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Your Majesty,
I am a French teacher in Cabot, Arkansas, United States. We are to the
west of the Mississippi River, not yet a state while you are imprisoned
in the Conciergerie, but a part of La Salle's conquest for Louis XIV. I
apologize for refreshing your memory and assuming in light of recent
events in your life you might have forgotten.
We have been studying your life, particularly your letter to your
sister-in-law, Élisabeth, who is presently residing in England. We are
happy to let you know that the letter indeed does survive, as well as
your sister and your beloved daughter.
We are awestruck by your refusal to blame those who have unjustly
imprisoned you, and are impressed by your steadfast faith, particularly
for your profound commitment to not endangering the life of any priest
for hearing your confession. We are absolutely certain of your
salvation based upon your life. Your dedication to your family is
evident in your advise to your children to let go of their anger and
wish for retribution for your and their situations.
We wonder - how do you think of the treatment you received at the hands
of the courtiers, who ridiculed your French and the French people who
used you as an example of the vices and decadence of the times? We
think you were loyal to your husband despite his shortcomings (his
personality, and excuse our euphemism for the other little problem that
your wonderful mother discovered and sent your brother Joseph to fix!
Thanks be to God for that - with the result being your children!).
1. Do you really think you were extravagant, more so than the other queens you succeeded?
2. Did you really have an affair with Ferson, or did you just promise
things to facilitate your salvation? We are sure you would have
included not only your children, but your husband.
3. Whyever did you order that great traveling box—did you think your
captors at the Temple wouldn't notice? Why did you order a large coach
(was it a Berlin?) instead of a small fast coach?
4. Were you just searching for friends when you frequented the Comédie
Française and inviting actors and actresses to Versailles? Were you
that isolated from the court? Did you have a retainer of devote and
loyal ladies, and were they all Austrian? Whom did you trust in the
French court?
Our excuses for the volume of questions. We saw only one post at
Dialogus, and hope you are available. We await with extreme interest
your response.
Very respectfully,
Kristie Robinson
Dear Kristie,
Let me thank you for your letter, which is very touching. I am happy to
know that the young country that is the United States in 1793 is still
there in your time. The King my husband was involved in the war of
Independence that created your country not so long ago. A good friend
of mine, Monsieur de Fersen, served in that war and I kept myself well
informed of everything that was happening there at that time.
You are asking me very good and precise questions, and I will do my best to give you the best answers possible.
Ridiculizing people is a pass-time for courtiers. Sometimes it's hard
to make nothing of it, but you have no choice if you want to survive in
the court world. Also, since I am the Queen, I was not the person who
was treated the worst. Some people have their lives destroyed by
others. I can't say that was my case, and I had good friends. I never
liked living with the courtiers in Versailles, but that's also the role
of the Queen and I think I did it well.
I never considered myself extravagant, on the contrary. I really don't
know where this reputation comes from. Maybe I was a bit naïve in my
youth, but no more extravagant than other young ladies. I think the
main thing is I am very different than the other Queens that France has
known before and people were not used to that.
Monsieur de Fersen has always been and will always be a very precious,
sincere and dear friend of mine. He has a very important place in my
heart.
With time, I guess we made some mistakes when we decided to leave
Paris. Monsieur de Fersen did his very best to help us and even though
it didn't work out in the end, I don't want to think about what was
done and what should have been done. No one risked as much as him to
help us. No one.
Trust is a very hard thing to have with anyone at the court. I didn't
have anyone from Austia with me, except Monsieur de Mercy. Like I said
earlier, I never really liked the life in Versailles. When I was going
to the opera, I was young and thinking about having a great time,
that's all. I came to make good friends at the court, like my dear
Madame de Polignac. But friends are a very rare thing in this life.
I thank you again for your letter, dear Kristie, and please do say hello to your students.
Take very good care of you,
Marie-Antoinette
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