y in the various places where the marriage celebrations
required their presence. She was greatly offended that a man who was
widely believed to be in love with "Madame", the King's sister, should
dare to make advances to her; she was not only offended but distressed
at having deceived herself.

One day, when they met at his sister's house, being a little separated
from he rest, the Duc was tempted to speak to her, but she interrupted
him sharply saying angrily "I do not understand how, on the basis of a
weakness which one had at the age of thirteen, you have the audacity to
make amorous proposals to a person like me, particularly when, in the
view of the whole Court, you are interested in someone else." The Duc
who was intelligent as well as being much in love, understood the
emotion which underlay the Princess's words. He answered her most
respectfully, "I confess, Madame, that it was wrong of me not to reject
the possible honour of becoming the King's brother-in-law, rather than
allow you to suspect for a moment that I could desire any heart but
yours; but if you will be patient enough to hear me I am sure I can
fully justify my behaviour." The Princess made no reply, but she did
not go away and the Duc, seeing that she was prepared to listen to him,
told her that although he had made no effort to attract the attention
of Madame, she had nevertheless honoured him with her interest: as he
was not enamoured of her he had responded very coolly to this honour
until she gave him to believe that she might marry him. The realisation
of the grandeur to which such a marriage would raise him had obliged
him to take a little more trouble. This situation had aroused the
suspicions of the King and the Duc d'Anjou, but the opposition of
neither of them would have any effect on his course of action, however,
if this displeased her he would abandon all such notions and never
think of them again.

This sacrifice which the Duc was prepared to make caused the Princess
to forget all the anger she had shown. She changed the subject and
began to speak of the indiscretion displayed by Madame in making the
first advances and of the considerable advantages which he would gain
if he married her. In the end, without saying anything kind to the Duc
de Guise, she made him recall a thousand things he had found so
pleasing in Mlle. de Mezieres. Although they had not had private
conversation for a long time, they found themselves attuned to one
an