17
The melancholy and dissatisfaction were prevalent in court, even touching the Queen. Despite giving birth to a healthy daughter a year before, she was unsuccessful in conceiving another child. Adding to her misery, in October, Marie Touchet, the King's longtime mistress, announced that she carried the King's child. If the child were a boy, the humiliation for Elisabeth would be unbearable. Ever the princess, she soldiered on, not showing her unhappiness to the court.
As we walked amongst the gardens of the Tuileries one afternoon, Elisabeth's absentmindedly playing with the dog jumping at her feet. "I wonder if I am long for this court, Marie."
That had my attention, "Do you think that the King will divorce you?" I could not bear the thought that I would lose yet another friend and
