"So, it's you, Constance." "I first saw Marie-Morgane when she came with my brother Philippe to Grand Lieu as newly-weds." "It was the coronation year of Louis XVI and his 19-year-old wife, Marie-Antoinette." "THE KING'S GENERAL" "My 2 older sisters and 2 older brothers attended the marriage at Sainte-Hermine." "I was left at home, because I was sick." "Would Constance like a sweet?" "I was still a young girl." "Don't touch!" "It's poisonous." " No!" " Behave yourself." "Go to your room." "Spoiled child!" "On his rare visits, my brother was different." "You're mocking me!" "It was summer." "Our parents were out." "I'm not blind." "I have the right to touch you." "This evening, I saw you smiling at my own brother!" "I'll kill you if you become his mistress!" "God damn you!" "I'll kill you if you touch her again!" "The following year, smallpox killed my father and Philippe within a few weeks." "Marie-Morgane came to hear the will." "She's checked the measurements of everything that's hers." "She says that what was Philippe's belongs to her now." "Leave the walls, at least." "You're spying on me again." "It's not my fault I've got eyes." "You should be happy." "You're getting rid of me." "You won't see me again." "I hope not." "It's a shame your brother didn't have a bit of your character." "Which brother?" "Mademoiselle Allard." "On my 18th birthday, we were invited to Grosse Terre." "Mr de Saint-Hilaire threw a party in honour of" "Admiral Vaudreuil and his American victories." "Admiral, may I introduce my sister Constance?" "Today... is her 18th birthday and her first outing in society." "When one is as pretty as your sister, there are sure to be many more." "Silly goose!" "Fool!" "Come out on the terrace," "I'll teach you how to do it." "What?" "To be respectful or to swear?" "Both, if you like." "You were lacking in both." "Stupid half-wit!" "Cretin!" "Old goat!" "Stupid dunce!" "Dirty rat!" "French has a dryness that doesn't always rise to the occasion." "Spanish is more melodious." "It's more satisfying, when you're angry." "Demonios!" "Pendejo!" "Cabrón!" "Hijo de puta!" "Me cago en Dios!" "Constance Allard de Grand Lieu." "So you're the spoiled little girl my sister hated." "So you're Marie-Morgane's brother." "And what else?" "Capitaine François-Denis Brilhac, of the Order of Saint-Louis in America." "At your service." "Let's see now if you can manage some proper respect." "Take your skirt like this." "Bend your right knee and lower your unremarkable behind to your left foot." "Don't laugh." "Start again." "See?" "You can when you try." "You're a proper little madam who wasn't beaten enough." "I can't eat with a dishevelled woman." "I won't eat with you." "No one else will invite you." "Not at the high table." "I'll be damned if I eat elsewhere." "Admiral, do you know Constance Allard, my sister-in-law?" "Absolutely." "Smile." "He won't bite." "Vaudreuil's a good boy." " Did you lose a lot of men?" " A lot, but not enough." "We had hundreds of wounded who won't recover." "It'd have been kinder to drown them." "I should have watched you." "You've got a lot to learn." "Don't cry." "Not on your birthday." "I'd never had roast goose after eels." "It was the wine, not the bird." "Lie down." "I hated you at first." "But I like you better now." "I had to make you sick to win you over." "I'd better see my brothers." "Yes." "Maybe." "You've been... very kind to me." "I won't forget tonight." "Nor will I." "I've never helped a woman to vomit before." "I've never made such a disgrace of myself." "I've never been alone with a woman as pretty as you without trying to seduce her." "Now, I'll take you back to your party." "Demonios!" "Maricón de mierda!" "Hijo de puta!" "I was looking for you." "Your mother has a visitor." "Go up to your room until she tells you." " Have you seen him?" " No." " What's he like?" " A handsome young man." "Stay down, and when he comes out..." "I didn't need to say a word." "When he saw me waiting, he laughed and said to give you this." ""My sister changed husband, but to me, you're still family." ""I have a right to see you." ""Your mother thinks otherwise."" "This Brilhac with whom you misbehaved at Grosse Terre has just left." "I've heard bad things about him." "He's a penniless indebted chancer." "He's of the Order of Saint-Louis." "I don't want him here and that's all there is to it." ""I don't ride 10 leagues for nothing." ""Let your servant bring me to the park," ""where we can talk alone."" "What do you have to say?" "I'm listening." "They say my behaviour with you has hurt my family." "My mother is keeping me in the house." "You mustn't come back." "My mother won't let you see me." "We can't see each other." "Goodbye." "You won't leave till I say." "I want to teach you some more Spanish." "I'm not in the mood." "My love." "You're so sweet." "A honey kiss." "You can go now." "I'll be back on Tuesday." "You don't make the rules." "I'll think about it." "I thought about it and the following Tuesday I was in the big oak." "Once or twice a week, he rode from Limousinière and taught me about love." "At Grosse Terre, some of us met" "Élisabeth-Marie's and Jean-Jules's uncle." "Our uncle was a hero of Yorktown, with Mr de Vaudreuil." "Jean-Jules manages the family estate and he's doing a wonderful job." "I must see Mr Brilhac." "Mr Brilhac is not to be disturbed." "François-Denis!" "François-Denis!" "Constance." "What is it?" "They want me to marry Mr Chambon de Neuville." "I can't stand his horrid rabbit teeth." "They're going to fix a date for it." "I said I'd kill myself." "Tell me what I should do." "You've been out all night." "Tell them to go to hell." "Or I'll do it for you." "Have some lunch." "In front of these people?" "Gentlemen, this is Constance." "Some of you know her." "She's run away from home because they want her to marry that fool Jean-Jules Chambon." " Do you want a sausage?" " No thank you." "My dear Brilhac, our business is concluded." "We won't stay." "Miss Allard." "I've embarrassed you in front of them and forced them to leave." "Better that you came today than tomorrow." "Why's that?" "I've sold Limousinière to Saint-Hilaire." "This evening, I'll be gone." "Will the money pay your debts?" "It's a drop in the ocean." "It'll buy us time to borrow more." " What