The Nymph of Versailles

Chapter 16

June 1670

As she feared, her husband took her son home with him a soon as he was released. He even went as far as to hold a funeral for her, saying she was dead to him now. The grief of losing her children hung over her like a thin veil painting the world gray. If the king noticed her smiles were false, he didn't say.

But with another child on the way, the melancholy following her began to lift. Athénaïs wore her robe battante again to hide her pregnancy and the dresses reminded her of what she had left to look forward to. She promised herself she'd see her stolen children again—she'd find a way—but she had her future children with the king to think of too. She would make sure their father looked after them properly by keeping his adoration. If not she'd wind up in the same position she started but with her reputation in tatters as a disgraced ex-favorite and her new children with no future to look forward to. Worse yet, she'd have no husband to fall back on. It was difficult to not let the pressure wear on her.

She searched the crowd for any sign of Julie, but she was missing. Again. She took to her bed often and each time guilt prickled at the back of Athénaïs's mind. Around her the crowd buzzed with excitement. In front of them a large ship rocked in the harbor. The wind whipped at their clothes and hair, carrying the heavy scent of salt and brine with it and earning displeased mutters from the women. Athénaïs's curls flew about her face. Beside her the king stood unruffled with his gold walking stick in hand. Louise stood back with the rest of the crowd. The king had denied her a spot beside him earlier when she tried to weasel in. One victory for Athénaïs, but she couldn't let her guard down. If she made one wrong step Louise could find a way to regain her place yet.

The gangplank was lowered and the crowd cheered as Madame appeared, returned from her home country of England to pay her brother King Charles II a visit.

Lauzun pushed his way through the crowd to reach Athénaïs. "Congratulations on beginning you separation from your husband," he said, barely discernible over the roar of the crowd. The king assured Athénaïs would do what he could to push it through, but it could take months or years to be approved. "I wanted to thank you for putting a good word in with the king. I was afraid I wouldn't be allowed to command the troops in Flanders." He'd been tasked with fortifying and manning the French garrisons with 30,000 men under his command.

"You're welcome, but it wasn't me. The king already made up his mind on the matter by the time you came to me. I passed on your message to him, but no more. You did not need me to shine."

He rubbed at the side of his face and squinted against the bright sun. Madame stepped onto the walkway and headed for shore to the cheers of the crowd welcoming her home. Lauzun stepped back. Athénaïs's eyes widened as Madame stepped up to curtsy to the king. She was thinner than ever, her collar bones jutting out, and her red hair had gone dull. She trembled in her curtsy, as though her legs struggled to support her.

"Rise," the king commanded. "Tell me of your trip." Hope filled his eyes as he searched Madame's face for hints.

"It was a success. We have an alliance with Britain." The rest of England wouldn't know. Her trip had been disguised as a bought of homesickness on the part of Madame and the generosity of the king allowing her to make a visit home. Few knew the true purpose of her voyage. Athénaïs hadn't even known until the king prepared for her return.

The king grinned. "Well done. We'll feast in your honor." War with the Dutch was inevitable now. With England providing soldiers and money, nothing held Louis back without fear of England fighting against France. Flanders had only fueled the king's thirst for more land and when the Dutch signed a triple alliance with England and Sweden to force Louis to return the Spanish Netherlands, he had sworn to take it back.