The Shadow Queen

by Sandra Gulland

  Molière (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin)—director and principal actor, as well as playwright of the Theater of the Palais-Royal, excelling in comic satire. He is sixteen years younger than Pierre Corneille.

  Jean Racine—a young, brilliant writer of tragedies, but an unethical person. He is thirty-three years younger than Pierre Corneille, his chief rival, and seventeen years younger than Molière, who gave him his start by staging his first two tragedies. Racine betrays them both.

  OTHER FIGURES OF IMPORTANCE

  Père d’Ossat—a priest attached to Athénaïs’s household.

  Xavier Breton—one of the King’s valets and Claudette’s special friend.

  Blucher—a male midwife, possibly the first, based on Julien Clément.

  La Reynie—Lieutenant General of Police; considered to be the founder of the first modern police force.

  Marie Angélique de Fontanges—the none-too-bright young woman who catches the eye of the King. At only twenty, she dies after the birth of a stillborn child, and was rumored to have been poisoned by Athénaïs.

  Miguel—Athénaïs’s doorman.

  Madame Audouin—midwife in Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

  The Church

  Bishop Bossuet—a theologian and brilliant orator, renowned for his sermons. As Court preacher, he wielded a powerful religious influence.

  Père La Chaise—the King’s confessor.

  Père Lécuyer—a priest at Versailles who refuses to grant Athénaïs absolution.

  La Voisin Household and the Criminal World

  Madame Catherine Deshayes Monvoisin (“La Voisin”)—fortune-teller, palm-reader, abortionist, poisoner, witch.

  Antoine Monvoisin—her husband, an unemployed drunk.

  Marie Marguerite Monvoisin—their emotionally unstable teenage daughter.

  Monsieur Lesage (also known as Monsieur du Buisson, Monsieur Adam Coeuret)—con man and poisoner.

  Abbé Étienne Guibourg—priest who performs Black Masses; a poisoner.

  Château de Suisnes

  Louise de Maisonblanche (“Sweet Pea”)—Claudette’s daughter by the King.

  Philippe de Maisonblanche—the girl’s foster father and caretaker of the Château de Suisnes.

  Gabrielle de la Tour (“Gaby”)—Philippe’s wife and the girl’s foster mother.

  François Pingré—owner of the château.

  Christophe and Humbert—twin boys, Winter Swallows in the care of Gaston and Pilon.

  Père Petit—the village priest.

  ABOUT CURRENCY

  Authorities differ regarding the value of the various coins of seventeenth-century France, complicated by the fact that coins minted in Paris were worth ten to twenty percent more than coins minted in Tours. But basically:

  A denier was the smallest unit.

  12 deniers = 1 sou (or sol).

  20 sous (or sols) = 1 livre. (Note: there was no actual coin called a livre.)

  3 livres = 1 silver écu, a large coin with the image of a shield on it.

  6 livres = 1 gold écu; this coin was rare by the seventeenth century.

  10 livres = 1 louis d’or (a gold louis). First minted in Paris in 1641, it had the image of the King on one side and a fleur-delis on the other.

  In more general terms, one livre at this time would be worth approximately $40 U.S. A pichet of wine cost four sous, a meal of bread and meat with weak beer, five. The cost of one candle or a pair of wood sabots, one livre. Later in the century, it cost a gold louis for a seat in the first loge of a Molière play and thirty sous for the parterre.

  ∘ Wife

  • Official mistress

  ◊ Occasional liaison

  ⧫ Legitimate

  ★ Legitimated, officially recognized

  ⨯ Illegitimate, never officially recognized

  GLOSSARY

  Affair of the Poisons—the name given to the massive arrests, trials, and executions of people accused of poisoning and sacrilege (practicing black magic).

  Alchemy—the study and craft of turning base metals into gold.

  Amatory Mass—a Black Mass performed for the purpose of influencing a loved one.

  Amphitheater—tiered benches opposite the stage, between the standing parterre and the front boxes. (Note, however, that the precise location of the amphitheater is debated.)

