Note 102 — Chapter VIII
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It was on the occasion of his marriage that his Majesty made another attempt to provide Mlle. de Châteauneuf with a husband. This time, however, he flew at much higher game than a provost of Paris, his vassal, François de Luxembourg, being his quarry. Luxembourg had been a suitor for the hand of Louise de Lorraine, and his addresses had been very favourably received by the lady, until the appearance of the King of France in the field had put an end to his hopes. The prince had attended the Sacre and the marriage, and, a day or two after the latter ceremony, his suzerain drew him aside and said: “Cousin, I have married your mistress; but I desire that, in exchange, you should marry mine.” And he offered him the hand of Mlle. de Châteauneuf. Luxembourg, making, very naturally, a distinction between the two senses attached to the word “mistress,” thanked the King for his thoughtfulness, but begged him to give him time to think the matter over. “I desire,” replied his Majesty, “that you should espouse her immediately.” The unfortunate prince then “begged very humbly that the King would grant him a week’s respite.” To which the King answered that he would give him three days only, at the expiration of which, if he were not prepared to marry the damsel, something exceedingly unpleasant would probably befall him. Before another day had dawned, Luxembourg was riding for the frontier as hard as his horse could gallop.
Soon after this episode, Mlle. de Châteauneuf was expelled both from Catherine’s squadron and the Court, for impertinence towards the young Queen. Having thus fallen into disgrace, she condescended to espouse a Florentine named Antinoti, who was intendant of the galleys at Marseilles. The marriage, however, had a tragic termination, for, “having detected him in a compromising situation with another demoiselle, she stabbed him bravely and manfully with her own hand.” Shortly afterwards, she married another Florentine, Alloviti by name, who called himself the Baron de Castellane; but, a few months later, the baron was killed in a brawl by Henri d’Angoulême, Grand Prior of France, a natural son of Henri II., by Mary Stuart’s governess, Lady Fleming, though not before he had succeeded in mortally wounding his antagonist.