While Agron and Pushkin were chatting happily, Teresa took Lady Natalia and walked around the Palace of Fontainebleau, admiring the murals and artworks everywhere. Teresa even explained various details to her thoughtfully.
The time when the murals were painted and the stories described in the paintings.
At this time, Natalia was still immersed in the sudden and huge joy. Her mind was even a little dizzy, and she couldn't hear what Teresa was saying at all, so she just responded to Teresa's words.
Sha.
Of course, she didn't know anything about art. Even if she listened carefully, she couldn't explain why she did it.
Teresa also easily saw that Natalia was simply absent-minded, but she was not angry. After all, as the owner of this place, she had the obligation to warmly receive the guests and make them feel at home - not to mention, Pushkin was still her
The poet whom she values should make his wife happy both emotionally and rationally.
Now that she has seen that Natalia is a noble lady with a mediocre and empty mind, she naturally has ways to deal with it.
She waved to an attendant, and then asked him to summon a few people.
Soon, several married women in palace skirts came as ordered. The leader was a woman who was about fifty years old, with a smile on her face but a solemn expression.
"Natalia, let me introduce to you, this is Duchess Abrontes, our chief female officer." Teresa introduced her with a smile on her face.
Although she didn't know who the other party was, Natalia was certainly aware of the weight of the words "duchess" and "chief female officer", so she immediately became serious, and then respectfully addressed this person.
The old woman saluted.
"Madam, it's an honor to meet you..."
The Duchess of Abrontes was actually the widow of General Junod who was Emperor Napoleon's side.
Juno didn't have much ability to lead troops and fight in the war. He only relied on his early relationship with Napoleon (he was Napoleon's first adjutant and initial confidant when he started his career). He rose through the ranks in the army, although he was not awarded the title of marshal.
However, he was awarded the title of Duke of Abrantes by Emperor Napoleon.
Later, because of his mediocre performance in battle, he was thrown into the position of governor of Illyria by the intolerable emperor, which was a disguised form of humiliation. He had an old head injury, and because of such a blow to his official career, in 1813, he fell into a trance.
He actually fell down and died.
However, by this time, the grievances between the emperor and Juno have become a thing of the past, and have long been forgotten by Aiglon and others.
Juno's widow, Laure Juno, Duchess of Abrantes, was invited by Teresa to her court because of her husband and her status as a widow, and became the chief female official around Her Majesty the Queen.
After all, for the Aiglon couple, their dynasty is a continuation of the "previous dynasty", so their court should also have old people from the previous era as their facade - Mrs. Juno has both qualifications and nothing.
The widow of a political power is naturally very suitable to play this role.
Of course, the so-called "chief female officer" is just a name and does not need to participate in any actual management affairs. She just acts as a mascot in the palace. The Duchess herself also knows her position, so she usually does not interfere in any specific affairs at all.
Alice was left to perform palace duties, and she just took great interest in interacting with various celebrities and dignitaries in the palace, while recording what she saw and heard in a diary, which was equivalent to retiring in the palace.
[In the original historical line, Madame Junod, like Prince Talleyrand, was a mean and witty joker who liked to exaggerate and brag. She later wrote a memoir, recording many stories.
She recorded many stories about her experience and knowledge of following her husband Juno, serving in the French court, serving as ambassador to Portugal, etc. The most eye-catching ones were those related to Emperor Napoleon, which exposed various secrets.
She also claimed that the emperor had pursued her (of course, historians basically believe that this was just a bragging performance in her memoirs)
In this new historical line, Madame Junod, who has become the chief female officer of the palace, will see and hear more abundantly, but she may not be able to write her own memoirs anymore, and even if she writes, she may not have the chance to publish...
】
The Duchess, who was born in 1784, is almost fifty years old. She has experienced the entire Revolution and the Empire era, and was once an important member of Emperor Napoleon's court. She is indeed well-informed, so although she has no respect for Natalia,
She was surprised by her sudden appearance and the courtesy she received, but she immediately greeted Natalia very friendly.
At this time, Teresa also came to her and introduced Natalia's identity to her.
Of course, in order not to reveal the secret that Pushkin had sneaked out of the Russian army and went to Greece to meet the couple, she just vaguely said that she and His Majesty admired the Russian poet's poetry, so she wanted to treat the couple with courtesy.
The duchess was even more surprised when she heard that Natalia was just the wife of a Russian aristocratic poet. She could not imagine that Teresa and his wife would value a poet so much.
However, she also knew that only the emperor and his wife had the final say here, and no matter what they wanted to do, it was right.
Maybe they are too young after all and have not gotten rid of young people's hobbies... This is understandable, she thought to herself.
Of course, there might be something worth writing down in her diary today.
"Madam, Natalia is new here and is not very familiar with us or everything in Paris. She is also full of longing for the colorful social life here, so I hope you can be her guide and let her
Appreciate this scenery... I hope that after she returns to Petersburg, she will be able to recall the time she spent as a guest here. Please forgive me." After the introduction, Teresa went out of her way to express her true thoughts.
Teresa was always polite to others, and she didn't feel oppressed even when she gave orders. She was full of respect for "old-timers" like the Duchess.
But even so, an order is an order, and for this destined woman, Her Majesty the Queen's will cannot be violated.
But for her, this is not a difficult problem.
Isn't it just to cheer people up? This is too simple. She has done this kind of job not only a hundred times but also eighty times. There will always be young, beautiful and ambitious ladies who want to be on the social stage in Paris.
Show off your charm.
She turned her gaze again and took a serious look at Natalia, who was standing timidly in front of her.
Yes, she is indeed a great beauty.
Although her family background is not prominent and she does not seem to have huge wealth, her beauty alone can win people's applause.
