A king's daily schedule at Versailles went roughly like this.
He rose at eight or nine in the morning, with princes of the blood and designated officials waiting at his side. Then came the rising ceremony. Once he had washed and dressed, he went straight to the room beside his bedchamber to work with his ministers.
There were very few of them, never more than three or four. To prevent leaks, even the princes of the blood were excluded. The king's brother was only permitted to attend the less important meetings held every other week, while the heir apparent was kept out entirely. At twelve thirty, the king, queen, and whole court went to the temporary chapel for Mass, which usually took an hour. Afterwards, he visited Athénaïs and stayed with her until lunch at two in the afternoon. He lunched with the queen. The table held four different soups, an entire pheasant, a partridge or duck depending on the available game or poultry, all stuffed with mushrooms, a large pile of salad, some mutton and ham, a dish of puff pastry, as well as fresh fruit, candied fruit, and preserves.
On days when he went hunting, the king heard Mass early before setting out, or else went hunting after lunch and continued until sunset. If there was an apartment gathering, it usually began at seven. That meant anyone who stayed to entertain the king could not return home.
Those with spare money bought villas or apartments in Versailles Town. The wealthier built residences of their own, while poorer nobles were often ruined by life at Versailles. Everything there was outrageously expensive, appearances had to be maintained, and the costs were staggering.
Women were the links in the palace's web of connections. If one could not squeeze onto the king's