  Angel Water (L’Eau d’Ange)—a fashionable seventeenth-century scent based on myrtle.

  Assistants (or Helpers)—Viagra-like herbs believed to enhance sexual performance. (Also see Blister beetle and Love powder.)

  Beignet—fried yeast dough, often sprinkled with sugar; similar to a doughnut, but shaped into a ball or square and without a hole.

  Black Mass—a travesty of the Mass, celebrating Satan.

  Blister beetle—a beetle that produced an irritating chemical that caused skin to blister (hence its name). The dried, crushed bodies of the beetle, when eaten, caused inflammation of the genital organs and was thus used as an aphrodisiac.

  Burning Chamber (Chambre Ardente)—a basement room in which people suspected of poisoning and sacrilege during the Affair of the Poisons were tried. It was called the Burning Chamber because of all the candles needed to light it.

  Burnt wine—spiced mulled wine, heated by plunging a hot poker into it.

  Cachet—the royal seal, as in lettre de cachet.

  Canonical hours—official prayers of the Catholic Church. Bells calling for prayer served as a way of telling time throughout the day and night.

  Lauds (Dawn Prayer)—3:00 a.m.

  Prime (Early Morning Prayer)—6:00 a.m.

  Terce (Morning Prayer)—9:00 a.m.

  Sext (Midday Prayer)—noon

  None (Mid-afternoon Prayer)—3:00 p.m.

  Vespers (Evening Prayer)—6:00 p.m.

  Compline (Night Prayer)—9:00 p.m.

  Matins—(Midnight Prayer)

  (Note that these times and patterns change from place to place and time to time.)

  Claque—friends and family of a performer, who cheered and applauded; sometimes hired.

  Clôture annuelle (recess)—a theater’s annual three-week recess around Easter. Although no plays were performed during this period, it was during this break that the next season was planned, new works prepared and changes made to the plays in a troupe’s extensive repertoire. It was also the period when players renegotiated their annual contracts, and new players were carefully considered.

  Code of Chivalry—the Knights Code of Chivalry, developed during the Middle Ages, entailed valor, courtesy, sagacity, prudence, honor, honesty, faith, truth, charity, among a number of other virtues.

  Deus ex machina—a Latin expression meaning “gods from the machine.” In Greek plays, a crane was used to raise or lower gods onto the stage. More figurative, now, it’s an improbable device used in a play to miraculously save the day.

  The Dutch War—(1672–1678) a war which eventually pitted the Dutch Republic, Austrian Habsburgs, Brandenburg, and Spain against France, England, the Prince-Bishopric of Münster, the Archbishopric of Cologne, and Sweden. Louis XIV considered the Dutch to be trading rivals, seditious, heretics, and an obstacle to French legal claims on the Spanish Netherlands.

  Fanatics—those who applauded a particular actor or actress; this is the origin of the word fan.

  Farce—an endless variation on a theme, often involving sexual antics. The word is derived from the Latin farsa, which ironically means suffering.

  Garçons de théâtre—theater servants, stagehands or errand boys who worked for a troupe, running errands for the actors.

  Girdle book—a book tucked into a belt or hung at the waist.

  Jerkin—a short, close-fitting garment, often sleeveless (rather like a vest).

  Jeu de paume—a precursor of the game of tennis, played indoors. It was a very popular game in the early part of the seventeenth century, but lost favor under Louis XIV. A number of the abandoned courts were converted to theaters.

  Jours ordinaires and extraordi
naires—the theater week was divided into jours ordinaires (Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday) and jours extraordinaires (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday).

  Justacorps—a knee-length coat which flared out from the waist.

  Keeper of Secrets—the title given the machinist who creates the “magical” special effects; also called Great Sorcerer.

  King’s Evil—scrofula, a tuberculosis infection of the lymph nodes in the neck. It was preached that Saint Marcouf granted the kings of France the gift of healing this deforming disease. From Edward the Confessor on, a king was believed to be able to cure “the King’s Evil” with his touch when his spiritual power was strong—just after he’d been newly anointed, for example, or shortly after he’d made confession and gone to Mass. It was also practiced by English kings.

