Lisbeth Fischer

Known to her relatives as Cousin Bette, Lisbeth Fischer is from the Lorraine region in France. Bette is a peasant, unmarried and quite unattractive at the beginning of the narrative. Bette harbors a vehement jealousy against her cousin, Adeline Hulot. Lisbeth (Bette) Fischer is Adeline Hulot's cousin. Although Bette's father was the oldest of the Fischer brothers, Bette is five years younger than Adeline. The two women grew up together and Bette has always been jealous of Adeline's beauty and life of privilege. After her marriage to Hector, Adeline invites Bette to live with them in Paris. Since she is too ugly to marry off and too poor to offer any man a dowry, Hector arranges a situation for Bette. She is apprenticed to the Pons brothers, embroiderers to the French imperial court. Soon, Bette learns to read, write, and keep accounts in hopes of one day...