Jeu de la Bête was a 17th c French trick-taking card game, derived from the earlier (16th c) Spanish game Ombre (Homme, in French). It is named after the bête (beast), a term that referred to the penalty for failing to take the required number of tricks or for various infringements. The silence that envelops … Continue reading Chapter Seventy-Nine, Jeu de la Bête, by Mordaunt
Chapter Seventy-Seven, Gilded Lilly, by Mordaunt
To gild refined gold, to paint the lilyTo throw a perfume on the violetTo smooth the ice, or add another hueUnto the rainbow, or with taper-lightTo seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish,Is wasteful and ridiculous excess.(William Shakespeare, King John, Act 4- Scene 2) It has been more than a fortnight since Layla’s encounter … Continue reading Chapter Seventy-Seven, Gilded Lilly, by Mordaunt
Chapter Seventy-Five, Le Mat d’ Escalier (Two-Rook Checkmate), by Mordaunt
Leaving Glénay is not easy. There is too much uncertainty for those Raoul and Marie Cessette leave behind. There is too much uncertainty for the two of them also, even though neither has revealed the true extent of their concerns to their loved ones. At the courtyard of Glénay they say their last farewells, full … Continue reading Chapter Seventy-Five, Le Mat d’ Escalier (Two-Rook Checkmate), by Mordaunt
Chapter Seventy, Veiled Child, by Mordaunt
Outside the door of Alessandra’s chamber the only sounds are the shuffling of the people coming and going and their careful whispering. It was not the same when Sylvie gave birth. It was not the same when Petite was born. It was never this quiet. Seated next to Athos at the bench outside Alessandra’s room, … Continue reading Chapter Seventy, Veiled Child, by Mordaunt
Chapter Fifty-Eight, Light that Remains, by Mordaunt
“Agreed. You drive the carriage. But I will be riding right beside you.” Lucien’s patronizing tone should have annoyed Athos once, but he is no longer bothered about such things. There is planning involved in their escape, but besides insisting he drives the carriage, Athos is content that Lucien has taken charge. All Athos cares … Continue reading Chapter Fifty-Eight, Light that Remains, by Mordaunt
Chapter Fifty-Three, Son of France No More, by Corso
End of the second dog watch – aboard the Belladonna … ‘Ahoy the deck!’ ‘I see it,’ the quartermaster of the Belladonna M Jabari holds the spy glass steady. ‘Merde,’ he mutters to himself just able to see the blink of light in the early evening hour. He counts the number of times the light … Continue reading Chapter Fifty-Three, Son of France No More, by Corso
Chapter Fifty-One: Vanishing Act in Seven (Easy) Steps, by Mordaunt
Step One: Learn from the best “I assume that you know all,” Aramis begins. “Enough to be abhorred that an innocent man finds himself imprisoned,” Layla replies. “Some might say that he is not an innocent man,” Aramis pushes, although it has been a losing argument; although even he no longer agrees. “He is my … Continue reading Chapter Fifty-One: Vanishing Act in Seven (Easy) Steps, by Mordaunt
Chapter Fifty, The Price of Clarity, by Mordaunt
Faites votre devoir, et laissez faire aux dieux.(Do your duty and leave the rest to Heaven) Pierre Corneille, Horace, Act II, Scene III (1639 Aramis does not stay at Noisy-le-rois as he planned. He rides back to Paris with Louis. “Not to Versailles, no I will not make it easy for you,” Louis pushed, “I … Continue reading Chapter Fifty, The Price of Clarity, by Mordaunt
Chapter Forty-One, A Prisoner of Many Names, None His Own, by Mordaunt
M. de Ronan wakes up with a jolt. For a moment he stares at the canopy above his head, confused, trying to remember where he is or what might have stirred him, and realizes that Layla is not lying next to him. Alarmed, he sits up quickly against the headboard, everything returning all at once. … Continue reading Chapter Forty-One, A Prisoner of Many Names, None His Own, by Mordaunt
Gatherings of Equal Minds: Ruelle, Salon, and the Chambre Bleue of Madame de Rambouillet
Réunion de dames, Abraham Bosse, 17th century The kind of gathering called “salon” first appeared in Italy in the 16th century, but developed in France throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Alongside fostering political and social alliances and exchanges, the purpose of such gatherings of “equal minds” adhered to Horatio’s definition of the purpose of … Continue reading Gatherings of Equal Minds: Ruelle, Salon, and the Chambre Bleue of Madame de Rambouillet
Twelve Years After 