CHAPTER 8 – MADAME LA MARQUISE
08:49 (Paris Time )
Saturday, March 1, 1659 ‘A’
Palace of The Louvre
Paris, France
Nancy did her best to hide her true feelings when she saw D’Artagnan come towards her along the hallway she was following in the Palace of The Louvre. She had returned from the year 1858 only yesterday, after leaving little William for a few days with his grandparents, who had been too happy to have that rare occasion to cherish and spoil their grandson. The loss of Gordon was still fresh in her memory and now she knew that she was about to officially lose the love of the other man in her life. Nancy however put a warm smile on as D’Artagnan, dashing in his musketeer’s uniform, stopped in front of her, looking embarrassed.
“Could we speak in private for a moment, Nancy?”
“With you, always, Charles.”
D’Artagnan then went with her near a window and spoke in a low voice.
“Nancy, I have something to announce to you, something you may not like.”
“If it is about your decision to marry the Baroness of Sainte-Croix, then I already know, Charles. Remember that I have my own very special sources of information. Don’t worry about my reactions to that: I knew that it would happen even before I first met you.”
D’Artagnan hesitated then, looking into the eyes of the woman he still loved the most but could never hope to marry.
“And it doesn’t hurt you?”
His question, put to her in a soft tone of voice, finally cracked somewhat her façade, attracting a tear.
“Of course it hurts me, Charles, but I am the only one to blame for that. My duties as an agent of the Time Patrol and my obligation to protect history do not allow me to marry you. You did propose to me eight years ago and I was the one who refused, for professional reasons. That doesn’t mean however that I don’t love you. I will still love you and care about you even after your marriage.”
“Nancy, I wish that things could be different between us.”
“Me too, but there is little either you or me could do about that now. You are an important man around the King and your court duties demand that you marry and have a wife. I sincerely wish that you and the baroness will find true love and that you will be happy together. When do you intend to get married?”
“We intend to sign a marriage contract next Wednesday, in the presence of the King and of Cardinal Mazarin.” Answered Charles, who then hesitated for a second before going on. “Will you come?”
Nancy shook slowly her head once.
“So that I could sabotage your marriage by my presence? I am sure that the baroness has heard at least a few stories about me. Maybe she knows about us too. Don’t take that badly but I prefer to stay away, for everyone’s sake.”
Charles lowered his head, knowing that she was right, but it still hurt. He managed a weak smile as he looked back up at Nancy after a moment.
“Tell me about our son, Charles. How is he doing?”
“He is now seven years old and growing quite fast.” Replied Nancy with a smile, warming up on the subject. “He is in fact here in the palace, along with the English boy I adopted in New France. James is thirteen and is also growing fast. Would you like to see them?”
“Of course!” Said D’Artagnan with genuine eagerness. He then followed Nancy back to the suite reserved for her use in the palace, a privilege she owed to her close friendship with the King. Entering the private lounge of the suite with Nancy, Charles found two boys sitting at a table listening to a man apparently giving them a lesson in French grammar on a portable blackboard. The teacher stopped his lesson and bowed to Nancy when she entered, prompting a mild chiding from her.
“No need for this between us, Germain: I told you already a thousand times that you don’t need to be formal with me.”
“Politeness is never wasted, madame.” Replied the small, thin man in his thirties.
“True! You may take a break for a few minutes while Monsieur D’Artagnan and me talk a bit with the children.”
The private tutor bowed again before leaving the suite. Little Charles didn’t waste any time in running to D’Artagnan, who happily greeted him with open arms.
“Charles, you really are growing fast! You are going to make a strong man indeed.”
“Like you, Father.” Replied the boy, attracting a grin on D’Artagnan’s face.
“You think the right way, Charles. How are your studies going?”
“French grammar is boring, but I am doing my best at it. Monsieur Dupré is however a good teacher and he is not harsh with us.”
“I told him that caning and slaps are strictly prohibited with my sons.” Explained Nancy to D’Artagnan, who made a face at that.
“Hell, I wish my father had been that considerate with me. My own preceptor was quite liberal with his stick.”
