“Read it and tell me what that man means.” She read it and was as mystified as I was.

“Oh dear!” I sighed, taking the letter from her.

“That man was born to torment me. Diamonds ! He thinks of nothing else. If he had not sold that wretched necklace of his to the Sultan of Turkey he would be pestering me about that, I am sure. Now apparently he has some more diamonds which he would like me to buy. Really, Campan, when next you see him, tell him that I do not like diamonds now and that I will never buy any more as long as I live. If I had the money to spare I would rather add to my property at Saint Cloud by buying the land around it. Now do be careful to impress this on him. Tell him what I have told you and make him understand.”

“Would Your Majesty wish me to make a point of seeing him?”

“Oh no, there is no need for that. Just speak to him when the opportunity arises. To talk to him specially might set some other notion going in his crazy head. He will get an obsession with emeralds, doubtless, if he thinks I no longer care for diamonds. But do make it clear to him … without making it seem as though I have specially commanded you to do so.”

“He visits my father-in-law frequently, Madame. It may well be that I shall meet him some time at his house.”

“That’s an excellent idea.” I smiled at her.

“You are so discreet… so reliable. I am thankful for that, dear Madame Campan.”

I was still holding Boehmer’s letter and looked down at it with distaste.

Then I held it in the flame of the taper and watched it bum.

“Now, I said, ‘no more of Monsieur Boehmer and his diamonds.”

How mistaken I was!

Madame Campan left Versailles for a few days to stay at her father-in-law’s country estate at Crespy. I missed her because no one else—not even Gabrielle or Elisabeth—was as good as Madame Campan at rehearsing with me, and I made up my mind that I should call her back very soon. I was obsessed by the play. It was going to be the best we had ever done.

Rosine was a perfect part for me. I liked to read Beaumarchais’s description of her:

“Imagine the prettiest little woman in the world, gentle, tender, lively, fresh, appetising, nimble of foot, slender-wasted with rounded arms, dewy mouth; and such hands, such feet, such teeth, such eyes..” The aunts said: Was that a fitting description of the Queen of France? It sounded to them more like a coquette. It was undignified of the Queen of France to ape commoners on the stage.

I laughed at them. Louis was a little uneasy, but I could always bring him to my way of thinking. He knew how much I wanted The Barber to be played, and that I should have been heartbroken if I had not taken part in it. So he refused to listen to the aunts’ criticism, and was only de lighted to see me so happy over my part. After all, had I not only just given him another son?

Madame Campan had not been gone more than a few days when Monsieur Boehmer presented himself at the Trianon and begged for an audience with me, saying that Madame Campan had advised him to see me without delay.

One of my women came to me to tell me this, adding that be seemed very agitated.

I could not understand why he should come if Madame Campan had delivered my message correctly. But of course she had, and he, construing it that I was no longer interested in diamonds, had come with emeralds or sapphires or some such stones. He had worried me with his diamonds; I was not going to allow him to repeat the performance with other jewels.

“I will not see Monsieur Boehmer,” I said.

“I have nothing to say to him. He is mad. Tell him I will not see him.”

A few days after that, I decided that I must have Campan to help me with my part, so I sent for her. If I had not been so immersed in the production for I liked to do more than play the most attractive parts and I would supervise the costumes and scenery and plan the decor I should have noticed that Madame Campan was very uneasy. When I had run through my part, however, I did say to her: “That idiot Boehmer has been here asking to see me and saying that you advised him to come. I refused to see him, but what does it mean? What could he want? Have you any idea?”

She burst out: “Madame, a very strange thing happened at my father-in-law’s house. I wanted to speak to you of it as soon as I was admitted to your presence. Have I your per mission to tell you all?”

“Please do so.”

“When Monsieur Boehmer came to dine with my father-in-law, I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to pass on your message to him.

Madame, I cannot describe his astonishment. Then he stammered out that he had written a letter to you and had had no reply. I understood it was the one which had come with the King’s gift to Monsieur d’Angouleme. I told him I had seen it and it had not seemed very comprehensible. He replied that he supposed it would not be to me but that the Queen would understand. Other guests were arriving and it was my duty to help receive them, so I. tried to excuse myself, but Monsieur Boehmer asked me if I would allow him to talk to me later.

