Béatrice Henriette de Joyeuse

Béatrice par Henri et Charles Beaubrun, c. 1652

**Béatrice, Marquise Douairière de Courcelles** (3rd March 1624 - Present) is a Vasttairian noblewoman, duchesse, and Première Dame d’Honneur to Mathilde de Bourgogne.

## Biography

### Marriage

The marriage of Mademoiselle de Grandpré was regarded as relatively unconventional. From her early years, she was known to be troublesome to care for, and went through a long list of governesses prior to her majority. However, enough was enough for Monsieur and Madame de Joyeuse when their daughter was found watching and laughing as the governess flogged herself. After strict questioning, the horrified parents discovered that Béatrice forced the governess into the degrading act. Firstly, they promptly fired the governess and paid her in return for silence, which she promptly accepted, retiring to her countryside of origin within the hour. As for the Mademoiselle, as to avoid suspicion, the Duc and Duchesse found acceptable marriages for both of their daughters. Much to the frustrations of their parents, her elder sister Émilie pleaded to reconsider her own betrothal in favor of a much more handsome suitor. Having always preferred their elder daughter, they begrudgingly accepted. Thus, Mademoiselle de Joyeuse was to marry the man of her choice, Jules-Cardin de Belloin, while Mademoise de Grandpré was promised to the much older and quite repulsive Louis Charles de Champlais. By the end of the month, the betrothals were both formally announced to the court of Philippe VIII.

Keen on getting Mademoiselle de Grandpré married off as soon as possible, in just months the dual wedding of their daughters was nearly complete. On the 12th of January 1640, however, Mademoiselle de Joyeuse's groom was found floating in a fountain on the Château's grounds. On the ledge of the fountain a suicide letter was discovered which detailed a dramatically tragic life yet named no exact reason for his tragic end. Evidently heartbroken, the elder sister Émilie blamed herself for the death and ultimately never married. Unbeknownst to both families, Béatrice had been the true perpetrator of the death--having drowned him in the dead of night and leaving both him and the forged suicide note at the scene. Unfortunately, with the wedding just a day away, it was far too late to cancel. Thus, they went ahead with the ceremony but kept it relatively remote and quaint.

All of the Joyeuse family was dressed in black for the wedding except for the remaining bride and groom, who were both described as wearing pale blue silk with golden damask thread in a mixture of French and Dutch noble styles. It was said as well that, despite the untimely death of her future brother-in-law and marriage, she hadn't frowned nor smiled once during the entire ceremony. Out of respect for the deceased groom and devastated bride, the Duc and Duchesse de Joyeuse canceled the wedding reception of their younger daughter. It's unlikely that the marriage had been consummated that night, and it was rumored that the thirty-one-year-old Marquis de Courcelles was incredibly cruel to his young wife, said to be of large statue and abusive to her at times. The newly named Marquise thus often found pleasure in the company of men at court, and especially male courtesans in Paris who often disappeared soon after their meetings.

### Maternity

Several years had passed since the wedding of Monsieur le Marquis de Courcelles and Béatrice, yet no children had been produced from the union as of 1645. By the fifth year of marriage, the woman had engaged in several extramarital affairs, which entangled her in several secret relationships and awkward dynamics. In particular, however, the Marquise had become enchanted by a particular member at court, Fontaine Perrault. He was one of many guards in the household of the Comte de Champagne at the time, Philippe III de Blois. The man was described as having fiery red hair and bright blue eyes and was particularly handsome for a man of his social status. Because of his ties to the household of her uncle, the relationship was far from easy to keep quiet, which made it all the more enticing to them. The affair had become especially complicated when the Marquise was found to be pregnant with her first child. Unbeknownst to the Marquis de Courcelles, the child growing in her womb was not his, and instead the product of her affair with Fontaine. Much to her pleasure, during the pregnancy, her husband's cruelty lessened, and he instead opted to shower her wife in presents. Thanks to the lack of modern technology and knowledge that would've made the illegitimacy of her child quite obvious, the birth of her eldest son raised no eyebrows and pleased both the Marquis and Marquise. The child was, at the suggestion of his mother, named Antoine Scipion for a distant relative of the Joyeuse family. He was said to be a "brutal warlord," and killed "without distinction of age and sex." during the wars of religion. His cruelty, however, came to a sorrowful end when the man committed suicide via drowning after his regime lost a battle. In fact, more questions were asked about Béatrice's name selection rather than the entirely different features the infant possessed.

