Jeanne sat quietly in the tenth row of chairs lined up from wall to wall in the masculine Mars Drawing Room. Up until the permanent move of the court to Versailles, this room had served as a guardroom, and it retained its military decor. Helmets and trophies decorated the cornice in alternation and historical battles were commemorated in the small ceiling cove paintings framed in gold. Tonight the room overflowed with row upon row of chairs and tabourets quickly filling up with animated courtiers. A new production of the play Les Fâcheux was about to open.
To Jeanne"s left, Lynette sat quietly, a rosary in her small, delicate hands, her rosebud lips moving soundlessly in prayer. Strangely, Jeanne felt like praying as well. The dark circles around Lynette"s eyes were so much darker than ju
