CHAPTER 25
The week had flown by since the engagement. All the higher nobility who had always ignored her were suddenly her best friends. She did not particularly like that they only cared to make friends with her now that she was going to be Louis' wife and queen.
Between her ballet practice and all the invitations she was receiving she had not a spare moment to herself. Publicly greeting the archduchess was one of the first duties she had as betrothed to the king. Doing this was the beginning of her life as a ruler, like a dry run at what it would be like. She believed she was really going to love this life. What she loved so much about it was moments like this where she and Louis were together, holding hands and chatting. In marrying Louis she would get to work with the man she loved for the rest of her life. And what an office workplace they had to spend it in!
It was late afternoon on a Sunday, when Lady Maria Magdalena, the Archduchess of Austria arrived at the French Court of Versailles. Louis and she stood side by side waiting to greet her once she exited the white carriage. Elora's excitement made her all smiles as she and Louis walked down to the marble courtyard together. She was the second to greet the archduchess once she got out of the carriage. Lady Magdalena graciously thanked them.
Elora was slightly intimidated just from their first meeting. Not only was Lady Magdalena's French perfect even though she was a foreigner, but her manner of speaking was so elegant. She was a somewhat attractive girl. Her youth and stature was to blame for the majority of her beauty, so it was not necessarily a lasting beauty. She had shining yellow hair and striking gray eyes, like storm clouds. Her figure was short and trim, with a super large bust-line for such a petite girl. Elora predicted this lady was going to be highly desired at the French court.
She glimpsed in Louis' direction through the corner of her eye as they met the lady. His expression was of enchantment. No, she must have imagined it; he was just being friendly. But he did not take his eyes from the lady, even when Elora spoke a few words to Lady Magdalena. Louis did not mark that she had even spoken. It was as if in those minutes she was invisible to him. She did not appreciate his behavior.
Her stomach turned the moment Louis took Lady Magdalena's arm to walk inside. Wondering what had just happened, Elora stood outside the chateau, as everyone moved indoors following the king. She could hardly believe Louis completely forgot her, his fiancée. Elora did not think of herself as the jealous sort, but she could not pull the image from her mind.
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Thérèse was so happy to be the most favored friend of the future queen. She still could not forget Elora's refusal to marry Christophe, especially now with her about to marry someone else. Things could have been so different if Elora had loved one man versus the other. Thérèse could not imagine why she could not love Christophe, he was the best of men, but of course she realized her opinion was biased being his sister. She could hardly believe this was all still fresh in her mind.
Elora was marrying the king; at least they would be cousins from that connection. Though she never imagined the engagement between those two ever possible, as she was quite certain the rest of the world had not either. It had never been done before; at least not in France.
Now all she had to do was get her dear Cesaire to propose. He was also a lover of women, as the king had been. He had told her he loved her many times and she was willing let him steal a kiss most nights he when walked her to her chambers. He had great beauty in his face and figure, which also came along with unwillingness to make a promise of marriage. Perhaps she should ask Elora how she got the king to propose. Hers was definitely a greater feat.
Elora sat with her that evening at the festivities after dinner. She decided to ease into the question, instead of asking it bluntly. "Elora, I can hardly believe you are engaged to the king.–What a king you have shaped him into."
Elora mumbled a reply agreeing with her. Thérèse could see she was not being attentive to the conversation. Instead, Elora was staring with venom at the courtiers on the dance floor. Surely something must be troubling her. She looked to where Elora with angry, squinted eyes was staring. She did not doubt the reason for Elora's behavior was the king dancing with Lady Magdalena. The lady had just then said something in His Majesty's ear and he laughed. Oh no, Thérèse thought, this was all too familiar looking and Elora had unquestionably noticed.
"Thérèse, what have you heard said about the archduchess?"
"Well, they say she is beautiful…and that she has a princess' dowry."
"Is that all?"
"Yes…I think. She has not been here a full day. There is not much of anything to say, only speculation. What is it that bothers you?"
"Did you happen to notice the attention she is receiving from the king?"
Thérèse became even more nervous now. This was surely not the best time to bring up her difficulties with Cesaire. "Elora, I am certain it is nothing. The king proposed to you. He loves you."
"But that was before he met Her Grace. It is Lady Magdalena who has captured his attention today…not me! Thérèse, tell me I'm overreacting."
"Oh, Elora, you are certainly overreacting. I am sure it is not what you think." Thérèse put a comforting arm around her friend. She did not think Elora believed her; she was not certain she believed herself. If King Louis were truly intending to take a mistress she was not sure Elora would stand for it. Then where would that lead? Elora's heart would break and there would certainly be no royal wedding.
