The Nymph of Versailles

Chapter 21

1673

She tapped her foot while she watched buildings pass by the carriage window. It'd been several weeks since her last visit to her children. As much as she wished she could see them more often, her time was taken up by the king and she always feared someone would follow her carriage and discover where her children were housed.

She dug her nails into the cushion on the seat. It'd only been two months since giving birth to another son, her third child to the king. The birth made her think of her first two children and she'd spent more than one night crying after hiding herself away in her bed.

Athénaïs burst out of the carriage as soon as it stopped. She gathered up her skirts and rushed up the stairs. The house had been recently acquired by the king to house their children and now she could visit them all at once, which meant spending more time with them.

As soon as she took several steps inside her two oldest came running. The babe cooed from Scarron's arms.

"Did you have candy?" Louise-François asked as she tugged on her mother's skirts. At three years old, her rosy cheeks made her look like a cherub. Her younger brother toddled after her, almost falling into her when he skidded to a stop.

Guilt gnawed at her insides as she imagined her oldest daughter standing to the side of her children. The one she might never see again. She had similar hair to her younger sister, and the same rosy face. But her eye color, she couldn't remember the exact shade. Panic sliced through her and she froze, her breath catching in her throat.

"Mama?" her daughter tugged again, dragging her mother back to them.

"Of course!" Athénaïs forced a cheery tone into her voice as she presented her daughter with a bag of candy and a second bag to her son. The children raced to the sitting room, their giggles and shrieks shattering the air in their wake.

"You shouldn't be giving them so much sugar. It makes them wild," Scarron grumbled.

"I'm their mother and will do as I please." She tossed her hair in defiance.

"Easy to say when you're not the one who looks after them."

She ignored the barb. They disagreed from time to time, but so far Scarron had been loyal in keeping her position and the children a secret. Scarron had continued her journey into a life of piety after leaving her lover. She still wore clothes of muted colors and didn't look like she belonged anywhere near court with her dark outfits. The position as governess ensured her enough money to live on, a way to get by without a new husband.

"Any word on when we will be able to join the court? It's getting a bit lonely having to keep all this a secret. And the way the women at salons try to guess where I've disappeared to! I've started bleeding myself before visits so I won't blush and fuel their gossip." Her face scrunched in disapproval. It was just like her, Athénaïs thought, to fear others accusing her of being part of something sinful.

She imagined Scarron stewing over guesses of her being a mistress or worse, a prostitute. The image gave her a flush of pleasure. Scarron was as stubborn as she was loyal and few visits went without an argument between them. "The king is working on a plan to recognize the children. Once he does you will join the court. It's more important than ever to keep the children's location a secret while he works on it. If my husband gets word he might try to spirit them away like—" like her first children, but the words got caught in her throat. No treats given to her children with the king would alleviate her guilt of sacrificing her other children to her husband.

"My lips are sealed. I wouldn't let anyone touch them, least of all that despicable man. But it's only a matter of time before the secret is revealed no matter what I do and I fear what will happen when that time comes." Her gaze wandered to where the children sat by the fireplace enjoying their sweets. She let out a sigh of frustration. "They've eaten half the bags already. They'll have stomach aches all night." She charged across the room and confiscated the sweets.