Gabrielle is a fascinating character. She didn't choose this life of wife and mother "stuck in a drafty castle in bumfuck France" (great line, Sutton!) so much as it was thrust upon her. She sees potential in Lestat, but still resents him for what he represents to her: a life unlived. As he grows up, and particularly after the incident with the wolves, she starts letting him in a little. He will never be fully in her trust, but he is definitely further than any other member of her family will ever be. She encourages him to pick up where she left off. Go see the world and be a part of it. Live as I can not, she basically tells him. She loves him enough to set him free.