  Lettre de cachet—an order from the King, sending someone to prison, a convent, a hospital, or exile without the benefit of trial or appeal.

  Litter—a chair or bed (often covered) carried by two or more men, sometimes called a sedan chair or palanquin.

  Loge—box in a theater.

  Loge attendant (ouvreuse)—the woman who has the key to a loge and attends to the needs of those patrons seated in it.

  Love powder—a powder or tincture containing cantharides, more commonly known as “Spanish Fly,” a potentially fatal ingredient that caused inflammation of the organs of the genital tract (and was thus used to treat impotence).

  Machine play—a play in which special effects were achieved by the use of machinery.

  Madame, Monsieur—when used as a name at Court, understood to be the King’s brother and his wife.

  Mushrooms—a game in which a woman would twirl and drop to the floor, trying to get her skirts to fall in a perfect circle around her.

  Ombrella (or ombrello)—the original Italian word for an umbrella, from the Latin word umbra, for shade.

  Ouverture—the day after Easter when all the theaters opened their doors to the public.

  Overhire list—the list of part-time workers who helped to put on a theatrical production.

  Paradis—the top tier (balcony) of a theater, where servants and relatives of the players were permitted to sit.

  Parterre—an open area in front of the stage (“orchestra” seating today) where men, often rowdy, stood to watch a performance.

  Pensions list—each year the King announced which playwrights and performers would be awarded a pension (what we would consider a “grant”).

  Petticoat breeches—wide, pleated pants that resembled a skirt, worn by men in Western Europe in the mid-seventeenth century.

  Pit—see Parterre.

  Pit-fall—a trapdoor on the stage floor, the means by which a character abruptly—alarmingly—disappears.

  Poke—a bag hidden under a woman’s skirts; the original purse.

  Post chaise—a four-wheeled closed carriage.

  Tant pis—“Too bad” in French.

  Teethy—a very old word meaning testy and peevish.

  Terce—see Canonical hours.

  Travesty player—someone who played the part of the opposite sex in a play.

  Turkey carpet (also known as Anatolian)—a hand-knotted or flat woven carpet made by Turks.

  Unblood—someone not of the nobility.

  Unities—from Aristotle’s Poetics, three rules for drama: 1) unity of action (the play must be about one main action), 2) unity of place (the play must be set in one place), and 3) unity of time (the action of the play must take place in twenty-four hours or fewer).

  Versaie—the Palace of Versailles in its early evolution.

  Vespers—see Canonical hours.

  Voyage—when a theatrical troupe makes a performance away from their regular theater in Paris, to travel to perform for the King, for example, wherever the Court resides.

  Winter Swallows—country boys who migrate to Paris and other city centers during the winter months to beg.

  Wormwood wine—a bitter tonic prepared by steeping a handful of wormwood in a gallon of wine. It evolved to become today’s vermouth.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Frankly, I was tempted to dedicate this book to John Golder, scholar of seventeenth-century French theater, so great is my debt. He generously answered my many (many!) questions over the years and provided a reading list that amounted to a master class in this fascinating subject. All errors of fact are mine, and mine alone—and when I do get something right, he is responsible.

  Thanks also to the following academics who responded to my questions: Lynn Wood Mollenauer, author of Strange Revelations: Magic, Poison, and Sacrilege in Louis XIV’s France; Holly Tucker, author of Blood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution; Jeffrey Jackson, author of Paris Under Water: How the City of Light Survived the Great Flood of 1910; and Virginia Scott, author of Molière: A Theatrical Life. Hilary Berstein and other scholars on the H-France list offered assistance, particularly Antoine Coutelle with information on Poitiers, and Jim Burrows on the approximate location of chez Duchesse d’Armagnac in Paris. Special thanks for the time and wisdom of two Corneille specialists of the Centre International Pierre Corneille: author and professor Myriam Dufour-Maître, and Evelyne Poirel, curator of Musée Pierre Corneille in Petit-Couronne.

