The Nymph of Versailles

Chapter 37

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Athénaïs felt like a ghost wandering Clagny. She received so few visitors she might as well be one. Her footsteps echoed on the floors. The servants darted around corners and kept out of sight. The rumors of a marriage between the king and Maintenon rattled around in her head. He was too old to marry a foreign princess and already had an heir. He might as well marry for love, but shouldn't it be her, the woman he spent eighteen years with instead?

Of all the offenses Maintenon ever caused, a marriage would be the worst. It wasn't fair of her to swoop in and take everything Athénaïs ever wanted away. And despite all the pain gnawing away at her heart, she could find no reason to share any more tears. She should take Louise's advice and leave, yet despite a few brief excursions to her new house, she had been able to pry herself away from court.

The sound of a carriage drew her to a window. Her brother Vivonne. They'd never been close, but he'd appreciated the marshal position she secured him. Gabrielle was the one who usually visited her, not their brother.

She greeted him at the door, her voice flat.

"Sister." He gave her a forced smile. "I was hoping you would be willing to host me for lunch."

Athénaïs looked to the nearest clock. She hadn't even realized how late the day had grown.

"Of course. What brings you here?"

He wandered past her and opened the closed shutters. "It's a beautiful day outside. No need to keep yourself in the dark. Get some sunshine."

"You're avoiding my question."

He met her gaze and heaved a sigh. "You won't let me make small talk, will you? Fine. You've been grieving the loss of the king for far too long. It's time you leave court. He wants you to go."

She balled her skirts in her hands. "He hasn't told me. Are you sure?" Her stomach plummeted and she sucked in a breath until little black dots appeared in front of her eyes, reminding her to breathe. She leaned against the wall. The wave of sorrow she expected didn't come. Instead a dark chasm raged in her core, eating away at any emotion threatening to bubble up.

"I'm here on his behalf. You are to leave first thing tomorrow. You can go to your palace at Petit-Bourg or you are welcomed at my chateau at Roissy."

She raised her head. "What if I refuse to leave?"

"He will have you removed. Please don't force his hand. You'll make an embarrassment of yourself and our family and I can't allow that. I came here myself to help break the news and show you there is no other choice."

She stared out the window, her eyes unfocused and her mouth open as his words whirled around in her head. No, she decided. It couldn't be true. She wouldn't accept her dismissal.

She pushed away from the wall, her skirts hiding the tremble in her legs. "I'm offended he did not have the courage to face me himself. But if you want me to leave tomorrow, I need to return to Versailles to gather a few things from my apartments."

"Go ahead." He didn't see through her calm guise.

She just needed an audience with the king, she told herself as she stepped into her apartments. This would play out the same way as the first time Maintenon made the king toss her aside. He would see Athénaïs and change his mind. He always did.

*

When the king appeared in her rooms shortly after her return to Versailles, she believed it to be proof of her brother's lie. The king smiled and appeared to be in a good mood with an easy air around him. He carried one of their sons, the Comte de Toulouse, in his arms. They were the perfect image of son and proud father. She perked up, believing she'd been correct. The king would tell her he had no idea of why her brother asked her to leave. He'd tell her he wanted her to stay.