"Wait!" " I win!" "I demand a prize." " Anything." "I want that." "Good." "I felt like a dip anyway." " Did you hear that?" " They're hunting." " Here." " I don't want it now." "You little minx!" "First you want to play, then you don't." "And this poor flower didn't ask for anything!" "Well, I'll just put it back." " What's the matter?" " Nothing." "Odd sort of a hunt!" "Come on!" " Let me go!" "I'll massacre them!" " No, they'll kill you." " Let me go!" " No!" "Run to Sancé." "I'll go to Monteloup." "Tell all the farmers to take shelter in the castle." " I'll kill the dogs!" " Do as I tell you, Nicolas!" "Quickly!" "ANGÉLIQUE Marquise of the Angels" " Where's Angélique?" " I don't know." "Where's Angélique?" "Don't worry, Your Lordship." "Nothing could happen to Angélique." "The cart blocking the gate!" "Get a bonfire ready!" "Light it on my signal!" "Angélique!" "Here she is!" "Let Mademoiselle Angélique through." "Where have you been?" "Where were you?" "I was nearly dead with worry." "You shouldn't be outside." " Pray for us." " Saint Ignatius, pray for us." " Pray for us." " Saint Damian, pray for us." " Pray for us." " Pray for us." "There you are!" "Where have you been?" "I'm sorry to admit that this is my sister Angélique." "You should have been here to welcome Counselor Fallot, lawyer in Paris and my fiancé." "If I hadn't been out, I couldn't have warned the villages." "How can father allow such licentiousness?" "Get dressed!" "Do I shock you, Mother?" "Brother?" "Counselor?" " Don't try to be clever!" " Better than being stupid!" " Beauty doesn't excuse everything!" " It helps!" "This is no time to bicker, sisters." " She owes me respect!" " You owe me your lives!" " God hears you." " Let us pray." "There they are!" "There they are!" "Let them get closer before firing." "Look!" "Forward!" "Forward!" "Charge!" "Charge!" "Young Plessis-Bellieres fights like other men dance!" "The coast is clear!" "Bravo!" "My dear cousin, your son is already bathed in glory!" "Philippe enjoyed himself." "My son's a colonel, you know!" "He loves a skirmish." "He hid us in the woods and waited until they fired." "Our muskets scattered them, and we cut them to pieces." "Oh, what a delightful interlude!" "One of their chaps was all black!" "Frightful to behold!" "But then his head blew up, and he went all pink!" "To think that you'll be locked away with those popinjays one day." "You'll marry." "You'll move away." "Oh, it was delightful!" "There was a big black chap, and his head blew up!" " Angélique!" " You called, Father?" " Come and say hello." " I don't want to." "That's an order!" " So here she is." " And your young cousin?" "Must we kiss, Father?" "I thought you more gallant than that, Philippe." " Very well." " Too late!" " Well, then!" " What a demon!" "A tigress!" "She's a fiery one." "She's a pearl, Cousin, and deserves a setting of gold." "A companion for my wife." "Bring her to Plessis, away from this place." "She's charming." "I don't want to go." "These simple clothes suit her down to the ground!" " Sell it!" " Philippe, darling!" "Allow me to introduce Angélique, the Marquise of Dull Dresses!" "She wouldn't let me kiss her the other day." "I wonder why." " Maybe she prefers cowherds!" " Gently now!" "Bertrand!" "Robert!" "The countryside is delightful." "Fruit straight from the trees." "Try, Louis." "Your turn, Bernard." "There's enough for everyone." " May I?" " Of course." "Take your turn." " She tastes of raspberries." " You stink like a dog!" "Tallyho!" "Tallyho!" "Tallyho!" "Whoa, there, youngsters!" "You can run around where you like but not in here." "Come on!" "Come on!" "I should have cut my nails." "Do you like that?" "It's like peeling an onion." "How many bodices are you wearing?" "I remember once, when my mare was dressed all in lace." "Quick, off you go!" "Come in!" " Your Grace, the messenger's here." " Show him in." " Well, Monsieur Clément Tonnel." " Your Grace, here is the box." "A lovely green." "Full of hope!" "Roman vitriol." "With such a small bottle, no more King, no more King's brother, no more Mazarin." "We clear the way." " Is it effective?" " And discreet." "A sort of languor followed by death." "Did Monsieur Fouquet send a letter?" "Yes, Your Grace." "Here it is." "Good." "He has countersigned the pact." "Time for some new blood on the throne." "Thank Monsieur Fouquet and ask him to wait." "I shall act when the moment is right." "Gentlemen." "Oh, my!" "Father, what is it?" "Our cousin has no money for us." "He's saving it for the civil war." "So we're lost?" "Poor Sancé loves his cattle so much he takes their smell everywhere!" "Better manure than poison!" "At least we're not plotting to kill