The Nymph of Versailles

Chapter 24

June, 1674

"My application lapsed." She hung her head in her hands. "I was so busy celebrating my victory over Louise to remember to check on it. How can I get a separation from Montespan if I can't even remember to keep it active?" She groaned. Internally, she called herself every cuss word she could think of.

"Renew it. It's as simple as that," Gabrielle said. "Nothing to get worked up about." She dropped a sugar cube into her tea.

"Montespan's in Paris." She wrung her hands. "He's trying to get the inheritance owed to him from his mother and he moved to Paris while the proceedings take place. He's only a short distance away from us."

Gabrielle paused, holding her teacup in her hand, her lips hovering above it. "Are you sure?"

"Yes and the king is off on the war front and can't defend me." The new war was against Spain this time and it'd only taken the king four months to claim the Franche-Comté region for France. Again, Louis went undefeated for the glory of France. "He made Colbert promise to speed up the proceedings to get rid of him. He promised to do what he can to keep my husband away, but how can he when he is so far away?" She stood and began pacing.

Gabrielle sipped on her tea, refusing to catch her sister's flurried panic. "You have guards and I can stay with you. As long as you don't wander from them, he won't be able to touch you."

She threw her hands in the air. "He won't care about the guards and if you're here he'll hurt you too." Remembering the way her husband broke the door down last time made her hands shake. Would he do it again? She hadn't expected him to last time. He always had a way of surprising her with how far he was willing to go. And she was tired of him. Louise was gone. This was her time to bask and enjoy having the king to herself. How dare Montespan come and ruin it.

And this time her children were at the palace. Did he know about them? Would he target them to hurt her? She closed her eyes and imagined their screams as he dragged her daughter down the corridor by her hair. The image made her blood boil.

"Tomorrow I'm going to talk to Colbert. He said the case will be heard by a judge and the king appointed me a counsel. I won't let that animal get to my children. He's stolen enough from me. I'm going all in, but I'm afraid I'll get nervous during questioning."

"Is that why I'm here?" Gabrielle set her tea down and leaned back.

Athénaïs stopped her pacing to collapse into her chair. "Yes. I asked for examples of questions I might be asked and I want to practice my answers."

"Let me see." Gabrielle accepted the paper from her sister and scanned it. When she finished she let out a laugh. "Why bother practicing? Your husband has to prove he wasn't cruel to you. His lawyer has the harder job here when you will have multiple witnesses and the king's support at your back. Do you really think the judge would rule against you?"

"I know but I want to win because I deserve to win, not because the judge fears the king's wrath. I want my husband to face the monster in him."

"You will win no matter what, so quit worrying. Come on, let's go pay your children a visit." She stood and gestured for her sister to join her.

"I don't want to go anywhere until my husband leaves the city."

"We'll take the guards and nothing will happen. Don't let him keep you away from your children."

Athénaïs let out a sigh. Arguing with Gabrielle would be like arguing with a wall. "Fine."

Her worries disappeared when her children greeted her. Her daughter gave her a perfect curtsey. Her dress—bought for her by the king—made her look like a little princess. "Look," her daughter said as she held up her latest needlework. "I've been working on making roses." Delicate red roses looped across the edges of the white handkerchief.