Reine Philiberte Rouph de Varicourt (1757-1822) was a French lady of letters. The sister of Pierre-Marin Rouph de Varicourt

Pierre-Marin Rouph de Varicourt

Mgr Pierre-Marin Rouph de Varicourt was a French Catholic priest, representing the clergy at the States-General, serving as a deputy to the 1789 Constituent Assembly and finally becoming bishop of Orléans....

, she was spotted by Voltaire

Voltaire

François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...

 during his stay at Ferney - he made her his adoptive daughter, married her off to the Marquis de Villette (though the marriage proved unhappy, ending in her adoption by Voltaire's companion Marie Louise Mignot

Marie Louise Mignot

Marie Louise Mignot was a French literary figure. She was the daughter of Voltaire's sister, marrying his material aid Denis in 1737, giving rise to her married name of Madame Denis. After her husband's premature death in 1744, she was taken in by Voltaire and became his housekeeper, hostess and...

) and gained her entry to the literary world under the pseudonym "Belle et Bonne".