“M-marquis de Louvois.” The small man, weighed down by his belt full of keys, jumped to his feet as he stammered. “I…I do not know, Excellency.”
François Michel Le Tellier, the Marquis de Louvois, had been Louis' Secretary of State for War since 1666. Lately, his long fingers seemed to reach into so many more affairs of state, slipping into the prominent position of senior advisor as Colbert's life slipped away from him.
“Find him. And be quick about it,” Louvois snapped.
The turnkey darted past the Marquis and his henchman, rushing up the long flight of stone stairs leading to the upper floors of the prison.
Louvois paced for a moment in the small office, barely able to move in the confined enclosure, and strode out to the hall; still narrow, it allowed him at least a few steps in eac
