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The Queen began to weep, and, sobbing, bewailed her destiny. She was seized by convulsions and violent retching, much to the alarm of her ladies and the physicians. Next day, after mass, the Duchesse and the Marquise de la Valliere came to make their courtesy to the Queen, who, staring at them, said not a word.
In order to put the Queen-mother off the scent and screen La Valliere, the King pretended to be in love with Mademoiselle de la Mothe-Houdancour, one of the Queen's maids of honour. He used to talk across to her out of one of the top-story windows, and even wished her to accept a present of diamonds.
Magnificent room at Versailles. Ill feeling toward La Vallière. Anne of Austria becomes more ill. Illness of Maria Theresa. The king sick. Abode of Madame Henrietta. Sufferings of the queen-mother. Death of Philip IV. of Spain. Increasing ambition of Louis XIV. Festivities at St. Cloud. Dying scene. Death of the queen-mother. Funeral ceremonies. The Abbey of St. Denis. Duchess of Vaujours.
The Duchesse de Roquelaure, of the house of Laval, was also suspected of wishing to captivate the King; but his Majesty was not so severe with her as with La Ferte. There was great talk in the scandalous circles about this intrigue; but I did not thrust my nose into the affair. I am convinced that the Duchesse de la Valliere always loved the King very much.
"Still, you were not speaking so loud that some of your remarks may not have been lost." "We thought we were quite alone, Madame." "There were three of you, you say?" "Yes; La Valliere, Montalais, and myself." "And you, individually, spoke in a light manner of the king?" "I am afraid so. Should such be the case, will your highness have the kindness to make my peace with his majesty?"
This mark of irreverence towards the Queen is the only one for which Mademoiselle de la Valliere can be blamed; but she would never have done such a thing of her own accord; it was all the fault of the Marquise, blinded as she was by ambition. The King Contemplates the Conquest of Holland. The Grand Seignior's Embassy. Madame de Montespan's Chance of Becoming First Lady of the Harem.
She promised to rally around him, when he should become surintendant, all the old nobility of the kingdom, and questioned him as to the preponderance it would be proper to allow La Valliere. She praised him, she blamed him, she bewildered him. She showed him the secret of so many secrets that, for a moment, Colbert thought he was doing business with the devil.
La Valliere was dressed in a thick silk robe of pearl gray color, with a tinge of rose, with jet ornaments, which displayed to greater effect the dazzling purity of her skin, holding in her slender and transparent hands a bouquet of heartsease, Bengal roses, and clematis, surrounded with leaves of the tenderest green, above which uprose, like a tiny goblet spilling magic influence a Haarlem tulip of gray and violet tints of a pure and beautiful species, which had cost the gardener five years' toil of combinations, and the king five thousand francs.
"We will put that to rights, and will take nothing of the superintendent but his good qualities." "What is your majesty looking for?" said Henrietta, seeing the king's eyes constantly turned towards the door, and wishing to let fly a little poisoned arrow at his heart, supposing he was so anxiously expecting either La Valliere or a letter from her.
In the course of his fourscore splendid miserable years, he never had but one friend, and he ruined and left her. Poor La Valliere, what a sad tale is yours!... While La Valliere's heart is breaking, the model of a finished hero is yawning; as, on such paltry occasions, a finished hero should. Let her heart break: a plague upon her tears and repentance; what right has she to repent?
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