The couple existed as a relationship only in gossip; George Sand herself claimed to be Chopin's second mother, and their nine-year friendship was a life of cloistered celibacy. There were various rumours about her, about her fascinating life, about the number of her lovers, among whom were Balzac, Musset, and Merimee.
She wore men's clothes, smoked cigars and swore a lot. With Baron Dudevant she had two children: a daughter Solange and a son Maurice, a painter.
Fleeing from her jealous lover, Sand took Chopin and her children to Valldemossa, Mallorca, where they lived in a former convent. There Chopin's health deteriorated and he began to spit blood.
