A Friend of Marie-Antoinette (lady Atkyns)

Some friendships are born of circumstance. Others are forged in crisis. Lady Atkyns, an Englishwoman of mysterious background and fierce loyalties, chose the latter. When Marie-Antoinette fell from grace, this unlikeliest of allies remained. Drawing on documents that had gathered dust for over a century, Frédéric Barbey resurrects a story history nearly erased. The book follows Atkyns' desperate attempts to orchestrate the Queen's escape from prison, navigating the treacherous waters of revolutionary France and the political machinations of England. She worked with royalist conspirators, drafted escape plans that collapsed, and watched as the Revolution consumed everything she loved. But beneath the adventure lies a deeper mystery: what happened to the Dauphin, the young prince who died in the Tower while the world debated his fate. This is a book about loyalty tested past breaking point, and one woman's refusal to abandon a friend when abandoning her was the sane choice. It is for readers who believe history is made not just in battlefields and legislative halls, but in the quiet, stubborn hearts of people who refuse to let go.