"I wish I felt better about all of this. The shade of jealousy is not a good color on me."
The king did not ask Elora to dance the entire first hour of the festivities. He had wounded her feelings badly, Thérèse could tell. When he finally did ask her to dance he was not in the least affronted when she refused. Could he be so dense? Or could it be he simply did not care? It was then she exited the ballroom with Thérèse beside her. She wanted to go to bed early and Thérèse had the same idea in mind.
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As the days went by Elora was beginning to doubt the sincerity of Louis' love. He had won her hand; now he no longer tried to impress her or flatter her. He still kissed her goodnight and mentioned something about their wedding plans every day, but the excitement of dating was gone.
While she was busy practicing in the opera Lady Magdalena was consistently taking her place at Louis' side. She had expected as much to some extent. She understood everyone, including Louis, had some major sucking up to do to Magdalena. All attention was on someone else at Versailles for once. That girl was indeed crucial in getting a fair treaty signed between the two countries. Where Louis was, Magdalena was sure to be. Any whim of Magdalena's was allowed. She was a well-behaved girl, but she was still childish in so many ways and prone to getting her way. She giggled far too much.
Elora knew she had to be adult about this situation, but it was difficult not to just push the girl out of her way. There were bigger things at stake here than just her relationship with Louis. If there were to be war with Austria then other countries would surely become involved. This could be the making of a colossal war. Thousands, maybe millions of people's lives could be destroyed. If Elora could just shut her mouth and play it nice with the archduchess then she could save that many lives from mayhem and death. It was difficult to argue with that logic.
What Elora did not appreciate was every time she and Louis were together they were not really together anymore. Lady Magdalena's mere presence distracted him from any conversation she offered. There was a gleam in Louis' eyes when he looked at Magdalena; the same way he used to look at her. At dinner, she no longer sat at Louis' right, losing the privilege to the fortunate archduchess. She instead had to sit to Philippe's left, hardly getting a chance to say a full sentence to him all through dinner. Elora only had the first dance reserved with him now. He must have preferred Magdalena's dancing to hers.
In public, Louis would openly flirt with Lady Magdalena and she was no less shy in return. Rumors passed through the court faster than the plague could. From the whispers of random courtiers she found things out. Every look, every touch, every inappropriate word which passed between them was usually not with her present, but there was always some courtier who could not wait to tell her what they had heard or seen.
She was losing her fiancé. As every day passed, her frustration with Louis grew. Every time she was with him, even when they were alone, she could never bring herself to confess her suspicions or even just her hurt feelings. Instead of speaking about the problem, she became bitter and angry when they were together. Everything he said and did annoyed her. She had no patience for his stories or jokes. His touch was becoming unbearable because she was wondering if was he was wishing she were Magdalena when they kissed and embraced. She was becoming tired of being fiancée to the king.
She needed an escape from this heartrending reality. It was not difficult to avoid Louis now that she had her ballet practices as an excuse and Lady Magdalena was there in her place. She was really enjoying this ballet. Monsieur Beauchamp, who at first impression seemed he would be a pompous jerk, he was actually really easy to work with. He would ask her every so often what movement she could do for a step. She was happy to oblige him with examples of what she was capable of doing or showing the other dancers a certain move.
Of course the long ballet dress Louis gave her only worked for about a day before she shortened it knee-length herself and found some undergarments that would do well for practice. Now she looked like a complete freak in this century, but at least she could dance comfortably.
After practice Elora moseyed about her bedroom and picked up the Shakespeare book Philippe had lent her. She opened it up and flipped through the pages until she found the play she wanted, Measure for Measure. She sat on her bed and began to read, but she was not feeling quite comfortable. Her room was not very well lit for reading and she was tired of sitting in this one room so often. She closed the book and decided to look for a quiet room in the chateau to read. She passed room after room, parlors and salons, but there always seemed to be someone else in there or just passing by loudly. She wanted somewhere where she could hide away for hours at a time.
She went back upstairs to the attics and found a small room near the end of the north wing filled with unwanted furniture. There were two arch windows at both sides of the room. She opened them all to let out the steamy, dusty air. The room was obviously neglected by the cleaning staff; for the wood floors seemed an inch thick in dust and the windows clouded with grime. She was glad someone had the sense to cover the furniture with sheets. This room seemed perfectly suited, meeting all her desires for a place of privacy.
