Chapter 5 Unceasing Vigilance -- The Price of Success Continued from page 1 “There is the scent of fresh meat,” wrote Madame de Sévigné to her daughter with acidic candor. When the royal eye wandered, as it did with alarming frequency, there was great speculation as to whether the object of kingly desires would prove a meaningless flirtation or if she would completely replace the existing power structure at Court. Whatever the King’s decision, there was always celebration on the winning side. In 1677 Madame de Sévigné wrote of yet another victory of 10-year veteran Madame de Montespan over fleeting rivals for the affections of Louis XIV. “Ah, my daughter, what a triumph at Versailles!” Madame de Sévigné gushed. “What pride redoubled! What a solid reestablishment of favor!… There is evidence of added zest in the relation – all the sweeter, now, after lovers’ quarrels and reconciliations. What a reaffirmation of possession! I spent an hour in her – Madame de Montespan’s – chamber… the very air charged with joy and prosperity!” Royal mistresses maneuvered adeptly in an environment rife with intrigue, where the fundamental human matters of life and death and love meant little compared to the crumbs of success or specks of failure at Court. To courtiers a little nod from the King in passing spelled exultant victory, the lack of a nod humiliating defeat. The Court was a world of twisted values, strange honor, and disgraces incomprehensible to later generations. In 1671 Francois Vatel, the maître d’hôtel for the Prince de Condé, was instructed to prepare a lavish feast for Louis XIV. Before the royal visit, Vatel hadn’t slept for 12 nights running after he had been two roasts short of a full banquet for hundreds. “I have lost my honor,” he said to a friend who had noticed his disquiet. “This is a disgrace which is more than I can bear.” Then, the next morning when his order of fish did not arrive at the expected time to prepare for the King’s feast, Vatel ran himself through with his sword. The cart that took his body to the parish church was passed on the road by the cart delivering the fish. Just as exquisite satins and fine lace hid the reeking flea-bitten bodies of courtiers, so did warm smiles and polite words conceal the razor sharp weapons brandished on the battlefield of the Court. Women, encased in the deceiving armor of beauty and charm, were ready to wreak the most ruthless vengeance against rivals, and all who strode smiling down the gilded halls had fear stabbing at their hearts. There is so much more to read, please follow this link to purchase... Page < 1 | 2 | 3 >