Description
The Belles of Chateau Vidal
In sultry, tempestuous New Orleans of the 1820s, the frontier port was bustling, the theater was all the rage, and a system called Plaçage ruled the lives of beautiful young Quadroons. These lovely girls were the daughters of wealthy white Creoles and their mulatto mistresses, trained all their lives to be placées, mistresses of white Creole gentlemen. In return for their favors, the placées were each given a house on Rampart Street, furnishings, and a life of luxury. Forced into this decadent but respected system, these women attend the Quadroon Balls, where such alliances are arranged and contracts signed. Here the women meet handsome young wealthy aristocrats who divulged numerous lies to persuade them to enter into placée contracts. Isabelle Trudeau, a beautiful Quadroon with skin like a magnolia petal, rebels against it. Serafina St. Croix wants nothing more than to be a placée, but finds herself hindered from that desire when she is raped by a surreptitious wealthy aristocrat who believes these women are obnoxious. René Prudhomme, a woman who was abandoned by her patron wishes to reenter into a fresh contract and will do anything to ensure it is done. Walk with these women to witness their life-threatening challenge? Will they each find true love as countless patrons continue persuading them that each one is the one who genuinely loves them or will they be used for the pleasure of their patrons?