The eldest sibling of four sisters and one brother, Babette Freniere remains unmarried while she manages her family’s home, the Freniere plantation—where their chief crop is sugarcane—just north up the river from Pointe du Lac, Louis’s plantation. Babette’s young brother, whom Louis refers to as “young Freniere,” is set to inherit the property when he comes of age; however, his life is endangered when he becomes embroiled in a duel. Although he wins the duel, the vampire Lestat drags him into the woods and kills him, leaving Babette and her plantation in peril. Louis, whom Lestat has already turned into a vampire, befriends Babette, who is now running her family’s plantation. Louis’s affection for her deepens, but their relationship eventually sunders shortly after Louis’s slaves realize that Louis and Lestat are unnatural monsters and burn Pointe du Lac plantation to the ground. Louis seeks Babette’s assistance, but she believes that they are demonic creatures, so she locks them in her basement and prays to God to exorcise them from her house. Ashamed, Louis prevents Lestat from killing Babette and then takes him from there to New Orleans, where they establish new lodgings in a townhouse on Rue Royale.
Babette Freniere appears in Interview with the Vampire (1976). For more perspectives on Babette’s character, read the Alphabettery entries Freniere Plantation, Lestat de Lioncourt, Louis de Pointe du Lac, and Young Freniere.