Chapter Text
At the D'Aramitz family mansion, near Paris, France, 1850
Under the reign of Napoleon the 3rd
Lady D’Aramitz appreciated the company of people – otherwise, why would she hold dinner and tea parties constantly at her mansion? There was also plenty to brag about her mansion, which has been passed down to her by her own grandmother, was worth a fortune. The building was located near the river banks and was surrounded by a large garden from which every type of flower was specifically picked by the lady of the house. Large windows gave a beautiful view of the Seine. If you followed the stream, soon you would find yourself in the capital city, but over there, there was too much traffic and pollution.
The mansion was surrounded by a thick forest, and you would always find the same type of tree in the area. The streets, rather paths made with pebbles, were calm and quiet most of the day and so occasionally, you could also spot a rabbit or a deer crossing it. Lady D’Aramitz stood by the window, looking out in the distance. She thought she spotted an animal, but she was mistaken.
“Lady D’Aramitz?” a maid called. The older woman turned around to face the maid, who showed her, in each arm, two different fabrics. “This one? Or this one?”
The Lady of the house took her time to answer. She finally picked the colour palette she wanted, and the maid hurriedly left to finish her job. The doors opened once again to the room and a gentleman entered. He appeared to be around thirty years younger than her, for his hair still had its brown colour. Politely, he let the maid step out first, holding the door for her, and then walked inside. “Busy, busy,” he commented, then laughed.
The Lady did not smile. Of course, what he had said was a joke: all she had to do is sit back and nod her head to the maids, who did absolutely everything around the mansion. “Auguste,” she greeted him. She lifted her hand for him to kiss the back of it. “Just in time. For once.”
“I was able to catch the first ship to France just in time, Aunt Thérèse, no need to be sour about that,” he told the woman. “So, where are the girls, right now?”
“Madeleine went to get her dress fitted. Hopefully, it will look good. Otherwise, we still have the time to make some adjustments to it. As for Salomé, she must be somewhere around the estate. Why, Auguste? Do you have any business with them?”
The man named Auguste smiled. “Nothing in particular. I have brought them gifts from abroad and I hoped to get the chance to see them, to give them myself. I don’t suppose you have a room for me to spend the night here, Aunt Thérèse.”
“Of course, I do!” Lady Thérèse laughed. “You are always welcomed here, you know that.”
As they looked out the window, in the garden was standing a young woman in a simple white summer dress. Braided hair, brown but almost red, a flappy hat tied with a ribbon around her chin, she looked bored out of her mind. Lady Thérèse puffed, thinking that walking in a white dress on freshly cut grass was not her granddaughter's brightest idea.
“Has Salomé said anything about her sister’s birthday?”
“She made a few remarks, here and there, but nothing else.”
Auguste nodded his head, understanding. “She has always been the jealous type.”
“Oh!” Lady Thérèse laughed. “Both sisters are the jealous type. If you were around the family more often, you would have known that.”
Auguste sighed. His aunt would often make comments about his habits and tastes. He was a man who could not be tied to one place and had this need to travel. With the arrival of the new Emperor, he had been given various jobs and excursions which led him to visit foreign lands unknown to this day.
“I am convinced that. deep down, she must be hurt.”
“She has no reason to be. It has been like this in our family for many generations. I too have been in her shoes. My own sister had that power, but she died childlessly, and so it is up to my own family to lead on, with this ability to travel through time.”
“And you, Aunt Thérèse, had not had any daughters’ either.”
“No. But Salomé and Madeleine feel like they are mine.”
Auguste paused for a moment and looked at his aunt. Her face was impartial. She seemed to have the time to listen to his suggestions. “You know, I have received a new order to travel to Egypt this time.”
“Egypt?” Aunt Thérèse asked,
“Yes.”
“And when?”
Auguste scratched his brows. “In about a month’s time.”
“So soon…”
Auguste nodded his head. He would have loved to remain with his family but going to Egypt was a once in a lifetime opportunity. No European has yet visited that country for centuries. There were many archeological findings to still be made and to have his name written down in history as the first man to re-discover Egypt and bring it to Europe.
“They want to purchase ancient Coptic, Syriac, Arabic and Ethiopic artifacts for the Louvres,” Auguste said, “and it will be financed by the Emperor himself. I was thinking of bringing Salomé with me on this trip.”
