WIFE TO A MARQUIS, MISTRESS TO A KING Abused by her brutal husband, lovely Athenais de Montespan yearned for the love of the one man in all France who seemed completely beyond her reach - handsome, sensual Louis XIV. As Maid of Honor to Queen Marie-Therese, Athenais was constantly in Louis' presence, and at last she won his heart. Surrounded by ever luxury, envied by every woman at the Court of Versailles, second in power only to the King himself, Athenais at last thought her future secure - until she was forced to confront her rival for her lover's affections, a woman she had raised from poverty and introduced to the French Court.