Vivienne's parents found the perfect house. A stunning Nineteenth Century Victorian at Rue Renaud, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
One of those houses with personality and vibe; good enough to charm even a reluctant teen into moving to what she dubbed th...
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What does a house dream about? Happier days, when its walls were not haunted by the cries of the dead, the days before the picture box got buried within the walls...
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Ever since the 1700s, the Renaud family were notorious politicians and legal folk in the French territories. For years, the colonial authorities believed them traitors, but the Renaud outsmarted every suspicion. They played their cards right, and at great risk, stood with those whom history would designate as winners. At the dawn of the 19th century, they abandoned their loyalty to France in exchange for a guaranteed United States' citizenship.
Soon enough, they proved their worth as newly minted Americans.
At least two of their well-known lawyers gave legal advice to the presidential branch. They spent countless days looking for a strategy that would allow the government of a young and ambitious nation to find a provision for the purchase of French territories. They had a way with words, and a good sense for money ventures. Due to their diligence, the federal government trusted to make a handsome offer on the cancellation of foreign debt for the troubled European country.
As a result, the United States added over two million square kilometers in extension with the purchase of Louisiana. The Renaud were paid not only with well-deserved recognition, but also with land in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
As successful as they were, it was not enough. In those times, no success story could be considered complete without wedding bells. That was a responsibility that fell upon the emerging generation, safe and secured by the wealth acquired by those before them.
When Claudette Deschamps married Pierre, the youngest of the Renaud, in St. Louis Cathedral, both families were at the top of their influence. The marriage contract was advertised through the state, and the high end of society waited to see what sort of extravagant gift the Renaud would bestow upon one of the South's most coveted brides.
The gift was carefully chosen. A house, to establish a legacy.
The young bride, a New Orleans native, fell in love with the house in Baton Rouge. It was, after all, a gift from a doting father-in-law, a building that came to be taking in consideration all her needs. The construction was announced on the day of the couple's engagement, and the house was ready within the space of a year. It was presented to the couple three days before the wedding. Room after room was unveiled, under the vigilant eye of Claudette's father, who approved of it as much as his daughter did.
The very first conversation about the future of the family took place in the foyer. Pierre Renaud informed Deschamps that it was agreed Baton Rouge would be more suitable for raising a family. The young bride hugged her father and smiled, assuring she was of a mind with her future husband. New Orleans would see a most grandiose wedding, Baton Rouge was meant to see them grow old together.