“Bring her with you? Why??”
August shrugged his shoulders. He had a plan in mind, but perhaps Aunt Thérèse was still going to oppose to it. She was set on giving her granddaughters the best education possible and provide them with a stable life. She was not their grandmother, but rather their grandaunt. It did not matter however; they only had each other, and they had that relationship and nothing else. Maybe she thought that by taking Salomé to Egypt, it will tear them apart?
“You know that Salomé will feel left out. I want her to feel special. Perhaps not like her sister, but rather in a different way. It’s not every day that you get the chance to visit Egypt and discover bits of the past.”
“It could be dangerous for her to go there, Auguste.”
“I will be with her at all times. You have nothing to fear.”
“Don’t you think that she might cause problems while you are at work? She does not appear like the type of girl who doesn’t mind digging in the earth.”
“That does not matter. I will find a way to make it work. I am willing to pay for her trip myself.”
“Auguste… You know that it’s not about the money that I worry about…”
Auguste had a faint smile on his face. His plan seemed to work; he was heading in the right direction.
“I fear that if your plan works, then Madeleine will be the one to be jealous of her sister.”
“Madeleine will have the power to travel through time so she will have nothing to complain about. Who knows, maybe if she proves herself to be capable of using her ability, I will find a use for her, during this expedition.” Like send her to Ancient Egypt and place strategically the artifacts she finds in a location where they can find it in the 19th century. Lady Thérèse laughed a bit, thinking the same thing as Auguste. “I will go greet her, then,” Auguste told his aunt, “I am glad to see you, healthy and beautiful as always.” He placed a kiss on his aunt’s cheek and walked out of the room. Stepping then outside the mansion, he made his way to the garden, searching to Salomé, the youngest daughter of his brother, and found her sitting at the swings, dragging her feet in the puddle of mud that had formed under it.
Salomé did not notice him at first. He stood there, motionless, hoping she would sense his presence, but he had to whistle to get her attention. The young woman quickly turned her head in his direction and her eyes widen when she saw her uncle standing there. “Auguste!!” she shrieked, then ran in his arms. “Welcome back!”
“How is my favourite niece doing?” He asked, rubbing her back lovingly.
She pinched him, provoking him to make a squealing sound, and said: “you know that’s a lie.” She did appreciate the attempt to brighten her mood, however.
“Is your sister out in the city?”
“She is,” answered Salomé, “they finished her dress and she has to see if it fits.”
“And what about you? Do you have a dress?”
“I do, I will wear the one I wore on my last birthday. It is the most appropriate one for the season and for the event. How long will you stay with us, Auguste?”
“About a month,” he answered her, “come on, let’s take a stroll, and you can give me an update on what has been going on in your life.” Arms linked together, they walked around the garden, looking at the various flowers Lady D’Aramitz had planted. There was still a lot of green around, but soon, they would be in full bloom and there would be more colours. The Lady of the house always went by colour themes. That side of the garden had most of the tulips, imported from the Netherlands on her demand, with pink and yellow petals.
Salomé told him various facts about botany and anecdotes surrounding her grandmother and the choice for those specific flowers. She then began to count to him all sorts of stories, in relation to her studies or with her friends but she mostly insisted on hearing her uncles’, who was the one with the most fascinating tales. “I was meant to talk to you about something,” Auguste said.
“And what is that?”
“It is about my next trip. The Emperor wants to send me abroad, to sail a ship and head for Egypt, where we will begin excavating for ancient artifacts.”
“That sounds amazing! Napoleon himself wants to send you there? What an honour!”
“It is! I will probably be the first man to go there. Our ancestors, centuries ago, may have set foot there, but the treasures Ancient Egypt holds have long remained hidden. My suggestion was that I will probably need an assistant on-site, to help me take notes and carry tools, and I was about to offer you this opportunity to head there with me…”
Salomé froze on the spot. To Auguste’s own surprise, he too stopped from his tracks, waiting for a reaction from her. Her mouth agape, she tried to formulate a sentence but could only say a few words instead. “Who?... Me?... What?... Egypt?”
Auguste laughed a bit. “That is my offer. It will involve hard work, and long hours under the sun, but you, my dear, are capable of anything and you are, most importantly, trustworthy.”
“Did you speak to my grandmother about that?”
