Chicot the Jester

(1846)

[An abridged translation of La dame de Monsoreau]


In the court of King Henri III Valois, ever swarming with rebellion and intrigue, the reckless and honourable Comte de Bussy, one of the nobles of the King's brother le Duc d'Anjou, incurs the wrath of the King's minions. To escape the trap they set for him, he bursts into the house that happens to be behind him, the door of which is miraculously open. Wounded, he faints, and does not know that a doctor is secretly summoned to treat him. When he recovers, he finds himself far away from this house, yet he remembers, as in a dream, the face of a woman lovelier than any he'd ever seen. Convinced that the face is real, he sets out to find the house. He meets the doctor, who is also intrigued by the secrecy, and together they find the correct door. Thus, Bussy accidentally finds out the drama that goes on within the house, and the touching and hopeless story of Diana, la Dame de Monsoreau. Guided by his overpowering love, he offers her his protection against the malicious and wild jealousy of her husband, against the lust of the traitorous Duc d'Anjou, and against the coldness of rest of the world. The love of Bussy and Diana flourishes against the background of the civil unrest in France. Their story, the story of the King and his only friend the Jester Chicot, mingle and intertwine with the other stories of love, friendship, hate, and treachery, which bring the book to the dramatic and irrevocable climax. ~ Submitted by EugenieIsabelle

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