Daughter of Silk

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by Linda Lee Chaikin




  Romance, adventure, danger. Young Rachelle Dushane-Macquinet finds them all in the court of the evil Catherine de Medici.

  Daughter of Silk

  Copyright © 2006 by Linda Chaikin

  All rights reserved under International and Pan -American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non -exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

  AER Edition January 2009 ISBN: 978-0-310-31731-9

  Requests for information should be addressed to: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Chaikin, L. L.

  Daughter of Silk / Linda Lee Chaikin.

  p. cm. – (The Silk house; bk. 1) ISBN-10: 0-310-26300-X

  ISBN-13: 978-0-310-26300-5

  1. France — History — Francis II, 1559 – 1560 — Fiction. 2. Catherine de Medicis, Queen, consort of Henry II, King of France, 1519 – 1589 — Fiction. 3. Courts and courtiers — Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3553.H2427D38 2006

  813'.54 — dc22 2005031947

  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the King James Version.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other — e.xcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher

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  Dover

  SPANISH NE THERLANDS

  HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE

  ENGLISH CHANNEL

  PICARD Y

  Guise

  NORMANDY

  M

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  LORRAINE

  Clermont

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  Paris

  BRITTANY

  Chatillon

  Vendome

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  R

  e

  Sein

  D.

  OF

  Fontainebleau

  Orleans

  L

  o

  i

  r

  e

  S WIT ZERLAND

  Blois ORLEANS

  R

  Nantes

  L

  o

  i

  r

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  R

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  TOURAINE

  Amboise

  BURGUNDY

  .

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  Chambord

  BAY OF BISCAY

  n

  o

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  a

  S

  R

  La Rochelle Geneva

  KINGDOM OF FRANCE Lyon

  R

  ne

  og

  rd

  o

  D

  G

  a

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  h

  o

  n

  R

  e

  .

  R

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  r

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  R

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  Albret Nerac

  G A SCONY

  LANGUEDOC

  Toulouse

  NAVARRE

  Pau

  MEDITERRANEAN SEA

  KINGDOM OF SPAIN

  CHAIKIN

  FRANCE IN THE 16TH

  CENTURY

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  (showing prominent provinces and cities for this series)

  Huguenot center

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  Glossary of French Terms

  ‌

  a bientôt— so long, see you later

  adieu— bye

  affaire d’amour— love affair affaire d’honneur— duel ah, ça non— definitely not allon bons— oh dear

  ami — (m)friend amie — (f) friend amour— love

  amoureux— to fall in love amoureuse— enamored, affair appartements— apartment atelier— shop, workshop

  au contraire— on the contrary

  au revoir— good-bye

  avoir la foi— to be a believer

  beau— (m) good looking, fine looking, beautiful

  bébé— baby, very young child

  belle— (f) beautiful

  belle dame— painted lady (unflattering)

  bien— good, well

  bien entendu — as a matter of course

  bien joué— well played bien sûr — of course bel ami —(m) lover

  belle des belles — the most beautiful

  bon— (adj, nm) good

  bonhomie — friendly, warm feelings, camaraderie

  bonjour — good afternoon

  bonne — (adj, nf) good

  bonne chance — good fortune, good luck

  bon vivant — vibrant

  Bourbon — kingly family, of royal blood

  ça alors! — good grief! (exclamation)

  calèche— carriage carrousel — carousel casques — helmets

  cercle — group of close associates, often the Queen’s

  c’est bien compris — Is that clear?

  c’est bien le moment— (irony) great timing

  c’est bien promis? — Is that a promise?

  c’est charmante — (f) That is charming.

  c’est magnifique — That is magnificent.

  c’est sotte — (slang) That is silly.

  ceux de la religion— those of the religion

  chaise longue — reclining chair chambré àcoucher — sleeping room charmante— (f) charming

  cher — dear, darling, cherished

  chevalier— the lowest title or rank in the old French nobility, also cavalier or chivaler

  closet — a small room, for sleeping, dressing, writing letters, reading, etc.

  coif— stiff ruffle around the neck (period clothing)

  comte— nobleman, count comtesse— countess coterie — clique, group coucher — go to sleep

