Following the death of Charles II, Hortense was well-provided for by James II, possibly because of her kinship with James's wife, the new queen, Mary of Modena. Even when James fled England and William III and Mary II came to power, she remained in place, albeit with a much-reduced pension. During this time she presided over a salon of intellectuals. Charles de Saint-Évremond, the great poet and epicurean, was a close friend and brought to her door all the learned men of London.