have obviously only married because they'd soon be too old to do so.

These will be the people most surprised when Mr. and Mrs. Ambrose Lebrocq return from the mountains with little baby Harrison Merritt Lebrocq.