Elissa, appropriately blurry, as she chases history through the halls of Versailles, captivating all in her path. Our tour guide, a thirty-two year veteran at the Château, took a small group of maybe ten people, through the King's apartments, the Royal Opera House, the Queen's game room, a dining room, all devoid of other visitors. He shared anecdotes, described protocol, highlighted pieces of furniture, showing with every word, every gesture, that he values Versailles and what has come before us. When he invited questions, I asked The Question: Does he believe that Marie Antoinette and Count Axel Fersen were lovers? His response: Absolutely not. Impossible. And, then went on to explain why. I was happy to hear that, not so much that I care, from a moral standpoint (which I do), but also because I don't think they were (for reasons already mentioned) and to learn that I'd misread the situation would be undermine my already fragile confidence.
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