do you mean, "us"?" " You and me." "You don't think I'm going to accept your marriage to Chambon?" "You've often said that... you'd need to marry a rich woman." "I couldn't live if you married another." "You're mine." "My brother won't allow it." "She's gorgeous!" "The engagement was short." "My family rushed it, after my escape to François-Denis, which caused quite a stir." "They say you lived in sin with Mr Brilhac and that now you have to marry him." "Marie-Morgane has decided to come." "How are you, Constance?" "Quite well." "I never thought you'd become a Brilhac de la Verrerie." "Nor did I." "Do you know my husband?" "Antoine de Ménard." "Your bird doesn't have good feathers." "We'll put him after a heron, if we find one." "My bird with kill them both." "There it is!" "I'll play my bird against yours and my horse against yours." "I'll see your bird catch his prey." "Mind the ditch!" "Where is it?" "Mine's going for the kill." "No!" "Constance!" "Constance!" "Oh, my love..." "Oh!" "Constance!" "My love." "No!" "Is Constance dead?" "No." "She's unconscious." "She's in a fever." "She'll lose the use of..." "I'll be her legs!" "My dearest..." "Shall I sit you up?" "Let's try." "Do it." "Do it." "My dear Constance." "You're less pale today." "What is it?" "We're advised to keep you calm." "François-Denis is here!" "Don't let him in!" "No." "Calm down." "He's not here." "But he's been asking after you for weeks." "Should we tell him you've come round?" "What would you like?" "I'll never see François-Denis again." "I'll write to him myself." "Mrs Allard!" "Mr Tristan!" " Stop!" " Out of my way!" "I want to see her!" "She wrote to you." "She needs me!" "I beg you." "For her sake." "She's so weak." "You'll kill her." "You'll break her heart." "Don't you understand?" "Mother?" "Is that you?" "Since my body has been still, my senses are sharper." "You were whispering about Mr Brilhac." "Good God!" "I've been so foolish." "My child." "Don't be afraid to tell me anything." "Last month," "Mr Brilhac married a certain Marie-Angélique Auber-d'Audeville, a rich old widow." "He's found his money, then." "I hope he's happy." "As you can see, mother," "I can talk about François-Denis calmly now." "I'm a new woman, starting a new life." "But the following summer, when I knew François-Denis had a son," "I cried all night, like a spoiled child." "You can get about on your own and do as you like." "Thank you, Tristan." "Days, seasons and years went by." "Mother died." "Marie-Anne married Henri-Charles de Saint-Hilaire, whose wife had died leaving him with 2 children." "Saint-Hilaire's friend," "Victor-Marie Brilhac was invited to the wedding." "I don't mind talking about François-Denis." "Tell me about him." "François-Denis didn't marry for love." "It was for money." "He discovered he had no right to her money." "His wife said he beat her and divorced him." "My brother found himself penniless and pursued by his creditors." "He's gone to sea to avoid prison." "I'm 30 years old now." "The kingdom of France has become a republic." "The king has been imprisoned and executed." "The Revolution is at war against the European monarchies." "The Convention has conscripted 300,000 men into the army." "People are angry." "They killed the king!" "They hate religion!" "They're banishing the priests!" "They want to kill us." "We won't let them." "The revolt is spreading from commune to commune." "The peasants, with their clogs and sticks, march off to town on recruitment days, singing hymns." "Then they shout:" ""No recruitment." "Give us back our God."" "People were happy at the beginning." "There are horrible stories now." "Peasants have massacred aristocrats." "Republicans have been buried alive." "Where will all this get us?" "Gangs of men are gathering into 3 or 4 armies and choosing leaders." "There are all sorts of rumours and stories, but we know that towns are falling to the rebels." "There'll be a civil war." "I'll have to take it." "We've all been waiting for this moment." "We'll join the peasants." "We'll chase the Republicans from France." "The Republic won't go so easily." "You can't stay here with Rose and 2 servants when I'm gone." "Grosse Terre is full." "You'll be surrounded." "I've been here for 12 years." "It's my house." "I'm used to being here." "I've nothing to be afraid of here." "You think I'll be raped?" "I've had worse." "We'd be worried if you stayed here." "If I could run, I'd hide." "No one would find me." "Constance!" "Henri-Charles is sorry not to be here." "His business kept him in Nantes." "You're in the west wing." "You won't be disturbed." "A rope from the bell tower will hang down to your window." "You can ring it to call the house to silence." "I can see that I've got quite a reputation." "Your only obligation here is to do as you please." "Thank you." "I'm an old dog changing kennels." "I need time to get used to it." "How nice to see the sea." "Thank you for having me." "The summer house is father's sanctuary." "He keeps the family archives there." "For fear the kids will mess it up, he's forbidden us from coming here, and he keeps it locked." "Republican soldiers from Nantes have taken towns from us." "Their commanding general wears trousers made from tanned Catholic skin." "The windows by my bedroom are blocked." "No one lives there?" "Father keeps furniture in those rooms." "Do you know about the rooms next to mine?" "Mr de Saint-Hilaire's mad brother was shut up there till he died." "That was years ago." "Now it's a storeroom." "Look through the keyhole." "It's blocked." "It's just a bedroom." "With a bed and tapestries on the wall." "Good." "Why is it bolted and the windows blocked?" "Put a picture over the hole." "M. de Saint-Pol brought a letter from Henri-Charles." "Victor-Marie Brilhac is dead." "Major Brilhac had his head smashed with an axe, just as our troops had the enemy on the run." "Just before I left for Nantes, his brother, François-Denis Brilhac, joined us, with 3,000 men." "He's not a man to be trifled with." "He's a good leader." "He spoke of the past months fighting the Republic, with the allies." "Rose, turn this wheelchair!" "I need to move, to mount my horse and ride like the wind!" "I know, my love, I know." "Calm down." "My love." "You're so sweet." "If you wanted to turn, you