An Affair of Poisons
Page 30
Most of the characters in this book (excluding Josse and Mirabelle) are historical figures who played a part in the Affair of the Poisons. I endeavored to represent them as accurately as possible; however, I did take some liberties with personalities and timelines to suit my alternate version of history.
La Voison’s husband, Antoine Monvoisin, was alive and well—much to La Voisin’s dismay. She despised the man, whom she complained was financially inept and a vicious drunk. Lesage encouraged La Voisin to murder Antoine on several occasions, but she never followed through with it. It actually became something of a joke among her friends and colleagues; the proper way to greet La Voisin was to ask if her husband had dropped dead yet.
When La Voisin was arrested on March 12, 1679, her eldest daughter, Marie-Marguerite, was treated as a key witness rather than an accomplice in her mother’s criminal network. Marie-Marguerite’s testimony was paramount in incriminating La Voisin and other important players in the Affair of the Poisons. However, it would be hasty to assume she was wholly innocent. Having grown up in such a dangerous and volatile environment, Marie-Marguerite was a very conflicted individual who sometimes assisted her mother and other times did not. I wanted to play with this idea of guilt versus loyalty to one’s family, which is why I chose to make one daughter fiercely loyal to La Voisin and the other rebellious and wary. Guilty or not, Marie-Marguerite was arrested on January 26, 1680, and imprisoned for life by lettre de cachet—a direct order from the king, which could not be appealed—due to her damning knowledge regarding Madame de Montespan and other prominent members of court. The Abbé Guibourg, Lesage, and everyone who was a witness to Montespan’s involvement were similarly imprisoned. I would also like to note that La Voisin attempted to arrange a marriage between Marie-Marguerite and one of her associates, a man named Romani, whose name I changed to Fernand to avoid any confusion or association with the Romani people.
Louis XIV was actually residing at the palace of Saint-Germain when La Voisin and her associates attempted to deliver the poisoned petition into his hands. But since the palace at Versailles is so widely known and associated with the Sun King, I decided to set my coup d’état at this more dazzling location. Historically, it could have been possible. While the courtiers and other officials did not take up residence at Versailles until 1682, Louis XIV began staying there as early as 1674.
I also decided to give Josse’s siblings happier endings than they experienced in life. Louis, the Grand Dauphin, was never king, as he died before his father in 1711. Marie Thérèse, Madame Royale, died at the age of five of tuberculosis; however, I thought this story needed a fierce princess—someone to be caught between Josse and Louis’s quarrels. Louise Marie Anne de Bourbon (Anne) died at the age of six in 1681, which devastated her older sister, Louise Françoise de Bourbon (Françoise), as the girls were exceptionally close.
“Captain” Luc Desgrez was actually Lieutenant François Desgrez, right-hand man to La Reynie, the lieutenant general of the Paris Police and principal investigator in the Affair of the Poisons. Desgrez made several important arrests, including that of La Voisin. For the sake of my story, I aged him down to make him a contemporary with Josse. I like to think of my Desgrez as the younger brother to the actual policeman.
Additional Reading
For additional reading, I highly recommend the following:
• The Affair of the Poisons: Murder, Infanticide and Satanism at the Court of Louis XIV by Anne Somerset
• The Affair of the Poisons: Louis XIV, Madame De Montespan, and One of History’s Great Unsolved Mysteries by Frances Mossiker
• Princes and Poisoners: Studies of the Court of Louis XIV by Frantz Funck-Brentano
• Archives De La Bastille by Francois Ravaisson
• City of Light, City of Poison: Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris by Holly Tucker
• The Oracle Glass by Judith Merkle Riley
Acknowledgments
My road to publication was long and winding, but the good thing about taking the “scenic route” is the ample time I had to surround myself with an amazing group of people who made this journey an absolute joy.
Endless thanks to my fabulous agent, Katelyn Detweiler, for being my champion, for your lightning fast emails and insightful notes (you seriously have an eagle eye!), and for your guidance and enthusiasm. I’m so grateful to be on this crazy publishing adventure with you.
A million thanks to my brilliant, talented editor, Ashley Hearn, who helped me shape this manuscript into something far better than I could have dreamed. Thank you for loving Josse and Mira as much as I do, for helping me find the heart of this story, and for pushing me to make it truly shine. #BestEditorEver #HashtagQueen #TeamPoisons!
