21
Looking back on that evening, I should have taken the time to talk to Henriette more about her views on keeping a lover. I would find out later that she and Margot were playing a dangerous game, spending time with the odious Joseph Boniface de La Môle and his friend Annibaile de Coconnas. Henriette took the latter as her lover, either out of boredom or some unknown strategy. As the King's health steadily declined, plots and conspiracies abounded in the court, but I was determined to stay clear of them. Consumed with the determination to get what he considered his due, the young Duc d'Alençon plotted to take over the throne of France right from under Anjou's nose, in complete disregard of the line of succession. As his retainers, Mole and Coconnas formed the heart of the plot, with Marg
