The Nymph of Versailles

Chapter 25

"Clagny is finished and all yours." The king held his arms wide to emphasize his point. "Fit for the true queen of Versailles."

Behind them courtiers gathered around, whispering amongst themselves. Everyone had been trying to get a peek inside for months. Louise's new life as a nun was old news; all the latest gossip was centered on Clagny.

Athénaïs soaked in the reveal. The last fête made her think life couldn't get any better, but with her house finished, a mixture of pride and pleasure squirmed in her chest. The last fête would be as memorable as any at Versailles, but her house stood as a more permanent testament to the love between her and the king. She would have her own manor to room in while the queen only got drafty apartments in the palace. Best of all, Louise never got such a house built for herself.

"I want to see the inside." She grabbed for the king's arm. "Show me everything." While she'd visited construction a few times with the king, she'd always refused to go inside, wanting to wait until it was finished. She spent hours poring over blueprints and drawings to imagine how her house would look.

Clagny was beyond splendid and anything she could have dreamed up. And oh the long gallery. Giant paintings depicting the Aeneid added color to the walls and drew her gaze in. She could have spent an hour looking over the detailed paintings. And then there were the sculptures that looked so lifelike she almost expected them to move and welcome her to her own home. She even had her own grand salon to hose parties in. The roof of it rose up into a dome. Corinthian columns surrounded the salon, making it appear fit for even the most discerning of royalty.

She twirled in a circle as she stared up at the dome. "It's so high!"

"I thought this room would do well for your harpsichord playing."

"Yes." She trailed her fingers down a column. "Better than any stage I would want to play on. In fact, tomorrow I'll hold a little concert. And our daughter can dance for us." She giggled and pulled the king into a dance and he chuckled as he followed her lead. "It will be marvelous."

He watched her with that look of love lighting up his eyes she adored. "You still have the two wings to see. I thought you would be fond of the orangery and chapel in particular."

She stilled. "You gave me my own orangery?"

"You wanted your flowers planted right away and I know how much time you spend in my gardens. I wanted to surprise you."

She glanced right and then left. "Which wing?"

He pointed to his right and she started in that direction, gawking at each new detail she spotted every few steps. At the end she reached the orangery and she shot through the door. When she entered a cloud of the citrusy orange blossom scent she loved greeted her. The trees sat in tubs full of dirt, creating a mini forest. Beyond the oranges were palisades covered in roses, jasmine, and carnations. The orangery wasn't as grand as the one at Versailles—she couldn't imagine any ever matching them—but the orangery was more than enough from her. In the evenings when her mind wouldn't settle she could wander the rows of trees and take comfort in their familiar scent.

"There is nowhere else I'd want to live," she declared as she rounded to face the king. "I should host a dinner here for you soon. And I'll keep my salon full of conversation. This place is a living dream and it would be wrong to hoard it to myself." It was exactly the place she'd always dreamed of having. The kind of place she dreamed she would buy if she were Louise.

The king leaned to his right to inspect the blossoms on a tree. "Would you like to see the chapel next? And if you find anything you don't like in any of the rooms we can have them fixed. The furnishings are all as you requested."