Marie-Josèphe and Lotte

Marie-Josèphe de la Croix and Mademoiselle d’Orléans, Lotte develop a close companionship within the hierarchy of the French court. Their relationship joins the formal duties of a lady-in-waiting to gestures of warmth—an embrace, a kiss, an offered arm, and private conversation—in which Lotte seeks Marie-Josèphe’s company and Marie-Josèphe answers with both deference and candor.

Companions on the Journey to Le Havre

Marie-Josèphe travels to Le Havre in the carriage of Monsieur and Madame, seated opposite Monsieur with Mademoiselle d’Orléans, Lotte beside her. The journey is part of a grand royal procession, but for Marie-Josèphe it also marks a change in her place at court: she is now Lotte’s lady-in-waiting. Lotte leans out of the carriage window, nearly as excited as Marie-Josèphe, and the two share the spectacle from within the same sumptuous carriage.

The arrangement establishes both sides of their connection. They are close enough to experience the journey together, yet their positions are not equal: Marie-Josèphe serves Lotte, whose rank governs the formal courtesies paid to her. The book presents companionship and service as concurrent parts of their relationship rather than treating one as a disguise for the other.

Ease Within Madame’s Household

At Madame’s apartments, the two move through a household whose ceremonial order makes Lotte’s rank visible. Both halves of the tall carved entry doors are opened for her, and Madame’s ladies-in-waiting curtsy as she passes. Lotte acknowledges them, then turns back to ask where Mlle de la Croix is and to say that she wants her. Marie-Josèphe curtsies; Lotte kisses her lightly, takes her arm, and speaks to her in a whisper as they approach Madame’s private chamber.

Their manner together is markedly less formal than the surrounding etiquette. Marie-Josèphe says she treasures Madame, then gently complains that she can be stuffy; Lotte’s laughter and Madame’s response make the exchange a moment of shared amusement rather than a breach between mistress and attendant. When Lotte jokes that she had to rescue Marie-Josèphe from the monster fish, Marie-Josèphe approaches Madame, kneels, and kisses the hem of her gown to apologize for making Mademoiselle late. The scene places familiar teasing beside the precise gestures of rank that Marie-Josèphe still observes.

Confidence, Candor, and Service

After one visit to Madame’s rooms, Lotte gives Odelette a gold louis and leaves; Marie-Josèphe follows her, nearly lost in the crowd. At another point, as dusk falls and servants lower the chandeliers and light candles, the ladies-in-waiting claim Odelette to dress their hair while Lotte draws Marie-Josèphe aside by a window to talk privately. Lotte describes Marie-Josèphe as sheltered, and the conversation turns to sexual knowledge, including the meaning of prostitution. Their confidence allows a subject of adult experience to enter their private conversation, while the surrounding household continues its routine of service and attendance.

Across these encounters, Lotte repeatedly singles Marie-Josèphe out from the surrounding company: she asks for her, touches her affectionately, and makes space for private talk. Marie-Josèphe, in turn, follows Lotte through the court’s crowded rooms and speaks warmly about her family, even when she teases Madame. The relationship’s significance lies in that balance: affection makes the formal attendant more than a functionary, but the scenes preserve the differences in rank that shape how the two can move through court life.