Thanks to the entire team at Page Street Publishing, including Will Kiester, Lauren Knowles, Marissa Giambelluca, Hayley Gundlach, Lauren Cepero, and Chelsea Hensley. Extra special thanks to Kylie Alexander for designing such a beautiful cover and interior, to Allison Kerr Miller for catching all of my mistakes and making each sentence shine, to Lauren Wohl and Deb Shapiro, my amazing publicists, and to the fabulous Macmillan sales team.
So many wonderful critique partners helped me on my journey to publication. Thanks especially to J.C. Davis for answering thousands of frantic texts and phone calls, for shredding this manuscript with your Red Pen of Death more times than I can count, and for being the best, most amazing friend; to Kristin Hale for being my first and biggest fan: thank you for reading every word I’ve ever written and for gushing over my stories (even in the beginning, when they were TERRIBLE!); to Laura Irrgang for your helpful notes and inspiring creativity; to Jen Brailsford for your excitement over an early draft; to my Princeton writing crew (even though we’re not all at Princeton anymore *sob*). Jessi Cole Jackson and Hannah Karena Jones: Thanks for good times at bookish events and for listening to me whine. I owe you both Gingered Peach for life. Thanks to Erin Cashman, my big sister at Page Street, for taking me under your wing and showing me the ropes; and to Nicole Lesperance and Maria Hebert-Leiter for being fabulous CPs and friends.
Thanks to Pooja Menon for being the first person to believe in this book, and to Kathleen Rushall for your determination and hard work on my behalf. It was a delight to work with you both!
I’m so grateful for the incredibly kind and gracious authors who took the time to read and promote this book, including Lyndsey Ely. Your support means the world to me. I can’t thank you enough.
I am blessed to have the very best family in the world. Thanks to the Hair and Thorley clans for cheering me on and encouraging me to pursue this “writing thing.” A special shout-out to my dad, who allowed me to write my first two novels on his dime when I was supposed to be answering his office phones and scheduling appointments. Eternal gratitude to my husband, Sam, for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself and for knowing how to motivate me when the going got tough (I am never going back to Texas Roadhouse!). Thank you for being so patient and supportive and for putting up with me. I love you so much! Thanks to Kato, my plot hole–smashing pup—all of my best breakthroughs happen on our long walks. And to Kaia, my girl, thank you for showing me what truly matters and for bringing so much joy into my life.
All my thanks and gratitude to my Father in Heaven for blessing me with this wonderful opportunity.
And thanks to you, my marvelous readers. (I still can’t believe I get to say that!) Thank you for coming on this journey with me and Josse and Mirabelle. This is an absolute dream come true, and I wouldn’t be here without you.
About the Author
Addie Thorley spent her childhood playing soccer, riding horses, and scribbling stories. After graduating from the University of Utah with a degree in journalism, she decided “hard news” didn’t contain nearly enough magic and kissing, so she flung herself into the land of fiction and never looked back. She now lives in Princeton, New Jersey, with her husband, daughter, and wolf dog, and when she’s not writing she can b
e found gallivanting in the woods or galloping around the barn where she works as a horse trainer and exercise rider. An Affair of Poisons is her debut novel. You can find her online at www.addiethorley.com or on Twitter @addiethorley.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
1 Mirabelle
2 Josse
3 Mirabelle
4 Josse
5 Mirabelle
6 Josse
7 Mirabelle
8 Josse
9 Mirabelle
10 Josse
11 Mirabelle
12 Josse
13 Mirabelle
14 Josse
15 Mirabelle
16 Josse
17 Mirabelle
18 Josse
19 Mirabelle
20 Josse
21 Mirabelle
22 Josse
23 Mirabelle
24 Josse
25 Mirabelle
26 Josse
27 Mirabelle
28 Josse
29 Mirabelle
Author’s Note
Additional Reading
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
Copyright © 2019 Addie Thorley
First published in 2019 by
Page Street Publishing Co.
27 Congress Street, Suite 105
Salem, MA 01970
www.pagestreetpublishing.com
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
eISBN: 978-1-62414-714-2
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2018963767
Cover design by Kylie Alexander for Page Street Publishing Co.