Laurette Blythe

## Laurette Thérèse Blythe

**Princess Laurette Thérèse Blythe (née Givenchy), Duchess of Cambridge** is a protagonist in *The Governess.* She is the wife of Edward Blythe.

## Biography

### Early Life

Laurette was born on December 16, 1791, in Paris, France, where she resided at Rodin House. She lived with her mother Lady Sophie Therese Givenchy, her father Lord Philip Francois Givenchy, her older sister Marguerite Helene Givenchy, and her younger brother Louis Philip Givenchy. She spent most of her childhood playing in the gardens of her home with her siblings, as well as learning to read, write, sing, and play the piano.

Later in her youth, she was given a governess named Camille, who taught her how to be a proper lady. Laurette dedicated herself to her studies and succeeded in becoming a proper lady.

In 1810, when Laurette was nineteen, her family travelled to London on vacation, where they stayed in the home of her father's childhood friend. While there, Laurette became acquainted with the ton and was named the season's diamond, where she met Prince Edward Blythe, who had recently inherited the title of Duke from his father. Laurette made sure to return to visit Edward as many times as she could and the two quickly fell in love.

When Edward proposed, Laurette was nervous about what her parents say, as they had not had a proper courtship. To her surprise, her parents were elated and supported the marriage. When Laurette fell pregnant out of wedlock, they quickly married and she moved into Blenheim in a hope to cover up the illegitimacy. This made Laurette a princess and the Duchess of Cambridge.

Shortly after moving into Blenheim, Laurette was introduced to Lord Johnathan Harrington and his wife Lady Georgina Harrington. Laurette and Georgina quickly became close friends.

### *The Governess*

By the time of *The Governess*, in 1812, Laurette has been living at Blenheim for a year and a half. By now she has given birth to her and Edward's daughter, Marie-Louise Blythe, and is five months into expecting their second child.

Laurette first appears on her way to visit the Harrington family at Buscot. On her way inside the house, she is nearly hit in the face by a ball. John and Margaret Curry run straight for her, narrowly avoiding crashing into her. This frightens Laurette, who believes the children to be street urchins as a result of their dirty clothes. She runs inside to inform Georgina of what happened and finds her in her dressing chamber with her lady-in-waiting, Rachel. Laurette explains to Georgina what happened and her friend is at first skeptical. Laurette scolds her for her disbelief and eventually agrees to Georgina's suggestion of visiting their husbands and children to calm down. They find their husbands in the parlor, and Georgina explains what happened on Laurette's behalf. Edward suggests going outside for fresh air when he notices Laurette is close to tears, which she agrees to. Once outside, Laurette sees the children once more, this time fighting with each other. She points them out, begging Johnathan to do something.

After Georgina reveals that they live at Alderley, as their mother, Mrs. Curry, is the new governess, Edward and Laurette decide they should return home. Laurette is worried that Edward is angry with her, and avoids him until dinner. Once at dinner, she asks if he is mad, and he assures her he is not. She then asks if he believes she acted out of place, and when he tells her yes Laurette realizes that she had embarrassed him. Feeling guilty, she stares down at her lap and when she tries to protest that Edward had not seen how the children had acted, he cuts her off by questioning how she thought two children could harm her. Laurette is hurt by this and tells him that he is not fit to comment on something he had not been a part of. When Edward asks her to see things from his perspective, she promises him she is trying but that all she can see are the two children running at her. Seeing that the two of them are growing more and more frustrated, Laurette concedes that perhaps she had overreacted. The two manage to laugh about the situation, but as Laurette goes to bed she realizes that the Mrs. Curry is a poor mother and should not be a governess, resolving to have her removed from Alderley.

## Personality

Laurette is a headstrong, stubborn, and determined woman. She is well-meaning but often confuses her personal wants for what she believes is best for others. As described by Georgina, Laurette is a fiery and outspoken, yet kind and endearing young lady. Her most notable trait is her temper, which is both strong and unpredictable. Laurette herself is aware of her temper, but she admits that it is uncontrollable and a great insecurity of hers. Despite this, she is a lady to a T and is both classic and posh. She takes great pride in her outfits and puts great effort into them. Laurette is very motherly, both to her own daughter and the children of others. By the end of the book, Laurette's personality changes slightly as she learns that what she believes is right isn't always what's truly best for others.

## Trivia

* Her name was originally going to be Sadie.
* Laurette is ashamed to admit that she does not want Lillian and Samuel to follow in the footsteps of her and Edward, as she believes it would hurt his feelings.
* She will always feel slightly hurt at her family's eagerness for her to move out.
* Laurette did truly believe that removing the Currys from Alderley was what was best for the Harringtons, however, it was mostly a personal vendetta, she just didn't realize it.
* She found the name Evelina for her daughter after Fanny Burney's *Evelina: Or, the History of a Young Lady's Entrance Into the World.*