He then looked at James, who was waiting two paces away, and opened his arms to him.
“Don’t be shy to come to me, my boy.”
The teenager stepped forward and exchanged a hug with the musketeer, who playfully rubbed his head.
“Nancy did well to save you from the Iroquois, James. You are one handsome boy who should make quite a few girls’ heart beat faster.”
James reddened at that, being on the shy side.
“Nancy promised to introduce me soon to a few girls in the palace, D’Artagnan.”
D’Artagnan laughed heartily at that and patted the boy’s shoulder.
“I am sure that you will tumble them down as well as me, James. And what do you plan to be in life?”
“I don’t know yet.” Answered with a slight hesitation the teenager. “Nancy told me that I can choose between living in this century or go work with the Time Patrol. Making a choice is hard.”
D’Artagnan nodded, then looked at Charles.
“And you, my son? Will you live in this century, so that I have the joy to see you grow?”
“I want to become a musketeer like you, Father.” Replied resolutely the boy, making D’Artagnan grin with pride.
“That’s my boy! You will make one outstanding musketeer, Charles. I hope that Nancy already started teaching you fencing.”
“Not yet, Father.” Answered Charles, making D’Artagnan look at Nancy with fake outrage.
“What? You haven’t started teaching yet to my son the most basic skill that he needs to know in life?”
“Hell, give him a chance to grow enough to be able to hold a sword first.” Replied Nancy with a smile. D’Artagnan made a categorical gesture then.
“If you don’t teach him now, then I will. I want both Charles and James to come see me after supper for their first lesson in fencing.”
“Uh, James has already been studying fencing with me for three years now.”
“Then I will refine his skills, but I will make a point of being the master of fencing for Charles.”
“You have a deal.”
Satisfied, D’Artagnan hugged again both boys and kissed Nancy.
“Well, I have to go back to my duties now. I will see all three of you after supper.”
Nancy sighed once D’Artagnan left the suite: he was definitely the kind of man to her liking. Losing him to another woman, even if it was preordained by history, was hard indeed to accept.
Once Germain Dupré came back and resumed his lessons to her sons, Nancy left again her apartments and went to the offices of Cardinal Mazarin, who for all intents and purposes still administered France for King Louis XIV. When she was introduced by a secretary into the private office of the Cardinal, Nancy found King Louis with Mazarin, prompting her to make a curtsy on seeing the monarch. Louis smiled at her sight, genuinely happy to see her: of all the women he had dated, Nancy was still the one he found the most special, by a long shot.
“Ah, my dear friend! You are just in time for something I was discussing with the Cardinal.”
“I am at your service, as always, Your Majesty.” Replied politely Nancy, playing her role as a court lady. That made the King grin.
“And quite nice services they are, madame. By the way, did you hear yet about the incoming marriage of Monsieur D’Artagnan?”
“I did, Your Majesty.” Answered Nancy, keeping a straight face. Louis, who had a special talent at judging people and their moods, detected at once the tension in her voice. His grin fading, he eyed her cautiously.
“Maybe I should have been more diplomatic about that, Nancy. Please excuse me if I hurt you by my inconsiderate question.”
“No need to excuse yourself, Your Majesty. I have only myself to blame for not marrying D’Artagnan first.”
“That is indeed still a mystery to me, my friend.” Said the King, who was then thoughtful for a moment before speaking again. “Nancy, the Cardinal and me would have a mission of the utmost importance for you that could help you forget for a while your sentimental loss.”
“As I said, I am always at your service, Your Majesty.” Said Nancy in a most serious tone. Mazarin nodded like Louis at that and showed her a chair near his work desk.
“Please sit, Nancy.”
“Thank you, Your Eminence.”
Once she had sat, Mazarin contemplated her for a second, then started speaking slowly and deliberately.
