Cirrus@Austlit

The secrets and scandals of the French court are set in motion when Henriette, sister to the king of England, is ousted from the French king's affections by her maid-of-honour Louise. The Countesse de Soissons, herself a jealous ex-lover of the king, decides to take advantage of Henriette's hurt pride to enact her own revenge with the help of the king's confidante the Marquis des Vardes. Soissons and Vardes lure Henriette into the plot by blaming her friend Julie's thwarted love upon Louise. They hatch a plan to issue a forged a letter to the queen unveiling the king's infatuation with Louise in the hope that she will intervene on the affair. Julie's lover the Conte de Guiche is pressured into committing the act of forgery.

The letter comes under the suspicion of the queen's lady-in-waiting and is diverted into the hands of the king himself. Enraged by its treachery and suspecting a woman's jealousy behind it, the king proceeds to Henriette's apartments and there confronts Henriette, Soissons and Vardes. They succeed in redirecting the king's suspicions, but blacken Guiche's name in the process – much to Henriette's distress. Not long after, Henriette's overhears Soissons and Vardes planning her own disgrace, and learns that Vardes is in fact responsible for Julie and Guiche's heartbreak. She resolves to expose the whole of the plot to the king.

By now the stability of nations has become embroiled in Court drama and tension runs high. In one mighty exchange of accusation, counter-accusation and slander, the entirety of the intrigue is laid bare to the king, who brings down the force of his wrath on all involved. In danger of banishing all of his most powerful courtiers in one fell swoop, the king hands the verdict over to the gracious Louise. She recognises Henriette's and Guiche's remorse and returns them to the king's favour, and finally exerts her influence to obtain the king's blessing for Julie and Guiche's marriage.

Characters

LOUIS XIV – King of France

ARMAND CONTE DE GUICHE

MARQUIS DES VARDES

CHEVALIER DE LORRAINE

MARECHAL DE GRAMMONT

DUC DE MAZARIN

MONSIEUR DE LA TAINE – Cousin to Louise de la Valliere

HENRIETTE, DUCHESSE D'ORLEANS – Sister to Charles II of England

CONTESSE DE SOISSONS

LOUISE DE LA VALLIERE – Maid-of-Honour to Henriette

JULIE DE MONTALIS – Maid-of-Honour to Queen of France

ANNE OF AUSTRIA — Dowager Queen of France

MARIE-THERESE — Queen of France

DUCHESS DE NAVAILLES – Guardian of Queen's ladies

MDLLE. DE FIEMMES – Maid-of-Honour to Henriette

SENORA MOLINA – Spanish Lady-in-Waiting to Queen

Zedekiah Twopenny seeks refuge up a tree to avoid an uncomfortable encounter with two widows, Mrs Davids and Mrs Simmons. The two join in expounding, first the grievances of each other's deceased husbands, and then their newfound hopes of remarriage to attentive widowers in canary waistcoats. Twopenny listens on in amusement. It soon becomes apparent that the attentive widower is, in both cases, none other than Twopenny himself. The exchange between the widows grows tense, until Twopenny falls out of the tree and into Mrs Davids's basket. Convincing them he was asleep the whole time, he dispels their wrath by bestowing equal affection upon them both. The farce is concluded by the appearance of Twopenny's new wife, who accuses Mrs Davids and Mrs Simmons of chasing after her husband, and then summons him away. Mrs Davids and Mrs Simmons return home for tea together, newly bonded over their shared disappointment.

Characters

MRS DAVIDS – A widow

MRS SIMMONS – A widow who takes in lodgers

ZEDEKIAH TWOPENNY – A village dry-goods shopkeeper

SELINA – A fluffy young lady of 25