should have called." "In the dark!" "Did you want to fall?" "I thought I heard footsteps." "But then it stopped." "I'll go in the corridor to see if someone went out." "You and your ideas." "There's no handle." "The lock is all rusty." "A key wouldn't fit." "Summer house" "Gaspard usually has the keys on his belt." "We're in luck." "I'll give it to Maurice." "My husband can explain." "The summer house." "As you commanded." "Apart from the view, there's nothing here." "Just papers." "But don't touch anything." "I hope he doesn't find out." "I'll wait outside." "Well, my aunt?" " Miss Allard!" " Pierre!" "My dear Pierre!" "How's Tristan?" "As well as me." "We're invincible!" "Three quarters of the Vendée is in our hands." "Tristan has gone to raise troops." "The peasants want to fight!" "They're pleased to get back." "The general is a friend of my father-in-law." "The men wanted to get back to their fields and wives." "We've abandoned the town that we just took." "Please allow me to introduce a relative:" "Miss Allard de Grand Lieu." "My relative too." "It seems we're all relatives in the Vendée." "May I fill your glass." " Constance, would you like one?" " Yes." "I'm surprised you're here." "My brothers insisted I not be alone." "They were right." "Grand Lieu isn't safe." "Excuse me." "You're the same." "Terribly so." "What do you mean?" "I was sure that you'd be still pale and in bed." "Surrounded by nurses." "Sorry to disappoint you." " Where can we talk?" " Here." "Do you have a room?" "We can't go there." "You used to be friendlier." "Saint-Hilaire!" "I'm dining with Miss Allard in her room." "She's had enough of the noise." "How do we get there?" "We'll carry her." "Perfect." "Take the chair and show me the way." "Miss Rose!" "How nice to see you again." "Thank you." "That was embarrassing and stupid." "Put me on the bed." "Don't you get carried by any Tom, Dick or Harry?" "Don't make such a fuss." "All right?" "We don't have much time." "We have a pointless war meeting in Châtillon!" "Too many proud leaders!" "Too much rivalry." "No one sticks to the plan on the battle field." "We need a leader, or we'll be crushed." "I could be the leader." "We'd beat the Republicans and reinstall the king." "Let's talk." "Where have you been living?" "In my wife's absence," "I have my headquarters on her estate, where my son lives." "You're more beautiful now than ever." "That's just the candlelight." "I remember every inch." "In the small of your back there's a beauty spot." "You didn't like it, when you saw it in the mirror." "I loved it." "For 12 years, only Rose has seen my behind." "That oak branch bruised your left thigh." "The bruise was like a plum." "I ate it." "Several times." "I want to talk about your brother." "Everyone loved him." "As much as they hate me." "I know you well, Constance Allard." "You can't deceive me." "Your pride hurt us badly." "I know you too." "I did what I had to." "You would have grown to hate me." "You're wrong." "Then I would have ended up hating myself." "Let's leave the past." "Let's talk about now." "I'm a free man." "Marry me, darling." "No." "We can't go back to the past, but that makes no difference." "Now I've found you, I don't want to lose you." " Can I see you again?" " As often as you want." "Sometimes, when I was miles away," "I thought I could hear you crying." "Are you still suffering, darling?" "In bad weather." "Rose says I'm like a barometer." "Will you show me?" "The bruise was here." "Goodbye, darling." "I'll get Rose." "Catholic armies, our glory is now" "When your grandfather returns from Nantes, you can sing for him." "Rose said your husband had returned." "He's visiting the farms." "Mr Brilhac left a letter for Henri-Charles." "He was glad to visit and hopes to come as often as the war allows." "What will he do here?" "Are you going back with him in some way?" "Will you marry?" "That's impossible." "I'm only a woman from the waist up." "Good lord, Constance!" "Maurice quarrelled with his father." "I forgot about the key." "I can't admit it now." "What should I do, aunt?" "You mean:" ""What can you do, aunt?"" "I didn't want to see you." "I'm sorry." "I feel guilty." "Did you make the hole in the door?" "It wasn't there before you came." "I'm so ashamed of my behaviour." "I had no right to make that hole." "I heard noise here, last week." "I had to see." "I saw a seated man, who disappeared." "I didn't know you were next door." "I knew when I heard you moving." "How come you have the key?" "I took it in the steward's room when his wife was fetching milk." "I was curious about the summer house." "I wanted to go in." "You can ask me to leave." "My family knows nothing about this passage." "Only Gaspard, the steward, knows about it." "I've admired you courage for years." "Your judgment, too." "I can confide in you." "I have the job of storing silver and gold for the families that support the insurrection." "I have it melted to make money." "I'll keep your secret." "I promise." "The passage can't be opened from the bedroom." "It only works from this side." "Deliveries are made at night, when it's safer." "Gaspard helps me." "These stairs lead down to an underground room, where everything's stored." "A tunnel leads off under the house and park to the summer house." "We take everything down to the creek where the boats await." "There are other depots in the Vendée." "The Republicans are hunting for them." "Don't forget, even a friend could be a traitor." "Give me the key." "My dear Saint-Hilaire!" "Delighted to see you." "My dearest relative, I'm back again." "Can you put us up?" "We'll be gone by dawn." "I'll show you your rooms after supper." "We're out of action." "The day after we took Saumur, which cost 400 men, our men went home to work on their farms." "They don't want to be soldiers." "That's why they fight." "Did you miss me?" "What do you think?" "You must be pleased our armies have a leader." "He doesn't like Cathelineau." "He'll be as good as my ass." "Cathelineau, saint of Anjou." "Lescure, saint of Poitou." "All these damn saints." "We need a real leader." "The Rhine army is heading for the Vendée." "I've fought them." "I've seen them." "You upset everyone." "Was that necessary?" " Let's talk in your room." " No." "Outside." "That's fine." "Anything