King that Madame would never agree to her proposed marriage to
the King of Navarre as long as the Duc de Guise was allowed to
have any contact with her; and that it was unacceptable that a
subject, for his own vain purposes, should place an obstacle in
the way of what could bring peace to France. The King already
disliked the Duc de Guise and this speech inflamed his dislike so
much that the next day when the Duc presented himself to join the
ball at the Queen's apartments, he stood in the doorway and asked
him brusquely where he was going. The Duc, without showing any
surprise answered that he had come to offer his most humble
services, to which the King replied that he had no need of any
services which the Duc might provide, and turned away without any
other acknowledgement. The Duc was not deterred from entering the
room, his feelings incensed both against the King and the Duc
d'Anjou. His natural pride led him, as an act of defiance, to pay
more attention to Madame than usual, and what the Duc d'Anjou had
told him prevented him from looking in the direction of the
Princess de Montpensier.

The Duc d'Anjou watched both of them with close attention. The
Princess's expression, in spite of herself, showed some chagrin
when the Duc de Guise spoke with Madame. The Duc d'Anjou who
realised from what she had said to him, when she mistook him for
the Duc de Guise, that she was jealous, hoped to cause trouble.
He drew close to her and said, "It is in your interest and not in
mine that I must tell you that the Duc de Guise does not deserve
the choice you have made of him in preference to me, a choice
which you cannot deny and of which I am well aware, he is
deceiving you madame, and betraying you for my sister as he
betrayed her for you. He is a man moved only by ambition, but