  Cour d’Honneur— Court of Honor

  courtier— agent

  cousine — cousin

  couturière — designer, expert in sewing

  coup de foudre— love at first sight Corps des Pages — School for Pages cuirasse — breastplate

  décolletage— bodice déjeuner— midday meal delicieuse — delicious

  demoiselle — young lady

  dépêchez-vous — hurry up

  dernier cri— last word in fashion

  diables — devils

  diner— evening meal

  divertissement— entertainment, amusement

  docteur — doctor

  duc— French spelling for English duke, the highest ranking noble except for a prince of the blood

  duchesse— duchess

  duchessina— duchess, Spain

  duchy— the territory ruled by a duc or duchesse

  eau de parfume — perfume

  elegante — elegant

  enceinte— expecting, pregnant

  enfant— child

  escadron volant de la

 
reine— Catherine de Medici’s ladies-in-waiting and maids-of- honor; forty immoral women of beauty who served her political intrigues

  espèce de pestes — special nuisance

  enchantee — enchanted

  en memoire de — in memory of

  fanfaronnade — fanfare

  faux pas— false step

  fait accompli— an accomplished fact

  fête — party

  fleur-de-lys — lily f lower forte — accented, loud frère— brother

  galante — a chivalrous man

  grand prieur — head man, head of an abbey

  grisette — a seamstress specializing in dress-making, embroidery, design; usually still under

  training

  grandes dames— great ladies gaucherie— awkwardness grande salle— large room, salon

  haute monde— upper class fashion

  honneur — honor ingénue — a naive girl infirmière— nurse Institutio Christianae

  Religionis— (Latin) Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, doctrinal writing

  jennet— a small Spanish horse of the time

  joie de vivre— joy of life

  Huguenot — French Protestant, of Calvinistic doctrine

  laissez faire— noninterference, tolerance

  la gloire de la France— the honor of France

  le misérable — the poor

  le moment — the moment

  lettre — letter

  ma belle — my lovely ma fleur — my f lower ma foi — my faith

  ma petite — my little one

  mais certainement — but surely

  maitre— form of address for a doctor or an advocate

  magnifique — magnificent

  maman — mother

  Marquis — highest ranking nobleman next to a duke

  marquisat — the territory ruled by

  a marquis, including land estates, wealth, future title of Duc

  merveilleux — marvelous

  messire— an honorable man or a knight

  messieurs— plural of Mr.

  mesdames— plural of madame, or of Mrs.

  merci — thanks

  merci mille fois— thank you a thousandfold

  mes petits— my children

  mignon — cute

  mille pardon — thousand pardons mille diables— thousand devils (slang) Mlle. — Mademoiselle

  Mme. — Madame

  Monseigneur — Lord, addressing someone of high rank or respected office

  mûreraies — a grove of mulberry trees for feeding the leaves to silkworms

  naturel — natural, natural-looking, casual

  nenni — slang for no

  neveu— nephew

  noblesse oblige — nobility obligates

  non — no

  oncle — uncle

  on est très ami— We are very close friends.

  Oriflamme — the red banner of St. Denis, near Paris, carried before the kings of France as a military ensign; a rallying or symbol

  oui — yes

  palais chateau — palace, castle

  pardon — pardon

  par excellence — archetypal

  par exemple — for example

  père, mon Père — father, my Father

  parterre— an ornamental arrangement of f lowerbeds and bushes; an area under the galleries in a courtyard

  Pasteur— Bible pastor, teacher

  petit noir— coffee

  petit dejeuner— breakfast

  petit— (m) little, small, young, humble

  petite— (f) little, small, young, humble

  petite reinette — little queen

  petite sœur — little sister

  peste — (nf, slang) a nuisance, a pest poppinjay— (slang) puffed up, proud portier — gate-keeper

  précisément — precisely

  quivre — alertness

  quelle stupide— how senseless, how foolish, how idiotic

  reinette — young girl-queen

  salle — hall

  salle de sejour — living room

  salle de garde — guard chamber

  sang-froid —(nm) poise, self-control, calmness, indifference

  savoir-faire — knowledge of what to do, know-how

  se depêcher — hurry up

  sil vous plâit— please surement pas— certainly not sœur — sister

  soirée — fancy party

  sotte — silly, inane

  tante— aunt

  tarts aux cerises— tarts, chicken, or sweet-filled pasties

  tenez ferme— stand firm ( as in Ephesians 6:14)

  tête a tête — head-to-head, conversation

  toilet — washroom toque — cylindrical hat tout a fait— entirely tout de suite— at once toute la nuit— all night

  un non categorique — an emphatic no vive la Reine — Long live the Queen vive le Roi — Long live the King

