The Short Life of a Southern Belle

Author's Note: Hi ya'll. I just watched Django Unchained last night, great movie, and I came up with this idea. It's implied that Calvin and Lara have an incestuous or at least borderline incestuous relationship. You just have to watch the creepy way they kiss. It stands to reason Calvin would have to get married eventually to get an heir. Given how much he "likes" his sister I figure he would probably want his wife to be a Southern Belle too. I have to make a note of Marie's indifference to the treatment of black slaves. I thought it would be inconsistent for a child of a slaver not to have this attitude. I will say her attitude will alter as the story goes on. But for now she's the ignorant daughter of a slaver and doesn't know any better. I just hope no one takes offence to the character because I'm trying to portray her accurately of her circumstances. Also this my first time writing in first person and I've tried to get the accent down since I think it's important. Anyway I hope you enjoy :) R & R if you like.

I was born Mary Lacey, though I'm called Marie now, that's the French way of sayin' Mary. My Pa, Eustace Lacey, works for a man who's kinda infamous in these parts, Calvin Candie, the owner of the Candie plantation, also infamous and better known as Candieland. My Pa is one of the guys who makes sure the workers, that is to say the slaves - work and don't get away with mischief like escapin'. Not one slave has ever escaped from Candieland on my Pa's watch, though they try. Some of 'em only do time in the box. They are the lucky ones. The others get ripped apart by the dogs. Not a pretty sight to watch, I can tell you.

Me and brother, Bobby, when we were nine and seven respectively, tailed our Pa and the others in secret. They were after this particular runaway Charlemange. We were curious I guess, wanted to see what went down for ourselves. Boy, that was a mistake. I can't really describe what it's like to see a man bein' mauled to death, how chillin' his screams are. I will tell you that both Bobby and I threw up somethin' awful. I don't know how my Pa heard that over the man's screams. But he did and tanned both our hides for seein' what we weren't supposed to. My bottom recovered but I had pretty bad dreams about Charlemange for a long time after. I still do, on occassion, years later. Maybe my sleeping ears pick up dogs barkin' and that triggers it. I don't know. Anyway they are just silly ole dreams.

As I was sayin', my Pa works for Candie, and my family lives in a cabin on the Candie estate. At least I used to live in the cabin, with Pa, Ma, Bobby and my other brothers, until I was thirteen, and Miss Lara Lee Candie-Fitzwilly returned to Candieland after being widowed. He had a weak ticker, Mr Fitzwilly, it turned out to be the death of him. Anyway, Miss Lara came calling by the cabin, out of the blue, bringin' candies for us children. She weren't like any woman I'd seen before, wearin' a bright dress and her hair in bouncy curls. What you would call the Southern Belle look, for Miss Lara was a gen-u-ine Southern Belle.

Miss Lara hadn't come calling to just dispense candy neither. She had heard about me, the only girl in my family. It would be a right shame, she said, for me to grow up as one of the boys. Which was what was already happenin', my Ma was too busy with the new baby Dickey, to make me dresses. So I was stuck to wearin' the boy's castoffs. Asides from dressin' like a boy, I s'pose I also acted like one as well. If I weren't helping Ma in the house, I was running wild with my brothers. So Miss Lara was pretty spot on in what she said. And she had a proposition for my Ma. She wanted to take me under her wing, teach me the ways of the Southern Belle.

I admit that appealed to me. I liked playin' with my brothers but seeing Miss Lara made me want to wear nice dresses and talk all refined. And the excitin' part was that she wanted me to come live in the Big House, the main house what she and Calvin Candie lived. That place was as grand as any palace and Miss Lara said I would have my own room. Like I was one of the family, she put it. She said she would treat me as her own daughter. She didn't have no children from her marriage to Fitzwilly. I don' know if adopting me was her way of gettin' a child. All I knew was I wanted to go with her.

My Ma weren't ecstatic. She needed me around the house, helpin' with the cookin' and takin' care of Dickey. My Pa convinced her though, sayin' she would manage. Christ let her go, he said, when he heard Miss Lara would pay for all my expenses. You couldn't get a better deal with that. So I said goodbye to Ma and my brothers, and my Pa marched me up to the Big House, where Miss Lara was waitin' for me. She gave me a big welcoming hug, showed me around the inside of the house, introducing me to the servants. Stephen. Cora. There were others, I didn't bother memorisin' their names. I was more interested in the decor. It sure was a fancy house, and my room was no different. I'd never had my own room before, not even my own bed, I'd always shared with at least one of my brothers.