you can do inside, you can do outside." "In an oak tree." "I've got something to say." "We can't be together." "These meetings are pointless." "I'm always waiting, day and night for you to come or for a letter." "And for you, it's a problem that I'm not near you and you have to make the effort to come." "Be quiet now." " A scar?" " Yes." "This is too much." "If we had a port, the English could come." "We've decided to attack Nantes." "Will you take my little one?" "I don't understand." "My son." "He'll be in the combat zone, near Nantes." "I don't know what to do." "Take care of him." "His mother must miss him." "Send him there." "She turned him into a weakling who cries over nothing." "Never!" "I'll leave him, if you say no." "How could I say no, if you think he'd be happy here?" "I am Joseph Brilhac, ma'am." "The general's cousin." "I'm to bring you in." "My idiot son has fallen off his horse." "He's being treated." "What do you think of Joseph?" "He's the sort I like." "He's got no fear." "He's itching for a fight." "He'll be a good soldier." "Let's see Alexandre." "You'll have plenty of time for that." "We're leaving in an hour." "You're mine till then." "You we sick in this library." "In this vase." "I've not been back in this room..." "I thought it was somewhere else." "We attack Nantes at dawn on the 29th." "I won't be back before then." "Let's say goodbye here, darling." "Goodbye, General Brilhac." "God save you." "Mr de Charette can't be the only one surrounded by women." "I bet you are too." "You're soaking my jacket with tears." " Is it serious?" " No." "Just shock." "Hello, Alexandre." "How are you?" "Is he gone?" " Your father?" " Yes." "He left with your cousin." "Is he coming back?" "Not for a while." "I'm to look after you." "I know your name." "Do you know mine?" "Constance." " Why are you in a chair?" " I am crippled." "Does it hurt?" "Sometimes." "How's your head?" "It bled a long time." "The dressing's bloody." "It will soon heal." "My mother does embroidery." "Do you know her?" "No, Alexandre." "I only know your father." "Do you like him?" "He's an old friend." "I hate him!" "I hope he gets killed." "Why do you hate him?" "He tried to kill my mother!" "He wanted to steal her money." "Your father's strong." "She'd be dead, if he'd wanted to kill her." "You don't know my father." "When I was young, one day when I was in my mother's arms, he hit her so hard that even I was covered in her blood." "I was too young to remember." "My mother told me." "I often dream of it." "Let's talk about something else." " Do you have siblings?" " 2 sisters and 3 brothers." "I was the youngest." "I was spoiled." "I was awful, but they always forgave me." "What did you do?" "The Nantes attack has failed." "After a long battle, the outcome uncertain," "Cathelineau was mortally wounded." "Our peasants lost their morale." "We were routed." "Is my father dead?" "We don't know." "Joseph is with them." "Joseph has confirmed that the Republicans are coming along the coast." "The General sent this." "God bless you." "The Vendée soldiers weren't strong enough to stop the Republicans." "They might be at Grosse Terre tomorrow." "My dearest, a hard fight lies ahead." "I don't know when I'll be back." "Should we stay or go?" "Henri-Charles isn't here." "There are only women and children here." "They won't hurt us." "Let's go in." "The coming days will be dull at Grosse Terre." "Send my boy and his tutor, or the Republicans will take him hostage." "I gave Joseph instructions." "Mr Philippeau will take you to the creek." "Mr de Saint-Hilaire and Joseph await you." "You've had troubles." "I would like to have kept you here, but the Republicans are coming." "It'll be too dangerous for you here." "You'll be with Joseph and your tutor." "You be away from the fighting." "Will I see my father?" "I don't know." "Give me a hug." "I'm ashamed." "I feel sorry for myself, not that poor boy." "Poor little wastrel!" "You and your blue demons." "They'll leave you soon." "My aunt!" "Oh!" "Excuse me." "We've lost Alexandre." "He's gone." "What happened?" "I saw him getting on the boat." "Just as we were casting off some young boys came to say that the Republicans were nearby." "The tutor started shouting:" ""Alexandre!"" "He'd gone." "We searched the boat." "The sailors couldn't wait." "They set off with Joseph and the tutor." "What do we do now?" "Turn round." "Search the creek, the park, the woods." "I'll go too." "There!" "I won't go." "You can't force me." "He's been in the water for 3 hours." "We'll have to keep him." "The Republicans." " Do you have your father's keys?" " Yes." "To the summer house." "Quick!" "Stop!" "Push the desk." "Rose, help." "Lift the carpet." "Open." "There's a tunnel down there that links up to the château." "Maurice, go with Alexandre." "You'll come to a room with stairs." "They lead to a room beside mine." "Uncle Charles-Eugène's room?" "Hurry." "At the top, the door opens from your side." "Don't open it until I tell you." "Be brave, Alexandre." "Maurice, give the keys to Rose and go." "Rose, no one must know about this." "I hope I did right." "They're coming across the park." "Where's Maurice." "Why isn't he here?" "Mrs Beaulieu de la Doucetière is here." "The road to Saint-Gilles is blocked." "Colonel de Marcy and I are old friends." "He's my neighbour." "Constance." "How delightful." "I didn't know you were here." "Who owns the house?" "Mr de Saint-Hilaire, my husband." "He's in Nantes." "Is everyone here?" "Not the servants." "My step-son is with the steward." "Anyone hiding an insurgent will be arrested" "and tried." "All we need is one witness." "Any man carrying weapons will be executed." "Search the whole house." "Break down any locked door." "Have the farmers bring the livestock." "And empty the granaries!" "We'll move into the whole of the ground floor." "A bad day for travelling." "It would have been better to stay home." "As a widow on my own, I was frightened." "I was hoping to flee the fighting." "You must stay here now, under my authority, like the others." "We're taking over the kitchens." "You'll be given food." "Your keys, ma'am." "Can't I go into my kitchens?" "Your provisions and everything else now belong to the Republic." "Give Mrs Beaulieu your room." "You take mine." "We found this