But what gave me the most courage was
that as the door of her bedroom was opened to admit Queen Henrietta,
Mademoiselle, my mother, and myself, I saw a black cassock, and a
face I knew again as that of the Holy Father Vincent de Paul, who had
so much impressed me, and had first given me comfort.
It was a magnificent room, and more magnificent bed, and sitting up
among her lace and cambric pillows and coverlets was Queen Anne of
Austria, in a rich white lace cap and bedgown that set off her
smooth, fair, plump beauty, and exquisite hands and arms. Ladies
stood round the bed. I did not then see who any of them were, for
this was the crisis of my fate, and my heart beat and my eyes swam
with anxiety. Queen Henrietta made her low reverence, as of course
we did, and some words of sisterly greeting ensued, after which the
English queen said:
'My sister, I have made you this early visit to bring you my little
suppliant. Allow me to present to your Majesty, Madame la Vicomtesse
de Bellaise, who is sincerely sorry to have offended you.'
(That was true; I was sincerely sorry that what I had done could
offend.)
My kind godmother went on to that I had offended only out of
ignorance of the rights of seigneurs, and from my charitable
impulses, of which she knew that her Majesty would approve, glancing
significantly towards Father Vincent as she did so. She was sure,
she added, that Her Majesty's tenderness of heart must sympathise
with a young widow, whose husband had fallen in the service of the
King, and who had an only son to bring up.
Pages:
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131