“Yes, I … may have mentioned it to her first…”
“And what did she say? Did you manage to sway her opinion?”
“Well, she did not officially say yes, but from the tone of her voice, I understood that she tended to agree. If we give her a bit of time to think things through, she will make up her mind.” Salomé clapped her hands in happiness and hugged her uncle once again. “So,” Auguste trailed off, “I suppose that you, at least, accept this offer.”
They continued walking through the garden, Auguste’s arm around Salomé’s shoulders. Her smile never left her lips. Noticing her hat was tilted more to the side, he quickly fixed it for her.
“I hope you’re not doing this because of Madeleine.”
This comment caught him off guard. “What? No, of course.”
“I think that you are lying.”
“Salomé, why would I have the need to lie to you?”
She raised her eyebrows, questioning him with a look. She did not believe him, obviously. “Something tells me that you are doing this just so that I don’t compare myself to her.”
“What is wrong with that?”
“Nothing is wrong. I just like it when people are honest.”
He noticed her vicious smile, visibly glad that she had caught his lie. He sighed and gave her a few pats on the back. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, Salomé. We love you as much as we love Madeleine, whether you have powers or not.”
“I am fine, tonton.”
“I am very serious. Never think that you are lesser than anyone. I know that, between siblings, it is always difficult. Your mother and I, we also fought a lot but, in the end, so I know what it means to have siblings. For Madeleine’s birthday, just … try to be happy for her. I tell you that life has a lot waiting for you and being unhappy at the success of others is only going to make you turn a blind eye to the real opportunities that await you.”
Salomé sighed to herself. She thought of the party that they were going to hold the next day. The whole mansion has not ceased to remind her to behave herself. Madeleine was going to turn twenty-four and so her powers were supposed to manifest themselves very soon. They were part of a very special family, where the oldest daughter inherited a gene that would give her this ability to travel through time. It was recorded to have first happened centuries ago when their ancestors were still pagan. They preserved their secret well, for if anyone learned of it, they would be in big trouble. Many of their ancestors had been accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake for it. Times have changed but they still had to be careful.
Within their family, everyone was excited for Madeleine to use her abilities for the first time. Salomé had never liked her sister too much because the whole D’Aramitz family seemed to revolve around her. At least, that was Salomé’s impression. Being the youngest daughter was not easy when Madeleine was always turned into the model, the example to follow. Was she doing that on purpose, to rub it in her face?
“You will see,” Auguste said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “That party will be fantastic, and you will enjoy yourself. Maybe meet new people and make some friends. Soon, you will be able to come back and brag about your discoveries at Cairo and Giza.”
Salomé giggled. It was easier said than done, but she promised her uncle she will try her best to not get jealous. It was hard to be happy for her sister when she had all the attention of the world and good things from life came to her. “Come on,” Auguste bobbed his head toward the entrance of the mansion, “let us head inside and see how we can help your grandmother with the party.”
←→
Their uncle Auguste sat with them at the dinner table for the first time in almost a year. Usually, it was never quiet, because Madeleine always had something 'interesting' to say but this time, even the eldest of the two sisters kept quiet and listened attentively to her uncle's stories. The man had spent the previous months travelling outside the continent and with the current state of affairs, there were many more trips to come. Lady D'Aramitz listened silently but she did not express the same joy as the two daughters. Perhaps she was too tired of their uncle being abroad and for her to handle everything around the house all by herself.
"I will never get tired of hearing your stories, Tonton," Madeleine said. To that, Salomé rolled her eyes. Madeleine saw that but paid no attention. She continued: "I hope you will, one day, bring us along, to see what you see. It would be an enriching experience."
Salomé pretended to gag on her food. What a choice of words...
"Salomé!" Lady D'Aramitz called her out. She raised her index finger and shook it, trying to look menacing. When Salomé was little, that gesture meant that she had done a big mistake and that she would be punished once they got home. Today, Salomé was too old for that, she could easily outrun her grandmother.
She shrugged her shoulders, acting all innocent. Luckily, the conversation carried on. Madeleine had a stupid smirk on her face, thinking to herself that she had won. Madeleine 1 - 0 Salomé.
"Don't think I didn't see that!" Lady D'Aramitz told Madeleine. The girl's face turned bright red, matching with her Bordeaux red dress.