man hiding in the park." "It's Mr Philippeau, the steward." "He didn't know you were here." "Its seems that until today you were keeping the son of an enemy of the Republic." "Brilhac de la Verrerie." "The boy was supposed to go to Aiguillon but he disappeared." "What's that?" "I'm worried." "You're his godmother." "You know his whereabouts." "You're telling me he fled?" "I'm stuck in this chair." "How could I know what happened?" "You're better placed to find out." "This man and Mr de Saint-Hilaire have looked everywhere, without finding him." "Mr Philippeau, have you and my nephew both looked for him?" "Yes ma'am." "Perhaps Mr de Saint-Hilaire found him and he managed to board the boat?" "Brilhac has Republican blood on his hands!" "Blood of massacred prisoners." "Harbouring his family will bring you all to the scaffold." "Colonel, you saw Mrs Beaulieu here." "We didn't hide her." "She's his sister." "Arrest her." "She has no contact with her brother!" "And her late husband sided with the Revolution from the beginning." "I sent that boy away to protect him." "He's not responsible for his father's acts." "His father doesn't care about him." "I hope he's safe and sound." "There's no air down there, Rose." "No air or light." "We have to wait for people to sleep." "Mrs Beaulieu still likes the men." "While we eat this soup, soldiers brought meat and wine to her room." "With 2 plates on the tray." "Is Colonel de Marcy the lucky man?" "The very same." "I didn't believe that her presence at Grosse Terre was a coincidence." " Maurice?" " Yes." "I was waiting till later." "We had to come out." "Alexandre fainted." "There was no space." "Put him there." "Alexandre!" "Alexandre!" "I was almost suffocating and I thought it was all quiet." "Rose!" "Rose!" "Calm down." "Rose!" "His clothes are wet." "I kept you something to eat." "The wine will help you." "Maurice!" "Mrs Beaulieu is in your room." "Your wife's next door." "Don't tell anyone how you came in." "The doors are shut." "There are sentries outside." "Go to your father's room." "My sister was nervous." "I told her to take a sleeping potion." "She should be sleeping." "People are stirring." "Alexandre." "I'm going to keep you here." "But you have to hide, while the soldiers are here." "Don't send me back in that hole." "I'd rather stay here and be captured." "Rose, tell them that Brilhac's son is here." "No." "No." "I'll go back." "Rose will bring you covers, bread and a light." "I'll tell you when it's safe." "Get dressed quickly." "Yes?" "My aunt!" "Maurice is back." "He managed to climb into his father's room." "He has a fever." "He'll explain everything." "I hope so." "A few cabbage leaves." "And no fat." "Look how pale the children are." "And Mrs Beaulieu is dining every evening with our captors." "Is she really his mistress?" "Marie-Morgane would sleep with the devil." "Am I disturbing you, Constance?" "You must go to bed early." "Or late, when the company's good." "I think this is where they kept the madman." "Mr de Saint-Hilaire's brother." "I know nothing about that." "They say there was a cupboard here." "They shut him inside." "There's no cupboard." "Just that bathroom." "I'm sorry you had to give your room to Jeanne-Marie." "I would have made do." "We put you somewhere with the space for your dinner guests." "Servants' gossip is a spinster's indulgence." "My presence spared you the worst." "Keep up the good work." "That's all we ask." "You're quite astonishing!" "My brother makes no secret of his attachment to you." "A woman that you can't touch is quite a toy." "The Republicans have suffered defeats." "If they continue, it'll be dangerous here." "Your brother-in-law is strange, leaving his family and house at a time like this." "He wants to save what he has in Nantes." "He used to be a tax collector." "Is he still?" "He doesn't tell me." "Perhaps by sacking Grosse Terre you'll find the gold and silver you think is there." "Now, good night." "Our soldiers have taken Challans." "They're coming here." "The dishwasher says the Republicans are leaving." "I have been informed that your husband and father are hiding precious objects here:" "gold and silver belonging to the Republic." "Tell me where it is." "What do you mean?" "You already have the silverware." "And you, sir, know nothing of your father's criminal activities?" "I know nothing of hidden treasure or any hiding place at Grosse Terre." "My father left me in charge." "This time it'll be more than a search." "Destroy everything!" "Clothes and jewels." "Strip the walls!" "I swear by all that's good that I'd tell you, if I knew." "Spare my house." "Why should I, when my own house has been sacked by that scoundrel Brilhac, who calls himself General?" "You're lucky to be alive!" "Maurice, tell them, if you know of a hiding place." "I don't, mother." "You're the colonel's friend." "Please do something." "I can't." "We're not from Saint-Hilaire." "It's not our business." "Would you like to play cards?" "I haven't played for 15 years." "Perhaps you're frightened of playing against me." "I'm not frightened." "Cut." "3 cards." "4 cards." "They're in your room, Constance." " 47." " The same." "The harpsichord!" "My doll!" "The altar from the chapel!" "4 to the ace." "Same." "Three to the ace." "Good." "Colonel de Marcy's order has been executed." "The walls are bare." "And just a few chairs remain." "Did you find the treasure?" "We're going." "The search is over." "We'll be back." "They're leaving." "They're going." "He's breathing." "Alexandre!" "Alexandre!" "People are so happy." "Everyone's hugging and eating." "You're sister's back with her husband." "Mrs Alice is with Mr Pierre, who gave me..." " Is my father there?" " No." "Mr de Courcy gave me this letter for you." "He doesn't even know if we're alive or dead." "My dear, I couldn't come to you." "Your house is in a horrible state." "Allow me to kiss your hand in gratitude." "You were very brave." "I would have done the same." "The General says he's preparing a new offensive." "Where?" "Luçon." "No one can stay at Grosse Terre." "We must all leave." " Where will you go?" " Grand Lieu." "I'm sorry, Constance." "Grand Lieu has been burned." "Grand Lieu?" "Burned?" "Rose..." "We're going to Saint-Cyr, with my brother." "Our soldiers hold the coastal