She was not going to be doing any reading for the next few hours it seemed. She had to get her new salon cleaned up. She returned to her bedroom to put on a gown that she had specially requested from Madame Desiree some time ago about the time Louis was ill. It was a short-sleeved navy blue cotton dress with a scoop neckline. There was no lace, embroidery, or ribbons to fancy it up. It was as simple as a sundress and certainly not what a comtesse should ever wear, but she had wanted something that was light and she could work in easily. If it were torn or stained it would not be a big deal, but she had not had opportunity to wear it before now.
She got a mop, bucket of water, and dusting rags from Suzanne and returned to the attic. Suzanne wanted to do the cleaning for her, but she would not let her. This was her secret place, not even she could know.
Elora worked on the room for the rest of the afternoon. She even forgot about supper. As she mopped the floor she realized how wonderful it felt to be doing chores again. Louis would never allow her to do such menial tasks if he knew.
She moved the majority of the furniture into a homey arrangement. There was some excess of tables and chairs that she piled in one of the other rooms next door. She placed a room screen in front of the entryway to the room in order to conceal it from unwanted visitors.
When she was done she was very pleased with the results. None of the furniture matched, but it was clean and in a comfortable order. With the windows wide open the room had aired out well. The sweltering heat gone and a soft breeze came forth. The summer was nearly over and this might be the last hot day of the season. Elora remained in the salon to read, but even now that she was in the perfect setting she was getting little read.
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When Philippe woke he had every intention of joining the Duc de Nevers on a hunt for game birds. He received a message shortly after breakfast from Nevers' page stating his regrets that he was unwell for such an activity today. The hunt was to be postponed for another day.
He kept to his chambers answering letters and reading until Elora came to borrow yet another leather-bound book from his small library. Her face was drawn and her eyes had a sad look about them, even when she smiled. He welcomed her to stay to play a game of chess with him, but she declined, like every other day he invited her to stay.
He knew why she was unhappy; her heart was breaking. His dear brother was neglecting her and attending to another. This was his golden opportunity to win Elora away from his brother. In honesty, he had no proof that Louis had been untrue to her. The court gossip and harmless flirtations was all the evidence he had against his brother. But Elora believed Louis was untrue, so he decided he might as well use it to his benefit. Actually Louis had suggested to him several nights ago that the Archduchess might be a good match for him. He had been forcing him to dance with the lady every night. Louis had something coming if he thought he would wed that fat lipped, Austrian cousin of his.
Philippe knew Elora was hiding from his brother. Louis was humiliating her day after day gallivanting about with other ladies. Whenever he looked for she could never be found until she wanted to be. He pressed her to tell him where she had been disappearing lately. She insisted she was just busy with the ballet she was to perform in.
Though this ballet was taking up much of her time he knew for a fact it was not taking up all of her free time. He sometimes popped his head in the opera if he were passing down that wing of the chateau. He had seen her dance months ago, but nothing like this. She practiced in a short, flimsy dress, with long, silk stockings all the way up her legs and shortened drawers under her skirt. Anyone was free to clearly see these undergarments as she spun and extended her leg straight up above her head.
Her attire was eccentric, but he understood the reason of it when the others ladies danced beside her with their tight, laced bodices and layered petticoats. Elora's dancing was far superior to the other dancers on the stage. He had never before noticed how flexible and graceful she was. Her movement was precise and artful.
He even saw her giving Monsieur Beauchamp advice on the choreography and he welcomed it. Philippe knew Beauchamp well since childhood. Beauchamp thought of himself as the finest and could take no criticism. Everything was done his way down to the last bat of the eye.
Today, when Elora left his chambers with a new book in hand he decided to follow her. She left the south wing hall traveling down the Prince's Staircase to the ground floor, going outside to the Marble Courtyard, appearing to be cutting across the chateau. The guards smiled at her as she passed them with a friendly wave of the hand. She reentered the chateau through the Ambassador's Staircase, once again returning to the first floor. As he followed her down the north wing, he believed she was only going to the opera to dance. Yet she passed by the doorway heading toward the Questel Staircase.
She was not aware of his presence, even as he crept up the stairs behind her, through rooms of dusty furniture and unwanted props from the court performances. He found her making herself comfortable in what had been a storage room for unwanted furniture and things, she had now transformed it into a small salon. She next opened the great windows, nudging a jammed one with her shoulder to get it open a bit. No woman of noble birth would ever strain herself to open those heavy, unyielding windows herself. Who she was continued to baffle him. He would find out the truth someday, perhaps from Elora Roux herself.
She looked upon the Water Avenue and silently cried. He did not need to see who it was she was looking at either. It had to have been the king.