“Madame, I won’t tell you anything new by saying that the present war with Spain has already cost much money and lives to France. Me and the King consider that it is high time that we put a stop to it. You may know that I have been secretly conducting peace negotiations for years with the Spaniards, unfortunately with little success up to now. The main bone of contention right now is the refusal of King Philippe IV of Spain to marry his daughter, the Infant Marie-Thérèse, to Louis. I have however thought of a way to convince King Philippe to give up his opposition to such a marriage. I will shortly be leaving for Lyon, where I will pretend to be asking for the hand of Marguerite de Savoy on behalf of King Louis. At the same time, I will need a capable person that I can trust completely to go to Spain and discreetly prick King Philippe about that supposed marriage project. With luck, King Philippe will believe that such is our true intention and will become incensed enough to give up his objections to marrying his daughter to Louis.”
“Your Eminence, you can count on me.” Said at once Nancy, making both Mazarin and Louis smile with satisfaction.
“Thank you, Marquess.” Replied Mazarin. “I however have to warn you that this mission may be quite dangerous, apart from being arduous. You will have to make your way through the Spanish border without getting killed and then gain the confidence of King Philippe.”
“When do you want me to leave, Your Eminence?” Asked without hesitation Nancy. As King Louis eyed her with genuine admiration, Mazarin took a letter that sat on his desk and handed it to Nancy, who took it.
“I am myself planning to depart at the start of next week for Lyon. You will however need to cover a much longer distance to get to Madrid, so you will need to leave as soon as possible this week. This letter is for Monsieur Hugues de Lionne, my personal envoy in Spain, and falsely details the marriage projects with Marguerite de Savoy. You will coordinate your efforts in Madrid with him and will assist him to the best of your abilities.”
“Consider it done, Your Eminence.”
“Excellent! You can go see afterwards Monsieur Colbert, who will provide you with funds for your mission. When could you leave for Spain?”
“Tomorrow morning, Your Eminence.”
Louis was the one to speak next, taking and kissing Nancy’s hand first.
“Be careful, my friend. I would hate to lose you.”
“I have every intention to come back alive, Your Majesty. With your permission, I will now go prepare for my trip.”
Nancy got up and made a last curtsy to Louis, then left Mazarin’s office, followed by the eyes of both men. Once she was out, Louis looked somberly at his chief minister.
“May God protect her. In all honesty, I was tempted more than once to ask her to marry me. She would have made an exceptional queen, if not for her low nobility.”
“Your Majesty, that young woman is much more precious to France as a spymaster than as a queen, believe me.” Replied quietly Mazarin.
07:15 (Paris Time)
Sunday, March 2, 1659 ‘A’
Palace of The Louvre
Paris, France
King Louis XIV, on his way to have breakfast before attending Sunday mass, stopped by a window giving a view on the inner courtyard of the palace. Down in the courtyard was Nancy, getting on her horse. She was dressed like a male rider and wore a warm cape to fight the cold but her weapons were still visible to Louis. The latter watched her give a last kiss to her two sons and to D’Artagnan, then leave the courtyard at a gallop.
“May God be with you, my friend.” Said fervently Louis in a low voice before going on his way, his personal servants and guards surrounding him.
15:10 (Paris Time)
Tuesday, May 6, 1659 ‘A’
Palace of The Louvre
Paris, France
Alerted by D’Artagnan, King Louis XIV was in time to greet Cardinal Mazarin at one of the entrances giving on the courtyard. Mazarin, who had just arrived from Lyon in his carriage and who still felt quite numb from his long trip, bowed respectfully to his king while harboring a wide smile.
“Success, Your Majesty! King Philippe of Spain has finally agreed to marry away his daughter to you. The final peace negotiations are now free to start.”
“That is definitely great news, my dear Mazarin. Uh, isn’t the Marquess of Saint-Laurent with you?”
“She is escorting back to Madrid the Spanish secretary of state for external affairs, Don Antonio Pimentel, who came to Lyon to bring to me the answer of King Philippe.”
That piece of news nearly made Louis forget the diplomatic success France had just scored: he could now only picture the young and beautiful Nancy, on horseback and risking her life again while crossing back the Spanish border with her precious charge. Mazarin read his mind and spoke to him in a low voice.
“Do not worry too much about the marquess, Your Majesty: she is a very capable person and has acquitted herself with utmost distinction on her mission so far.”
