Dreams made Marie's attempt at sleep a fitful one. She could see nothing but Lorenzo's maddened hands; grasping at her, pulling her wrists harshly, tugging viciously at her skirts. Carlo cried from another room, and all that Marie could think was that her son must not see this. Lorenzo continued to reach angrily towards her as she attempted to run, but it seemed to her that she ran through drift of heavy sand. She stretched out her arms before her, only to have her hands press up against a clear barrier. She peered desperately through the glass, seeing a giant hand reaching for her prison, lifting it and turning it upside down.
She realized that she was in an hourglass: a whirlpool of hot sand pulling her beneath the surface,
She heard Carlo cry out once more.
*****⚜️*****
"Marie!" Someone tugged at her sleeve, and Marie let her eyelids flutter wearily open. Hortense's eyes were alight with excitement, her full pink lips pulled upwards in a mischievous grin. "Come, sister!" She cried gaily, "The evening entertainment is beginning!"
"We have been summoned?" Marie asked groggily, still pushing the last wisps of her nightmare to the back of her mind.
"Not by the King." Hortense stepped away from the edge of the canopied bed and Marie followed her sister's movements with her eyes. Hortense reached a polished oak wardrobe and threw the doors open. Marie's lips fell open as her gaze settled on the rows of expensive frilled gowns that lined the closet. Hortense giggled at her sister's stunned reaction. "The King has retired to his chamber with the Councillors for daily business. We, however, have been invited to join the palace's nightly festivities!"
"Festivities?" Marie managed to ask.
Hortense spread her arms wide and twirled like a small girl. "I've heard only rumors of the pleasures of Versailles, sister. The dinners, the dancing, the men!" She stopped spinning and pressed a thoughtful finger to her chin. "Do you think the handsome servant boy will be there?"
"I am in no mood for gaiety, Hortense." Marie sighed, pressing her back up against the down stuffed cushions that graced the bed. "I have hardly slept at all."
"Do not be ridiculous, my love!" Hortense shuffled quickly through the dresses in the wardrobe and pulled out a beautiful scarlet gown, frilled with black lace and satin bows. Marie could not help but admire the dress. It was lovely. "If you come along, I'll let you wear this one! It's the most beautiful of the lot, don't you agree?" The younger sister held the gown up higher with one eye closed, as if trying to picture Marie in it. "You'll be a goddess."
Marie had not felt like a goddess in years. Not since she'd left France, and the love into which she'd fallen head first. Hortense could see the relent in her sister's eyes and laughed loudly, ringing the small bell on a thread by the door. Several maids suddenly flooded the room, each one curtseying before organizing themselves into a strict lineup.
Hortense clapped her hands together. "Make us as lovely as the French court." Her dark eyes sparkled as she met Marie's gaze. "Make us goddesses among mortal men!"
YOU ARE READING
In the Court of the Sun King
Historical FictionIt was not until Marie stood in the palace courtyard that the reality of her situation swept over her like a wave. She could see nothing but Lorenzo's maddened hands; grasping at her, pulling her wrists harshly, tugging viciously at her skirts. Had...