He was feeling discourteous, peeking in on her while she believed herself alone. He should not have followed her.
She wiped the tears away, walked over to the pink sofa and began to read. He wanted to make his presence known, but decided it was not the best time. She already did not trust him; he did not want to give her another reason to dislike him. When his brother was through with her, as he predicted would be soon by the way he was behaving around the Austrian princess, he wanted to have her. Louis would break Elora's heart and he would be there to pick up the pieces. She would be his after all! He just needed to be patient and show her only his good side.
The next afternoon Philippe went up to the attics resolute to surprise Elora, but at the same time planning to act astonished to see her there. As he loudly climbed up the stairs and approached her she did not look up or even seem to hear him. She sat with her whole body wedged into the spacious windowsill. She leaned back against one side with her feet up and knees bent slightly. Her eyes never flinched as she read from the book in her lap. She was looking rather fetching in a pale purple gown and quite comfortable.
He cleared his throat, but she still did not look up. It was then he saw she had her ears plugged up with small white beads attached to a string. Perhaps she did not want to be distracted by sounds around her, yet he could hear nothing at present that could be a nuisance to her.
He did not want to startle her too much considering she was at the edge of an open window and three stories from the ground. Trepidatious, he leaned towards her and lightly tapped her shoulder. She wobbled and screamed some vulgar words that no young lady should know. He grabbed her arm, just in case she was to fall out. She steadied herself quickly and pulled the beads from her ears. "Philippe!"
"I apologize for invading your privacy. I saw you coming up here. I simply wanted to ask you how you were enjoying the book. Then I saw how quaint this little room was and how comfortable you looked. I suppose I wanted to join you.–What exactly is that in your hand?"
She huffed, looked exasperated with his question. She hopped off the sill, not taking the hand he offered for assistance. "It's nothing." She wrapped the strings around the small box and tucked it under a pillow on the sofa. "Just my MP3.–Ah, translated to French it is…it is a…"
"Box," Philippe finished.
"Yes!" She smiled at him.
"Containing…"
"Food for the soul."
"All right." This lady was hiding more than one ace in her sleeve. He despised when she answered important questions in proverbs. He wished she would just say what she was thinking. "And what about the earplugs, why are they connected to a string?"
"Yeah, earplugs, exactly. Well the string keeps them together; they are a pair after all."
"Might I see it again?"
"Maybe later. I'm more interested in you right now. I came here purposely to be alone. I really don't feel like entertaining company."
"I do not expect you to be a hostess to me. I would like to sit here with you and read if you will allow me." He removed a small book from his inside breast pocket.
She shrugged her shoulders, giving in. "You can certainly stay here if you like. Nothing in this chateau is mine, least of all this forsaken room. Please, just promise me you will not tell anyone this is where I come to get away."
So he stayed that day and returned time after time, of course only remaining when Elora Roux was present. They did not converse as much as they sat in the blissful quiet and read. She was becoming quite comfortable with his presence. Sometimes she would lean over to him, book in hand, to ask for a translation of some French word or phrase into English. He of course was more than pleased to oblige her. Her manner was so relaxed and informal. He understood why Louis enjoyed spending time alone with her. It was as if the hierarchy acknowledged by the world did not exist in that room with Elora. They were just two people, not prince and comtesse.
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The ballet was only two days away and Elora was very nervous on how it was going to turn out. She did not feel she had half as much practice as she needed. To make it all the worse today she was ordered by King Louis to refrain from going to ballet practice because there was to be naval show in the Grand Canal of the Battle of La Rochelle. It was to commemorate the increased financing for the French Navy instituted by Colbert. The miniatures of the great battleships were entertaining, but Elora could hardly enjoy it because of the company she kept.
The court was packed full today for this show and still the main focus of Louis' attention was Lady Magdalena. Luckily Philippe was with them and had noticed Elora's increasing agitation with her so he took Magdalena's arm to show her a better view of a particular ship. Elora was glad for at least a few minutes she would be somewhat alone with Louis.
"I have been missing you a great deal lately," he began, "and now that I finally get you outside in the sunlight I cannot see a glimmer of a smile."
"I only smile when I have cause. I will not smile merely because you want to see me happy. I'll smile when you make me happy."
He took her hand in his. "What can I do to please you?"
She had so many things to tell him, but hoped he could guess what it was she really wanted. It was not so long ago when he could predict her every desire. There was something gone from them now, something Magdalena had stolen. "Excuse Lady Magdalena from your company for only today." She searched his eyes for an answer, one that he was not likely to give.
