The Portrait Of Evienne

Author's Note

The idea for "The Portrait Of Evienne" came to me while I was doing two things. I was plotting out the final chapters for the first book of "Immortally Beloved" shortly after watching a show on television called "Genius". This past season was about famed painter Pablo Picasso, whose personal life and struggles with mistaking sex for artistic inspiration gave him the reputation for being a narcissist. If the show is in any way accurate, every bit of criticism calling him "difficult" and "self-absorbed" is well-deserved.

Each of Picasso's women looked remarkably alike. He favoured Frenchwomen with black hair, porcelain complexions, and classically beautiful features. I immediately thought, "He would love Eleni."

It worked out with neither the timeline nor her personality to have Eleni entangled in the world of Pablo Picasso, though I haven't completely ruled it out. However, it did give birth to the type of woman who would adore being admired, painted, and want her figure to be seen all over Paris--even if accompanied by disreputable remarks and salacious offers.

Thus, Evienne was born. Known as the Marquise de Roussel, she makes a cameo appearance in "Immortally Beloved", when Eleni is not impressed with the arrival of Evienne. Evienne is meant to become Eleni's sister-in-law.

Whether or not she ever does, the reader will have to wait and see. She maintains a connection to the Vigneron family, as well as to many important people in Europe during the 1700's and 1800's. Like Eleni, Evienne is struggling to survive the French Revolution with her head, her life, and a few shreds of dignity intact.

Unlike Eleni, Evienne is the daughter of a minor nobleman who has his own set of problems. Titles do not necessarily put people in the same class or social circle. Evienne's connection to the court and prospects for marriage are limited. She does not have the same sort of beauty and charm as Eleni does, though it may be argued she is a shrewder character, one who knows how to curtsy to the Queen and run a scam at the same time. There is something about her character that jumped out and demanded to be more than just one of many women in the "Immortally Beloved" series that Eleni would see as rivals and end up sending away.

This is a piece of historical fiction, and though dates, events, and actual people are meant to be portrayed with some realism, Evienne de Roussel never existed. She is inspired by many women of the French Court between the mid-1500's to the mid-1800's, including Diane de Poitiers, Jeanne du Barry, the de Mailly sisters, and other women who--successfully or not-- influenced politics greatly from the bedchambers of Kings and Dauphins.

"The Portrait Of Evienne" begins during the era of Louis XV of France, known by many as "Louis The Beloved". His reign was long, he sired more children (both legitimate and illegitimate) than even a King could afford to raise within the Court of Versailles. The story begins near the end of his life, and the ascension in popularity of Madame du Barry, Louis XVI, and the arrival of the haughty Austrian Archduchess, Marie-Antoinette, to Court. Evienne's story is the beginning of the end for the French aristocracy and the Bourbon monarchy, even though they don't yet know this. Like Eleni, Evienne is partially a victim of terrible timing. Had she been born a century earlier, she would have likely had a different story to tell.

Princesse Anne-Camille is purely fictional and is based on the lives of multiple daughters of Louis XVI. Many, sadly, died rather young and most lived as spinsters for lack of eligible suitors for the daughters of a King during the era. The King's younger daughters, Adelaide and Victoire, would come to be known as very severe Mesdames, and would live out their years in the Court of Louis XVI.

Most of Europe's muses, mistresses, and secret advisors to powerful men have been sadly forgotten. This is a shame because many have fascinating, soap-opera style stories that are far better than fiction. Evienne was created so that the spirits of those women who traded respectability for admiration and passive-aggressive power in an era when women had so little would live on.

This is a less elaborate story than "Immortally Beloved", but hopefully no less enjoyable. The word count on the chapters will be more consistent with "Wattpad style". It is a project I hope to see flourish during NaNoWriMo, in November, though I'm not the sort to rush to write a novel in a month. We'll see how it goes!

Please, give me your responses, feedback, observations, reads, comments, and votes--if you're so inclined! This is a bit of a deviation from my normal style, so all engagement and feedback helps.

My first cover was done by @booklover4lifes ! She is a talented artist who brought the physical concept of Evienne (unlike many of my other characters, I'd never modeled her to get a feel for what she'd look like) to life. I decided to go in a slightly darker and period-inspired direction that puts the focus on beauty in strength, rather than the romantic, but I will add a chapter to this book and Immortally Beloved for former covers. :)

The current cover is done by TheTigerWriter, who is well known for her writing, but does beautiful cover design as well! When I made a note that I loved her aesthetic but she had no redheads, a collection was created, including this one, so thank you. <3 There are a few over there I wish I had books for, because the covers are stunning