upon him. What if he died in bed with that putain beside him! Louise had a long way to come and by the time she arrived the King would be ready to leave, so there was often only time for her to kiss him before he went. Those were happy days … before that woman came here. Of course there was the Pompadour before her. The King has always been the prey of women. But there was a time” Her eyes became dreamy.
“One grows old. I was his favourite daughter, you know. He used to call me Loque then. It was meant to be a pet name. He still calls me by it;
and Victoire is Coche. “
“Because I am so fond of eating,” put in Victoire.
“It has made me a little fat… but not like a pig.”
“Sophie was Graille and Louise Chiffe. Our father likes to give people names. He always called our brother’s wife ” Poor Pepa. ” She was Marie Josephe, you see. I have rarely heard him refer to your husband other than as ” Poor Berry”. ” Why were these two poor? “
“Pepa because when she came here her husband did not want her. He had been married before and loved his first wife, and on his second wedding night he cried in his new wife’s aims for the first one. But she was patient and he loved her in time and then he died. So she was Poor Pepa. And Poor Berry … Well, he is different from most young men so he is Poor Berry for that reason.”
“I wonder if he minds.”
“Poor Berry! He doesn’t care about anything but hunting, reading, playing with locks, and building….”
“And eating,” said Victoire, “Poor Berry I’ sighed Adelaide; and they all sighed with her.
When I left them I seemed to have learned a great deal! about the royal family which I had not known before. I had the key to the aunts’ apartments. I would use it often, for at least with them I could escape the rigid etiquette of Madame deNoailles.
At the ball which was given a few days later there was trouble on a point of etiquette. It was all due to the fact that on this occasion—because the ball was being given in honour i of me—the Princes of Lorraine had asked that their House should take precedence over all others, for my father had been Francois of Lorraine and they claimed kinship with me. Thus Mademoiselle de Lorraine, who was a distant] cousin, believed she should, for this occasion only, take the floor in a minuet ahead of all the other ladies. The Duchesses of the Royal House were outraged and there was
a great deal of activity throughout the Palace. I heard that the King was pacing up and down his apartment deeply disturbed by his dilemma.
To refuse the Lorraines’ request would be an insult to the House of Austria; to agree to it would be an insult to the Houses of Orleans, Conde and Conri.
Never had their etiquette seemed to me so silly. The King had allowed Madame du Barry to sit at table with me and yet he appeared to think I should be offended if a distant cousin did not take precedence over his near relations I I made up my mind that as far as possible I should not be a slave to their foolish etiquette.
However, the controversy continued, and finally the King decided in favour of the Lorraines, at which the Royal Duchesses declined to attend, pleading indisposition.
I scarcely noticed their absence. I danced—and how I loved to dance I I felt happier dancing than doing anything else. I danced with my husband, who was very clumsy and constantly turning to the right when be should have gone to the left. I laughed aloud and he gave me his slow smile and said: “I am no good at this!” and that seemed a great advance in our relationship. Dancing with my youngest brother-in-law was different. He was a natural dancer. He told me I looked beautiful, that Berry was the luckiest man at Court and he hoped he realised it.
That seemed like a question. I parried it, but I found myself growing lighthearted in his company. It was wonderful to be with someone of my own age with whom I had something in common.
“One grows old. I was his favourite daughter, you know. He used to call me Loque then. It was meant to be a pet name. He still calls me by it;
and Victoire is Coche. “
“Because I am so fond of eating,” put in Victoire.
“It has made me a little fat… but not like a pig.”
“Sophie was Graille and Louise Chiffe. Our father likes to give people names. He always called our brother’s wife ” Poor Pepa. ” She was Marie Josephe, you see. I have rarely heard him refer to your husband other than as ” Poor Berry”. ” Why were these two poor? “
“Pepa because when she came here her husband did not want her. He had been married before and loved his first wife, and on his second wedding night he cried in his new wife’s aims for the first one. But she was patient and he loved her in time and then he died. So she was Poor Pepa. And Poor Berry … Well, he is different from most young men so he is Poor Berry for that reason.”
“I wonder if he minds.”
“Poor Berry! He doesn’t care about anything but hunting, reading, playing with locks, and building….”
“And eating,” said Victoire, “Poor Berry I’ sighed Adelaide; and they all sighed with her.
When I left them I seemed to have learned a great deal! about the royal family which I had not known before. I had the key to the aunts’ apartments. I would use it often, for at least with them I could escape the rigid etiquette of Madame deNoailles.
At the ball which was given a few days later there was trouble on a point of etiquette. It was all due to the fact that on this occasion—because the ball was being given in honour i of me—the Princes of Lorraine had asked that their House should take precedence over all others, for my father had been Francois of Lorraine and they claimed kinship with me. Thus Mademoiselle de Lorraine, who was a distant] cousin, believed she should, for this occasion only, take the floor in a minuet ahead of all the other ladies. The Duchesses of the Royal House were outraged and there was
a great deal of activity throughout the Palace. I heard that the King was pacing up and down his apartment deeply disturbed by his dilemma.
To refuse the Lorraines’ request would be an insult to the House of Austria; to agree to it would be an insult to the Houses of Orleans, Conde and Conri.
Never had their etiquette seemed to me so silly. The King had allowed Madame du Barry to sit at table with me and yet he appeared to think I should be offended if a distant cousin did not take precedence over his near relations I I made up my mind that as far as possible I should not be a slave to their foolish etiquette.
However, the controversy continued, and finally the King decided in favour of the Lorraines, at which the Royal Duchesses declined to attend, pleading indisposition.
I scarcely noticed their absence. I danced—and how I loved to dance I I felt happier dancing than doing anything else. I danced with my husband, who was very clumsy and constantly turning to the right when be should have gone to the left. I laughed aloud and he gave me his slow smile and said: “I am no good at this!” and that seemed a great advance in our relationship. Dancing with my youngest brother-in-law was different. He was a natural dancer. He told me I looked beautiful, that Berry was the luckiest man at Court and he hoped he realised it.
That seemed like a question. I parried it, but I found myself growing lighthearted in his company. It was wonderful to be with someone of my own age with whom I had something in common.
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