It was the dauphin, looking as handsome as ever in a justaucorps of deep red silk. Many of the ladies rushed toward him as he entered with whom I could only assume was Princesse Henrietta. He bowed to her as she curtsied; then she retreated into the assembled crowd while he let his eyes wander across the hall.
He didn’t let his eyes linger on any one person for too long. Until his gaze landed on me, that is. When he spotted me, his eyes lit up, and he started to make his way toward me. Severine was going to be furious.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“I think we’re lost,” I said as I stared down the length of another long, empty corridor in the Labyrinth.
“We’re not lost,” said Louis, his voice growing ever fainter as he walked off to scout the path ahead. “I’ve been running through the Labyrinth since I was a child. I can’t get lost in here; it was designed for me.”
“All right. Where’s the exit?”
I hoped my question wasn’t rude, but Prince Louis insisted it would be fun to spend our outing exploring Versailles’s famous Labyrinth. He also insisted that he knew the way through and would show me all the beautiful fountains designed after Aesop’s Fables.
We’d been wandering alone for at least half an hour, and while we did encounter a few fountains that lived up to the fanfare, we were, in my opinion, hopelessly lost. The dauphin had a different opinion on the matter. “I think . . . probably . . . this way! Follow me!”
He took off running down the path and quickly disappeared, leaving me alone in the maze. I sighed heavily. The world of courtships and romance was completely foreign to me, the vagaries of acceptable and unacceptable behavior while trying to win the heart of a royal utter mysteries. Maybe I could ask Diane for tips. I didn’t want to be discourteous—even I knew that wasn’t the way to endear myself to the dauphin. But it was hard to keep my annoyance in check when said dauphin abandoned me in the maze to find my own way through.
The hedges were high, soaring up into the air so even the tallest of people couldn’t see over. While some sections of the maze had paths wide enough to accommodate large groups, this particular path was quite narrow. The hedges pressed in close, allowing only two people to walk abreast of each other. Even though it was a bright, sunny day, because of the height of the hedges, the path itself was chilly and cast in shadow.
“Please wait for me!” I called, but there was no response.
It was laughable, but I felt trapped in this quiet, lonely place. This path wasn’t as charming or cheerful as the others, which were dappled with sunlight and filled with birdsong. If I didn’t start moving soon, it felt like I was going to be lost forever amongst the statues and hedges.
“Monseigneur le Dauphin,” I called again, hoping that he would reappear and guide us to the exit.
Alas, he did not reappear.
I rested my hand on the right wall of hedges to ground myself, the dark green leaves soft and silky against my fingers, and set off down the path. It would have been preferable to run, but this dress wasn’t designed for running—a pretty thing, white with blue stripes and red laces running down the front of the bodice—but the train tangled around my legs. I was afraid I would trip and not be able to get up again if I attempted to run. So I walked briskly down the path, wondering why I ever agreed to go in the first place. The night before, I had convinced myself that winning his hand was the only way out of my predicament. But could I really do that? While he was attractive, I wasn’t attracted to him. Could I actually marry someone I didn’t love?
When I reached the end of the path, I had two options: turn right or turn left. Both options looked the same, but the right path curved a few feet down into a patch of sunlight, while the left kept on going into the shadows.
“Monseigneur?” I said loudly.
Once again, there was no response. I took the right path. If I found the exit before the dauphin did, I was going to leave. I would tell a valet that he was still in the maze, but I wasn’t going to wait around hoping he would reappear.
Turning right was a good decision. As soon as I rounded the curve, the path opened up into a lovely little tree-lined enclosure with an adorable fountain at its center. Sitting on the ground in front of the fountain was the dauphin. He was so captivated by the fountain that he didn’t notice me approach. It was odd. He told me that he had played in the Labyrinth hundreds of times before. What was so special about this fountain?
“You forgot me, Monseigneur,” I said as I walked up behind him.
The dauphin jumped and blinked up at me owlishly. “Lady Cendrillon, I didn’t forget you. I thought you were right behind me.” I don’t think the dauphin had ever noticed where anyone was in relation to him, always sure they would be there when he called. He’s the grand dauphin of France after all.
“You took off running and were gone before I could catch up. These,” I said, tugging on my skirts with a small smile, “make running a tad difficult.”
Prince Louis blushed and looked away. “This is my favorite fountain, and I haven’t had a chance to visit for a long while. I should have waited for you. My apologies.”
I smiled and said, “All is forgiven. I found my way. I might not have been so forgiving if I’d gotten hopelessly lost and needed to be rescued.”
“I’m thankful that didn’t happen,” he said with a laugh. “But rest assured, I would have come to your rescue.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“Please, sit with me. With all the wandering I’ve made you do, you deserve to rest for a while.”
“I can’t traipse through the palace with a filthy dress,” I said with a pointed look at the ground. “I would be the laughingstock of Versailles.”
Alarmingly, the dauphin began to unbutton his justaucorps.
“What are you doing?” I asked, panic in my voice.
“Providing you with a place to sit.”
He pulled off the justaucorps with a dramatic flourish, spreading it out on the ground next to him.
“Your seat, mademoiselle.”
“But then you’ll be traipsing through the palace with filthy clothing.”
He chortled and pulled on the lace of his sleeves. “I’m the dauphin. The courtiers will judge me behind my back, to be sure, but they won’t say anything about it to my face.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. The justaucorps covered a large swath of the ground. If I positioned myself just right and was careful with my skirts, it would be possible to avoid getting any unsightly stains on Lady Françoise’s dress.
Holding on to the dauphin’s hand for assistance, I lowered myself slowly and tucked the skirts around my legs. There was even room to spare.