But the pièce de résistance, that's French for the best part, was the beautiful blue dress laid out on the bed, the one Miss Lara said was mine. If I was going to be a Southern Belle, I couldn't go around in Hank's old shirt and Bobby's pants. I had to look the part. Which led to me havin' a painful bath with every inch of me scrubbed raw. Then my hair was brutally combed and styled in ringlets. By the end of the ordeal I was exhausted. But lookin' in the mirror I was pleased with the results. I looked just like Miss Lara, with my bouncy hair and swishy dress. She was pretty pleased herself.

We sat on the balconey sipping sweet tea. That was when she told me my name was gonna be Marie now instead of Mary. Marie was just the French way of sayin' Mary, she explained. Calvin Candie, being a Francophile, which is a fancy term for someone who loves French stuff, would appreciate me havin' a French name. I didn't really understand that, I mean why give me a French name when I didn't have a drop of French blood in me, for all I knew. But Marie sounded more sophiscated than Mary, so I was happy to go along with it.

Calvin Candie was away when I moved into his Big House. But it weren't long before he returned home, and let us know the fact with a mighty shout,

"WHERE'S MY BEAUTIFUL SISTER!"

Miss Lara smiled and I followed her outside. I'd seen Calvin Candie before, when he rode past the cabin on the way into and out of Candieland. He'd wave sometimes, that was the only contact I'd had with him, brief and distant. This was my first time really meetin' him. I wanted to make a good impression so I was mighty nervous, and shy as all hell. I barely ventured far from the door.

Candie bounded up the front steps with high energy,

"Sister dear, how is it you get more beautiful each time I'm away," he demanded.

Miss Lara smiled demurely in response. He planted a kiss on both her cheeks. Then he looked straight at me before he hollered,

"WHERE'S MY NEW BABY SISTER!"

I wasn't sure if he was jokin' or if he really considered me this. Miss Lara fetched me out of the shadows and over to him.

"Here she is Calvin, my charmin' protegee Marie," I'm glad she announced me, right then I was lost for words. Fleeting glances of Candie rushing by in his carriage hadn't prepared me for how handsome he was up close. He was dressed so daper too, the nicest dressed man I'd ever seen. And I realised I probably looked an idiot to him, standin' there, with my mouth kinda open. I tried to redeem myself with a clumsy curtsy.

"It's nice to meet you Monsieur Candie," I knew this was title he preferred. My Pa had drilled this into me on our walk up to the Big House. He was determined I didn't screw up my opportunity to live with the Candies. And I tried to replicate Miss Lara's tone, though she hardly stuttered like I did.

Candie chuckled,

"Well now, ain't you as cute as a button," I started to blush, but not as much as when he took my hand, and I felt the prickle of his moustache as he kissed it, "It's nice to meet you too Marie," his blue eyes looked me up and down, "You're Eustace's gal ain't you?"

I nodded, hearing myself swallowing hard.

Candie stroked his chin,

"As far as I'm aware, your ole man ain't French," he cocked his head slightly, "So why is he givin' his little girl a French name I wonder."

"I used to be called Mary," I hoped Miss Lara didn't mind me bein' honest about this, "But Marie sounds nicer."

Candie smiled,

"That it does, kitten. Just how Monsieur sounds more elegant than plain old Mister, right?"

"Right," I blurted, desperate to agree with him.

Candie laughed and pinched my cheek, kinda rough but I made myself smile.

"I like this gal," he said to Miss Lara, "She gets it."

Miss Lara nodded in her demure way, givin' me a smile that I read as proud.

Candie put an arm around each of us,

"Let's go inside ladies, I think we need to celebrate the newest member of our household."

Candie ordered that we be served champagne, which is a French type of booze. It smelled kinda foul to me. I was keener to eat the strawberry wedged on the rim of my glass. Candie raised his glass in my direction.

"A toast to Marie. Welcome to the family darlin'."

To be continued...