the King!" "His Grace, the Prince of Condé!" "Your Grace, my daughter..." "What did I say?" "Plots are always against kings." "Julius Caesar, for example." "This little creature is priceless!" "So you like Julius Caesar?" "The Gallic War is a lively and cruel work, Caesar's crowning achievement." " Do you know it?" " No, Your Grace." "You must learn it." "Five years of Latin in a good convent in Poitiers." "La Fronde will pay for your studies." "What do you say?" "My gratitude is overflowing, Your Grace." "I don't want to go." "My child, the Prince's wishes are our commands." "Come on, Angélique." "Little pest!" " Good old Guillaume." " Mademoiselle Angélique." "It's been so long." " Is this lovely carriage ours?" " Yes." " Where's Father?" " He's fine." "Why fetch me before the year is out?" "That will all be explained when you're back in Monteloup." "The girls are at the convent." " Your brothers are at school." " And Father?" " At the mine." " What mine?" "This old mine is more profitable than I thought." "Peyrac advised me to work it again." "He has a good nose." "Peyrac is from one of the oldest families in the Languedoc." "A fine swordsman and a brilliant horseman, extremely rich, and he's a poet, too!" "His court in Toulouse is one of the most sparkling anywhere." "You cannot fail to like him." " How old is he?" " A little older than you." "You want me to marry him." "Give me your money or die!" "Nicolas!" "Yes, it's me." "You and I together." "I thought I'd never see you again." "How beautiful you are!" "Even more beautiful than before." "Don't look at me like that." "Angélique doesn't hobnob with peasants anymore!" "Don't be silly!" "The master's daughter has grown up and no longer speaks to mere lackeys!" "I thought of you every day, every night, Angélique." " Let me go." " So you've let yourself be sold!" " You're mad!" " Yes, sold!" " Did you meet him in the convent?" " I've never seen him." "Just as I suspected." "The Countess of Peyrac." "Peyrac is the greatest gentleman in the Languedoc." " The richest, too." " That's no crime." "He has everything going for him." "A shame he's also the most hideous looking!" " You're just jealous." " Not exactly." "Not only is he hideous, he's also old, scarred and lame." " You're lying!" " A monster!" "Mind you, that might be exciting in bed!" "You'll see whether I'm lying or not." "Make way for the Count of Peyrac's carriage!" "Make way for the Count of Peyrac's carriage!" "Molines, you're a notary, but you don't have to look like one!" "Madame, the heavens pale beside your beauty." "I am the happiest of men, for I am to become your husband." "Yet I am also the saddest, for my name is Bernard d'Andijos, and I wed you only by proxy." "According to the law and our province's special edict, the betrothed being apart, the civil ceremony will be effected by proxy." "The Count of Peyrac will only meet his wife during the religious ceremony in his town of Toulouse." " Let's drink!" " What are you after?" "Double-vision to see you twice!" "To the bride!" "To the bride!" "Angélique, say something." "Peyrac doesn't like gloomy girls." " D'Andijos, is he really so ugly?" " Ugly?" "No, he's not ugly." "He's hideous!" "Come, Nicolas." "Love me, Nicolas." "Love me." "Come." "I want my first time to be with you." "Someone young, handsome, sweet, gentle." " You will be gentle, won't you?" " Yes." "Angélique!" "No!" "No!" "No!" "No, Nicolas!" "How dare you?" " Stop, Guillaume!" "I order you!" " Let me go." "God damn you!" "You'll pay for this, you dog!" " Leave." "Leave!" " No." "Run away." "They'll arrest you." " Come with me." " I can't." "You know that." "Then I won't go." "They're coming!" "Go!" "I'll join you at dawn." "I'll wait in the copse." "I'll wait at the tree by the lake." "Do you swear you'll come?" "Yes." "Now take the horse and go." "Here comes the bride!" "Welcome!" "That was a salvo of honor." "Your home, Your Ladyship." "The land of that sorcerer Peyrac!" "To the bride!" "This way, Your Ladyship." "Angélique Sancé de Monteloup, do you promise to honor and obey" "Joffrey, Count of Peyrac," "Arval, Cavareix, Morens and Irristru?" "I do." " Your reign is over, Carmencita." " On my breasts, it isn't!" "A man like Peyrac needs more than a country virgin in his bed." "He likes fieriness." "He likes pain, danger, strength." "I'd watch out if I were you." "Youngsters can be very wicked." "She'll keep him occupied for a week while he trains her." "Then he'll crawl back to me." "Germontaz, will you let me dance this gavotte with her?" " I was going to ask the same." " Come, gentlemen." "Not dancing, gentlemen?" "My dear Peyrac, your wife could lead a saint astray." " Then you are