road." "I'll take Alexandre to his father, in Luçon." "Look for your father." "Look for him!" "Right in the heart!" "When my father sends for me, you'll live with us." "He's got enough to do without looking after me." "Rose and I will look after you." "I'd like to live with you." "I love you more than anything." "Like my own mother." "Almost." "I love you too." "Dear Constance!" "Hello, Rose." "Who's this young man?" "François-Denis's son, Alexandre." "I'm bringing him back." "Our peasants burned piles of dead Republicans." "I've still got the smell in my nose." "Brilhac executed the prisoners." "He says pity is a weakness." "We're ransoming them." "Brilhac has seized all the local livestock." "Some give blood, others give cattle." "If you're not with us, you're with the enemy." "I saw your brother on the battle field." "We hadn't met for a long time." "A long time." "Ladies." "Pierre de Courcy told me you were here." "You're so thin." "You should have freed us and brought food." "Joseph is my aide de camp." "And my relative." "Come on, son, give your dad a hug." "My poor son." "Just skin and bones." "Eat up." "Fill your stomach, if you want to be a man, like Joseph." "Constance, you've finished eating." "I'll take you to your room." "Ladies, gentlemen." "Joseph, wait in the stables." "Good night." "That rogue." "You don't care what my brothers think." "I don't think you care either." "Good evening, Rose." "Miss Allard doesn't need you." "Your brothers are prudes and your sister-in-law is as stupid as her brother that they wanted you to marry." "He's on my general staff." "An idiot and a coward." "You'll live with me." "I have my quarters in a nice manor." "What would I do surrounded by soldiers?" "Be happy with the creatures in your harem." "Be quiet, while I kiss you." "Please." "I'm under my brother's roof." "I don't know why you came so close to Luçon, in the combat zone." "Because I have the misfortune of needing to see you, even for just an hour." "That beauty spot..." "I wanted to see it again." "Can you feel me kissing you?" "Yes." "That boy that you like so much, Joseph... you didn't say how you were related." " Who was his mother?" " A farm girl." "She was very kind to me." "She's married now with 12 kids." "When did you know about Joseph?" "When I came back to the Vendée." "I had a bowl of milk with his mother." "I noticed the resemblance." "She remembered me." "I took the boy." "I was delighted." "It was when we used to meet in the oak." "I didn't see you every day." "Brilhac told me, via my brother-in-law, that he's setting up his quarters at my house." " He must have mentioned it." " No." "He took advantage of your youth." " And now of your illness." " You're wrong." "I knew that you'd be annoyed." " I was preparing to go with him." " No matter what I think?" "Miss Allard." "Mr Chambon." "Can I see the General's rooms?" "There you are." "What time is it?" "Gone 2 o'clock." "We had a last war council." "We attack at 5 o'clock." "How do you see things?" "Our General Delbé can't impose his will." "Everyone does what they want." "Including me." "I gambled tonight." "It might come off." "General Cani served with me once." "We were comrades." "For the right price, he might hold off." "Our defeats have cost a lot of deaths." "I'll try paying, before more die." "How?" "Joseph slipped into town at night." "He has money for Cani." "Are you sure he can be bought?" "We'll find out." "And if they take Joseph?" "He's as cunning as a fox." "He'll get away." "Try to sleep, darling." "A third defeat, and the hardest." "From dawn we were raked with grapeshot." "Our men panicked." " Thousands died." " And the general?" "I don't know." "We were dispersed." "They didn't shoot him." "They didn't execute him." "Because his name's Brilhac." "They hanged him outside the town, so I'd see him." "That's war." "He could have been shot or hacked to death." "He wanted the mission." "I should have stopped him." "You were his hero." "He'd died following you." "That's what he wanted." "You said it was a bad idea." "You were worried." "I wasn't." "I'll never forgive myself." "When we saw Joseph swinging up there, the General rushed into them, shouting: "Kill!"" "But our men fled." "Chambon, your brother-in-law, your old flame, Constance, was the first to run." "You're a Brilhac." "Our enemies might hang you too." "You're to go to Spain with your tutor." "We'll take you to the coast." "Pack your bags with Rose." "No father is as hard on his son as you are." "I only have 1 son left." "He trembles when I speak." "We need to toughen him up." "Let me try to make a man out of him." "Palletier, who baptised him, will meet him in Saint-Sébastien." "I've given his tutor instructions for study." "We're going." "Joseph's murderers are around." "We'll track them down to hell." "Till the next time." "Our swords were red with blood day and night." "We've crushed the Mayençais, who took so many of our towns." "There was disagreement after the battle." "The armies separated." "Rose will redo your bandages." "Can I see you alone?" "Our army was faced by vastly superior forces." "One of our officers took his men to the other side." "We lost 900 men." "We had to pull back." "When they found that officer, he said that he and his men had been lost." "Mr Brilhac shot him through the head on the spot." "That officer... was your sister-in-law's brother," "Lieutenant General Chambon de Neuville." "You can't go off alone because of that murderer." "No one asked you to leave." "No one asked me to stay." "I understand." "I'm going to Lucille." "Mr de Saint-Pol?" "They told me where I'd find you." "My sister, Lucille." "I'm joining the Charrette army." "General Brilhac sent this." "His writing's shaky." "The general has been seriously wounded." "My love, my heart, I know now what you've suffered." "I love you." "I'm waiting." "Let's go back." "Where is he?" "In Grasla forest." "We were defeated at Cholet." "100,000 Vendée troops crossed the Loire with women, children and injured." "How should we go?" "Show me." "To get to Grasla?" "Are you crazy?" "That man's been bad news from the beginning." "The Republicans are burning towns and villages." "I came through at night." "Is it you?" "You're welcome, ladies." "I'm Jacques Brilhac, the general's nephew." "Every