Versailles Wild Rose

"I'll send someone to call you. If mother needs you for nothing, come here." Philip threw down the messy jewelry on the dressing table and left.

Abigail went to put away the jewelry box without a temper.

It is true that her jewels were very poor, and though the Countess Barberion had left her half of them, they were still very scant.She is the youngest child, with two older brothers and three older sisters, but except for the elder brother and elder sister, the other three brothers and sisters all died young.The eldest sister is 26 years old and married, married to the son of a baron; the eldest brother is 27 years old and unmarried.

Her mother was the daughter of a minor Spanish nobleman. However, a minor nobleman meant that she was relatively poor. She did not bring much jewelry from Spain, and most of them were gifted by Anna of Austria.When the elder sister got married, she brought some of the best jewels with her, so as not to be despised by others in her husband's family in the future; the elder brother also left some good jewels, after all, he is the future earl, so the family property should not be too shabby.Therefore, the jewelry that can be given to Abigail is really limited. The number is quite a lot, but the value is not high, and it is not very good. There is no complete set of jewelry.

Philip chose stones of the same color and color as he could, and chose for her an aquamarine and pearl cross necklace, blue crystal and pearl cross earrings, two aquamarine rings, and a bracelet with a baroque pearl the size of a large button. Solitaire hairpin.

She likes this bracelet very much, and thinks it is not too different from fashion jewelry in the 21st century. However, round pearls with bright light bulbs are still popular in the palace. Special-shaped pearls are considered "too ugly". She only wore them once, so she had to keep them. stand up.

The cross is also the most popular and basic style in this era. Even Austrian Anna taught her that if you don’t know what jewelry to wear, the cross is the right one. It is suitable for any occasion and no one can fault it.

The shape of the cross model itself is also very good, axisymmetric but not biaxial symmetric, upright yet beautiful, I don’t know if it conforms to the golden section, but it will never be dull.Every woman has at least one set of cross jewelry.

She has a lot of earrings and earrings, nothing else, the earrings and earrings are low in value, and they are small pieces. Looking at the pile, they are not worth much; there are only four pitiful necklaces, and the gemstones are very ordinary. The best one is this aquamarine Cross necklace with pearls.Philip is indeed a prince who has seen many good things since he was a child, and he can pick the best jewelry at a glance.

He was right. People in the palace, from the maids to the resident nobles, judge people by jewels. If you don't have a few decent jewels, people will quickly know that you are a poor ghost.

She has not been regarded as a poor ghost until now, because she has been here for too short a time, and she has not participated in any banquets, and it is too late to be discovered that she does not have much jewelry.

She put away the jewelry and locked the jewelry box.

It's time for the Queen Mother to wake up.

Anna in Austria wakes up at 4pm.Usually, some noble women will be summoned, and then they will have afternoon tea with a few selected noble wives. If there is elegance, the wives will be left to play cards.There is a special game room in the palace, a room for playing cards, and a special room for billiards. Louis likes to play billiards and cards.Everyone in the royal palace likes to play cards, and they have to win big prizes. Most of the time, they are gold coins, and there are also bets on jewelry and land.

Serving afternoon tea is not very tiring.The maid can't sit down, but there is no more heavy physical work, just take the kettle from the maid's hand and refill the teapot; when the snacks on the table are finished, they bring a plate full of snacks from the table next to them, Replace empty or half-empty dishes.

Ladies eat as little as possible, or pretend to eat as little as possible, but when chatting, they always eat a lot and drink a lot without knowing it. Besides, there are 8 hours from lunch to dinner, and this afternoon tea is a must. Indispensable extra meal.

After afternoon tea, the ladies of Anne of Austria played cards, and Madame de Montière accompanied the hostess, and Abigail had two hours to spare.She ate a few pieces of cake in a hurry, drank two cups of black tea, and went to the game room.

Philip's servant came to her after 4 o'clock and said that the Duke of Anjou had already gone to the game room and asked her to go there as soon as she finished her work.

There are a lot of people in the game room. There are 6 card tables, all of which are already full of people. Some of the other people are watching, and some are chatting.

Philip, Duke of Anjou sat at one of the card tables, looking happy, probably winning money.

She walked behind him, "Your Highness."

"Mademoiselle de Barberion." Philip smiled and nodded at her. "Would you like to play?"

"No, I'll take a look first."

They are playing a card game that is said to have been passed down from Germany. The rules are not complicated. People in the court can play several types of cards, and most of them play well.

Standing next to the card table was a young boy with a very handsome appearance. He raised his eyes and glanced at Abigail.

This should be the Knight of Lorraine.His father, Henry of Lorraine, was Earl of Harcourt, steward of the king's stables, who bought his son a "chevalier" and took him to the Louvre.

While playing cards, Philip talked to Abigail, asking her what the Queen Mother was doing in the afternoon, and which ladies were with the Queen Mother.This is not something that cannot be said, and she answered truthfully.

After two more rounds, Philip stood up. "I have to pee. Miss de Barberion, you play two rounds for me."

Someone yelled, "Your Highness, you can't run away after winning the money."

He spread his hands, "Look at what you said! Knight, Miss de Barberion's wins and losses are all credited to my account."

The pretty boy nodded with a serious expression.

Philip went away for more than ten minutes before returning, and instead of sitting back at the poker table, he stood behind Abigail.She played 6 rounds, and asked Philip from time to time if she should play this card, and said with a smile: "I have been in the country for too long, and I have never learned how to play cards. I just play around. Your Highness, if I lose money, you can't blame me."

Philip said very well: "You can tell jokes! Wins are yours, and losses are mine." He fiddled with her blond hair, untied her braids very bored, and braided them for her again.He can't braid his hair, so it's bound to get messy.

"Stop playing with my hair, Your Highness."

"But your hair is fun."

"You are not a child."

"What are you talking about?" He tugged at her hair.

bad boy!

"Then I'll lose a lot of money for you later!" She threw down a card casually.

She lost a few thousand crowns again.

"Would you like to play again, Your Highness?" the man asked, looking at Abigail.

"Miss de Barberion will continue to play." Philip waved his hand, beckoning the servant to come over, took two glasses of wine from the tray, and put the glasses in Abigail's hand.

A new round has begun.

The other three players at the table all increased their bets and kept raising their bets, bringing the total to as much as 10 ecu—5 pistoles.It's not a small bet.

Philip smiled and asked the Knight of Lorraine, "How much money do I have in my account?"

The beautiful boy pursed his thin lips, and said unhappily: "It's less than 10 Ecu, Your Highness." When he left, it was almost 12 Ecu on the account, and within half an hour, Abigail lost 23 thousand ecu.

Philip looked indifferent, "Miss de Barberion, don't worry, this money is nothing. You hurry up and end this game, I still want to see my mother. I want to accompany my mother to walk in the garden Come on, follow us."

He urged vigorously, and Abigail hurriedly played cards.The three nobles winked at each other and kept adding more money. In the last circle, they added 25 ecu.

"My God! You really want to win His Highness's money today. Well, gentlemen, it's time to put down your cards." She put down a few cards in her hand.

The Lorraine knight widened his eyes.