"Why do you demand such of me? You know how important she is."
"Oh I could never pretend not to know how important she is to you. What upsets me is how much more important her feelings are to you than mine are.–For an engaged man your behavior is totally inappropriate. Don't you see you're giving this girl the wrong impression?"
"Are you insinuating my actions have not been guarded?"
"It's incredible that you even have to ask that! Everyone has noticed. It's really embarrassing for me to see you flirting with that girl in my presence, which is leading me to imagine what must be going on when I'm not around."
"Elora, I have no such feelings."
"Then let's not put things off any longer."
"You want to set a date for our wedding?"
"Do you really think now is the right time to bring that up? A clue, no.–It is about time for you to revise the treaty and get it signed?"
Just at the most inconvenient moment Lady Magdalena returned with Philippe, practically dragging him behind her. No doubt she could not wait to get back to Louis. Lucky for Louis, they could not continue their conversation.
"I was just telling our cousin," said Philippe, "how lovely she has dressed the part today. This blue with the little gold ship embellishment on her hat is charming."
"Oh yes, cousin, certainly well suited and most beautiful," Louis stated.
Did he not recall anything they had just talked about? "Lady Elora," Magdalena deigned to speak to her. "Why have you not dressed for the occasion? You see everyone else wears patriotic colors for this naval themed day."
"I wish I cared for the vanities that so many at Versailles believe to be important. I chose to wear yellow today because I felt like wearing it. Besides I am not the sort who wants to conform and blend into a faceless crowd."
This was how it was every day, adulating over one another. She was sick of it. "Louis, you must excuse me," she finally said, unable to stand in between them any longer.
"Why?" His voice was angry.
She cleared her throat. "I have a sudden headache." This was a lie of course.
"It is the sun. Have a cold drink and you will feel better."
"Thank you, but I really must go inside."
"Elora, this is important. You need to be present."
She whispered into his ear, "Louis, if you don't excuse me right now I'm going to kick you so hard you won't walk for a week. We'll finish our conversation later."
"Elora, go rest. I will see you at dinner tonight."
Yeah two seats away and maybe one dance later on, she thought. "Don't count on it," she said as she walked away.
She could hear Magdalena saying something like, "Lady Elora has quite a dry sense of humor."
If she ever got that princess alone she would find out how dry her humor was. She knew Louis knew she did not really have a headache, but she had to get out of there. The haven she chose was her little secret salon. There were so many books from Philippe's library she still wanted to read and had several of them sitting on the table beside the sofa. Since there was no television or radio or internet, she was content to read. She felt her French vocabulary improving with every novel she read. She had asked Louis if he would order her some physician's books so she might study, but that had been the day he had played croquet with Magdalena and could not stopped talking about the exciting game they played, so she doubted he even heard her mention it.
She had been surprised when Philippe found her salon in the attic last week. She had hoped it would be Louis who would have had the curiosity to find her there. He obviously was not missing her company so desperately as he talked of so often. It was after all his idea for the ballet, which was what was consuming her most of her free time. Now it seemed as if the ballet was his invention to distract her rather than please her.
Philippe must have been noticing what was going on. He was always at her side now when Louis was arm and arm with Magdalena. He now reminded her of the Louis she loved. He had the same kindness and devotion, which Louis used to have. He helped to fill the empty canyon in her heart that was once overflowing with Louis' love and attention.
Philippe came up quietly and sat next to her on the sofa. He must have left the naval show just after she did to be up in the attic so quickly.
"Elora, you are not happy. Things are not as they were with you and Louis; I can see this. I think we both know what is happening, even though you have not spoken of it. I tried to tell you Louis could not change his ways. It is not in his nature. He only wants a pretty girl to warm his bed. He will never follow through with the marriage. He has already moved on to Lady Magdalena."
"What? What have you heard? Has Louis said something to you? Have you seen him doing something?" The tears in her eyes were about to brim over.
"Compose yourself. I speak only of their public displays. I have only seen what you have, but there are whispers in the air of more."
She walked over to the window and sighed. "Philippe, have you ever been in love?"
"No. Well, perhaps. I do not really know. What is love to you?"
"So many little things.–Loving the whole person for his flaws as well as his attributes. Thinking of him with a smile every time. Being with him and feeling at home; trusted and safe. Realizing he is the last man you ever want to kiss."
"Perhaps I have loved."
"What happened to her?"
"She entered my life like a refreshing seaside breeze. It was not long before she made her choice whom she preferred at court and that man was not me."
