Read Online The Queen`s Confession by Victoria Holt - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Victoria Holt
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prepared for the banquet which was to be eaten in private-a family affair and therefore much more intimate than all the others I had attended. Now I should be in the very heart of my new family.
The King came to my apartments and told me he had a gift for me, which was a casket of jewels. These delighted me, and he in turn was delighted to see my pleasure, and kept saying how enchanting it was to be young and so excited over trifles. Then he took from the casket a pearl necklace and held it up. Each pearl was the size of a hazelnut and they were all of perfect matching colour.
“It was brought to France by Anne of Austria,” he told me.
“So how fitting that it should be worn by another Princess from Austria 1 This necklace was worn by my mother and by my wife. It is the property of all the Dauphines and Queens of France.”
As he ceremoniously fastened it himself, his fingers lingered on my neck and he said the pearls had never been shown to greater perfection. I had beautiful shoulders and when I grew up I would be a beautiful woman, an ornament to the throne of France.
I thanked him demurely, and then I looked up at him and flung my arms about his neck. This was wrong, I saw immediately from Madame de Noailles, who was standing by nearly fainting with horror at my presumption; but I did not care and nor did he.
He murmured: “Charming … charming. I am writing to your mother to tell her that we are all enchanted by her daughter.”
He was smiling as he left.
I then received a long lecture from Madame de Noailles as to how I should conduct myself in the presence of the King of France; but I was not listening. I was thinking that if they had married me to him as they had once thought of doing I should have been far less apprehensive than I was when I remembered that the next day was my wedding day.
At the intimate supper I saw all my new relations. Wearing the pearl necklace which the King had placed round my neck, I sat next to the Dauphin, who said nothing to me and did not look my way; but his brother Artois smiled at me and whispered that I looked very pretty.
I was immediately aware of the tense atmosphere, and my attention was caught by a young woman who was seated at the table talking rather more loudly than the rest. I had not been introduced to her, and as this was a family party I could not imagine who she was. She was very beautiful the most beautiful woman at the table. Her hair was fair, very thick and curling; her complexion was one of the loveliest I have ever seen; her blue eyes were enormous, being slightly prominent; and she lisped slightly, which made a contrast to her bold looks. She was magnificently dressed, and glittered with jewels; in fact she wore more jewels than anyone present. One could not help watching her, and even the King, at the head of the table, kept glancing her way;
he seemed very pleased to see her there, and once or twice I saw them exchange a look and a smile which made me feel they were very great friends indeed. But, I wondered, if the King was so fond of her, why is she not wanted here? The aunts were whispering together, and when she was not observed I noticed Adelaide throw a glance in the woman’s direction which could only be described as venomous. Every now and then the King would turn to me and address me, and when I answered in my quaint French he would smile, and so would everyone else. He said my French was charming, and so everyone was saying it. I felt it was a successful evening and I could not imagine why Mercy had been so anxious.
At last my curiosity was too much to be borne, and I said to the lady who was seated next to me: “Who is the pretty lady with the blue eyes and the lisp?”
There was a brief silence as though I had said something embarrassing.
Had Madame de Noailles been there I should have known how much so by her expression.
I waited for the answer, which seemed a long time in coming, and then:
“She is Madame du Barry,
The King came to my apartments and told me he had a gift for me, which was a casket of jewels. These delighted me, and he in turn was delighted to see my pleasure, and kept saying how enchanting it was to be young and so excited over trifles. Then he took from the casket a pearl necklace and held it up. Each pearl was the size of a hazelnut and they were all of perfect matching colour.
“It was brought to France by Anne of Austria,” he told me.
“So how fitting that it should be worn by another Princess from Austria 1 This necklace was worn by my mother and by my wife. It is the property of all the Dauphines and Queens of France.”
As he ceremoniously fastened it himself, his fingers lingered on my neck and he said the pearls had never been shown to greater perfection. I had beautiful shoulders and when I grew up I would be a beautiful woman, an ornament to the throne of France.
I thanked him demurely, and then I looked up at him and flung my arms about his neck. This was wrong, I saw immediately from Madame de Noailles, who was standing by nearly fainting with horror at my presumption; but I did not care and nor did he.
He murmured: “Charming … charming. I am writing to your mother to tell her that we are all enchanted by her daughter.”
He was smiling as he left.
I then received a long lecture from Madame de Noailles as to how I should conduct myself in the presence of the King of France; but I was not listening. I was thinking that if they had married me to him as they had once thought of doing I should have been far less apprehensive than I was when I remembered that the next day was my wedding day.
At the intimate supper I saw all my new relations. Wearing the pearl necklace which the King had placed round my neck, I sat next to the Dauphin, who said nothing to me and did not look my way; but his brother Artois smiled at me and whispered that I looked very pretty.
I was immediately aware of the tense atmosphere, and my attention was caught by a young woman who was seated at the table talking rather more loudly than the rest. I had not been introduced to her, and as this was a family party I could not imagine who she was. She was very beautiful the most beautiful woman at the table. Her hair was fair, very thick and curling; her complexion was one of the loveliest I have ever seen; her blue eyes were enormous, being slightly prominent; and she lisped slightly, which made a contrast to her bold looks. She was magnificently dressed, and glittered with jewels; in fact she wore more jewels than anyone present. One could not help watching her, and even the King, at the head of the table, kept glancing her way;
he seemed very pleased to see her there, and once or twice I saw them exchange a look and a smile which made me feel they were very great friends indeed. But, I wondered, if the King was so fond of her, why is she not wanted here? The aunts were whispering together, and when she was not observed I noticed Adelaide throw a glance in the woman’s direction which could only be described as venomous. Every now and then the King would turn to me and address me, and when I answered in my quaint French he would smile, and so would everyone else. He said my French was charming, and so everyone was saying it. I felt it was a successful evening and I could not imagine why Mercy had been so anxious.
At last my curiosity was too much to be borne, and I said to the lady who was seated next to me: “Who is the pretty lady with the blue eyes and the lisp?”
There was a brief silence as though I had said something embarrassing.
Had Madame de Noailles been there I should have known how much so by her expression.
I waited for the answer, which seemed a long time in coming, and then:
“She is Madame du Barry,