‘The Shepherdess: Grandmère Paris’ by JM Landels

I sewed a new pocket into my stays to create a permanent home for the letter opener. The cloth had a hole, exactly where the thumbprint-sized insignia of intertwined Ls sat, so that I could release the catch and withdraw the stiletto without removing the whole of the letter opener. Now that the blade was no longer poisoned, I had grown comfortable with the object and found it reassuring nestled between my breasts, its unusual provenance as much a protection as the blade itself. In the few moments of privacy I had in my busy months at Versailles, I would remove the whole thing from its cachette, polish the beautiful outer case, and diligently oil the mechanism and the blade.

I wanted to warn the Duchesse d’Orléans about the treachery of her husband’s erstwhile lover, the Chevalier de Lorraine, but my mistress had sworn me to secrecy on the matter.

“Do not worry, Toinette,” Madame la Comtesse said. “Liselotte is well aware of Lorraine’s nature, and is armed against poisoners.”

I could only take her word for it, so I became more vigilant around my other mistress, the Duchess, furtively inspecting her rooms for new items each time I visited. For who knew when a poisoned pomander or innocent-seeming piece of jewellery might bring about her end?