"Well, she was an idiot for not realizing what a catch you are. I am beginning to feel the same way; with Louis preferring someone else to me."
Upon Philippe's suggestion they spent the rest of the afternoon joking and acting out random scenes from Shakespeare's plays. He accidently broke a chair when he stepped up on it while pretending to be Puck from Midsummer Night's Dream. The fun ended when she missed hitting Philippe and hurled a pillow out the window while pretending to be Katherina from Taming of the Shrew. They both ran to the window to look below and it had nearly fallen on d'Artagnan as he passed by. He looked up and Elora pulled Phillipe down to the floor with her, giggling the whole time.
She was going to run outside to go get it, but Philippe reminded her of the time. It was getting on to be the time for dinner. He left and she went to the opera to practice by herself. Tomorrow they would be doing their first dress rehearsal and two complete run-throughs of the performance before the big day Saturday night.
She ended up not going to dinner and Louis never came looking for her or maybe he did send someone, but they didn't find her in the opera. She was sure he was not missing her.
The next morning, she woke early to get dressed in her newly fitted costume. Dress rehearsal was always a thrilling day. There was so much energy in the air in the opera between the dancers and the musicians.
The hem of her chiton tunic needed a bit of shortening, so while the theatre seamstress was adjusting it Elora did some stretches on the barre in her chemise. There came a loud sound from the hall outside the opera, then the doors flew open. A crowd of the king's council entered with Louis leading the way at the front center.
She dropped her head down, not at all happy to see him, predicting they were to once again argue. She could not do this now, she had too much on her mind already and there were too many people around. She would have to shoo him away.
Beauchamp and Lully went flocking to him, welcoming his presence. She merely walked to the edge of the stage, with arms crossed. Though Louis did not speak in her direction he said he wanted to see how things were coming along and speak with her for a moment.
"Elora," His smile faded when he looked over the attire she wore. "Elora, what are you wearing in such a public place?" He came up on the stage and took off his blue waistcoat.
She held her hand out. "Louis," she decided to speak in English. "If you try to put that jacket on me I'm going to knock you down on your royal derrière."
"But Elora–" He took her by the hand and pulled her off to stage left, so there was not anyone in hearing distance.
"No." She shook her hand away from his. "We're in the middle of dress rehearsal, Louis. You can't just come in here and make everything come to a crashing halt. Don't forget this is what you wanted. The show goes up tomorrow, you can see it then."
"All right.–Can I at least tell you the news I came to tell you?–The treaty with Austria has been negotiated and signed."
She had not expected that to be the next thing to come out of his mouth. She had been very sure he was going to drag this treaty thing on for months. She was thrilled, no more than that, elated. "Really, that's great!" But then the excitement was gone when the image came into her mind of Louis and Magdalena sitting on the French throne side by side. How had the treaty been signed with that girl desperately grasping to win Louis' attention. "Any outlandish terms?" Would he get her meaning?
"None that I was not prepared to concede to.–Elora, what I most wanted to tell you is she is leaving." He smiled, holding out his hand for hers. "Does this please you?"
"Yes," she sighed, taking his hand. "Louis, we need to talk about what's happened with us the past couple of weeks. There is a lot I need to vent about. And if we're going to get married soon like I hope then certain things need to be said."
"Elora, you know I love you! I am ready to speak about anything you wish."
"Okay, but not today. I have too much on my mind and to sum it up in one word it is Cassandra. Tomorrow will be a new day, let's talk then."
"Until tomorrow." He kissed her, most passionately.
She did not want to distrust him, especially since he got the treaty signed quickly on her request. She truly did want to trust him, but from what she had seen from his behavior she was not sure. Would this happen again and again with every new girl that caught his every at Versailles? Would it ever become more than flirtation and become betrayal?
For the moment all she said was, "Now get out of here!" She pushed him off the stage toward the door. "We have a ballet to rehearse!"
All he could do was chuckle. He was nearly out the door when he yelled to her, "Elora may I just have a taste of what is to come at tomorrow night's performance."
"Well, okay." She backed up about ten feet and ran, doing a front flip off the stage.
She could not help making a ta-da smile, with her arms forming a v to the ceiling. There was that look again from everyone in the opera. She guessed no one had ever seen gymnastics before.
Thank goodness Louis was quick to commend her on it or they might of tied her up and brought her out to the marble courtyard to be burned alive.
"Elora, enjoy yourself! I'm off to discuss the navy."
