The Nymph of Versailles

Chapter 29

She poked at the flab on her stomach. She'd need to do something soon to lose it before the king noticed. Or Maintenon. Maintenon refused to look after Athénaïs's recent children with the king, but she held onto her relationship with Athénaïs's sons, using them as excuses to get time with the king.

"So what do you think about moving the court to Versailles permanently?" The king didn't open his eyes.

Versailles had always been her favorite palace. She hoped staying full time wouldn't deplete the magic of Versailles. "I think it's a fabulous idea. I wish we got to spend more time here." She leaned her head against his shoulder. "But not everyone will want to be so far from Paris." They'd be alone in Versailles, stuck in a little world of the king's own making. It'd weaken the nobility's power, what little threads of it they held on to. Courtiers already struggled to afford the latest fashions and they had little else to do but sit around squabbling, gambling, and sucking up to the king in hopes of a position with a higher salary.

"I know some of the court will complain, but it'd be nice to not keeping traveling between palaces so much. We could finally let our roots here settle."

"I thought you enjoyed the spontaneity of moving between palaces."

"Not anymore. Ever since the idea to stay here came to me I can't let it go." He pulled her onto his lap. "We could bathe together more often. Spend our evenings in the gardens."

"I'll go wherever you want." She snuggled against him. "Will enough of the construction finish soon enough to be able to move to court?"

"If everything stays on track I can make Versailles our permanent residence within the next year or two. Then you'll never be far from Clagny. "Tell me about the book you're reading." Once she got him started, she wouldn't have to say much. Usually she used it to give herself a rest, but this time her mind kept wandering into dark regions.

What other women had he brought to the bath? Would Maintenon ever throw off enough of her piety to lounge naked with the king? Today was Athénaïs's day with the king, but his evenings spent in his study with Maintenon hadn't gone unnoticed. Athénaïs'a stomach ached as it often did lately. She had told her sister their break was the beginning of the end, but she hadn't wanted to be right.

She squeezed her eyes shut and listened to the king drone on about his book. This was her time with him and she wouldn't let anyone else interrupt. There'd be plenty enough people to do that later in the king's rooms.

The king finished his speech and looked to her for a response. Instead of giving her usual feigned interest, she ran her hand down his front. "Make love to me. Hold me close and don't let go." Her voice came out sounding as desperate as she felt, but right now she needed to feel wanted. To feel his lust and desire burning her. If his love burned hot enough, they'd combust together and she'd never have to worry about be parted from him again.

*

When they retired to the king's room in time for the court to gather to socialize and gamble, her body felt ready for a long night even if her soul didn't. Still, the gambling table looked inviting. There was something about overcoming the odds and beating out the other courtiers that filled her with glee. As her fears over the king grew, so did her gambling. No matter how much she tried to cut back on it, she found herself gambling more and more. Often she won, but not always. More than once she had to call on the king to settle her debts. Her instincts told her to not lose herself to the vice tonight no matter how tempting it became.

Talk of poison had invaded the court again and she didn't like the way courtiers clustered together to whisper about it. The same fear that tainted the air after Henrietta's death was back. There was to be an execution of a poisoner and murderer soon, Marquise de Brinvilliers. The marquise had been convicted of murdering her father and brothers with poison. She thought of Gabrielle and made a note to remind her to stay away from La Voisin. If more was to come of the court's paranoia over poison, she would stay away from those who could get caught in the wide net of investigations.