Julie de la Serre
Julie de la Serre (1738 – April 1778) was a member of the Templar Order, the wife of the Grand Master François de la Serre and the mother of Élise de la Serre.
After the exile of François-Thomas Germain, she became the informal lieutenant of her husband, mediating between his conservative views and the extremist faction which aimed to radically reorganize the social order in France.
Unlike the other women at court, Julie was not obsessed with looks, status, nor gossip and had always kept a respectful distance from them. She had no time for beauty and fashion, with the exception of Julie's fondness for shoes. The attention she gave for her comportment was only for her to maintain decorum.
When Élise was five years old and entered the convent, Julie and François visited Mother Superior, the leader of the convent, and she caught a glimpse of her daughter's scars left by Mother Superior's caning punishment. Angered, Julie demanded answers from the convent leader and threatened her, which ended up with Élise leaving the convent.
Unbeknownst to her husband, Julie secretly introduced Élise to her other lover, Freddie Weatherall, an English Templar, on a winter day of February 1774. She lead her to the grove at the perimeter of their château's south lawn with their dog, Scratch, and warned her to not be alarmed if she sees a gentleman in the shadows. Aware of Weatherall's presence, Julie taught Élise to be aware at all times and how to search for a man's whereabouts or clues. The young girl failed to find the hidden Weatherall and Julie asked him to reveal his presence behind a tree, exclaiming that she had seen his shadow, much to his amusement. After assuring Élise that he is a confidant and protector, they talked about matters regarding the King and François' plans. A growl from Scratch interrupted their conversation and they found themselves watched by a wolf. Concerned for her daughter's safety, Julie immediately swept her away and took out a blade from her muff. Weatherall restrained Scratch and reached for his sword's hilt, but he was stopped by Julie and told him that the wolf was aware of their strength and they better let it retreat. Julie's predictions were correct and the wolf retreated eventually, leaving a parable for Weatherall and Élise in awe. Julie asked him to train her daughter in the art of sword-fighting in secret, which he was happy to oblige; this was also kept as a secret between the three of them from François.