Eva Louisa Versanto

Signora Eva Louisa Versanto is the second wife to the Head of House Versanto, Filippo, and Serene of Hearth under the former Supreme Baldassario Bacchante, as well as the mother to two sons.

Born as Ève Louise Lafayette in Varenth, she was exiled from her childhood home after a teenage pregnancy out of wedlock, and eventually married Filippo and gained her position in 1742.

Early life (1723-1739)
Ève Louise Lafayette was born on 10th of August, 1723, as the third child and younger daughter to Louis Lafayette, Graf Lafayette by his wife, Grafin Henriette née Artois, after an elder brother, Fabien (born 1720) and an elder sister, Jeanne (1721). Being the daughter of Graf, whose wealth came from his own tycoon father, Armand, she was raised on luxury and money, and never once doubted what she was always told - that she is from the upper class, a noblewoman with wealth, diginity and family name.

Thus, the girl's childhood remained laced with that fact. However, that didn't just mean priviledge - it also meant a certain set of rules and expectations. One such expectation placed upon a young girl would be to learn languages, and to help her learn more beside her native Varenthian, a Dorminian woman Anne Stuart was brought in as a governess to both Louise and her sister Jeanne. The sisters thus formed a good bond, strong, under the classes of Miss Stuart, and both learned with ease Anne's native Dorminian.

As she grew up, little Louise showed a talent inherited from her late grandfather - a thing for business. It started little, but the more she grew invested in the household business, the more she practiced, and eventually reached the level of skill that many would consider both a characteristic of her tycoon grandfather and a remarkable businessman. Around that time, in 1736, when she was only 13 years old and her sister 15, Henriette started taking her two daughters to balls and lavish parties, to raise them court ladies and to possibly search for husbands. Jeanne quickly found one, an Edler from a Graf family, while Louise, too young for any bethrorals, quickly managed to navigate through the world of balls with flattery, inborn charisma and flirting, and as no one could refuse her any favour she might have asked, she got used to the idea of everyone under her whim, and that, coupled with her priviledged childhood, certainly made for a spoiled girl.

Wrong affairs (1739-1740)
However, everything changed in 1739. On one ball, 16-year-old Louise met a 25-year-old Freihrerr Martin Ganziger, and he quickly caught her fancy. After a whole night of flirting, dancing and time together, the two entered into a secret relationship, that lasted for a few months. During those months, Martin convinced her to sleep with him ; and Louise, deeply in love, could not refuse him. One morning, she, to her own horror, noticed the usual symptons of pregnancy, and while trying to hide it from her parents, a child could not remain a secret for too long.....

Needless to say, Martin didn't accept the blame for her pregnancy once confronted about it, and quickly left Rougia, in whose surroundings Lafayette Manse was, and Louise was forced to face her parents with her long-held secret. Louis Fafayette was angry with her, as was Henriette, thinking she had brought shame to the family - and in a bout of anger, even went as far to disown Louise and thinking to exile her from the Manse in late terms of pregnancy, but Henriette refused that, and instead allowed Louise to deliver in the manse, before leaving.

On 30th of June, 1739, Joseph, Martin and Louise's son, was born in Layafette Manse. Louise had overstayed her welcome.

Soon enough, with a bag of dresses and a screaming infant in her hands, Ève Louise left her childhood home and set off. During her travels, she had a chance to use her skills as a charmer, and with little-to-no money available to her, she had to make due with what she had. Far from the spoiled girl she grew up to be, Ève Louise soon enough, with favours from nobles and commoners alike, made her way to Briece. But in the way, in case of sickness for both her and her child, she had to learn medicine the hard way, and after a while, could almost help herself in any situation.

Briece (1740-1742)
Ève Louise, aged barely 17, and little Joseph arrived in Briece in 1740. At first, she tried to make do with what she knew from the past year, but luck turned again. Viola Versanto, sister to the head of the Versanto family, found Ève Louise and her child on the train station, one day, and taking pity on the girl, decided to take her to her brother's home.

With finally some time to rest in a safe environment, the exiled Varenthian soon found herself drawn to Filippo, the head, who often came to visit her in his spare time. At the time, Filippo was troublesomely married to Sara Orederchi, who had given him two children (Nicola and Valentina), but found comfort from his wife in Ève, who soon became his mistress, if only as a means to stay in the home.

Sara died from a sickness in 1740, leaving Filippo a widower. If only to appease the world, he didn't marry Ève right away ; after two years of 'mourning', he married his mistress in 1742.

Campaigns and bought titles (1742-1744)
Now a member of a Briecan Grand House, a wife of a rich man, as was her childhood dream, she found something lacking in her dream. After a year of caring for herself and Joseph all the way to Briece, she found that it lacked a purpose, after a month or so, making the house presentable and ordering servants around. So, as to cure his wife from it, Filippo intented for her, a foreigner, as per her own request, to sit as the Supreme of Hearth. With Versantos controlling the media, one act of kindness after the other became sensationalised by the his publishing house. From feeding the poor to funding orphanages and hospitals, her part was to visit and even slightly help, and her husband did the rest.

He took up a few political relations, blackmailing and negotiating with the Supreme Baldassario, all the while shamelessly promoting his wife in his media, and soon enough, in slightly less than a year's time since marrying Filippo, Supreme Baldassario made her his Supreme of Hearth.

Just because her title was not honestly gotten didn't mean she could slack off. Technically, she could, but she didn't, and she brought her businessman's mind to the job. Money was wisely spent in areas in which the Serene herself thought wise to invest in, as well as using it to get a personal wealth. With her birth family's name and her new title, she managed to establish herself as a tycoon.

New hospitals for the poor were built, one of them even carrying her own name, schools, places where immigrants could stay.

In 1743, Ève Louise gave birth to Luca, her second child, whose father was Filippo. Joseph was allowed to stay in the home, given the same treatment as legal children.

August, 1744
On her first visit to Dormin for the Fair, she met with many people, most of them Varenthians - Carl Albert de Chouet, Victor Dramm, Henri de Rendower, but also the Chancellor of Gilatria, the President of the Black Rose Co., and the Major General of the AEF. In a little walk with her Supreme, she would - or was asked to - question her loyalties, in order to attain the function she had wanted. In an effort to save her husband from jailtime for slandering the Supreme, she managed to persuade her husband's mother's family to help, but would not end there in garnering support. In the meantime, however, Herzog Charles de Rendower confiscated one of her rafineries, and she tried to fight back.... She even involved Queen Collette Sordeau in this case, who suggested to put the Herzog on a trial after finding his actions unlawful.

September, 1744
In a lavish party hosted by Marcus Aureas, Eva and Filippo were approached by Oreste di Corvo, Strategos of Briece. In a private meeting that ensued, Oreste asked for their help in getting rid of Dorminian influence in Briece, as well as calling for an investigation of the Supreme himself.

Timeline
1723 - Born to Louis and Henriette

1730 - Anne Stuart comes to Layafette home

1736 - first starts going to balls

1739 - meets Martin Ganziger ; is dumpedby him ; gives birth to Joseph ; leaves home an exile

1740 - meets Viola & Filippo Versanto ; becomes Filippo's mistress ; Sara Versanto dies

1742 - marries Filippo and becomes Serene of Hearth

1743 - gives birth to Luca Versanto

1744 - Now.