Having been adopted by the Valmondes--whose name ends with the French word for world, by the way--Desiree has lived a life within the shelter of this family's home. Because the infant has such light skin, she does not wonder about it, as his little features would not indicate any racial differences at this point since they are so small and probably similar to whites. It is not until a quadroon (a person who is one-fourth African) is fanning her child who is now older that Desiree notices the similarity between her baby and the woman. Since her baby, too, is a quadroon, his hair and features may easily appear to be more white than African, and it is only by comparing him to a slave that Desiree arrives at her realization.
Of note, too, is the fact that New Orleans was famous for its quadroon ball attended by the French male aristocracy of the city, and many of these young women, the children of Creole plantation owners who came to the city to do business and who had African mistresses, were very beautiful and fairly numerous. So, it is understandable that Armaud believes that Desiree is the one responsible for the child's African genes.
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