The Madame de
Neufchatel she speaks of may really have been a Madame de
Chateauneuf, Chateauvieux or Maisonneuve; or we may again be
in presence of Margaret's lady of honour, the widowed
Blanche de Chastillon, _nee_ de Tournon, to whom frequent
reference has been made.--Ed.
This affection lasted for a great while, the Prince of Belhoste caring
for all the lady's affairs as though they were his own, and his wife
doing no less. By reason, however, of her beauty many great lords and
gentlemen earnestly sought the lady's favour, some only for love's sake,
others for sake of the ring, for, besides being beautiful, she was also
very rich.
Among the rest was a young gentleman, called the Lord des Cheriots, (3)
who wooed her so ardently that he was never absent from her levee and
couchee, and was also with her as much as possible during the day. This
did not please the Prince of Belhoste, who thought that a man of such
poor estate, and so lacking in grace, did not deserve an honourable
and gracious reception, and he often made remonstrances about it to the
lady. She, however, being one of Eve's daughters, (4) excused herself
by saying that she spoke with every one in general, and that their own
affection was the better concealed, since she never spoke more with one
than with another.
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