With such beauty and the endorsement of the palace, wouldn't it be easy for her to shine on the social stage? Who dares to displease Her Majesty the Queen?
When she thought of this, the duchess felt confident.
Then, she took Natalia's hand, and then looked at Natalia with the kind eyes of an elder looking at a junior, "Lovely little girl, Her Majesty the Queen has entrusted you to me. Don't worry, I will definitely take care of you."
You have taken good care of me. Whether it is a palace ball or a party in Paris, as long as you want to go, you can take me with you to make sure no one will turn us away... When the time comes, you can
Your beauty will be the focus of everyone, please be prepared and enjoy the pleasant and dreamy time ahead."
The pie drawn by the Duchess made Natalia, who was already dizzy, even more excited.
With the Chief Lady of the Palace, the Duchess paving the way for herself, everything she dreamed about seemed to be no longer a dream.
In this case, what else can a woman ask for?
"Thank you... thank you so much..." she thanked the Duchess incoherently.
Then, she turned to look at Theresa again, and then thanked her more solemnly, "Thank you for your warm hospitality, Your Majesty the Queen! I will always be grateful for your kindness...whether here or back to Petersburg."
, I will tell everyone I know what a virtuous queen you are, and there is no one more suitable for your title than you..."
Teresa, who was already used to hearing flattery from others, had already been "desensitized" to this kind of compliment, so she just smiled lightly and calmly replied to the other person, "Don't mind, as long as we can make the guests happy, we will be satisfied."
.”
After explaining the next matters to several female officials, Theresa bid farewell to Natalia, and Natalia understood this very well. After all, as the queen, she could not always stay with her, so
She said goodbye to Theresa.
After Teresa left, Mrs. Junod was even more enthusiastic. She held Natalia's hand affectionately, and then expressed her feelings to her.
"Every time I feel your youthful vitality, I always feel envious and sigh with emotion. Unfortunately, when I was your age, the current situation was extremely chaotic, and enjoying youth was just empty talk... So, my child, since I am lucky enough to be born in
In this peaceful and prosperous era, enjoy it, this is the good luck that fate has bestowed upon you..."
As she spoke, she took Natalya to the residence arranged for her by the palace, preparing to let her rest temporarily.
Just as they were passing through the corridor by the garden, a group of women were coming towards them. The Duchess saw that it was the future Queen of Belgium, Princess Theoderlande, who was to be married here, and her aunt Princess Maria.
It looked like the two of them were outing together just now.
Seeing the two princesses, the Duchess quickly knelt down and saluted them in accordance with court etiquette. Although Natalia did not recognize them, seeing the behavior of the female officials, she naturally knew that the person opposite was not trivial, so she quickly followed her.
salute.
At this time, the two princesses also stopped.
After all, the Duchess is both the elder and the chief wife here, so the two of them naturally greeted the Duchess.
This kind of complicated court etiquette has become natural to them, so it only happened in a blink of an eye.
However, at this moment, Maria noticed the woman next to the Duchess, who was strange and stunningly beautiful.
She didn't know what was going on, but her heart suddenly skipped a beat - obviously, like Theresa, she had no confidence in Aigron's "determination" at all.
She tried her best to pretend that nothing happened, but her heart couldn't help but feel uneasy.
"Hello, Duchess..." Then, confused by concern, she couldn't help asking, "Who is this lady? She looks unfamiliar..."
Seeing Princess Maria asking questions to herself, the Duchess did not panic. Instead, a hint of joy suddenly flashed through her heart - maybe it was coming again for the next diary material?
"Your Highness the Princess, this lady is the wife of a Russian nobleman. After getting to know them, Your Majesty warmly invited the couple to the palace as guests...I was ordered to entertain her." She replied with deliberately ambiguous words. "Next, I will
I also want to make her a distinguished guest in the entire Paris social world."
Although this answer is literally correct, it is intentionally or unintentionally arousing people's imagination.
That's right, she was teasing Maria on purpose just to make herself happy.
Anyway, with her status and qualifications, even Aigron had to give him some face, so she was not afraid of Maria being angry.
Sure enough, as soon as she heard the Duchess's answer, Maria frowned slightly again.
This guy is really a promiscuous prince. Now he is thinking about someone new?
And Natalia's outstanding beauty only strengthened her doubts.
Suddenly, her anger surged up, and the look she looked at Natalia became a little more unkind.
This is not surprising. Compared with Theresa, she is older and her position is more unstable. She has been humiliated by Theresa before, and the corresponding "crisis" in her heart is also more serious, so she rashly saw
When a new face appeared next to Aigron, he naturally became scared instinctively.
Fight, fight!
Seeing Princess Maria's appearance, the Duchess next to her was not only not in a hurry, but was even more filled with expectations to watch the excitement and not be afraid of big troubles.
The previous entanglement between Princess Maria and Queen Theresa, as well as the almost public confrontation between them, had already been a feast for the eyes of the Duchess. She also wrote down her thoughts about it in her diary.
He saw everything he saw and heard, and also wrote down all kinds of outrageous rumors.
Then, because of Princess Maria's temporary surrender, the "big drama" ended suddenly, and she was still a little disappointed.
Now, when she thought that she could add a few more words to her diary, she couldn't help but feel even happier.
Fortunately, although Maria was unhappy, she also knew that she could not lose her composure, so she reluctantly put away her emotions, and then covered up her previous loss of control with an awkward yet polite smile, and then looked at the Duchess with a stiff smile, "
Really? Then I wish you all the best..."
Then, she took her niece away directly.
Seeing Maria leave like this, the Duchess couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
However, our lovely Majesty will definitely have a headache... When she thought of this, she felt secretly happy.