Auguste laughed at their interaction. He was glad he was not their father and was away for the most part of the year, otherwise, he would have to handle matters like that. He picked up bits from his plate with his fork and brought them to his mouth. Madeleine was not going to like it when she would learn that Salomé will be the one to leave France with him. And to Egypt, nothing less.
"I will be taking your sister with me as my personal assistant," he announced her.
Lady D'Aramitz sighed loudly and Madeleine gasped. Auguste looked at each of their faces, seeing a different emotion drawn all over them. Salomé was the one to smirk this time. Madeline 1 - 1 Salomé.
"WHAT?" Madeleine screeched. "HER?"
"Why must you bring it up now..." lamented Lady D'Aramitz.
"In your face!!" Salomé joyfully interjected.
"Salomé! Stop! Both of you!"
Salomé scoffed, annoyed that her grandmother was not reprimanding her older sister. The two daughters sat back on their chair, this time, sending daggers with their eyes.
"Please, let us calm down," Auguste tried to appease everyone, "Madeleine, you know how much I love you, but you will have a big birthday party and soon you will get your powers to travel to time. This will be your time to shine. You know, you will have to stay here and practice, with your grandmother's help, and it will take time. Besides, you can't have everything in life; you can't eat the cake and have it too. What will Salomé do here while you train? Be bored out of her mind? I promise I will take you on another trip, but let Salomé have this one, this time."
Madeleine looked like she wanted to say something. She was always willing to debate and prove her point but she had not seen her uncle for a long time, and it was only the first day since he got home, so starting a quarrel at the dinner table was not a good idea. She sighed and sat back down, saying 'fine,' under her breath. She thought to herself that she had lost the battle but not the war. Maybe later, Auguste will change his mind and bring her along with them.
Happy of the quiet atmosphere that reigned once again, Lady D'Aramitz smiled. "What will you do, this week, Auguste?" She was hoping he would reply 'nothing' so that she could task him to take care of the party and help her organize everything.
"I will have to head to Paris with Salomé, and I will need to take her identification papers so that I can sign her up to this project. They must know that I am planning on bringing one more person to Egypt and I need to make sure all our papers are in order."
Salomé smiled. Lady D'Aramitz seemed disappointed with the answer but she nodded her head, understanding. They will require to make Salomé proper documentation, papers and justIfy why she was going to tag along. Their family had the means to pay for this trip. Madeleine was sulking, it only made her happier. Nothing today that could possibly turn her mood sour, now that she thought she had won. Madeleine 1 - 2 Salomé.
"Please, Auguste," Lady D'Aramitz said, "if you head to Paris with Salomé, can I ask you to take her shopping for appropriate clothes? It appears we don't have similar weather here, nor do we have anything suitable for fieldwork."
"Certainly."
Madeleine groaned quietly and looked down at the food on her plate. Salomé smiled to herself.
←→
That night, the two girls had found in their rooms a gift brought from abroad by Auguste. Salome rushed to her bed where a maid had placed a perfectly wrapped up box and she shredded the paper in tiny pieces, threw the ribbon across the room and opened the box. She found inside it a necklace and a porcelain doll wearing a traditional Cypriote outfit, from the last country he travelled to.
She set the doll on her bed, between two pillows and admired it a few feet away. It was going to become one of her favourites – that, she could already tell.
Salome stepped outside on the balcony to see if Madeleine was still awake. Her older sister must have gotten a similar gift, and Salome was curious to see it, but it was likely that Madeleine was too angry with her to even want to show her. Madeleine had not left her room since she went in, too frustrated by how the events turned out. Salome smiled to herself, happy to see that she was the one who came out victorious of this. Her documents and papers have been filled out and sent for approval. All that she had to do is pack her bags and wait for a response. After that, she will travel with her uncle to the French Riviera and from there, hop on a ship that would lead them to Northern Africa.
Alone and bored in her room, Salome looked out of the balcony toward Madeleine’s room, where she saw her sister still had a lit candle. She was most likely sitting at her desk, complaining to her diary about how her younger and evil sister was going to ruin her birthday party because she got to brag about going to Egypt while she only got to inherit the ability to travel through time. Salome put on some slippers and pinned her hair out of her eyes. She tiptoed outside of her bedroom and walked in front of her sister’s room. The floor under her feet squeaked and Madeleine did not miss a beat:
“GO AWAY.”
