It was August 1759 when I entered the court. I was very self-conscious. For the first time I was to leave the castle of my ancestors in which I had spent all my childhood.

All my life I had been prepared for this moment. My father had spent an incredible amount of money trying to teach me everything I needed to know. He hired the best teachers of the day that could be of service to me and to him. I had studied Mathematics, Geometry, English, French, Botany, Astronomy, Geography, Philosophy, History. I was also educated in court etiquette. And what a distressing thing it was! To spend hours and hours trying to perfect the way I walked or spoke, how I dressed or even how I ate. I did not understand the purpose of all this at first, but at length I discovered that the detested science could be of use to me even then, while I was still at home. It was a pleasure to know the life of a butterfly, or the structure of a plant. At that time I enjoyed my walks in the gardens very much. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the names of various trees and flowers and grasses. I also liked ornithology, or the study of birds. My favorite bird was the chaffinch, because of his colorful plumage and a sweet voice.

On the day that I am speaking of, my father kept instructing me constantly, he reminded me again and again that I should not speak unless I was spoken to and that I should be ever so polite and watch what I say, because I had a very disagreeable habit of always speaking my mind. I was but a child then, fifteen years of age, so you can imagine my excitement at the opportunity to go away from home for the first time. I was even now considered eligible for marriage, and I did not stop wondering at the kind of husband I was about to have. They spoke something of me marrying a duke, but I was not sure that was the match my father was contemplating. Still, it kept me awake at night.

On that eventful day I was allowed to wear a hoop for the first time. I had a pretty light blue dress on, my favorite color. Simple, but sophisticated. Suitable for the occasion.