After considerable more debate and conversation, we left the Café Procope.
“Where to now?” I asked Lafayette.
“Parc Monceau. It is a pleasure garden of incredible beauty.”
When we entered the garden, I was amazed. The lush gardens contained several follies. These included an Egyptian pyramid, a Roman colonnade, a Dutch windmill, an Italian vineyard, and Turkish tents. Performers in exotic costumes roamed the gardens. There were also animals from foreign lands. One creature stood taller than a horse and had a large hump on its back.
“Is that a camel?” Andelbert asked.
“Quite right, Andelbert. From Egypt, the land of the Pharaohs.”
We spent a few hours exploring the grounds before Lafayette suggested we have dinner. There was a pavilion in the garden that contained shops and cafés. We had a delicious meal while being entertained by musical performers. It was a pleasant time.
Afterward, Lafayette said, “We have one final destination on our tour. The Comédie-Française. We are going to the theater.”
I didn’t know what to expect as we entered the ornate theater building. Inside was a large open room that reached several floors high. The main space had seats in rows, and the walls were lined with small private rooms open to the main hall, where more patrons sat. At one end was a large stage decorated like the interior of a home. As showtime approached, I was filled with anticipation.
Soon, actors took the stage, and the story began. It was called The Barber Of Séville. It was a tale about a Spanish Count who falls in love with a girl. He attempts to win her love by pretending to be a poor college student. But the girl’s guardian, a doctor, will not allow her to see the Count and keeps her locked up in his house. The Count happens upon a former servant who is now a barber and has access to the girl’s home. The barber arranges several ways for the pair to meet, and they eventually fall in love. The story was told in both words and songs. It was quite an engaging experience.
After the theater, we made our way to the Luxembourg Palace and were taken to grand apartments where we would spend the night.
“I moved here at age 11 to train as a musketeer,” Lafayette said once we were inside the palace. “Three years later, I became a sous-lieutenant. At which time, my uncle arranged for my marriage to Marie Adrienne Françoise. As I was only 14 and she was only 12, her mother objected. So they delayed the marriage for two years and arranged for us to meet frequently during that time. Marie is a rare beauty and kinder than any soul should be. We fell in love. When we return to Versailles tomorrow, I should like you to meet her.”
“I would be honored and delighted to,” I said.
“As would I,” Andelbert added.
I marveled that we had befriended such a man.
The following morning, we returned to Versaille and visited Lafayette’s home. Lafayette was not exaggerating. Marie was genuinely beautiful in both appearance and manner. Andelbert and I were both completely charmed. I hoped that someday I could win such a rare woman for my own.