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Louis entered his chambers for the night, even now lusting after his dear fiancée. Since he spoke with her this morning about the treaty she seemed happy once again. He wished she could have joined him tonight for dinner, but they were still at work at the opera from what he was told. He was glad Elora took pleasure in the physical rigors of dancing. It acted as a cure for her constant boredom with the leisure life he gave her at court. Finding her half-dressed on stage was better than seeing her dressed as a man, fighting with his guards in the training arena.
After being undressed by his men he entered his bedchamber alone, wishing Elora were with him. The moment the door closed and he had walked a few paces a feminine voice from behind him said, "Your Majesty".
He quickly turned, seeing Lady Magdalena standing before him, wearing only a red chemise undergarment. He jumped back, not only from the shock of one of his subjects daring to be in his chamber without permission, but also that it was this particular lady. He would only expect this sort of misbehavior from a mistress or more likely of late, his fiancée. He questioned what she was doing there, even though he already knew.
"Your Majesty, I only wanted to honor you."
"Honor me. With what, my lady?"
"With my most prized treasure…my virginity."
"What has made you think I wish for this treasure?" His eyes began to wander to her large bosom. He had looked in that direction many times before, but now he had different thoughts in mind. His desire for Lady Magdalena began to overpower his honorable intentions towards Elora.
"It has been rumored here at court the Comtesse refuses to enter your bed." She looked up at him through her thick lashes. "Which was why I thought I would be welcome."
She pushed herself up against him, letting her hands trace the design on his robe. He could not push her away.
"My Lady," He practically choked on his words, as his manhood began to stir with desire. "You have been mistaken in my attentions toward you."
It was as if she did not hear his words. Her only reaction was to pull his head down and kiss him. He struggled with himself as they kissed whether he should push her away. If he did lay with her, Elora would be none the wiser. It had been so long. For once in his life though he had planned to do the honorable thing. If he were marrying any other woman and he did not love her as much as he did, then he would have no reservation in taking this young woman to his bed tonight. This was not the case though; he did love Elora very much and he fully intended to marry her. If he went through with this and satisfied himself at this lady's expense, would guilt overcome him? And what if Elora somehow found out? She would certainly respond badly; where his kingly position would not protect him from her wrath.
Louis separated his lips from hers the instant he noticed the bedchamber doors open, but it was not soon enough. None other than Elora came into view in the doorway! He quickly pushed Magdalena away from his person, giving care only to Elora. He heard Magdalena let out a frightened moan. She stood several feet from him, where she had been pushed, likely unsure of what to do. She did not even try to cover herself up. What was going on in her mind? He had hoped she was going to explain her fault in the situation, relieving him of the guilt, but she spoke not a single word to either of them.
Elora just stared, standing stiffly. He could not see her breathing. Without a single blink a tear fell from her eye. Her thoughts silently screamed to him through that solitary tear. She began to wobble, so in fear she was about to swoon he moved towards her. With quick reflexes, heightened by her apparent shock, she jumped back to escape his grasp; quickly turning and sprinting down the dark hall. She was a fast runner, especially since she was running away from him, but he followed her nonetheless. He cared not about decorum at this moment as he dashed down the halls after her, dressed only in his nightshirt and robe.
"Elora, please wait!"
"Why?" she screamed, still running from him. "Just so you can make up some lame excuse! You can't lie to me, Louis, I caught you!" Elora ran up the stairs as if her feet were not even on the ground while he was huffing and puffing to keep up with her.
"It's not as it appears. She hid herself in my room. It was she who had intentions."
"Yeah, right! Well you didn't exactly look too upset with her half dressed in you arms and you were kissing!"
Just as she touched the knob on her bedchamber door, he caught up with her, grasping her wrist. Unable to go any further, she turned to look at him with reddened, angry eyes and cheeks dripping with tears. He had not seen her looking so upset since the night he carried her from the chapel the night she found out she was pregnant. Now he was the cause of those tears and he hated himself for it.
For the second time in their short acquaintance she struck him with a right-handed punch that he never saw coming. She only hit him in the jaw this time, but it still accomplished her intent in escaping his grasp and hastily slamming her bedchamber door in his face. The pain was so sharp for a moment he thought she had knocked out a tooth. Before he could turn the handle he heard the squeak of the key turning the lock.
"You must believe me, Elora," he yelled through the door. "You asked me to be faithful only to you and I have broken no vow."
"You have broken every vow!–I believed you really loved me; now I wonder if I ever had your heart.–Deep down I think I knew you would be unfaithful.–I admit," her voice faltered. "I did not expect to be replaced so quickly, but that was my error. I blame only myself for thinking you could change."
