re-gilded and her bed, which had become very shabby, covered with a new tapestry of a religious design. As time went on, and the King felt less guilty about her, he became much nicer to her and altogether she had cause to bless Madame de Pompadour. ‘If there has to be a mistress,’ she would say over and over again, ‘better this one than any other.’
But in spite of her charm, good nature and desire to please, Madame de Pompadour had and always would have enemies. To the aristocrats she was the incarnation of Parisian bourgeoisie. While the nobles, living in a delightful insouciance at Versailles, neglecting their estates, gambling all of every night for enormous sums, spending far more than they could afford on horses, carriages and clothes in order to impress each other, were getting steadily poorer and more obscure, the bourgeoisie was getting richer and more powerful. They hated it, and hated her for belonging to it. Except Richelieu, those who knew her well seem to have loved her, some of them quite against their will; but the ordinary courtiers would have done anything to bring about her downfall. However, if they wanted to wage war Madame de Pompadour had big guns on her side, not counting the biggest gun of all. The Pâris brothers and their colleagues were her firm supporters, and after five years of expensive warfare, with the country in a state of near-bankruptcy, financiers counted for very much. There was trouble at this time between the Pâris and Orry, who as Controller General was in charge of the nation’s finances as well as of most of the internal administration: for some months there had been talk of replacing him and in December 1745 he was dismissed. Rightly or wrongly this dismissal was put down to the Marquise; it was the first hint, at Court, that her influence was extending beyond the domain of party-giving, and many felt it as a chill wind.
6
Mourning
SOON AFTER HER arrival at Versailles, one of the two great sorrows of her life fell upon Madame de Pompadour; she was in Chapel on Christmas Eve 1745, when they came and told her that her mother was dying. She hurried out of church and left immediately for Paris. It was said that Madame Poisson, clever as four devils, occupied her last hours advising Madame de Pompadour how to behave in her new, her glorious and her undoubtedly difficult position. Of course her position must really have been made much easier by the removal of this masterful beauty, in her early forties, but Madame de Pompadour did not think so; she was thrown into fearful grief, and so were the two widowers, Poisson and Tournehem. They sobbed in each other’s arms; and for the rest of their lives were inseparable. The King, who generally shunned the grief of other people in an agony of embarrassment, was extremely kind to Madame de Pompadour on this occasion; he supped night after night alone with her and Frérot and presently took her off to Choisy, where he invited a small party, to try and cheer her up. Thinking that a projected
voyage
to Marly might be too much for her, he suggested putting it off; but this she wisely would not allow. The women had already bought their dresses, she said. Meanwhile the Queen had been made very happy; for the first time since many a day the King gave her a New Year’s present, a beautiful gold snuff box with a jewelled watch set in the lid. Everybody at Court knew perfectly well that it had been ordered, originally, for Madame Poisson.
In the spring of 1764 Louis XV once more went off to his army, but only for a few weeks. The Dauphine was expecting a baby and he intended to be back in time for this great event; the Dauphin remained with his wife, whom he loved more than ever. While the king was away Madame de Pompadour stayed at Choisy. She seems to have been pregnant, or perhaps simply over-tired, not very well. She was to rest and live quietly, only going to Versailles to pay her court to the Queen twice a week. She was occupied just
But in spite of her charm, good nature and desire to please, Madame de Pompadour had and always would have enemies. To the aristocrats she was the incarnation of Parisian bourgeoisie. While the nobles, living in a delightful insouciance at Versailles, neglecting their estates, gambling all of every night for enormous sums, spending far more than they could afford on horses, carriages and clothes in order to impress each other, were getting steadily poorer and more obscure, the bourgeoisie was getting richer and more powerful. They hated it, and hated her for belonging to it. Except Richelieu, those who knew her well seem to have loved her, some of them quite against their will; but the ordinary courtiers would have done anything to bring about her downfall. However, if they wanted to wage war Madame de Pompadour had big guns on her side, not counting the biggest gun of all. The Pâris brothers and their colleagues were her firm supporters, and after five years of expensive warfare, with the country in a state of near-bankruptcy, financiers counted for very much. There was trouble at this time between the Pâris and Orry, who as Controller General was in charge of the nation’s finances as well as of most of the internal administration: for some months there had been talk of replacing him and in December 1745 he was dismissed. Rightly or wrongly this dismissal was put down to the Marquise; it was the first hint, at Court, that her influence was extending beyond the domain of party-giving, and many felt it as a chill wind.
6
Mourning
SOON AFTER HER arrival at Versailles, one of the two great sorrows of her life fell upon Madame de Pompadour; she was in Chapel on Christmas Eve 1745, when they came and told her that her mother was dying. She hurried out of church and left immediately for Paris. It was said that Madame Poisson, clever as four devils, occupied her last hours advising Madame de Pompadour how to behave in her new, her glorious and her undoubtedly difficult position. Of course her position must really have been made much easier by the removal of this masterful beauty, in her early forties, but Madame de Pompadour did not think so; she was thrown into fearful grief, and so were the two widowers, Poisson and Tournehem. They sobbed in each other’s arms; and for the rest of their lives were inseparable. The King, who generally shunned the grief of other people in an agony of embarrassment, was extremely kind to Madame de Pompadour on this occasion; he supped night after night alone with her and Frérot and presently took her off to Choisy, where he invited a small party, to try and cheer her up. Thinking that a projected
voyage
to Marly might be too much for her, he suggested putting it off; but this she wisely would not allow. The women had already bought their dresses, she said. Meanwhile the Queen had been made very happy; for the first time since many a day the King gave her a New Year’s present, a beautiful gold snuff box with a jewelled watch set in the lid. Everybody at Court knew perfectly well that it had been ordered, originally, for Madame Poisson.
In the spring of 1764 Louis XV once more went off to his army, but only for a few weeks. The Dauphine was expecting a baby and he intended to be back in time for this great event; the Dauphin remained with his wife, whom he loved more than ever. While the king was away Madame de Pompadour stayed at Choisy. She seems to have been pregnant, or perhaps simply over-tired, not very well. She was to rest and live quietly, only going to Versailles to pay her court to the Queen twice a week. She was occupied just
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