The Nymph of Versailles

Chapter 3

"Lady Montespan," the queen greeted. "Join us."

Athénaïs dropped into a curtsy before sitting beside the Comtesse de Soissons. Normally she wouldn't be allowed to sit in the king's presence since she wasn't a duchess, but at the gaming tables such rules of etiquette were thrown to the wind. When it came to gambling, everyone's money was equal. Louise hovered behind the king, watching his hand of cards while the queen refused to look in her direction.

"The game is Basset," the Duc de Lauzun said from his seat beside the king while a few spectators tittered over the choice. He was a common fixture at the king's gaming table and all his recent wins made him Athénaïs's biggest rival at the table. His straight posture and the ease of his movements showed off his confidence. She eyed him up, searching for any sign of weakness in his façade.

Lauzun had a sordid reputation as a seducer. His good looks and hard won title from his climb through the ranks of the nobility made it easier for him to woo the young ladies and maids. Athénaïs almost fell for his handsome face once, but she never let that shake her during a game.

Lauzun finished shuffling the deck and then dealt out thirteen cards to each player. Basset was the very game that had heaped on so much of their debt from Monsieur Montespan. He could never turn a game down. The game was notorious for causing fortunes to be made as well as heralding the ruin of nobles who'd gambled too much and lost it all. Yet despite all the risk involved, the court loved the game. The high risks and rewards drew them in like flies to honey. Athénaïs understood the allure the game held for her husband, but it didn't make her contempt for his gambling weakness any softer.

"I hope you're ready to lose," Madame Soissons whispered from behind her cards and Athénaïs ignored her. A former lover of the king, Soissons wasn't a fan of Louise and by extension Athénaïs. She never tired of trying to reclaim her position as a lover, one she lost when her sister Marie Mancini charmed the king. Like her sister, she sported the dark hair and the Italian beauty the Mancini women were renowned for. Despite her failure to regain the king's love, she'd become the superintendent of the queen's household. It was the highest position a woman at court could achieve. Marie hadn't been so lucky. Her uncle, the late Cardinal Mazarin, had married her off to an Italian prince in hopes of breaking the king's love for her.

"Good evening, Athénaïs," Madame de Sévigné said, making a point of emphasizing her name. With a smirk she tossed her hair out of her face, the breeze from the motion sending a cloud of rosy perfume toward Athénaïs. She'd often called it silly that Athénaïs had chosen her own name, inspired by the goddess Athena, instead of going by her birth name of Françoise. It became her main target for insults. "I hear there were men sniffing around for your husband again."

The king watched, amusement glittering in his eyes. He wasn't one to interfere in such squabbles, they were common enough in court for him to be used to courtiers arguing. Instead he liked to wait to see how they would play out. See who prevailed with the quicker tongue and wit. Behind him Louise stayed quiet, unwilling to come to her friend's aid.

Athénaïs refused to let her smile falter. It was well known Sévigné hoped to weasel her way into the king's bed as his next mistress. Last year she danced in the ballet The Birth of Venus with the king and it'd gone to her head and fueled her hopes of becoming a royal mistress. She waved away the cloud of perfume and cast a sickly sweet smile toward Sévigné. "Thank you, Françoise-Marguerite. I suggest wearing less perfume tomorrow."

Lauzun laughed. "It is good you chose to go by the name Athénaïs, or there would be too many Françoise's at court and you would eclipse them all."

"You only think that because you were one of her suitors." Sévigné slapped down two cards and placed her bets in gold livres on top.

"Is that true?" the queen asked, her gaze moving between Lauzun and Athénaïs. The rest of the table turned to stare as well but the king moved his gaze to his cards but he listened in. He always did.