safe, Your Grace." " What do you mean?" "Your robe and my leg keep us from dancing." " Alas!" " Sorry?" "Understand me well." "God put beauty on this earth for us to look at." " Then look, Your Grace." " She's ravishing." "Does the smoke bother you?" " What is that?" " A cigar." "A horrible thing!" "It looks like excrement!" "I discovered it in the Americas." "It's the purest tobacco." " But when you can smoke a pipe..." " I find the cigar nobler." "Always one to stand out." "You worry me, my son." " You worry me." " Excuse me, Your Grace." "I must rest a little." "I've been dancing since dinner." "Such a profusion of good things!" "I hope you won't forget my good works." "I was in a convent." "I won't." "Your parish is also mine." "Your sweetness is quite touching, but what an odd husband you have." "Your hand, Madame." "Excuse me, Your Ladyship." "Your Ladyship." "Goodnight, Your Ladyship." "You bought me, so do with me what you will and leave!" "I have never forced a doe at bay." "I bid you goodnight, Madame." "I had heard of your beauty, but words do not do it justice." "Your dress for this morning, on the Count's orders." "My work." "Allow me to introduce myself." "You're my wife but know nothing of me." ""Peyrac the sorcerer." They say I do the devil's work, but you'll see how simple the devil is." "My foremen." "In China, I learned chemistry and astronomy." "In India, poisons and antidotes." "In Arabia, algebra." "I was their prisoner." "They sank my ship and left me with a few scars." "Kouassi-Bâ saved my life." "My accountant is a Protestant." "Soldiers came to murder us." "We leapt from the roof." "He broke both his legs." "I only broke one of mine." "This is Fritz Hauer." "I met him in Saxony 10 years ago on my way back from Russia." "He taught me the techniques for cupelling gold, my wealth and yours." "So you've seen the devil's works." "Everything's ready." "An ingot of pure gold." "What would your friend the Archbishop think?" "He'd send me straight to the Inquisition." " So it's true you're a sorcerer?" " What do you think?" " Why tell me all this?" " My wife should know my secrets." "I want to thank you for last night." " For having left you alone?" " Yes." "A simple matter of chivalry." "I wouldn't be so boorish as to put you off love for good." " Thank you." " Think nothing of it." "Every sacrifice carries its own reward." "One day, you will come to me not as a wife but as a lover." "Harbor no such illusion!" "Neither wife nor lover!" " I love your temper." " Why did you marry me?" "Before I knew you, for your father's lead mine." " Business is business." " When I saw you, for your beauty." " And now?" " For your courage." " How happy I'll be when you are mine." " I'll never be yours!" "Time changes things." "I simply ask you to stay beautiful." "Here." "This ingot is yours." " Give it to those poor people." " Fritz, do as the Countess says." "Come here!" "To the Countess of Peyrac!" "Really, my dear Count, you do nothing like other people." " No toadstone in her glass." " Nor in mine." " That's no excuse." " Who would want to poison my wife?" "You?" "I'm not saying anyone here would, but a young bride deserves every safeguard." "And a stone found in a toad's skull changes color in poison?" "A respectable tradition." "Do you really believe in these old wives' tales?" "The nobility use toadstones!" "I know some who have swallowed them and choked to death." "Please allow me to retire." "I must prepare my sermon on humility." "I trust you will be there." "Now he's gone, you can entertain us." " Yes!" " You promised!" " A Court of Love!" " Yes!" "A Court of Love!" " He enjoys their attentions?" " So it seems." " Are they always like that around him?" " It excites them." "Very well." "A Court of Love." " What are they going to do?" " Listen to their idol." "I declare the Court of Love in session!" "Once upon a time, a young woman sat next to a brook." "She was naked." "Then..." "This isn't for you." "The Countess is tired." "Please excuse her." "I'm not a child!" "I'm even younger than you are." "The young man insisted." "She said, "Be calm!"" " I'll continue in a moment." " No!" "Carry on, Joffrey!" "The Archbishop's men are at my heels." "I've come from Switzerland." " Your friend Bernouilli, the physicist..." " You've come from Geneva?" "Yes." "The Inquisition picked up my trace, but I've given them the slip." "Get a good night's sleep." "You're safe from the Archbishop and the Inquisition here." "My presence so early indicates how serious this business is." "Sheltering a man wanted by the Inquisition is a mortal sin, my dear Peyrac." " Which man?" " The captain of the guard is certain." "He saw him enter