"Elora, you are the only one I love. You are my betrothed for God's sake; we must work through this. Please open the door, my love."
There was silence in the room. He wiped his sweaty brow with a handkerchief. Then he heard the door unlock and Elora stepped out of her bedchamber, no longer looking angry. She must have thought it through and forgave him.
"I'm glad you brought that up, Louis. We are engaged." She crossed her arms. "We're not even married yet and you can't even keep the snake in the cage. You're obviously not ready for such a serious commitment. You were foolish proposing to me so quickly and I was an even greater fool accepting."
As the blood flowing through his veins chilled, he could only ask in a whisper, "What are you saying?"
She looked down at the trembling hand that wore the betrothal ring he had given her with all his hopes for a future life for them together. For a few seconds she fondled the ring. He saw her eyes cloud over to the not so distant memory of that happy night when he slid that ring on her finger. The moment passed, her eyes lost that reminiscent glaze as she pulled the ring off, opened his clenched hand, and placed it in his clammy palm.
Then he saw Elora take a dagger from behind and swiftly thrust it into his chest with all her might. The searing pain pulsed through him. In reality, she had not, more like her words had acted as the dagger. He wanted to scream at her. He wanted to tell her she was overreacting, but he could not form the words.
She shook her head, obviously seeing his devastated stare. "There's just no way I can marry you now." She turned to go back into her bedchamber.
He could not believe she just broken their betrothal. How could she not want to marry him? This was clearly not his fault, but her narrow mind would not see that. She practically had the crown on her head and she just gave it all up because of this one minor transgression, which was not a bit his fault. His kingly pride rose and anger filled his heart. "You cannot break our betrothal; I will not allow it!"
She turned to look at him, with a willful brow; her hand dropping from the door handle. He feared she might punch him again so he stepped back a little. "Louis, it's done. This doesn't have to be a mutual agreement. It's not like you can force me to the altar. I'm not one of your subjects you can order around."
"I know, but you are still in a country under my rule."
"Is that a threat?" She moved up to him, hands on hips. "Is it?"
"No. I was merely stating a fact."
"Fine then, take back everything you ever gave me! Strip my title! Seize my non-existent fortune! Throw me into the streets with nothing, please! Throw me in a convent! Throw me in jail! I dare you!" Her tears returned. "Tonight you have stolen all of my joy and broken my heart. Anything else you do from this point on is nothing. So just leave me alone and let me suffer in peace."
"I need you."
"No you don't. You never did. As Colbert put it, I'm just a passing fancy. And my time has passed." With that she went in her room and closed the door not willing to listen to him any longer.
Before this night Magdalena had never been a threat to her. He could not understand Elora's venom. It was not as if she was an innocent flower herself. She did, after all get caught kissing Philippe several weeks back. How was his situation any different from hers? He had forgiven her straight off. He had been considerate and trusting, prevailing over his anger and jealousy, yet she could not do the same for him.
What exactly was she doing entering his chamber at that time of night? He had some weeks back given her permission to come to his chamber whenever she wanted, without the formal need of a summons. He wondered what she had been coming in to tell him. Perhaps she was going to spend the night making love to him and Magdalena had to be there to ruin it. How could he even have wasted one thought thinking of sharing his bed with another woman? The idea seemed crazy to him now, but that might have been because he was caught.
Colbert had made his explanations to the lady's chaperone the day she arrived. He believed things were settled between them. When he took walks with Lady Magdalena all he ever did was speak well of Elora. She had never before shown him any courtesy other than what was her cousinly duty. He of course, at that time, thought Elora's complaints were not only preposterous, but of an unfounded jealous nature.
Oh that Magdalena! She had better not still be in his bedchamber when he returned, he thought as he stalked back to his chambers. He hid the ring in his pocket; too ashamed to admit to anyone that he had lost his fiancée.
He still questioned how Lady Magdalena could have gained access to his chambers. Upon demanding an answer from the guards outside his room, they denied any knowledge of the lady's presence. They had only seen her run out of the room, crying, shortly after His Majesty ran out. He ensured his chamber was empty before he went to bed.
After further investigation the next day Louis found out she had bribed a servant to gain access to his bedchamber through the servant's door. He was furious and ordered that servant sentenced to the stalks for a week. He still did not know how he would reprimand Lady Magdalena though.
Hi there! I know I sound repetitive, but I am sorry for not putting this up sooner. It is one of my longer chapters and I had to do a lot of work with it. I hope you enjoyed Chapter 25! The last scene is one of my favorites! God bless and have a wonderful week!
~L.B. Tempia~