#artois

[unplaces]

Front St, Artois, California.

[retrogeographie]

Arras, le lycée d'état.

[herprivateswe]

Poilu in the Artois region, June 1915.

[littlehistorian]

Robert Ier d'Artois (1216-1250) is the younger brother of Louis IX of France.

Made Count of Artois in 1237, he was the founder of a cadet branch of the Capetian family, the House of Artois, which died out in the 15th century.

[postcard-from-the-past]

Market scene in Béthune, Pas-de-Calais, France

French vintage postcard

[shesthespinstersimmer]

TAUPE - YET ANOTHER SIDE QUEST (26)

The Villareals (1)

Well my goodness - when I was done with the Munchs, I headed over to the Villareal estate.

Yes, I said estate.

And when I tell you the story of the Villareals is deep?

✏️ In almost every save I just left them to their own devices; just letting them wander around and do their own thing unsupervised. Not this time.

So let’s get to it.

A lot has been said about the Villareal over the years; especially their patriarch Jacques. After the tragic and bewildering death of his wife, most people assumed it was him. Especially given his mysterious background and how he came to Windenburg out of seemingly nowhere and purchased the estate in cash.

Some said he was from Champs de Sims, others from Monte Vista. But no one had proof of anything. 

Two things were certain - the criminal element (such that it was), became a lot more quiet. And organized. 

No one said much because he and his wife kept to themselves, turned the property into a vineyard, and ran a reputable wine business.

The rumor mill says Jacques doesn’t like his children, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. He loves them. So much so, in fact, that it would go very badly for anyone dumb enough to try to hurt them.

Especially Hugo, who is the sweetheart of the family – he loves food and has learned most of his cooking skills from his Tata Matilde (more on her later) and he’s been known to help out the catering crew for special events for Upper Crusts from time to time.

When he’s not doing any of that, he helps out around the vineyard. He’s an average student and could be better if he applied himself more, but it’s boring. Food has his heart and his attention.

Luna has always been aware of the gossip surrounding her family - she’s built up quite the wall to protect herself; her friend circle is small. The only ones she truly trusts are Siobhan and Sergio - that’s why they built the Paragons to keep the riffraff out.

Jacques treats her like a princess, affording her everything she asks for. She rewards him with an A average in school, but little else. She’s very grateful for her Tata Matilde as well; if not for her, she’d be stuck in that house with nothing but men. 

And then there’s Max. Every ill though people had/have of Jacques goes double for him.

In fact, Max is the only one Jacques has trusted to learn all aspects of the family business.

Why not? He’s had a rap sheet since he was a kid, and his reputation proceeds him.

But he loves his family. And he doesn’t play about them.

Matilda is the sister of Jacque’s wife - she moved in with them when her sister died, causing a bit of a scandal. perhaps that’s because people found out that Matilde was his first love; he cheated on her and married her sister when she got pregnant.

The whole thing was just as messy as you’d imagine, but Matilde adored her niece and nephews from first sight.

Rumor was he got rid of his wife so he could be with Matilde, but that’s ridiculous. Besides, it’s highly unlikely she would be with him under any circumstances again.

That doesn’t mean she doesn’t want a piece of the family business, though.

They have an understanding – she manages the books, manages the upkeep and staff for the estate, and in return he sees she wants for nothing.

She gets to fill some of the emptiness the kids have from losing their mother, and being with them helps her miss her sister less.

Everyone wins. 

Tata Matilde also trained their guard dogs, Artois and Stella - they’re cuddlebugs with the family, but woe to any unwelcome guests.

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[vintagevoiture]

Hotchkiss Artois (1948-1950). Voiture française, l'Artois a été présentée au Salon de Paris en octobre 1948. Wikipédia

[roehenstart]

Portrait of Charles X, King of France. By Georges Rouget.