“Will you be visiting court more often now?” Auguste asked mildly, his voice cutting through my knotted thoughts.
Thank goodness he was changing the subject.
“Oh. I don’t think so. This ball is just a special occasion for me.”
“May I call on you at your château? I don’t want for us to lose touch again.”
I glanced over to see Auguste’s gaze on me, warm and insistent. The thought of not seeing him again was something I didn’t even want to contemplate. I would have to talk to Lady Françoise and see what she said. I didn’t want to invite people to her home when I wasn’t even properly living there yet, but I was sure that she wouldn’t really mind.
“I would like that,” I said cautiously. “Maybe we can—”
A persistent thudding rang out through the hall, thunderous and commanding. The music stopped abruptly, and the loud chatter quieted to a low murmur. I poked my head out of the embrasure to see a valet pounding a cane against the floor of the dais. When the assembled nobles were sufficiently silent, the valet stepped aside and bowed to the king, who got up from his throne and walked to the front of the dais, Prince Louis by his side.
“As we come to the end of this night of celebration, it is time to announce the names of the young women who my son will court this season. I am honored that so many of my kingdom’s fairest maidens attended the ball tonight, but only twenty-five of you could be chosen.”
“I have to go,” Auguste said. He stood up and clambered down from the tiered seating, nearly tripping in his hurry to get to the floor. “I’m supposed to be up on the dais while the announcement is made. My father will be furious if I’m not there.”
Auguste left before I even had time to utter a single word. Just as I was about to lose sight of him in the crowd, he turned around and came back to me, walking as briskly as possible without running.
“Please don’t go anywhere. I’ll find you after the announcements are over. We’ll figure out a way to see each other,” he said with a reassuring nod, before setting off into the throng again.
I remained sitting on the bench, flustered yet thrilled by the strange turn of events I’d stumbled into.
Chapter Twenty-One
I remained sitting on my bench in the window embrasure as the selection began. The proceedings weren’t interesting enough for me to desire a better view, and anyway, I could hear everything that was going on perfectly from my comfortable, private seat. There was nothing to look at beyond the king reading a list of names and the dauphin’s reaction.
It was probably safer to stay out of sight anyway. Lady Catherine was sure to be at the foot of the dais with Alexandre and Severine. I wasn’t going to risk her spotting me for something as frivolous as names being read aloud. Besides, Auguste might not be able to find me later if I moved, and I wanted him to find me.
“The first young lady to be chosen is Lady Anna de Medici of Tuscany,” the king said, his strong voice carrying clearly through the hall. “We are honored to host you at Versailles this season, my lady.”
The king moved on right away, announcing the names of Princesse Henrietta of England and Duchesse Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria in quick succession. I wasn’t surprised that the girls were foreign princesses and nobility. Even if the ultimate choice of bride was up to Prince Louis, the match still needed to have some kind of political advantage. And the foreign nobility would need to be housed in the palace, unlike the local French ladies, who could remain in their homes if chosen.
The king carried on announcing the names on the list, paired with platitudes about how honored he was to have some so-and-so maiden court his son or how special it was for her to grace Versailles with her presence. I didn’t recognize most of the girls, but the murmurs and gasps that moved through the crowd every time a name was called meant that the courtiers did. They were far more invested in the proceedings than I was. I was looking forward for the announcements ending so Auguste could find me again.
I rested my cheek against the cool marble of the wall and tried to tune out the whispering of the couple behind me, who were still entwined in each other’s arms. The scent of hot candle wax from a nearby candelabra mixed with the sweetness of the orange flower water I wore. It reminded me of the times my mother would tuck me into bed when I was a child, leaning over to kiss me on the forehead, her perfume wafting over me while a solitary candle burned on my nightstand. My eyelids were heavy, far too heavy to hold open for much longer.
“The next two young ladies are sisters, so I’m sure they won’t mind if I announce them together,” the king said. “Lady Severine de Louvois and Lady Alexandre de Louvois. I’m honored to have two daughters of one of my most favored advisors—may he rest in peace—court my son.”
I jolted upright, fully awake in an instant. The king did not just announce both Severine and Alexandre, did he? A shriek erupted from the crowd that sounded remarkably like Severine. Lady Catherine was probably overjoyed, which could be a good thing or a bad thing. The power might go to her head, making her even more insufferable, but she might be so consumed with ensuring that one of her daughters wins the dauphin’s heart that she won’t care at all whether I moved in with Lady Françoise.
So lost was I in thoughts of Lady Catherine’s potential distraction that I nearly missed the king calling my stepsisters Louvois. When I processed what he actually said, my mood soured immediately. Their family name was Monvoisin. When did they start using Papa’s name? It had to be Lady Catherine’s doing. Would Alexandre and Severine have even been chosen if they weren’t known as the daughters of the Marquis de Louvois? The king might be giving them a chance because of his affection for Papa.
The thought made me inordinately angry. If Lady Catherine had approached me just then, I don’t think I would have been able to stop myself from slapping her.
It was just a name. It shouldn’t have upset me. Papa wouldn’t have cared. But I cared. That was my name. I was Lady Cendrillon de Louvois. Lady Catherine used my name to advance her daughters’ social standing while the true Louvois daughter languished at home, scrubbing the fireplace.
I didn’t want to be the obedient stepdaughter anymore, the girl who kept her mouth shut and ran the house while getting nothing but abuse in return.
“The final name on our list is an unusual one,” I heard the king say through the angry haze clouding my mind. “All we have to go by is the young lady’s pet name. If only my son hadn’t been so smitten, he might have asked for her family name.”
The crowd chuckled loudly at the king’s fond ribbing of the dauphin.
“The final name on the list is Lady Cinder. Lady Cinder, will you make yourself known to the court? A hearty congratulations are in order for our twenty-five lovely maidens. I can assure you that my son and I both eagerly await commencement of the courtship events.”