Louise de Keroualle leaves her father's home in Brittany to
serve at court in Paris at 18. She has a place as a maid of
honor to the Duchesse d'Orleans, sister to King Charles II
of England and married to the Duc d'Orleans, brother to
King Louis XIV of France. Raised in the country, it takes
her some time to accustom herself to the continuous plots
and intrigues of court life, but she soon gains both the
favor and trust of her mistress, whom she calls Madame.
Madame finds herself walking quite a tight rope as she
tries to orchestrate a secret alliance between England and
France, between her brother and the man she loves. Jealous
of the attention from Louis, her husband flaunts his love
affair with his male favorite in addition to bedding some
of her ladies-in-waiting and maids of honor.
Louise vows to stay virtuous, find a husband and make her
family proud, but other than gaining posts for her brother
and her sponsor, she hasn't succeeded. She has a childish
crush on Charles II from Madame's descriptions and the
English King's letters, but loses her heart to him once and
for all when she meets him on a visit to England with her
mistress.
Susan Holloway Scott writes a riveting tale of a
time period in history where subterfuge reigned in the high
courts. The English might be more boisterous, but no less
conniving, and the French likely the more dangerous for
their subtlety. The story gets off to a bit of a slow
start, but picks up speed once Louise and Charles meet and
the sense of suspense and potential disaster loom large.
Given the nature of courts and political intrigue, there
are many names to learn, which can be a little confusing at
first. Scott does a wonderful job at portraying Louise: her
upbringing, loyalty, careful behavior and inner conflicts
and Madame: her strength of purpose, faith and love of
brother and king. Scott does an excellent job at giving her
readers a firsthand look at life at court, and the
precarious positions of courtiers and maids of honor like
Louise, who truly can trust no one. Scott has clearly done
her research well and her dialogue in particular stands out
with its guardedness and word play to try to determine how
an individual really feels. Fans of historical suspense and
court intrigue, such as that written by Jean Plaidy,
will find THE FRENCH MISTRESS delectable. I look forward to
reading more of Scott's novels.
From the author of The King’s Favorite—a new
novel based on a dazzling and decadent true story of
Restoration England.
The daughter of a poor
nobleman, Louise leaves the French countryside for the
court of King Louis XIV, where she must not only please
the tastes of the jaded king, but serve as a spy for
France. With few friends, many rivals, and ever-shifting
loyalties, Louise learns the perils of her new role. Yet
she is too ambitious to be a pawn in the intrigues of
others. With the promise of riches, power, and even the
love of a king, Louise creates her own destiny in a dance
of intrigue between two monarchs—and two countries.
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