regularly to see if there was anyone who could amuse him for a while.
Naturally the families met often, which meant that he was constantly in the house. The wedding was to take place in three weeks’ time when all the excitement over that of the Dauphin and Marie Antoinette had died down.
In the meantime, as the families were both in Paris, and my father would no doubt take part in some of the ceremonies of the royal marriage, we saw a great deal of each other.
The Tourvilles gave a ball and once more I danced with Charles, and this time I was conscious of Sophie as she watched us. She insisted that Charles seemed to like me very much and when I protested that I thought he had a very poor opinion of me, she assured me that this was not so.
‘Oh,’ I said, ‘he is so much in love with you that he even likes your family.’
And that seemed to please her.
When I saw Lisette next I told her who Charles de Tourville was, and what a shock I had had at the ball.
‘Is it really so?’ she cried; and she started to laugh. But when I talked of him she did not seem very interested.
‘I only hope he doesn’t tell about us,’ I said.
‘How could he? He’d have to explain how he happened to be there.’
‘Lisette,’ I said, ‘when I came to tell you about it when the ball was over, you weren’t in your bed.’
She looked at me steadily and said: ‘Oh …you must have come when I was in one of the attics with the servants watching the guests depart. There is a good view up there.’
And I forgot about that until much later.
It was the day of the Dauphin’s wedding and my parents had gone to Versailles to attend the reception afterwards which was to be held in the Galerie des Glaces. I felt an uneasiness which I could not shake off. My thoughts were filled with Charles de Tourville and his coming marriage to Sophie. I fervently wished I could forget that man and not be so disturbed by his presence. It was not that I liked him … in fact I disliked all that he stood for; but on the other hand when he was not present, it seemed dull; and if he were to put in an unexpected appearance, I would feel an elation which try as I might I could neither suppress nor ignore.
There was to be a fireworks display in the evening and Charles with Armand were to conduct Sophie and me to the place so that we could have a good view. However during the afternoon the skies became overcast, the rain pelted down and the thunder and lightning were really alarming.
Sophie was terrified as she always had been of thunder, and Charles comforted her solicitously under my cynical eyes. He was clearly amused by my attitude.
‘No trip to Versailles,’ announced Armand. ‘There’ll be no fireworks tonight.’
‘The people will not be very pleased. A lot of them are trudging out to Versailles just to see them,’ said Charles.
‘They can’t blame the King for the storm,’ said Armand with a laugh. ‘Though I have no doubt some of them will.’
‘I dare say they will do the fireworks display on another occasion,’ added Charles. ‘Perhaps here in Paris, which would be sensible. It would save the trip to Versailles.’
‘What an end to the wedding-day!’ I murmured.
‘People are going to say it is a bad omen,’ added Charles.
‘Poor little bride,’ I couldn’t help saying, looking straight at Charles. ‘I hope she will be happy.’
‘They say she looks like a girl who can take care of herself,’ Charles replied, gazing into my eyes. ‘There are some like that. Perhaps that sort need more of a man than our little Dauphin has so far proved himself to be.’
‘Hush!’ said Armand in a mocking voice. ‘You speak treason.’
That evening the four of us played a card game while we listened to the rain spluttering on to the windows of the hôtel. The streets were quiet; it was very different from what we had expected it to be and rather an anticlimax to all the fuss there had been about the royal wedding.
The next day
Naturally the families met often, which meant that he was constantly in the house. The wedding was to take place in three weeks’ time when all the excitement over that of the Dauphin and Marie Antoinette had died down.
In the meantime, as the families were both in Paris, and my father would no doubt take part in some of the ceremonies of the royal marriage, we saw a great deal of each other.
The Tourvilles gave a ball and once more I danced with Charles, and this time I was conscious of Sophie as she watched us. She insisted that Charles seemed to like me very much and when I protested that I thought he had a very poor opinion of me, she assured me that this was not so.
‘Oh,’ I said, ‘he is so much in love with you that he even likes your family.’
And that seemed to please her.
When I saw Lisette next I told her who Charles de Tourville was, and what a shock I had had at the ball.
‘Is it really so?’ she cried; and she started to laugh. But when I talked of him she did not seem very interested.
‘I only hope he doesn’t tell about us,’ I said.
‘How could he? He’d have to explain how he happened to be there.’
‘Lisette,’ I said, ‘when I came to tell you about it when the ball was over, you weren’t in your bed.’
She looked at me steadily and said: ‘Oh …you must have come when I was in one of the attics with the servants watching the guests depart. There is a good view up there.’
And I forgot about that until much later.
It was the day of the Dauphin’s wedding and my parents had gone to Versailles to attend the reception afterwards which was to be held in the Galerie des Glaces. I felt an uneasiness which I could not shake off. My thoughts were filled with Charles de Tourville and his coming marriage to Sophie. I fervently wished I could forget that man and not be so disturbed by his presence. It was not that I liked him … in fact I disliked all that he stood for; but on the other hand when he was not present, it seemed dull; and if he were to put in an unexpected appearance, I would feel an elation which try as I might I could neither suppress nor ignore.
There was to be a fireworks display in the evening and Charles with Armand were to conduct Sophie and me to the place so that we could have a good view. However during the afternoon the skies became overcast, the rain pelted down and the thunder and lightning were really alarming.
Sophie was terrified as she always had been of thunder, and Charles comforted her solicitously under my cynical eyes. He was clearly amused by my attitude.
‘No trip to Versailles,’ announced Armand. ‘There’ll be no fireworks tonight.’
‘The people will not be very pleased. A lot of them are trudging out to Versailles just to see them,’ said Charles.
‘They can’t blame the King for the storm,’ said Armand with a laugh. ‘Though I have no doubt some of them will.’
‘I dare say they will do the fireworks display on another occasion,’ added Charles. ‘Perhaps here in Paris, which would be sensible. It would save the trip to Versailles.’
‘What an end to the wedding-day!’ I murmured.
‘People are going to say it is a bad omen,’ added Charles.
‘Poor little bride,’ I couldn’t help saying, looking straight at Charles. ‘I hope she will be happy.’
‘They say she looks like a girl who can take care of herself,’ Charles replied, gazing into my eyes. ‘There are some like that. Perhaps that sort need more of a man than our little Dauphin has so far proved himself to be.’
‘Hush!’ said Armand in a mocking voice. ‘You speak treason.’
That evening the four of us played a card game while we listened to the rain spluttering on to the windows of the hôtel. The streets were quiet; it was very different from what we had expected it to be and rather an anticlimax to all the fuss there had been about the royal wedding.
The next day
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