Back cover blurb:
Versailles depicts the very essence of King
Louis XIV, but amidst secret executions, abductions, and imprisonments, two men
have served Louis’ every whim, never questioning the why of it, now one of
those men has imprisoned the other at the king’s command. Has Lady Fate or the
hand of God provided a chance escape to King Louis’ former Intelligencer, and
can revenge ever be sweet for king or commoner? With the past revisited and
finally laid to rest, love blossoms as a new life beckons, and the lovers pray
they can cross the border to safety. With the revocation of the Edict of Nantes
a tidal wave of fear has swept across France, thus a secret society formed by
Huguenot merchants from within safe havens abroad assists those in need. In the
meanwhile a secret society in England to dethrone James II brings the merchants
together as a united force to uphold the Protestant faith under the royal
standard of William of Orange. War is nigh, and can a Frenchman be trusted as
William’s spy extraordinaire?
So chuffed to receive the Historical Readers' Award for this novel.
And Although the novel was in part inspired by the TV series, The Last Betrayal is a novel about the plight of the Huguenots!
And Although the novel was in part inspired by the TV series, The Last Betrayal is a novel about the plight of the Huguenots!
The Award Editorial Review:
What a thrill-packed spicy fan fiction sequel this is.
The background setting is France during the reign of Louis XIV. Dare it be said the author has either delved deep into research of her subject or has an uncanny familiarity with this period in history. The plight of the Huguenots and the ghastly consequences after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes is laid bare in this stylish novel. In the vein of the Three Musketeers the hero and heroine make of life thrown their way. All the while historical facts are interlaced with fiction as the hero tells us of his past in vivid colour. Interestingly the timeline begins in 1685 in France and ends in 1688 with a happy conclusion after the coronation in England of William and Mary of Orange. The Last Betrayal was recommended for the Historical Readers’ Award and is hereby granted the gold award, and goes without saying it is well written.
What inspired this novel!
After watching the BBC TV series Versailles, the plight of the Huguenots intrigued me, thus I delved deep into historical archives.
It is said Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie, Chief of all Police Forces, inspired the creation of Fabien Marchal in the TV series. The thing is, Gabriel was a visionary in his own right, his profession was that of lawyer, judge, and not least the installing of street lights within Paris in great hopes it would deter criminals and assist in catching the devils.
There always has to be an underlying what drives them factor, and what weakness if any can be touched by another. The hero had to have an Achilles Heel, but what was it? Thus I hope I have portrayed my character's inner self - the reason why his cold persona is his defensive shield. And of course, historical fact has a huge part to play in this sensual Romantic Swashbuckling novel. Inevitably the hero encounters love, true love along the way, but can he lay his past to rest?
Don't forget you can expand the image by clicking it.
In the novel the hero is masquerading as other than self, and for good reason, because he's on the run and is an escapee from custody. Equally, events in his youth are revealed, it is the fleshing out of a character who could be short-changed (scant on personal details) that can leave readers feeling cheated, thus letting characters shine in their own right by revealing their past renders them fully fledged.
Historically, King Louis' revengeful streak knew no bounds, for Huguenots were on the run where able, all fleeing from persecution and seeking peace in other countries. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes proved to be a disaster for Louis, but all that is revealed within the book.
Historically, King Louis' revengeful streak knew no bounds, for Huguenots were on the run where able, all fleeing from persecution and seeking peace in other countries. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes proved to be a disaster for Louis, but all that is revealed within the book.
Admiral Abraham Duquesne, Marquis du Bouchet
As many authors and scriptwriters claim poetic licence in books and movies, so have I with the creation of the hero's blood father. At a time when men had a mistress or many in their lifetimes, it is not absurd from reading the biography of Admiral Abraham Duquesne, Marquis du Bouchet (1610-1688) that he probably had a mistress, in particular prior to the birth of the hero. The admiral's life within the time-frame of the story reveals a family torn apart by the King's persecution of Huguenots, and the admiral was a Huguenot and his family did go their separate ways, thus he died alone whilst in retirement within Paris.
Out of interest here are some pics dated the 17th century or early 18th century. All the places are featured in the novel. Oh, and did you know, Paris could be traversed from the old southern city wall to the northern gate in twenty minutes on foot. And where the greater Paris of today stands, once deep forests surrounded the city, the Forest of Versailles, The Forest of Fontainebleau (Biere) and others.
The Louvre in Paris of Louis' reign
Chateau de Vincennes where the hero was imprisoned.
The Bastille at the time was a military garrison. That's why the Man in the Mask (velvet or Iron) was transferred to the Royal Fort on the Island of St Marguerite.
Oostende (now Ostende)
Den Haag (The Hague)
And there are illustrations within the paperback version of houses featured in the novel.
And just as an aside, this is the watch presented to King Louis at coming of age (so it is claimed)
Sample text:
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L’État, c’est moi— I am the State — Louis XIV
Two days he had been shackled in this dark place behind bars, his fate unknown. Retribution was surely at hand, and demons of old plagued his thoughts as though seeping from the dank walls in rivulets of green slime. The place stank, a putrid miasma of death and disease all around him.
How long he would be confined before death caught up with him was a sober thought, and it was fair to assume his punishment would be extreme when judgement was finally passed. That or he would be left to rot. Had the king’s musketeers taken him to the cells at the Temple Prison or the Châtelet, both hell holes for detainees of the state, at least on his arrival there the guards would have queried his arrest, which implied the royal palace musketeers who had taken him prisoner were acting on orders from the king’s absolute right-hand-man: Bontempes. Hence the use of Château de Vincennes, long since abandoned as a royal residence and unused by anyone but Louis, where he housed personal enemies in secret. There was no one closer to the king than his valet, the man who had devoted his life to Louis, the man more adviser than any of the official advising ministers of state. Bontempes was the one man Louis trusted above all others to see personal enemies brought to justice. And who would suspect a mere valet of dark deeds?
But here he was, prisoner and victim of a conspiracy seeded within the royal house to silence anyone presumed a threat to the king. It was that very sense of betrayal, the revocation of the Edict of Nantes which had put many Huguenots to Flight and the king to senseless religious rage. Of the courtiers who had refused to convert to Catholicism many had duly braved the king’s scorn until they too were confined to their quarters. But when loved ones farther afield were placed under house arrest, worse befell each and every family as the days became weeks. Fear and dread of reprisals began spreading as potent as a wild fire raging through a forest. From the rich to the poor, the very fact people were denied the right to leave the country even he, formerly a man of steel will in loyalty to the king, could no longer be a party to the level of persecution now inflicted upon his own kind.
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