Let Them Have Cake (7 page)

A small lake was in the center of the compound. Ducks, geese and swans glided quietly on the serene water. Wayward sea gulls floated overhead. The tour group had followed
Regina
on ahead while Jeff and Anna languished behind, gazing out over the mystical lake.

“Look, Jeff. There’s a man on horseback over there in the trees. He’s just sitting there on his horse looking at us.”

“Where? I don’t see anything in those trees in the direction you’re pointing.”

“Right over there! Between those two big trees.” Anna pointed at a spot between two massive oak trees. “Don’t you see him yet?”

“No. I don’t see a horse or a man. What is he wearing?” Jeff asked.

“That’s the strange part. He looks like something out of a movie. He’s riding a beautiful chestnut horse with a fancy bridle and saddle. He’s dressed in tight leggings and a white shirt with big puffy sleeves. He’s got brown leather boots on and it looks like he has a quiver with a bow and arrows strapped on his back. His hair is long and reddish-brown. He’s too far away to see his eyes, but it does look like he’s staring right at us.”

“I don’t see a thing, Anna. Are you sure you feel all right?” Jeff asked while placing his hand to her forehead. “You
feel like you have a fever.”

“Oh, I’m fine. I’m warm because I have too much clothing on. Come on. We’re getting too far behind the group.”

Anna grabbed Jeff’s hand and gently pulled him along after her. Venturing a quick look over her shoulder, she was amazed to see the man on the horse tip his hat to her before turning and riding off.

“...and this is where they kept the ‘ships’, goats and cows. Over there is where the chickens lived, and over here is the pigeon house. Across the lake you see the mill with a water wheel. It was intended for use in grinding grain. However, I don’t believe it was ever actually used. In the
United States
, this would have been made into a big amusement park by now. Like
Disneyland
, yes?”
Regina
laughingly said before walking on.

“Now we come to the biggest and most grandiose house in the village. Although it in no way compares to the Petit Trianon or
Versailles
itself, it is very grand for a little English village. This is the Queen’s house. It was maintained solely for the use of Marie Antoinette and her friends. Incidentally, the King himself never slept here. There was a billiard room--Marie Antoinette had a passion for billiards and would play for hours at a time--dining room, the Queen’s boudoir and bedrooms for ordinary amusements. The guests played billiards, backgammon, and the women did tapestry embroidery. They also put on plays,
which was another of Marie Antoinette’s passions. It is rumored that Marie Antoinette had many male guests and they participated in various nighttime activities as well. We French are renowned for our romantic nighttime activities, yes?”
Regina
asked, and with a wicked little laugh, led them on.

“Jeff, are you thinking about our ancestors being here when Marie Antoinette was? Just imagine. Maybe they even knew each other. What do you think?”

“Well, they were in
Versailles
during the same years. This isn’t a very large place. I guess it is plausible that they knew each other. Maybe that’s why I feel so attracted to you.”

Anna smiled mysteriously. “Maybe it is. Maybe we’ve been together before, somehow.”

“We’re going to leave the hamlet now and walk to the Petit Trianon. But first we’re going to stop at the temple de l’Amour, or
Temple
of
Love
. Mique built it in 1778, a few years before the hamlet. In the center of the temple is a replica of
LOVE
by Bouchardon. Ah, here it is now.”
Regina
stopped in front of a small-pillared temple with a dome. The statue in the center was of a chubby Cupid ready to shoot potential lovers with an arrow.

“Look at your sisters and Mark. They’re hamming it up in front of Cupid. They’re obviously having a great time.”

“They aren’t having nearly as good a time as we are. They’re just playing around, and we’re playing for keeps,” Jeff
hugged Anna to him.

Anna clung to Jeff, hoping against hope that he meant every word he said.

As they walked along the leaf-strewn path towards the Petit Trianon, Anna couldn’t stop thinking about the strange vision of the man on horseback back in the hamlet. She couldn’t understand why Jeff hadn’t seen him and finally decided the vision was for her eyes only. Could it be jet lag causing her to have hallucinations or delusions now? Still, she had a genuine feeling of
deja vu
as if she actually knew the man in the trees.

“What’s wrong, Anna? You’ve gotten quiet. Don’t you feel well?” Jeff asked again with more concern this time.

“I feel fine. Maybe I’m just a little tired. I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you. I’ll try to shake myself out of it.” Anna removed her hat and gloves and stuffed them into her backpack, thinking that the cold air might revive her. She turned to
Regina
who was gesturing towards a beautiful palace.

“...the Petit Trianon, built by Gabriel in 1766 and completed in 1769 as a gift to Madame du Barry, who was the mistress of Louis XV. It was later presented to Marie Antoinette as a personal gift from Louis XVI. Mique later designed the Music Pavilion and the
English
Garden
around the Petit Trianon.”

Regina
continued, “Let’s board our bus now. It will take us on to the main
palace
of
Versailles
. We could walk from here,
but it really is too far and we’d be so tired we wouldn’t want to tour the palace.”

***

There was a surprisingly long line of people waiting in front of the palace for their turn to enter.
Regina
and Lurline deposited the group in line and went to purchase entrance tickets for everyone.

“It’s cold out here. What are those men cooking on those big drums by the entrance? Whatever it is looks funny but sure smells good,” Anna asked Jeff as she stepped closer to him in an effort to get warm.

“They’re roasting
chestnuts. Haven’t you ever tried them?”

“No. I don’t think we have them in
California
,” answered Anna.