Most women, after birthing a secret illegitimate child, typically broke off the affair with the true father of their child. However, the birth of a child only renewed the Marquise's affections for Fontaine. Out of fear of what his fate would be had the secret ever been found out, the guard had suggested their affair be put to an end. Initially, she had reluctantly agreed to his suggestion and surprisingly had not murdered the man out of grief. However, following the death of her uncle, the Comte de Champagne, their affair began again on the night of his funeral in November of 1646. Once again, to their shock, the Marquise once again became pregnant with Fontaine's child. And much like last time, the Marquis was said to be quite pleased with his wife and offered her many gifts. In August of the following year, her second son was born and offered the name Camille Albert, in honor of the Marquis de Courcelles' younger brother Camille de Champlais. This boy, much like the first, possessed the fiery red hair and baby blue eyes of his true father. Rather than putting their affair to an end, the Marquise and Fontaine continued their dalliances, which went on to produce a third son in 1649. He was named Louis Charles for the Marquis de Courcelles.

As a mother, the Marquise de Courcelles was described as being intensely devoted, yet there was always an odd distance between the woman and her three children. She showered them with affection and gave them all they could ever want, yet there was no love to be found. In the months following her husband's suspicious disappearance and death, Béatrice took full advantage of the power she now possessed over her sons, with money slowly emptying from her sons' treasury and inheritance.

### Second Marriage

In the months following the untimely death of the Marquis de Courcelles,

## Character Synopsis

### Appearance

Alongside her sister, the Marquise Douairière de Courcelles was regarded as a beauty of Charles XI's imperial court, described as being fair skinned. Rather than using rouge to redden her face, Béatrice, much like many women at court, opted to pinch her cheeks as to not over-do the look that using rouge would offer. Her lips, however, were of medium size, and she often applied makeup to them. She was of average height, standing at a mere 5'4 in heels. Her curvy figure was said to be akin to that of the women painted by Peter Paul Ruben, a style which was coined as "Rubensian," His paintings were said to emphasize the concepts of fertility, desire, physical beauty, temptation, and virtue. All of which the woman was *thought* to embody. At the very least, she was desirable, having been known to entertain men of all statuses. Her hair was her biggest disadvantage, being a deep brown, rather than the preferred blonde. Her wavy hair was curled each morning and worn naturally just below her shoulders. Unlike her mistress, Mathilde de Bourgogne, Madame de Courcelles decorated herself in the most expensive jewels her pensions could offer, with an expansive wardrobe to match. Overall, it is no wonder that the woman is so elevated amongst the nobility of Vasttaire.

## Issue

Although recognized by her husband Louis Charles de Champlais, it's likely that her children by him were all of illegitimate birth.

* Antoine Scipion de Champlais, Marquis de Courcelles (12th April 1646 - Present)
* Camille Albert de Champlais, Chevalier de Courcelles (20th August 1647 - Present)
* Louis Charles de Champlais, Seigneur de Passay (21st May 1649 - Present)

With her second husband François-Christophe de Lévis:

* François-Marguerite de Lévis, Marquis de Maillebois (16th November 1652 - Present)

## Titles and Styles

* **3rd March 1624 - 13th January 1640:** *Mademoiselle de Grandpré*
* **13th January 1640 - 23rd January 1651:** *Madame la* Marquise de Courcelles
* **23rd January 1651 - Present:** *Madame la* Marquise Douairière de Courcelles
* **6th April 1652 - Present:** *Sa Grâce* Madame la Duchesse de Damville, Vice-reine de Nouvelle-France