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Son père Charles, conseiller du roi puis receveur général des Finances de Paris, avait épousé en 1762 Marguerite de Saint-Chamans, de plus haut parage, qui fréquentait Julie de Lespinasse, les Necker ou Condorcet. Pauline grandit ainsi sous les lumières du XVIIIe siècle.
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newspaper from 1801, she rapidly became known as a woman of character with a lively wit, moving in the best circles of traditional 18th century aristocracy. Her brothers Edouard and Théodore pursued successful careers, one in the Court of Auditors and the other in the army, her sister Henriette married Jacques Dillon, but she remained single. It is almost certain that she discovered love with Guizot, a sudden and total passion for a young man as different from her as possible. “People criticise the fact that the lady is older than he, they say that neither of them possess anything, but they love one another”, one of their contemporaries wrote. In fact, this unusual union was found to be as pleasing as it was intriguing. It was tenderness, passion and total unison for fifteen years. She wrote: “All that is best in me is associated with you”. For him, “you have remained the woman that you yourself were whilst blending your life with mine”. The many letters written in this vein were recopied by Guizot to form a book. After losing a son at birth in 1813, another son, François, was born in August 1815. Pauline took part in all the intellectual and political undertakings of her husband, providing him with far more than mere assistance, and she entertained his friends very cordially. She herself wrote children’s stories, including
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