His manner was so extraordinary that I said we would take a walk in the gardens at a suitable moment and then he could tell me what he wished to. “

“The man is quite mad, I am sure of it.”

“Madame, his such an extraordinary story, but he swears it is true.”

“Pray go on ” He said: “The Queen owes me a large sum of money” “

“I’m sure that is not true. His account has been settled.”

“Madame, he went on: ” The Queen has bought my diamond necklace”.”

“Oh, no! Not that thing again. The Sultan of Turkey has it.”

“He says that is not so, Madame. That was merely a tale he was asked to put about. I told him that he must be dreaming. I said: ” The Queen refused to buy the necklace long ago, and as a matter of fact I knew that His Majesty had offered to buy it for her and sdll she refused it” He said: ” She changed her mind”.”

“Oh, Campan, what does all this nonsense mean?”

“I do not know, Madame, but Boehmer tells a very strange story. He assured me that you had bought the necklace. I replied that it was impossible. I had never seen it among your jewels. Boehmer said that he had been told you were to wear it on Whit-Sunday and was very surprised that you did not.”

“My dear Campan, this is the most utter nonsense. I told you Boehmer was mad.”

“Yes, Madame, but he talked so earnestly. He seemed so sensible so sure. I asked when you had told him that you had made up your mind to buy the necklace, for I knew you would not see him and had not done so for a very long time. He then said a strange thing, Madame. He said that the Cardinal de Rohan acted for you.”

“The Cardinal de Rohan I Then he is quite, quite mad. I loathe Rohan.

I haven’t spoken to him for eight years. “

“I told Boehmer this, Madame, and he said Your Majesty pretended to be on bad terms with Rohan, but in fact you were very great friends.”

“Oh, this grows madder and madder.”

“As it seemed to me, Madame. I pointed this out to Boehmer but he was so insistent that he spoke the truth, and indeed, Madame, if he is mad he makes a very good show of being sane. He had an answer to everything. He said that ” Your Majesty’s commands were transmitted to him by letters which bore Your Majesty’s signature and that be had to use them to satisfy his creditors. The necklace was to be paid for in instalments, and that he had already received 30,000 francs which Your Majesty had given the Cardinal to give to him, Boehmer, when the necklace was handed over. “

“I don’t understand this!” I cried; but it no longer seemed a joke.

There was something very mysterious going on.

“I believe,” I said, ‘that a great fraud may well have been played on Boehmer. We must get to the bottom of this. I will send for him at once. “

I sent a messenger to Paris and commanded the jeweller to come to the Trianon without delay.

“Monsieur Boehmer,” I said.

“I wish to know why I am expected to listen to mad assertions that you have sold me a necklace which I have often refused to buy.”

“Madame,” he answered, “I am forced to this unpleasant business because I must satisfy my creditors.”

“I fail to see where your creditors concern me.”

“Madame,” he replied in great distress, ‘it is too late to pretend.

Unless Your Majesty will be so good as to admit you have the necklace and give me some money, I shall be declared bankrupt and the reason will be known to all. “

“You talk in riddles. Monsieur. I know nothing of this necklace.”

The man was almost in tears.

“Madame,” he said, ‘forgive me, but I must have my money. “

I tell you I owe you nothing. I did not buy your necklace. You know that I have not seen it—nor you, for a long time. “

“Madame, the Cardinal de Rohan paid me the first instalment when I handed the necklace to him. I must have the money owing to me….”

I could not bear to look at the man.

I said: “There has been some fraud here. It must be examined. Go now.

Monsieur Boehmer, but I promise you that I will look into this matter without delay. “

He left me and I went into my bedchamber, where I remained. I was trembling with apprehension. Something very strange was happening about me, and at the centre of it was that sinister man—the Cardinal de Rohan.

It was a fraud, of course. The man was a scoundrel. He had acquired the diamond necklace and pretended that I had bought it.

I had heard a great deal about him since that day he officiated at Strasbourg when I had first come to France. My mother was constantly writing to me about him when he was ambassador to Austria and she had urged Mercy to do all he could to get him recalled.