hour, the general sent me to see if you were coming." "I didn't dare ask if he was alive." "The General whacked his doctor with a stool." "He can't touch him." "Now you're here, the General might calm down and stop insulting people." "Don't tell him I'm here yet." "I want to clean up." "You fool!" "You cut me!" "Where's my aide de camp?" "There you are." "I came quickly." "I couldn't stay at my brother's." "Chambon, that deserter!" "A bullet was too good for him." "Leave us, Jacques." "You're bleeding." "I was making myself nice." "That idiot cut me." "Is Rose with you?" "Yes." "She'll take care of you." "You'll have to hold my hand, to stop me whacking her." "Of course." "I'm ugly and I smell." "Will you kiss me?" "My love." "God!" "Damn!" "What about my brother Tristan and Pierre de Courcy?" "Did they cross the Loire?" "It took place at night." "I don't know who got across." "My God!" "Damn!" "We're quite a pair, darling." "There's a tree near the village where I used to play." "I slipped in." "There's a gap in the trunk." "I saw men and women being impaled or sliced up, shouting: "Finish us off."" "The Republican general shouted:" ""Cut!" "More!"" "The soldiers cut ears and tongues." "They blinded people." "The general shouted:" ""Kill them all." ""Destroy everything."" "When night fell, they burned the village." "My tree burned slowly." "I got out." "I ran to a farm where I'd left my baby." "I found him in pieces... neatly chopped... and left in his cradle." "You're frozen." "Sleep with me tonight." " Should I call Rose?" " We don't need her." "All right, darling?" "Not too cold?" "I'm all right." "Let's see which of us 2 cripples is more inventive." "Jesus, help us believe in victory over death today as we pray for our murdered children in our towns and villages." " Where was she?" " She was in the woods." "It's Mr de Saint-Pol!" "She's fevered." "Miss Allard!" "You arrived safely, thank God." "When I told your brother..." "Which brother?" "Tristan?" "He's in the Charette army with Courcy." "Of the 100,000 who went to Brittany, a few survived." "The army was wiped out." "Did you know?" "Yes." "But not that Tristan had crossed the Loire." "He wanted to come to Grasla, but he was wounded." "He's at Grosse Terre." "The Saint-Hilaires are there." "Only Charette and Stoffet are fighting, each on his side." "They've fallen out." "Mr Charette was worried about you." "He's trying to rally the remaining troops." "What about the English?" "The English?" "We're waiting for them." "But they were put off by the bad news." "Without them, there'll be no king and no Vendée." "You've suffered enough." "You'll go to Grosse Terre." "Haxo, the Republican leader, is a soldier, not a murderer." "You'll stay with the Saint-Hilaires." "I'll go to London." "Since those days in the oak," "I've never been as happy as here with you." "Peace is signed." "Charrette signed with 12 Vendeans and 12 Republicans." "We can come and go again." "We'll see Lucille." "The English aren't coming?" "They've forgotten us?" "You know..." "I got a letter from London after my arrival." "The General said nothing about the English." "There was news of Alexandre." "Charrette signed the peace." "He was out of supplies." "The Republicans were exhausted." "The Convention wanted peace." "We're making peace with those monsters?" "They slit pregnant women's bellies and fed their horses from them!" "They've drowned thousands of men, women and priests, tied up and thrown into the Loire!" "And now we're friends with them?" "The others have all disappeared, but they say that Charette broke the peace." "The English were preparing to come." "If the war starts again, I don't want to leave my wife and daughter." "I'll entrust Grosse Terre to your care and go to Fontenay." "Go, Maurice." "Alexandre!" "My God!" "I didn't recognize you in that costume." "What are you doing here?" "Isn't my Dad here?" "Or the others?" "It's just you." "When did you get here?" "A few weeks ago." "I was happy in London." "I wanted to become a painter." "Dad's said that's for women." "I came back with him." "We travelled in peasants' clothes." "My father had meetings at Doucetière, where my aunt and your brother are." "I didn't know Tristan was with your aunt." "It's just me here." "The Saint-Hilaires are away." "We knew." "My brother doesn't like crowded places for his secret meetings, despite his strange attachment to you." "I'm pleased to see you." "I was a long time without news." "I'll get our bags." "You're lucky my brothers are so indulgent." "But too exclusive." "Mr de Saint-André is here." "He has a room." "He wanted to know if you were here." " He's a devoted friend." " And very rich." "You can't fool Tristan like Philippe." "60 boats are coming, with 20,000 men." "The king's brother, the Count d'Artois is coming." "We've all sworn to ignore the peace treaty." "How long have you been waiting?" "A few hours." "Since Alexandre arrived." "I met a woman who doesn't require punctuality, thank God." "Here we are, darling." "The English and the king's brother are coming." "Before they arrive, we'll take the coast." "We'll smash the Republicans..." "I know that look." "You doubt our success." "You disapprove." "Our men are back in their fields and churches." "They won't die for royalty." "But let's not argue." "Is it because of my hair that you're contradicting me?" "You're greying." "I am too." "I can swear in English now." "And do sweet talk." "It's not as good as Spanish." "It sounds good enough." "Compared to you, the English girls are bland." "Allard, you'll represent me tonight." "I need to know how many troops we have." "The Count d'Artois is waiting for our signal." "I wouldn't care if she slept with all the rest, if my brother didn't love her." "Marie-Morgane won't marry a penniless soldier." "Saint-André is rich." "She won't let him go." "What's his role in all this?" "We need his money for weapons." "While your sister's getting his money, my brother's dying of drink." "Don't go on about your brother's broken heart." "He's a good officer." "That's what counts." "All the meetings with General Hoche mean they have information." "The Republicans have blocked the road to Charette and the sea." "My fear has always been that our friends would talk." "Courcy." "Tell the Brocours and