I’ve been researching the rumor of the “Black Nun of Moret” — allegedly the Queen’s baby by Nabo, her African dwarf. You can read the results of my research here: “The Queen’s mystery daughter.”
What struck me is that this would be a fine 2-week period in which to set a novel — there are a million dramas going on at this time:
Queen was expected to die: she begged the King to forsake his mistress, Louise de la Vallière.
Prayers and processions were ordered.
Meanwhile, former Minister Fouquet‘s trial was heating up. Fouquet’s wife provided the Queen with a secret remedy that in fact cured her — but does not, nonetheless, save Fouquet.
Fouquet is sentenced on December 20, but only condemned to perpetual banishment, which infuriates the King, who changes it to life imprisonment in Pignerol.
Meanwhile, a comet streaks across the night sky.
The Queen-mother collapses from breast cancer.
On December 26, the Queen’s “monster” baby dies at one month, and is buried at Saint Denis. The King is terribly grieved.
The offending (and suspected) dwarf Nabo, much beloved by the Queen, disappears — into the Bastille, some claim, to emerge as the Man in the Iron Mask.
I love this last flight of fancy, but it is impossible, of course. If the Man in the Iron Mask were an African dwarf, we would have known.
Link to my essay, “The Queen’s mystery daughter”
Link to my Blog Tour details
Dear Cathy,
Thank you so much for writing such a nice note!
It’s interesting what you say about Passion/Woe. That book was very hard to write — VERY hard — and for months after it was published I could hardly bear to even look at it. I was angry at it! Yet because it was such a challenge, it’s the book I’m proudest of. Or WAS: Mistress of the Sun was hard, too!
Cheers, and thank you again for writing such a nice letter,
Sandra
So true!
Sandra, that is an amazing novel idea….I would definitely read that!
I just wanted to say that I love your Josephine B. books; I’ve read them more times than I can count. Your books were the perfect remedy for my interest in Napoleon. You see, a couple of years ago, I watched this documentary about Napoleon (the PBS one, which I would later come to realize that you were one of the guest speakers in!) and I really liked the story, especially the Josephine parts. I wanted to read more about Napoleon, but I didn’t want to read some big, thick, dead-boring book (I was only twelve at the time). Lucky for me, whilst searching for a copy of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ in Borders, I stumbled upon three books about Josephine Bonaparte, and BAM, I was hooked! I finished the trilogy in three days (one day for each book) and now, I’m a HUGE history buff. Thank you so much, and I can’t wait for The Next Novel!
-“Cathy Earnshaw”
P.S. My favorite of the trilogy is ‘Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe’. It’s second to only ‘Wuthering Heights’ on my all-time favorite books list!
So many possible novels–but only one lifetime. :)