ly
entertained ladies at supper, as well as several of his confidential
courtiers.[124]

So singular and insulting a commencement of her married life was
assuredly well calculated to alarm the dignity of the Tuscan Princess;
and even brief as had been her residence in France, she had already
several individuals about her person who did not suffer her to remain in
ignorance of the movements of her royal consort; while, unhappily for
her own peace, her Italian followers--revolted by an indifference on the
part of the monarch which they considered as an insult to their
mistress--instead of endeavouring to allay the irritation which she did
not attempt to conceal, exasperated her feelings by the vehemence of
their indignation. It was indeed but too manifest that the favourite
retained all her influence; and the arrangements which had been formally
made for the progress of the Queen to the capital involved so much
delay, that it was not possible for her to remain blind to the fact that
they had been organised with the view of enabling the monarch to enjoy
uninterruptedly for a time the society of his mistress. In consequence
of these perpetual stoppages on the road, the harangues to which she was
constrained to listen, and the dreary ceremonies to which she was
condemned, it was not until the 1st of February 1601 that Marie de
Medicis reached Nemours, where she was met by the King, who conducted
her to Fontainebleau, at which palace the royal couple made a sojourn
of five or six days; and, finally, on the 9th of the month, the young
Queen entered Paris, where the civic authorities were anxious to afford
to her a magnificent state reception; a purpose which was, however,
negatived by the monarch, who alleged as his reason the enormous outlay
that they had previously made upon similar occasions, and who commanded
that the ceremony should be deferred.[125] Whatever may have been the
real motive of Henry for exhibiting this new slight towards his royal
bride, it is certain that the partisans of Marie did not fail to
attribute it to the malevolence of Madame de Verneuil; and thus another
subject of animosity was added to the list.

Under these circumstances, the Queen entered the metropolitan city of
her new kingdom without any of that pomp which had characterised her
progress through the provinces; and alighted at the residence of M. de
Gondy,[126] where the Princesses and the principal ladies of the Court
and city hastened to