Les Pardaillan — Tome 06: Les Amours Du Chico

1553: France is recovering from its war with Charles Quint, but the true battle unfolds in the shadows of the court. Jeanne, daughter of the lord of Piennes, secretly married François, the eldest son of the powerful Constable of Montmorency, before war tore them apart. Now she lives alone with her daughter Loïse, until Henri, François's jealous younger brother, returns with malicious intent. Through the infamous knight Honoré de Pardaillan, Henri orchestrates a cruel scheme: little Loïse is kidnapped, and Jeanne is forced to confess to a fabricated adultery, destroying her marriage and her life. Volume six of Zévaco's epic ten-novel cycle delivers the swashbuckling romance, courtly intrigue, and relentless action that made him the anarchist answer to Dumas. With characters who scheme and duel as readily as they love, this is historical adventure at its most visceral: a world where a dwarf's bravery, a woman's dignity, and a knight's sword are the only weapons against treachery and the ruthless ambitions of the powerful.