Lafayette was due a major vacation and he decided now was the time to head home. There was a minor problem which needed to be dealt with, however. When he last left France, the king told him not to go. And he went anyway. Surely, there would be hell to pay when he returned.
Nope, not really. The king put him under “house arrest” for 8 days in a swanky place which was befitting his new status in France. Lafayette was now a bona fide hero and the 18th century equivalent of a rock star. He was invited to hunt with the king, be at parties with the best of the best, and join all the most influential clubs. Not bad for a guy laughed out of court by the current queen.
Did Lafayette party? Or course he did. But, he never forget what he came back for and started working for the American cause from day 1. Benjamin Franklin and Lafayette were a juggernaut of charm on the people of France and they worked tirelessly.
So tirelessly, in fact, that Lafayette did not spend nearly as much time with his poor wife as he probably should have. The story of the Marquis and Adrienne is a complicated one which I will look at in a later post, but safe to say at this point in time the Marquis had other priorities. Well, not entirely. Adrienne did give birth to a son. George Washington Lafayette. I wonder how they came up with the name.
A little over a year after coming back home, Lafayette was once again crossing the Atlantic. He had new promises from the King of France for the fledgling United States and was once again ready to do battle. He would not be disappointed nor would the people who put their trust in him.
Soon, Lafayette would be integral in this little siege at a place called Yorktown.
(Check out all parts of my take on the life of the Marquis during the Revolution. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5.)
For more:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_du_Motier,_Marquis_de_Lafayette
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