We shall be great friends, I told myself. But then I remembered that I should shortly be returning to England and wondered when we should meet again. When she marries, I promised myself, I shall visit her; and she will visit me.
There came the great thrill of our visit to Versailles. Oddly enough, after the exploration of Paris it did not impress me as greatly. Perhaps I had become satiated by so much splendour and luxurious extravagance. Of course I thought it was wonderful and the Le Notre gardens superb; the terraces and the statues, the bronze groups and ornamental basins from which the fountains rose and fell—they were like fairyland; the orangery had been built by Mansard, the Comte told me, and was reckoned to be the finest piece of architecture in the whole of Versailles and I could well believe that; and it was impossible not to be impressed by the great central terrace and stretch of grass called the tapis vert. But what I remember most about Versailles was that crowded ante-chamber, named the oeil de boeuf because of its oval window, in which I, with Sophie and the Comte, waited for the King to appear from his apartments.
Everyone was very elaborately dressed, and the Comte, I supposed because he was an important person at Court, stood in a prominent position near the door with me on one side and Sophie on the other.
There was an air of suppressed tension in that room and such eagerness on the faces of everyone. They were all so anxious that the King should notice them on his passage through the room. I kept thinking of those people in the Bastille who had been despatched there for something of which they might well be unaware, and just because they had displeased someone who had the power to put them there. But hadn’t the Comte said the lettres de cachet had to be signed by the King?
There was a sudden hush, for a man had come into the room. The King of France! He was followed by several men but I had eyes only for the King. I think I should have known him for the King anywhere. He had an air of great distinction in a way which I can only describe as aloof. It was a handsome face, certainly marked by debauchery but the good looks remained. He moved with grace and he was most exquisitely dressed; diamonds glittered discreetly on his person. I could not take my eyes from him.
He was close to us now and the Comte had caught his eye. I felt myself propelled forward and curtsied as low as I could. Sophie did the same and the Comte bowed low.
‘Ah, Aubigné,’ said the King; his voice was low and musical.
‘I would present my daughters, Sire,’ said the Comte.
I could feel those weary looking eyes on me. A very charming smile appeared on the King’s face and for a few seconds he looked straight at me.
‘You have a very pretty daughter, Comte,’ he said.
‘On a visit from England, Sire. She returns there soon to her mother.’
‘I hope we shall see her at Court before she goes.’
The King had passed on. Someone else was bowing with the utmost servility.
The Comte was delighted. As we rode back to Paris in the carriage he said: ‘It was a great success. The King actually spoke of you. That’s why I told him you were here only on a visit. He liked you. That was clear. Aren’t you flattered?’
‘I have heard that he likes young girls.’
‘Not all,’ said the Comte with a laugh, and I noticed that Sophie shrank into a corner of the carriage. I felt sorry for her because the King had scarcely glanced at her.
When we reached Paris the Comte said that he wanted to speak to me and would I go into the petit salon where he would join me shortly.
I changed into a simpler dress and went down to the room where he was waiting for me.
‘Ah Lottie,’ he said, ‘flushed with success, I see.’
‘It was a very brief glory,’ I reminded him.
‘What did you expect? An invitation to sup with him? God forbid. I should not have taken you if that had been possible.’
‘I didn’t expect anything. I was just surprised that he looked at me for what was it?—two seconds?’
‘You are a beautiful girl, Lottie. You stand out in a crowd. It means that now the King has spoken to you … or been aware of you … you could go to Court if the occasion arose. It is always well to be in a position to go.’
‘Well, I shall be on my way home soon. I suppose I should be thinking of my return now. I only came for a short visit, didn’t I?’
‘And you have enjoyed that visit?’
‘It has been wonderfully exciting and different from anything I ever knew before.’
‘I don’t intend to lose you now that I have found you, you know.’
‘I hope you won’t.
He looked at me steadily. ‘I think, Lottie, that you and I understand each other well. We stepped easily into the roles of father and daughter.’
‘I suppose we did.’
‘I am going to tell you something. I have written to your mother asking her to marry me and she has consented.’
I stared at him in amazement. ‘But …’ I stammered. ‘Her … her home is at Eversleigh.’
‘When a woman marries she leaves her home and goes to that of her husband.’
‘You mean she will come to live here?’
He nodded. ‘And it is your home too,’ he added.
This was bewildering. First a father appearing, then the scenes I had witnessed during the last weeks, and now … my mother was going to marry the Comte.
‘But …’ I said because I had to go on talking in the hope of collecting my wits meanwhile …‘you … er … you haven’t seen each other … for years before you came to England.’
‘We loved each other long ago.’
‘And then … nothing happened.’
‘Nothing happened! You happened. Moreover we are both free now. Neither of us was then.’
‘It seems to me so very sudden.’
‘Sometimes one knows these things at once. We did. You don’t seem very pleased. Are you wondering about yourself? Lottie, it is my earnest wish and that of your mother that you will be with us. This is your home now.’
‘No … My home is in England. You know about Dickon.’
‘My dear, you are so young. You know there can be no thought of a marriage yet.’
‘But I do know I love Dickon and he loves me.’
‘Well, you have to grow up a little, don’t you? Why shouldn’t you do that growing up here?’
I could not think of anything to say. I wanted to be alone to ponder this new turn in affairs and to ask myself what effect it was going to have on my life.
The Comte was saying: ‘Your mother is making arrangements to come to France.’
‘She can’t leave Eversleigh.’
‘Arrangements will have to be made. In fact she has been making them for some time. We agreed to this two weeks ago. We both decided that having found each other we were not going to risk losing each other again. Lottie, I can never explain what a joy it has been to find you … and your mother. I thought of her over the years and it seems she did of me. What is between us is something which rarely comes.’
I nodded and he smiled at me fondly, realizing that I was thinking of Dickon; and although he believed that I could not possibly understand, he did not say so.
‘Now we have a chance to regain what we have lost. We both realize that. Nothing is going to stand in our way. Your mother will be coming here soon. We shall be married then. I wanted you to hear it first from me. When your mother comes she will tell you what arrangements have been made. In the meantime we must prepare for the wedding.’
He put his arms about me and, drawing me to him, kissed me. I clung to him. I was very fond of him and proud that he was my father. But when I tried to look into the future, it seemed very misty to me.