The Nymph of Versailles

Chapter 29

The Appartement des Bains was a beautiful room, and one of her favorites at Versailles due to the privacy it afforded her with the king. The room sat beneath the king's apartments, giving them their own little retreat private enough to not need to worry about anyone barging in on them.

In the anteroom she pulled on a silk robe. When the king tried to peek she clicked her tongue at him. "You have to wait until we reach the water to see under my robe."

"You torment me by making me wait." He sulked back into the Chambre de Repos to sit on the edge of the large bed. Pastoral nymphs looked down at him from the headrest. Marble columns decorated the room with polished alabaster gleaming at them, making her feel like she was beneath Mount Olympus preparing to bathe with the muses.

"Then we'd better get to the bath quick before you lose patience." She glided past the bed and to the octagonal bath made from a single block of marble. Hot water poured from the taps. Around the tub were couches for them to recline on. She waded into the pool, keeping her robe on as she ignored the fabric dipping into the water.

The king let out a groan from behind her. "Take the robe off."

"Not until yours comes off." She tilted her head toward him with a teasing smile. "It's only fair.

He stepped up beside her with a warm smile. "Shall we undress each other?"

"I'll follow your lead." She turned toward him to run a hand over his chest.

He reached for the ties of her robe and pulled them loose while her fingers loosened his. Her robe came off within seconds and the king tossed it aside. She took her time with his, slowly lowering one sleeve off and then the other. His manhood twitched as he watched her. With one hand she ran a hand over his chest while with the other she dropped his robe outside of the tub. Steam kissed their skin as the tub filled. She sucked in a deep breath of it, savoring this moment with her Louis. While he was away at the front she wouldn't have dared to dream of having more moments like these.

"I never get tired of seeing your clothes come off." He bent down to kiss the tops of her breasts. His hair glided over her skin, the silky strands tickling her middle.

"Don't get too distracted. You wanted the bath to help your aching back, remember?" They arrived back from Saint Germain less than an hour ago. On the way here he'd set his heart on the bath and she'd encouraged him, eager to have him to herself.

"I haven't forgotten, but I wanted this for more than my back. I like to relax at Versailles with you. It's our palace." He lowered himself into the water. "I think we should move here permanently once enough of the construction is finished to house the court for more than a few months. I can never wait to get back here and away from the stench of Paris."

Athénaïs let out a content sigh as she sat next to the king, the hot water soothing her muscles. She settled her gaze on the king, watching as he leaned back and closed his eyes. She should be able to do the same. To relax and forget any nagging worries, but she couldn't.

Ever since that year they spent apart her fears over him kept a vice grip on her heart. It'd been three years since then and she'd gotten rid of several women who tried to dethrone her. They came and went as quickly as the spring flowers lining the garden walkways of Versailles. Their blooms of youth hadn't been enough to capture the king. The young beauties had been no match for her maneuvering; they'd all been so easy to discredit to the king. Yet somehow Maintenon held on. She was in her forties now, and Athénaïs soon would be too, yet Maintenon looked a decade younger and had retained her figure. Athénaïs couldn't say the same after all her meals spent trying to keep up with the king's appetite.