Louis was thoughtful for a moment, then patted the shoulder of his prime minister.
“I have no doubts about that, my good Mazarin. Decidedly, I will have to think of something to reward her properly for all her good services to France.”
“If I may, Your Majesty, I have had a lot of time to think about that while my carriage made its way back to Paris. While the good marquess is still receiving an annual pension of 9,000 Livres, she doesn’t own any property yet. With two growing boys in her charge, maybe she will now be more inclined to accept some estate as a reward. I could also raise her pension, which is quite small in view of all the services she has given us.”
“Those are two good ideas, Mazarin. Raise her pension to 12,000 Livres per annum and find her a property from which she could extract a fair living.”
“It will be done, Your Majesty. I will have a report of my trip to Lyon ready for you by tomorrow at noon.”
“Then, I will see you at supper, my friend.”
After a last bow at the King, Mazarin went to his apartments, his servants carrying his luggage behind him. Once inside his luxurious private lounge, he sat down with a sigh of relief in his favorite sofa, then called in his personal secretary. The functionary entered at once and bowed.
“Yes, Your Eminence?”
“Get me the titles and property assessments of the estates now part of the King’s domains and which were confiscated from supporters of the Fronde in the Bordelais.”
“Right away, Your Eminence.”
Mazarin had time to go wash a bit and change into a fresh set of clothes before his secretary came back, two clerks bearing heavy binders of documents at his back. Thanking them, Mazarin then sifted through the documents and tax ledgers. Bordeaux and its surrounding area had been a hotbed of insurrection during the Fronde and had been last to submit to him and the King. Even now, Mazarin was still not confident about the loyalty of the people of the Bordeaux area, especially since many Huguenot Protestants lived in and around that region. Giving a property in that area to his best spy would both reward the good Marquess of Saint-Laurent and put in place near Bordeaux someone he could count on to report to him any fresh attempts at sedition there. After about twenty minutes of reading, Mazarin smiled as he examined a particular property document, then another property document for a small adjacent lot of land. Calling back in his secretary, he gave him the property deeds that had attracted his attention.
“Have a transfer of property act prepared for this estate and that adjoining lot. The beneficiary will be the Marquess of Saint-Laurent and the King will sign the transfer. Your clerks can take back the rest of the documents.”
“Yes, Your Eminence.”
Mazarin sat back once his secretary had left and grinned as he thought about his latest decision.
“Well, the good Marquess of Saint-Laurent will be able to truly live up to her title after this.”
19:20 (Paris Time)
Monday, May 26, 1659 ‘A’
Palace of The Louvre
Paris, France
Nancy arrived at the palace tired, covered with dust and in bad need of a bath after having galloped for weeks from Madrid to Paris. She could have used the spacetime jump abilities of her robotic horse Pegasus to cut her travel short but she made a point of not using as much as possible her abilities and equipment from the Time Patrol when working in the service of King Louis XIV. Two palace valets hurried to her as she came down from her horse and helped her by carrying her saddlebags and bedroll for her, while a stable boy took care of Pegasus. Nancy didn’t refuse their help, as she was truly spent by her long trip. With the two valets in tow, she entered the palace and went first to her apartments, where her two sons greeted her with joy and ran to her to hug her. She returned their hugs and kisses before looking at the servant who looked over them during her absences, a kind and mature woman who had lost her husband and children during the Fronde Uprising.
“Did they behave during my trip to Spain, Madame Longchamps?”
“They were very reasonable…for young boys, madame. Between the lessons and assignments given by Monsieur Dupré and the fencing and riding lessons from Monsieur D’Artagnan, your sons were kept quite busy.”
“Good! They are at an age when they have lots to learn and little time to learn it. Well, I am going to have a good bath after all these miles of dusty roads, then I will go report to the King. Could you prepare my sky blue court gown while I wash, Madame Longchamps?”
“Of course, madame!”