  Historical Characters

  ‌

  Alessandro — Alessandro the abuser, a brother of Catherine de Medici

  Anjou — Henry of Anjou, third son of Catherine de Medici and King Henry II

  Avenelle — Maitre Avenelle, betrayer of the Huguenots

  Bourbon— Prince Antoine de Bourbon, older brother of Louis. He later became King of Navarre through marriage to Huguenot Queen Jeanne d’Albret.

  Bourg — Anne du Bourg, a Huguenot man sent to the Bastille by Henry II. He was burned at the stake under the Cardinal de Lorraine when boy-king Francis ruled with Queen Mother Catherine. The Huguenots then felt betrayed and planned the Amboise plot.

  Calvin — M. John Calvin, writer of Calvin’s Institutes (Institutio Christianae Religionis)

  Chatillon— Cardinal de Chatillon, (Odet Coligny) brother of Gaspard and Francis Coligny

  Coligny— Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, protected Huguenot provinces Condé— Princesse Eleonore Condé, a niece of Admiral Gaspard Coligny Condé — Prince Louis de Condé

  Este — Cardinal d’Este, from Ferrara, Italy

  Este — Anne d’Este, wife of the Duc de Guise (Francis)

  Guise— Charles de Guise, the Cardinal de Lorraine, younger brother of Duc Francis de Guise

  Guise — Duc Francis de Guise, of the infamous Borgias family from Florence, Italy

  Guise — Monsieur Henry de Guise, later a duc, younger son of Duc Francis de Guise

  Lefevre — M. Jacques Lefevre, translated first Bible into French

  Machiavelli — Niccolo Machiavelli, a cunning and cruel man; he was associated with corrupt, totalitarian government because of a small pamphlet he wrote called “The Prince” to gain influence with the ruling Medici family in Florence.

  Madalenna — Italian serving girl of Catherine de Medici

  Medici — Catherine de Medici, Queen and Regent of France over Francis II and Charles II Valois

  Montpensier — Charles de Montpensier (the Duc de Bourbon), had rights to the throne that equaled or exceeded those of the Valois

  Montpensier — Duchesse Montpensier, of the House of Bourbon, a Huguenot Navarre — Prince Henry of Navarre, son of Antoine and Jeanne of Navarre Nostradamus — a soothsayer in the Roman Catholic Church

  Paré — Ambroise le Paré, physician and surgeon to kings, a Huguenot

  Poitiers — Mme. Diane de ’Poitiers, mistress of King Henry

  Renaudie — Messire de la Renaudie, a leader of the Huguenots, a retainer of Prince Louis de Condé

  Ruggerio — Cosmo and Lorenzo Ruggerio, brothers from Florence, Catherine’s astrologers and poison makers

  Rene — Perfumer, also Catherine’s poisoner

  Ronsard — Poet who served the Valois Court, Chatelard

  Sadeleto — Jacopo Sadeleto, Archbishop of Carpentras

  Stuart — Mary Stuart (la petite reinette), married Francis Valois, King Francis II

  Tasso — Poet from Italy

  Valois — Princesse Elisabeth Valois, daughter of Catherine and Henry Valois, married Philip II of Spain

&n
bsp; Valois — Princesse Marguerite Valois

  Valois — Hercule Valois, the fourth and youngest son of Catherine and Henry Valois, little is known of him

  DDear Reader,

  ‌

  Author’s Note

  Writers who enjoy researching history generally accumulate far more

  information than can normally be incorporated into a novel of this size. In this series I have occasionally found it practical to compress a decade or more of significant historical events into a manageable time period for my characters. In Daughter of Silk, I was therefore able to include more of the key events that portray the Huguenots’ great struggle under perse- cution in France, Spain, and Rome. Indeed, the half has not been told, and the history I have incorporated is accurate and representative, and the characterization of historical individuals is based on careful research. As always, I have created fictional characters who are representative of the time in which this history takes place.

 

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