Soléracs the meeting's at 3." "Then go to Pierre Levée and tell Saint-Pol." "Report to me tomorrow." "Yes." "Allard, go to Moutiers and Mareuil." "Tell La Fellière and Villeneuve." "Yes, sir." "Jacques, take my instructions to Tranche." "Yes, uncle." "Any orders for me?" "Yes." "Alice Saint-Hilaire's girls left some dolls." "Make new dresses for them." "How can you treat him so badly?" "Do you enjoy it?" "I want him to turn against me, like a man." "In his own way." "You're back?" "You disobeyed." "No." "Stop joking." "He wanted to leave them together." "Let me past, Constance." "Let me past!" "Give me your sword." "Let's talk in my room." "Out of my way, or I'll hit you!" "Don't go in that room!" "Saint-André!" "Get François-Denis!" "Come out, Allard!" "What have you done?" "I'll scar that woman with my mark." "I'll cut you!" "You fools!" "We have a mission to accomplish." "No questions." "Let's sleep before we leave." "Jacques, take him to bed and call Rose." "No squabbling." "I'll stay with you, Saint-André." "Jacques, you stay with Tristan." "Rose, stay with my sister." "Is she OK?" "Yes, sir." "The bleeding's stopped." "Enough emotion for tonight." "Try to sleep." "Alexandre." "Alexandre!" "Where's Alexandre?" "He was in the dining room, when everyone else had gone." "Courcy must be there by now." "We should go." "We must go!" "We've been betrayed!" "When I was leaving Pierre Levée, we were surrounded." "Our 400 men were half asleep." "They were killed." "I was captured with the others." "Saint-Pol was killed." "I escaped and rode off." "I got here because I know the roads well." "They're everywhere." "Why did I get involved!" "The Republicans knew." "In the night, a rider went to Challans and gave the police our details." "They knew you'd be there." "They said: "Give us Brilhac."" "Who knew, apart from us?" "Who's the traitor?" "Who cares?" "What's done is done." "Saddle a horse for Saint-André." "Go with him." "And you?" "They want you." "They'll be at Grosse Terre soon." "You should go, quickly." "Marie-Morgane remembers those evenings when our father told us war stories about our ancestors." "I'm a soldier." "I have faults, but no bitterness." "Revenge means nothing to me compared to king and country." "There has never been a traitor in my family's long and bloody history." "He was a soldier, they'll say." "A king's general in the Vendée war." "The last in his line, because he had no sons." "What should I do?" "Will you do it or should I kill myself?" "It's my fault." "I've caused my friends' deaths." "I won't go." "Let them come and take me." "There'll be a Brilhac martyr." "We'll look good on the scaffold." "We'll be there too." "What will happen to us if the Republicans find you?" "The Republicans are approaching." "Good." "Where's that secret room?" "Alexandre knows it." "Take your father, while there's time." "Follow me." "I thought it was in the house." "I've spent hours looking for it." "I could have stopped you falling from that horse." "Yes." "I didn't tell you where the ditch was." "No, you didn't." "A man from this house, a rebel called Courcy, has escaped us." "We're going to search for him and other suspects." "We were told that Brilhac was here." "You both know him." "General Brilhac is my brother." "I can tell you, he's in London with his son." "But search the house, if you'd like to." "Isn't that so, Constance?" "Colonel Jocelyn will decide." "Until he arrives no one enters or leaves the premises." "10 minutes." "Henri-Charles!" "My wife and daughter forgot some things that I'm to collect." "I'm allowed in, as I'm the owner." "Guards brought me to the door." "They're waiting for me." "You chose a bad moment to come." "They told me what happened at Pierre Levée." "I left at once." "We don't have much time." "We must be quick." "At night, I went to the summer house." "I opened the trap door and whistled..." "I left your message on the stairs." "Let's hope the rope is still good." "I'll be on the watch." "We were just in time." "It was so stuffy and hardly space for a dog." "It was full of rubble." "The house is surrounded." "They're interrogating Marie-Morgane." "A Brilhac won't talk." "She'll tell them nothing." "Mr de Saint-Hilaire came." "He was allowed in." "He brought this." ""Anyone that hides François-Denis Brilhac" ""will be arrested and tried for high treason" ""and his family imprisoned."" "The Republicans have the coast." "And..." "Count d'Artois has left the Île-d'Yeu, heading for England." "That's a shame." "He's always been unreliable." "He blows with the wind." "Colonel Jocelyn will be here and the search will begin." "M. de Saint-Hilaire has a boat." "He's leaving for Holland." "A boat could pick up some passengers." "It'd be easy." "And they won't need the summer house." "Henri-Charles wants the passage destroyed." "The wood's dry." "It'll burn easily." "I'll set to work." "Once you block it, the passage will be finished." "Go." "I'll follow." "When I come back, you'll give in." "I'll marry you." "Do you love me?" "I do, for my sins!" "Forgive Alexandre." "For the love of me." "I already have." "But the Brilhacs are strange." "He won't forgive himself, you'll see." "Who gave the order to burn that building?" "I think it was Lepage." "He should have awaited my order." "The house will be searched." "You can't stay here." "Who can take you?" "My sister and brother-in-law, at Port-Saint-Père." "Marie-Anne is with Lucille." "She will be tomorrow, no doubt." "All right?" "The summer house has been reduced to rubble." "The boat set sail at 5 this morning, as planned." "The fisherman found his passenger waiting on the shore and took him on board." "They say he looked tired." "One passenger?" "Yes." "Why?" "Nothing." "When he left the boat, the passenger gave the fisherman this piece of rope." "He said it's for you." "He brought it earlier." "There was this note." "It says:" ""Tell Constance that a Brilhac has chosen his way out."" "Do you understand what it means?" "Yes, Henri-Charles." "I understand." "I'm sorry." "It's personal." "It's over." "Thank God." "Drink, Constance." "To François-Denis, the King's General." "Let's hope he finds peace in Holland." "Now, take courage." "One day our exiled king will come back." "Your General will come back." "Subtitles:" "Eclair Group"