Cécile: Gates of Gold

Marly

Because Cécile is a servant, she often overhears conversations. One night, while they are all at Marly, Cécile hears there was a measles outbreak at Versailles. Over 200 people have already been carried away for burial. The news results in a somber mood for everybody.

The Prince and Princess are whispering about what will happen when the Princess dies. Apparently, an astrologer from Turin, Italy, predicted she would die by the time she reaches twenty-seven. The Prince reassures her that if she did die, which she won’t, but if she did, he’d follow her to the grave. Cécile hopes this astrologer’s prediction will not come true.

They return to Versailles in the first week of February. Everything carries on as normal. One day, Cécile is playing with the puppies and the boys when a man comes up to her. He says he brings a gift from the Duc de Noailles: a new snuffbox. It should go to the Princess. Cécile gets up and offers it to the Princess. She wets her finger, dips it in the snuffbox, and smells. She smiles and sets it down on her dressing table.

Later that evening, as they are climbing into bed, Madame asks if Cécile has heard that Marie-Adélaïde has fallen ill. Cécile immediately thinks of the new snuffbox. Perhaps it was poisoned! Madame mentions she ate some of her own food, and her jaw was ailing her. But yet, when she asked for her new snuffbox, it was nowhere to be found.

That evening, Cécile prays for Marie-Adélaïde, and for France. She prays herself to sleep.