“I’ll go get some. We can eat them while we’re waiting in line.” Jeff sprinted off to buy a brown paper bag of nuts for them to share.

Anna watched his trim, athletic form jog across the plaza.

A large statue in the center of the courtyard drew Anna’s thoughts back to the hamlet. The statue was of a man on horseback. He was wearing a shirt like the man she’d seen at the hamlet. He also had a quiver with arrows in it on his back. Anna felt a chill run down her spine.

             
Jeff returned with a bag of chestnuts in each hand. “Be
careful. They’re hot off the grill. Just peel the brown outer layer off and pop the white meat in your mouth.” Jeff deftly demonstrated.

             
Anna tried the nuts but couldn’t decide whether she liked them or not. “These are different, aren’t they? I don’t know how to describe them. Not really like a nut, unless maybe a little like a macadamia nut. They’re somewhat like a mushroom. Sometimes they’re sort of sweet. Well, at least I can say I tried them.”

             
Before long, they were permitted into the palace.
Regina
began describing what life had been like for the residents. It was difficult to envision thousands of people living within its walls, most of them being servants to the royals. It was also hard to understand what it must have been like to live there with no privacy, and no indoor plumbing.
Regina
described how in the cold winter all waste materials were just tossed out the windows of the palace.

             
“It’s no surprise that diseases ran rampant during that era. They obviously had no concept of hygiene and disease prevention,” Jeff commented.

             
They were herded from room to room. They pushed and crowded their way through doorways, trying to stay together as a group and follow
Regina
’s raised umbrella. It became quite hot and Anna found herself just drifting along, not really paying much
attention to
Regina
.

             
Anna found the Hall of Mirrors interesting. She imagined herself dressed in an emerald green ball gown, with an enormous skirt and scooped bodice that pushed her breasts almost out of the dress. The thousands of candles in the ornate chandeliers would flatter her complexion and play down her freckles. Her blonde hair would be piled on top of her head in a huge mass of curls, and perched on top would be the fanciest hat she could have made. It would be adorned with masses of iridescent peacock feathers and would rival any that Marie Antoinette wore. She would be the belle of the ball.

             
“Are you sure you’re not sick, Anna? You’re staring into the mirror almost in a trance. You feel hot again, too,” Jeff asked with concern.

             
“No, I’m fine. I was just daydreaming.”

             
They continued past massive oil paintings in the Queen’s Cabinet of the Nobles and on to what had been Marie Antoinette’s private bedroom.

             
Regina
talked about what life had been like for Marie. “Marie Antoinette Joseph Jeanne married Louis Auguste on
May 16, 1779
. She was just fifteen, he sixteen. Louis was bored and sullen during the ceremony. He wished he were out hunting instead so he ate too much and drank too much and fell asleep on his wedding night. Marie was gay and headstrong and bored with
Louis who paid such little attention to her. So, that is why she escaped
Versailles
as often as she could. Louis gave in to her a lot, probably to keep her quiet. Life in
Versailles
became decadent. There was a lot of free time and a lot of waste took place. It was no wonder the Revolution took place with all those spoiled royals doing what they wanted and caring little for the commoners.”

             
Anna was relieved when they finally exited the crowded building. The tour had been a long one, and an American man on another tour had become loudly vocal about the crowded conditions inside.

             
“Did you hear that jerk? It’s easy to understand why Americans are disliked in
Europe
when you hear someone carrying on like that. It’s so embarrassing,” Anna remarked to Jeff as they walked outside.

             
“Well, it was pretty crowded in there. I think it was dangerous. What if someone had a cardiac arrest? The person would die before help ever got to him,” Jeff countered.

             
Anna turned and marched off into the gardens of
Versailles
.

             
Jeff watched her walk away, his brow knitted in a frown.

Anna stomped her way down the path to a grove of trees. Americans who behaved badly while visiting other countries really upset her. She couldn’t understand why Jeff wasn’t upset as well. She found a stone bench at the edge of the forest and
sat down. Gazing back at the palace, she was surprised to see how far she had walked. People milled about the grounds in small groups but she was unable to pick Jeff out from the crowd. She did see a threesome that she was sure was Mark with Jeff’s sisters. They were standing on a low wall and someone was taking their picture. Turning to look in the other direction, she could see rolling hills dotted with sheep. The pastoral scene should have been comforting, but rather was kind of harsh due to the grayness of winter.

             
Just then, a movement in the distance caught her eye. Peering closer, it appeared to be a horse running very fast in her direction. It became apparent, the closer it came, that there was a rider on the horse. Anna watched and wondered if the horse was going to continue straight for her and run her down when it suddenly halted. She could see clearly that it was the same horse and rider that had been at the hamlet. The rider again tipped his hat to her in a salute.

             
Anna was overcome by a feeling of déjà vu. She felt pulled towards the man on the horse and rose from her seat on the cold stone bench. She walked slowly towards the horse and rider. The horse started to become skittish, so she walked even slower. The man sat quietly upon the horse, never taking his eyes from her face. He was familiar to Anna, but she couldn’t understand why he should be. He had long, reddish-brown hair and wore a full
beard. He was looking towards the sun, so his eyes were squeezed almost closed. Anna was within twenty feet of the horse when it reared up in fright. She stopped walking.

             
“Who are you? Do I know you? Somehow I feel that I do. Were you looking for me after I left the hamlet, or is this just a coincidence? Do you speak English? Talk to me, please,” Anna pleaded.