Excerpt from BENEATH THE CROWN: THE PRINCESS IN THE TOWER
by Sharon Stewart
|
They were coming again.
One by one my family came to gather in the large chamber overlooking the Seine. A fiery red dawn came up over the city, turning the river to blood. At six o’clock my father went downstairs to rally the National Guard. He returned ashen faced. Some of the Guardsmen had jeered at him and turned their cannons around to face the palace.
“We can’t count on their loyalty,” he said heavily. “Only my Swiss Guards and my gentlemen-in-waiting stand between us and the crowd.”
Two ushers set about dividing the fire tongs in half so that each would have a makeshift weapon. Pauline and I darted glances at each other. It was horrible, yet almost funny at the same time.
At seven o’clock a tall, grave-looking man arrived. Papa spoke quietly with him for a few minutes, then came over to us.
“The attorney general wants us to seek refuge with the Assembly, where we will be safe,” he said. “The National Guard can no longer guarantee our safety here.”
Maman’s temper blazed up white hot. “No!” she cried. “Shall we let this rabble drive us from our home? I would rather be nailed to the wall than run away from them!”
Papa shook his head. “Antoinette, we must think of the children, not of our pride,” he reproached her.
Maman bowed her head. “It’s true, we must think of them, and of all these others,” she said after a moment, glancing around at our friends.
“Only our family may come with us to the Assembly,” said Papa sorrowfully. “They’ll allow Louise, too, because she is a distant cousin. And Madame de Tourzel. I have been assured that the rest of the people here will be safe enough once the crowd knows that we have left.”
I tugged at my father’s sleeve. “Papa,” I whispered, “when you said immediate family, you meant Pauline, too, of course.”
Papa looked down at me sadly. “My dear, it is not allowed. Madame de Tourzel is Governess to the Children of France. Her sworn duty requires her to accompany Charles and you wherever you go. This the Assembly understands and will permit. But there will be no other exceptions.”
“But, Papa, we can’t! We can’t take the Duchess with us and make her leave Pauline behind! It’s inhuman!” I cried.
My father turned away to move among the white- faced crowd of courtiers doomed to be left behind. He spoke gently to them, attempting to reassure them.
How can Papa do this thing? How can he? I thought wildly. Was Maman right after all? Would it not be better to stand our ground here and die together than to abandon our friends?
From Beneath the Crown: The Princess in the Tower. Copyright © 1998 by Sharon Stewart. All rights reserved.
|
|
