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
Chapter Fifteen-Pandora, by Mordaunt
“Madame is in her salon…” the footman at the door barely has time to speak. M. de Rohan is already running up the stairs two at a time, hat in hand. He flings open the door of Marie Cessette’s private salon, where she sits at her writing desk finishing her daily correspondence. She springs to … Continue reading Chapter Fifteen-Pandora, by Mordaunt
Chapter Seven-King of France, by Mordaunt
It is not one of the windowless cells. Raoul wonders if this was Fabien’s idea of compassion, but the narrow, iron-barred slit in the wall allows Henri Bernard a glimpse of the open sky, where birds fly free, and of the river, where life continues unobstructed, so Raoul settles on cruelty. “This is the Marquis … Continue reading Chapter Seven-King of France, by Mordaunt
Twelve Years After 