In which Saint-Aignan devises a daring plan to bring the king closer to La Vallière by secretly connecting their chambers, while the court prepares for an evening promenade that conceals a web of subtle manoeuvres and guarded intentions. As the palace stirs with intrigues and contrived accidents, the delicate interplay of loyalty and affection unfolds beneath the surface of whispered schemes and concealed passages.

In which La Vallière and the king engage in a delicate discourse about secret meetings, cautious stratagems, and the precarious nature of their intimacy as they navigate the perils of courtly observation. Meanwhile, La Vallière confides in Montalais, grappling with the heavy burden of promises made and the looming shadows of suspicions that threaten her innocence and honour.

In which the troubled king, thwarted by the vigilant Madame and her maids, seeks clandestine means to communicate with La Vallière, discovering the precarious situation wrought by an overlooked ladder and the watchful eyes of the palace. Amidst these gentle intrigues and whispered conversations, Malicorne and Montalais devise a plaintive stratagem to outwit Madame’s strict guardianship, preserving hope in the king’s tender pursuit.

In which the king and Madame engage in a wily contest of attention and subtlety, centred upon a delicate communication through Mademoiselle de la Vallière’s pocket-handkerchief. The tale unfolds with deft manoeuvres and mistaken deliveries, revealing the gentle complexities of court intrigue and the sovereign’s acute discernment of humankind.

In which the judicious plotting of Malicorne and the hopeful collaboration of Saint-Aignan set in motion a discreet carpentry scheme, designed to bridge the space between the secluded chambers of Mademoiselle de la Vallière and the king’s confidant quarters. With a mixture of caution and daring, these gentlemen prepare to fashion a secret staircase, as silent as whispered promises, that may render access from one forbidden abode to another a matter of mere footsteps.

In which the tense relations at court unfold through a charged encounter between King Louis and Madame, centring upon the dismissal of Mademoiselle de la Vallière and the tangled loyalties it reveals. The king’s rare admission of vulnerability contrasts with Madame’s unyielding pride, offering a glimpse into the delicate and often painful balance of power within the royal family.

In which the vigilant D’Artagnan, endowed with the vigilance of Argus, observes and unravels tidings at court, as the king, wearied and restless, seeks the absent Louise de la Vallière, whose departure casts a pall over the morning’s grand assembly with foreign ambassadors. As diplomatic discourse is abruptly interrupted by news that stirs the king’s deepest passions, the scene closes on a tempestuous royal resolve, foreshadowing upheavals both personal and political.

In which the king, accompanied by D’Artagnan and others, arrives with haste at a sombre cloister to find Louise de la Vallière in a state of near collapse, where they engage in a heartfelt and turbulent exchange of love, despair, and steadfast resolve. Though surrounded by forces intent on exile and disgrace, the tender affection between sovereign and subject is woven with delicate pleas for mercy, honour, and the promise of unyielding devotion amidst the shadow of looming opposition.

In which Louise de la Vallière, driven by a resolute spirit and a heart heavy with sorrow, flees the Palais Royal in the dead of night towards the austere sanctuary of the Carmelites at Chaillot, encountering both peril and unexpected aid in the form of the vigilant musketeer D’Artagnan. Their brief and poignant meeting reveals her steadfast resolve and secret intentions, setting him upon a path of reflection and swift action as he returns to the waking city.

In which the gentle La Vallière endures a heart-wrenching rejection and solitude within the palace walls, her spirit wrestling between despair and faint hope as she waits in vain for a sign of affection from the king. Resolved and fortified by devotion, she ultimately takes a bold step beneath the veil of dawn, slipping away unnoticed into the quiet streets beyond.