The Regent's Daughter. Dumas Alexandre
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TO SETTLE DOWN
Whatever the regent might say, the Duchesse de Berry was his favorite daughter. At seven years of age she had been seized with a disease which all the doctors declared to be fatal, and when they had abandoned her, her father, who had studied medicine, took her in hand himself, and succeeded in saving her.
From that time the regent's affection for his daughter became almost a weakness. He allowed the haughty and self-willed child the most perfect liberty; her education was neglected, but this did not prevent Louis XIV. from choosing her as a wife for his grandson the Duc de Berry.
It is well known how death at once struck a triple blow at the royal posterity, and within a few years carried off the dauphin, the Duc and Duchesse de Bourgoyne and the Duc de Berry.
Left a widow at twenty years of age, loving her father almost as tenderly as he loved her, and having to choose between the society of Versailles and that of the Palais Royal, the Duchesse de Berry, young, beautiful, and fond of pleasure, had quickly decided. She took part in all the fetes, the pleasures and follies of her father.
The Duc d'Orleans, in his increasing fondness for his daughter – who already had six hundred thousand francs a year – allowed her four hundred thousand francs more from his private fortune. He gave up the Luxembourg to her, gave her a bodyguard, and at length, to the scandal of those who advocated the old forms of etiquette, he merely shrugged his shoulders when the Duchesse de Berry passed through Paris preceded by cymbals and trumpets, and only laughed when she received the Venetian ambassador on a throne, raised on three steps, which nearly embroiled France with the republic of Venice.
About this time the Duchesse de Berry took a fancy to fall in love with the Chevalier de Riom.
The Chevalier de Riom was a nephew or grand-nephew of the Duc de Lauzun, who came to Paris in 1715 to seek his fortune, and found it at the Luxembourg. Introduced to the princess by Madame de Mouchy, he soon established the same influence over her as his uncle, the Duc de Lauzun, had exercised over La Grande Mademoiselle fifty years before, and was soon established as her lover, supplanting Lahaie, who was sent on an embassy to Denmark.
The duchess had the singular moderation of never having had more than two lovers; Lahaie, whom she had never avowed, and Riom, whom she proclaimed aloud.
This was not the true cause of the malice with which the princess was pursued; it arose rather from the previous offenses of her passage through Paris, the reception of the ambassadors, her bodyguard, and her assumptions. The duke himself was indignant at Riom's influence over his daughter. Riom had been brought up by the Duc de Lauzun, who in the morning had crushed the hand of the Princesse de Monaco with the heel of the boot which, in the evening, he made the daughter of Gaston d'Orleans pull off, and who had given his nephew the following instruction, which Riom had fully carried out.
"The daughters of France," said he, "must be treated with a high hand;" and Riom, trusting to his uncle's experience, had so well schooled the Duchesse de Berry that she scarcely dared to give a fete without his permission.
The duke took as strong a dislike to Riom as his careless character allowed him to take to any one, and, under pretext of serving the duchess, had given him a regiment, then the government of Cognac, then the order to retire to his government, which almost made his favors look like disfavors and disgrace.
The duchess was not deceived; she went to her father, begged, prayed, and scolded, but in vain; and she went away threatening the duke with her anger, and declaring that Riom should not go.
The duke's only reply was to repeat his orders for Riom's departure the next day, and Riom had respectfully promised to obey.
The same day, which was the one preceding that on which our story opens, Riom had ostensibly set out, and Dubois himself had told the duke that he had left for Cognac at nine o'clock.
Meanwhile the duke had not again seen his daughter; thus, when he spoke of going to finish with her, it was rather a pardon than a quarrel that he went to seek. Dubois had not been duped by this pretended resolution; but Riom was gone, and that was all he wanted; he hoped to slip in some new personage who should efface all memory of Riom, who was to be sent to join the Maréchal de Berwick in Spain.
The carriage stopped before the Luxembourg, which was lighted as usual.
The duke ascended the steps with his usual celerity, Dubois remained in a corner of the carriage. Presently the duke appeared at the door with a disappointed air.
"Ah, monseigneur," said Dubois, "are you refused admittance?"
"No, the duchesse is not here."
"Where, then – at the Carmelites?"
"No, at Meudon."
"At Meudon, in February, and in such weather; what can she be doing there?"
"It is easy to know."
"How?"
"Let us go to Meudon."
"To Meudon!" said the regent, jumping into the carriage; "I allow you five-and-twenty minutes to get there."
"I would humbly beg to remind monseigneur," said the coachman, "that the horses have already gone ten leagues."
"Kill them, but be at Meudon in five-and-twenty minutes."
There was no reply to be made to such an order; the coachman whipped his horses, and the noble animals set out at as brisk a pace as if they had just left the stable.
Throughout the drive Dubois was silent, and the regent thoughtful; there was nothing on the route to arrest the attention of either, and they arrived at Meudon full of contradictory reflections.
This time both alighted; Dubois, thinking the interview might be long, was anxious to find a more comfortable waiting-place than a carriage.
At the door they found a Swiss in full livery – he stopped them – the duke made himself known.
"Pardon," said the Swiss, "I did not know that monseigneur was expected."
"Expected or not, I am here; send word to the princess."
"Monseigneur is to be at the ceremony?" asked the Swiss, who seemed embarrassed.
"Yes, of course," put in Dubois, stopping the duke, who was about to ask what ceremony; "and I also."
"Then shall I lead monseigneur at once to the chapel?"
"To the chapel?" asked the duke.
"Yes; for the ceremony is already commenced."
"Ah, Dubois," said the duke, "is she also going to take the veil?"
"Monseigneur," said Dubois, "I should rather say she is going to be married."
"Pardieu!" exclaimed the regent, "that would crown all;" and he darted toward the staircase, followed by Dubois.
"Does not monseigneur wish me to guide him?" asked the Swiss.
"It is needless," cried the regent; "I know the way."
Indeed – with an agility surprising in so corpulent a man – the regent darted through the rooms and corridors, and arrived at the door of the chapel, which appeared to be closed, but yielded to the first touch. Dubois was right.
Riom, who had returned secretly, was on his knees with the princess, before the private chaplain of the Luxembourg, while M. de Pons, Riom's relative, and the Marquis de la Rochefoucauld, captain of the princess's guard, held the canopy over their heads; Messrs. de Mouchy and de Lauzun stood, one by the duchess and the other by Riom.
"Certainly fortune is against us, monseigneur," said Dubois; "we are five minutes too late."
"Mordieu!" cried the duke, exasperated, "we will see."
"Chut," said Dubois; "I cannot permit sacrilege. If it were any use, I do not say; but this would be mere folly."
"Are they married, then?" asked the duke, drawing back.
"So much married, monseigneur, that the devil himself cannot unmarry them, without the assistance of the pope."
"I will write to Rome!"
"Take care, monseigneur;