‘Where is Alessandra?’, ‘… in hell where she belongs.. your whore … tossed over a cliff… rotting… food for the crows and vultures…you all failed...she laughs victorious, vindictive in his face ……black, cold rage surges, Lucien grips her neck tighter… a tiny increment of pressure and he will crush her neck, her eyes are swiveling … Continue reading Chapter Thirty-four, Bitter Victory, by Corso
Chapter Thirty-Three, Revenge and Retribution, by Mordaunt
“Coward! You hide behind the skirts of a murdering whore. Following her around like a dog on a leash. What hold does she have over you?” “Where is Alessandra?” “I forget that’s her name now. The vile murdering whore who killed your brother!” “Not my brother. The brute who attacked her. Where is she?” “You … Continue reading Chapter Thirty-Three, Revenge and Retribution, by Mordaunt
Chapter Thirty One-Wrath Unleashed, by Mordaunt
“Come not within the measure of my wrath”— Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 5 Scene 4, line 125 Athos fires his last bullet and the iron latch cracks. He kicks open the front door, and they ram into a dim hall. He remembers it wider, brighter, not crowded. Comminges' fiends are lined up expecting … Continue reading Chapter Thirty One-Wrath Unleashed, by Mordaunt
Chapter Twenty Nine-Stand to face me beloved, by Mordaunt
Stand to face me beloved… …and open out the grace of your eyes (Sappho 138, transl. Anne Carson) “Where is Raoul?” Athos storms into the hall of Glénay. If there is a footman at the door or servants in the hall he does not see them. What Lucien and Aramis are saying as they walk … Continue reading Chapter Twenty Nine-Stand to face me beloved, by Mordaunt
Chapter Twenty Seven-Secret Sins, by Mordaunt
He is accosted by children the moment he walks inside, even before the footman closes the door. Rowdy children, breathlessly speaking over each, and dancing around him with excitement. “Raoul you are here too!” “ It was snowing and we travelled all together in the wagon!” “Then the bad men came!” “Samy, Alexandre, and I … Continue reading Chapter Twenty Seven-Secret Sins, by Mordaunt
Chapter Twenty Six-Intentions Unmasked, by Mordaunt
In the crowded, luminous hall outside, the undulating din of laughter, chatter, and tinkling glasses subsides. A melodious voice is singing: Dove ne vai, crudele,E non fuggire,O di mio beneL’aspre mie pene,Che se fai vaga,De la mia pega,Volge tuo squardiCh’al cor son dardi.Torna, torna crudele,E non fuggire. The handsome masked foreigner seated across from Raoul … Continue reading Chapter Twenty Six-Intentions Unmasked, by Mordaunt
Chapter Seventeen-Intermezzo, by Mordaunt
Zwischenzug, Intermezzo, or in-between move is a chess tactic, whereby a player instead of the expected move, interposes another move that is an immediate threat, thus forcing the opponent to respond, and only then plays the expected move. No one knows when the first intermezzo was played, but it must have been played long before … Continue reading Chapter Seventeen-Intermezzo, by Mordaunt
Duchess de Chevreuse
1. Attributed to Claude Deruet , Portrait of Marie de Rohan, Duchess of Chevreuse (1600-1679) as Diana the Huntress (circa 1627), Palace of Versailles; 2. Marie with her son Louis Charles; she poses as Diana and her son as Hercules; 3. Entourage of Daniel Dumonstier , Portrait of Marie de Rohan, Duchess of Luynes (circa … Continue reading Duchess de Chevreuse
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 Thirteen-In the Family, by Mordaunt
The warmth of Layla’s kiss lingers on Raoul’s lips. It was unexpected, as is everything else about Layla. This is why she is compelling. She reads him perfectly, whereas he always finds himself dumbfounded. Her unwavering faith in him echoes in his mind: I will wait…I will never give up…I will love you always… Raoul … Continue reading Chapter Thirteen-In the Family, by Mordaunt
Twelve Years After 