| May 16, 1770 marks the wedding of Crown Prince Louis-August and Marie Antoinette. All goes well until a broken pen leaves a blot on the wedding certificate--possibly a bad omen. Marie makes a very good impression upon her first appearance at a ball at Versailles, but notices the unfriendly attitude of the Countess duBarry. The late Queen's aunts warn Marie that duBarry is the King's mistress, who is supposedly a former prostitute who married the Count duBarry just to gain his name then poisoned him. Now she assigns and dismisses ministers as she pleases, and everyone kow-tows to her. The aunts advise Marie to ignore this woman, and duBarry is offended that Marie didn't even address her at the ball. She feels that this "Austrian brat" is challenging her power. Noblemen and women worry about which side to take in the developing power struggle, and wonder which side Oscar (who is now highly popular after foiling the attempt to kidnap Marie) will take. |