  Other guides on the long and winding research road include: Beckah Reed (visionary), Claire Naylor McKeever (actress), Frank Morlock (seventeenth-century enthusiast), Anne and Bruno Challamel (toujours), Katie De La Matter (seventeenth-century musicologist), Deb Reynold (clowning workshop leader), Phoebe Spanier (on seventeenth-century mirrors), and Monique Boulanger (for help with French translations). Social workers Lucy King and Fran Murphy shared their knowledge of Asperger’s syndrome (which Gaston has not, not truly). Pamela Grant, “Paris Story” tour guide, was fantastic. Special thanks go to Tanguy de Vienne, owner of the Château de Suisnes south of Paris, for a wonderful tour of Claude’s lovely château.

  To my editors, whose influence can be seen on every page of this novel: immeasurable appreciation. They are: my brilliant early-stage editors, Dan Smetanka and Fiona Foster; the inimitable Iris Tupholme and fiction editor Lorissa Sengara at HarperCollins Canada; bright spark and guiding light Melissa Danaczko at Doubleday U.S.; agent Jackie Kaiser of Westwood Creative Artists, my first reader and lead cheerleader.

  A number of readers provided invaluable feedback on the manuscript at various stages: actress and creative spirit Ellen Stewart; seventeenth-century scholar Gary McCollim; writer and editor Jude Holland; fan-volunteer Deborah Schryer; authors Stephanie Cowell and Victoria Zackheim. Although Jordan Gentile was unable to review the manuscript, his fulsome and informed comments on my blog were always helpful.

  Members of my two writers’ groups saw this novel through various stages from mere scribbles to a finished book (a miracle): Jenifer McVaugh and Johanna Zomers of the WWW (Wilno Women Writers), and my ever-nameless San Miguel de Allende group: Beverly Donofrio and Susan McKinney. Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback.

  Additionally, and astonishingly, fourteen employees of Chapters/Indigo bookstores across Canada volunteered to read and critique an early draft of this novel, forwarding me written reports. Their input was extremely helpful, and a number of important changes were made as a result. They are: Carlos Alonso, June Baxter, Martina Bracek, Ellen Clark, Gaye DeWolfe, Tami Grondines, Erin Legare, Beth MacDonald, Sheena Madole, Marjorie Morris, Lynda Parkinson, John Pickard, Jena Rayner, and Vivian Samoil. Thank you all!

  The title of this novel was uncertain until the very end. Twice I solicited opinions on my Facebook author page. To all the readers who helped me arrive at a short list: thank you! Profound thanks, as well, to the members of the Fiction Writers Co-op, a powerhouse Facebook group, for giving a resounding thumbs-up to the final title The Shadow Queen, as well as emotional support and professional advice on all things to do with writing and publishing.

  There are others, as well, working behind the scenes as this novel heads out int
o the world—people like James Melia and Nicole Pedersen at Doubleday, Doug Richmond at HarperCollins Canada, and Chris Casuccio at Westwood Creative Artists, but also many I’ve yet to even meet, people who are giving The Shadow Queen their professional best: I thank you!

  And lastly, and always, wholehearted thanks to my ever-supportive husband, Richard, daughter, Carrie, and son, Chet, my home team.

  About the Author

  SANDRA GULLAND is the author of Mistress of the Sun and the Josephine B. Trilogy, which has sold over a million copies worldwide and is currently under development for a television miniseries. Her work has been translated into fifteen languages. She and her husband live half the year in rural Ontario, Canada, and the other half in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

  ALSO BY SANDRA GULLAND

  Mistress of the Sun

  THE JOSEPHINE B.TRILOGY

  The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.

  Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe

  The Last Great Dance on Earth

  Credits

  Cover image by Hélène Desplechin / Getty Images

  Copyright

  The Shadow Queen is a work of fiction inspired by the life of Claude des Oeillets, daughter of the actress Alix des Oeillets, and confidential attendant to the Sun King’s mistress, Madame de Montespan.

  Copyright © 2014 by Sandra Gulland Inc. All rights reserved.

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