By the time she was done with her bath, had put on her court gown and jewels and had applied some makeup and perfume, her two sons were ready to go to sleep. Most people in the 17th Century didn’t stay up very late anyway for lack of an inexpensive lighting source. Besides, without television, radio or other electronic form of entertainment, children had few reasons to want to stay up late at night, as the adult evening entertainments of the time would have been either too boring or too shocking for them. Nancy took the time to sing a lullaby for her two sons and to kiss them on their foreheads before blowing out all the candles in their room except for one and leaving them for the night. Nancy next smiled to the babysitter and, taking out four gold pieces from a small purse hidden down her cleavage, gave the coins to her.
“You have done a marvelous job at taking care of my sons, Madame Longchamps, as usual. Please accept this as a little extra over and above your salary.”
“Madame la Marquise is too good, truly!” Said the happy woman while bowing to Nancy, who shook her head while still smiling.
“I’m not too good, Madame Longchamps: it’s most other people around that are not good enough.”
“That is one original way to look at it, madame. Goodnight, madame!”
“Goodnight, Madame Longchamps!”
With her servant gone, Nancy left her apartments and started walking along the long hallways of the palace, heading towards the King’s apartments. Crossing one of the personal maids of the King in the hallway, she politely stopped her to ask her a question.
“Excuse me, Jeannette, could you tell me where I could find the King at this hour?”
“I believe that he is in his private study, Madame la Marquise.” Answered the teenager. Something in her tone made Nancy stare at her.
“Is something wrong with the King, Jeannette?” She asked in a low voice. “Come on, you know that I am a close friend of the King.”
The maid hesitated only for a second before speaking.
“The King seems to have had his heart broken yesterday by the departure of Mademoiselle Marie Mancini and has been brooding ever since, madame.”
Nancy nodded in understanding, her expression turning somber. Marie Mancini, one of the young nieces of Cardinal Mazarin, had conquered through her spirits and her warmth the heart of King Louis XIV during the last few years. The Queen Mother was not looking happily at the prospect of such a romance and possible marriage and, as per established history, had convinced Mazarin to talk to his niece and dissuade her from courting young Louis. That broken romance had ended with the departure in exile of the young woman on orders from her uncle. Nancy could personally sympathize with the emotional distress of both King Louis and of Marie Mancini: both were decent young people with true feeling towards each other but who had been the victims of state politics.
“Thank you, Jeannette. I will see if I can help the morale of the King.”
The maid nodded and curtsied to her before continuing on her way. Nancy, thoughtful, made her way to the entrance to the King’s apartments, where two musketeers stood guard. One of them saluted her with his hat while keeping his left hand on the pommel of his sword.
“Good evening, madame. What brings you here tonight?”
“I would wish to see the King, if he is willing to receive me.”
“One moment, madame.” Said politely the musketeer before partially opening the door and whispering to someone inside and then facing back Nancy.
“You should have an answer shortly, madame.”
Effectively, a valet opened the door again after a minute or so and signaled Nancy to come in.
“The King will receive you in his private study, Madame la Marquise.”
“Thank you!”
Following the valet, Nancy entered the royal apartments and was soon introduced into the luxurious private study of King Louis XIV, where she found the young monarch sitting at his work desk, various papers and books in front of him. Nancy curtsied to Louis on entering the study, prompting Louis in raising a hand.
“No need for this between us when we are in private, my dear Nancy. What may I do for you tonight?”
“My visit has two purposes, Your Majesty. First, I wanted to report back from my trip to Spain. Second, I wished to see if I could help your mood, which is said to be sad these days.”
Louis made a weak smile at that last sentence.
“Few secrets seem to stay so for long in this palace. With all the servants and court members around, I should not be surprised about that. It is true that my heart has been hurt by the departure of Mademoiselle Marie Mancini two days ago.”
“Marie Mancini was a fine young woman, Your Majesty. You are quite right to mourn her departure.”
Louis eyed her melancholically for a moment, then got up from behind his desk and went to a nearby sofa, motioning Nancy to come to him.
“Let’s sit together, my friend. We have many things to talk about. And you can call me simply Louis while in private.”