Salome burst into laughter but quickly covered her mouth to muffle the sound.
“I SAID GO AWAY!”
“Oh, stop it!!” Salome hushed back, “you can’t be serious!! Show me your gift – I want to see if mine is better than yours.”
“I don’t want to talk to you! GO!”
"Gooo!" Salome mocked her. The sound of an object hitting the door made Salome jump. Madeleine must have thrown something to it to scare her. She began giggling and was purposefully loud so that Madeleine could hear her: “I will make sure to bring you an old vase with a mummy inside! You could use a friend, you know that?”
Another object, much heavier, was thrown this time at the door, and with greater speed. “I ALREADY HAVE FRIENDS!! YOU JUST SAY THIS TO MAKE ME MAD!!”
And Salome left her. Next time, Madeleine was not going to throw anything her way, but rather she would open the door and attack her like they used to fight when they were children. She made her way downstairs, the slippers making sounds as they hit the cold floor and Aspasia searched for her grandmother and her uncle. It was very likely that they were still awake, probably talking.
As she got closer to the living room, she heard some chatter coming from inside. The voices were shushing quietly, as if it would disturb the girls, but the mansion was quite big and so that would not have been a problem. Were they speaking about a secret? Salome looked through the thin gap between the doors and saw Lady D’Aramitz looking out the window, while Auguste was smoking his tobacco. The lady of the house puffed and seemed to be deep into her thoughts. What were they discussing exactly?
Auguste Mariette said something, but Salome did not quite catch it. Lady D’Aramitz turned around, and told Auguste: “… discipline … sometimes…”
Auguste seemed to agree to whatever Lady D’Aramitz had said. Salome frowned. They must have been discussing the girls’ behaviour. She leaned in closer and placed her ear next to the door.
“You should maybe … other … to Egypt but I worry that … dangerous for … perhaps not the best…”
“You must be joking… Otherwise, how will … react badly…”
Salome frowned. Were they questioning the decision to go? Her papers have already been sent. Surely, they could not ask of her to remain after they had made that promise.
“Yes, we did agree on that… a good solution? She will not be happy to … because we planned already… and the papers were sent … just response left and after …”
It was clear to her that they were speaking about their trip. Salome put a hand over her mouth when she began to feel her eyes water. Were they considering cancelling it? And for what reason? From the words she caught, she heard safety and danger were the main concern. Auguste did promise he would protect her, so why was Lady D’Aramitz questioning the decision that was made?
She waited for a moment. There was a pause in the conversation where Auguste seemed to think. The tobacco, in his hand, was burning and he had not taken a puff from the cigar. Salome’s eyebrows knitted together. It was his time to say something. He should defend her and insist that the trip was a good idea.
He remained quiet for a long time, and Lady D’Aramitz was tired of standing up on her two feet, and so she took a seat on the other free canopy. Her cheeks turned hot and her hand trembled slightly. Why were they so quiet? Why did August not insist that Salome would be fine and that he would require an assistant’s help? What was he waiting for?
Too angry to remain silent, she got up on her feet in a rush and stormed out. There was no doubt that they had heard her, her footsteps resonating through the quiet hallways.
This is how I imagine Salomé to look like, but of course, with more era-appropriate attires.
The actress' name is Alice Isaaz and she played in the French drama Mademoiselle de Joncquières, if you are curious to look it up
If, so far, some concepts are still unclear (related to time-travel, their family history), no worries! It will be explained later in greater detail.
The same for the D'Aramitz family tree: it may sound complicated at first. If you don't understand it perfectly yet, that is not a problem, since we don't need the details at this point in the story. I will try to explain it in the simplest manner possible:
- Salomé et Madeleine are sisters, Madeleine being the oldest.
- Their parents died (cause is not specified yet, and so you don't need to pay too much attention to this detail now.)
- Lady Thérèse D'Aramitz is their father's aunt. She is, in consequence, their grand-aunt. She adopted them after their parents' death. The three women are very close and so she is referred to by the girls as their grandmother.
- Auguste Mariette is a real historical character. He is an Egyptologist, during the time of Napoleon 3rd, nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte. In the story, he is the two girls' uncle from, the mother's side (this is why he and the girls don't share the same surname.) He gets along very well with Lady Thérèse D'Aramitz that he treats her as if he was his own biological aunt.