“With pleasure, Louis.” Replied Nancy before going to sit besides the King on the sofa. Both then looked into each other’s eyes in silence for a few seconds before Louis spoke up again.
“You must yourself be hurting after the marriage of D’Artagnan with the Baroness of Sainte-Croix, Nancy. I would personally have been most happy to see you marry D’Artagnan in place of the Baroness, but since you yourself rejected such a marriage…”
“If such a marriage would have been possible, I would have gladly accepted the request from D’Artagnan, Louis. Unfortunately, I believe that destiny was not meant to see such a marriage happen.”
“Why, my friend? I am the King! I can make destiny in France.”
Nancy gave a sad look at Louis then.
“Some things are beyond even the reach of a King, Louis. Besides, marrying would severely limit my usefulness to you as a special messenger and agent.”
“Your loyalty and dedication is to be truly commended, Nancy.” Said quietly Louis, meaning it. “To have sacrificed your love to D’Artagnan for the good of France was sad but admirable.”
“And so was your letting go of Marie Mancini, Louis.”
Louis sighed and passed an arm around her shoulders, looking into her eyes from a few inches away.
“The affairs of the state can be quite cruel indeed on young people like us, Nancy. Do you know that I more than once considered the idea of marrying you? You would indeed have made an outstanding queen.”
“I am flattered, Louis, but you know that such a marriage would have been politically impossible, even though we have true mutual feelings towards each other.”
“And what do you see in me, Nancy?” Said Louis, a smile coming to his face at last. Nancy answered him in a soft voice, saying strictly the truth.
“I see a young man with imperfect education but with outstanding abilities and a kind and just heart. You have everything to be the greatest king France ever had and I am confident that you will prove yourself such a king. And you, Louis, what do you see in me?”
“The most extraordinary young woman I ever saw.” Said Louis without a hesitation. “You proved to be more intelligent and skilled than most men, apart from being incredibly brave and strong. But, most of all, you are a very beautiful and warm lady with a heart of gold. I wish that I could have had you as Queen of France.”
“Thank you for thinking so of me, Louis.” Said softly Nancy before kissing him. Louis returned her kiss, hugging her tightly in the process. With both of their hearts beating faster now, Louis ended up lying on top of Nancy in the sofa.
“Shall we move to the bedroom, Nancy?”
“I was about to propose the same thing to you, Louis.”
Both got up at once and went to the adjacent bedroom, where they quickly undressed each other before jumping in the huge bed with anticipated pleasure.
Much later, as both unglued themselves from each other in the now dark bedroom, Louis caressed the long silky hair of Nancy while looking at her tenderly.
“You are indeed a unique girl, Nancy. You said earlier that you wanted to report to me about your trip to Spain. You may do so now.”
“Very well, Louis.” Said Nancy, who then spent a good twenty minutes recounting her mission in Spain to Louis, who eyed her with genuine respect at the end of her report.
“Tudieu, madame, you can summarize things in a way I could only wish to be able to imitate. Maybe I should make you part of my royal council.”
“Only if it is in an unofficial, discreet manner, my dear Louis. I prefer to work in the shadows, where I can serve you better.”
“You may work better in the shadows, my friend, but I certainly don’t want to profit from your talents without granting you some just rewards for your loyal services. I spoke some weeks ago about that with Cardinal Mazarin. As a result, know that your annual pension has been raised from 9,000 to 12,000 Livres, retroactive to January of this year. An estate near Bordeaux is also yours, where you will be able to raise your two sons.”
“An estate? Was that really necessary, Louis?” Said Nancy, surprised. The young monarch smiled and got out of bed, putting on a robe before going into his study. Not bothering to put anything on, Nancy followed him and watched as Louis searched inside a drawer of his desk and took out a leather folio. She took the folio handed to her as Louis spoke.
“Mazarin selected a small but interesting estate just north of Bordeaux. It includes a vineyard and a winery and has a fortified tower dating back from the 12th Century. It was confiscated from a Fronde supporter and was part of my royal estates but is now yours, my friend, along with some surrounding farmlands that have been annexed to the estate in your favor. You will be able