your home." "Perhaps we could benefit from the Countess' testimony." "Kouassi-Bâ, go and fetch the Countess." " You've overstepped your bounds!" " Any step is hard with my leg." " It'll get you in trouble." " I think not." "May I question the Countess?" "If you don't tire her." "A man came here last night." "Did you see him?" "Tell the truth, Angélique." "I saw no one." "It goes without saying that you wouldn't lie to your Archbishop." " Then why say it?" " You saw no one?" "No one." "My guards were dreaming, then!" "The fugitive doesn't exist." "No more than your mine or your other suspect activities." "Suspect?" "Dare you show me how you extract your gold?" " Is that a challenge?" " It's a challenge." " I'll see you there tomorrow." " We'll be there." "Everyone accuses you of witchcraft." "We shall see." " Thank you for lying." " I did it to save him." "D'Andijos took him to safety at dawn." "You saw us." "It's wrong to lie." " Everything's ready." " He must speak French!" "I represent the Archbishop and must understand everything." "It's an insane risk to take!" "He'll never believe you." "I don't care about him." "It's someone else I'm putting to the test." "He who plays with fire plays with hell!" "It's not a game." "It's a chemical process, cupellation." " What's boiling there?" " The lead bullion." "The heat is such that it absorbs the gold in the ore." "Gold!" "I knew it!" "You know nothing." "Now the cupellation proper begins." "We heat the lead in the bone ash." "Bone ash!" "I have you, Peyrac!" "Witchcraft materials!" "You see, Angélique, the lead seeps into the bone ash." "The pure gold remains." " If that lead becomes gold..." " Work the bellows!" "You might be able to fool men, but you can't fool God!" "Gold is the apple of God's eye." "Blasphemy!" "If producing gold was so easy, everyone would do it!" "He's growing tiresome!" "Everyone knows musical scales, but only Monsieur Lulli can write operas!" "Give him an ingot for the Archbishop." " But his vow of poverty!" "Why?" " Do as I say." " May I take you home?" " It's just that..." "You don't have to go home." "You keep up a hell of a pace!" "Because I'm the devil!" " Another mine?" " A far more precious one." "Come and see." " Where is it?" " Here, Your Lordship." "She's 3,000 years old." "She's three days old." "She's as timeless as true love." " Don't say it's too beautiful." " I won't." "I brought it back from India." "It survived two shipwrecks." "Wear it and bring it alive." "Look." "Sorry." "You're very unhappy, aren't you?" "So am I." "I've lost." "You're neither my wife nor my lover." "You're driving me mad." " I haven't forgotten." " What do you want?" "I can't take it anymore." "Just remember, Joffrey." "You're too excited." "Shall I call someone?" "You're making a mistake, Joffrey." "If I'm ever asked about you, I'll have plenty to say." "Leave!" "I'll make you pay!" " Joffrey, I wanted to tell you that..." " The Knight of Germontaz!" "I didn't invite him." "Unexpected guests are always welcome." "The Archbishop doesn't accept gifts from the devil." "The devil cannot respond to an affront, but I can!" " I shall see you at dawn tomorrow." " Such bravado!" " And all to show off to the she-devil!" " Tomorrow morning!" "No!" "Not you, not tomorrow, but me right now!" " Choose your weapon." " The sword." "Germontaz is a great swordsman." "He's already killed 20 men." " Joffrey is insane!" " No, it's just like him." "It isn't a duel." "It's murder." "Stop it!" " En garde!" " I can't do anything." "Proceed, gentlemen." "Are you crying?" "You're beautiful." "It's unfair." "You have your beauty, and all I offer in return are my face and leg." "But mere good looks are not enough for me." " I no longer scare you?" " No." "I'm still the same." "I love you." "Love truly is blind." "Are you sleeping?" "Joffrey, I was mad." "So many nights I spent not knowing who you really were." "That was before." "Before what?" "Before us." "Are you sleeping?" "I too was mad." "Mad?" "To wait." "To wait for what?" "To tell you." "Well, tell me." "I love you." "I love you." "I'm hungry." "I'm thirsty." "Your Ladyship!" "Your Ladyship!" "Your Ladyship!" "Your Ladyship, look at Florimond!" "He's walking!" "An urgent missive, sir." "Tell His Majesty that I'm honored." "Guess who's coming." "No one could give me the pleasure that you do." "It's not pleasure so much as an honor." "The King is coming." "He'll be passing by with his young wife." "The Vessel of Love!" "Turkey stuffed with guinea-fowl, stuffed with quail." "My recipe." "Accompanied with truffles." "Foie gras on vine leaves." "My brother the King will eat the lot." " We'll be here for hours!" " As long as it takes." "Pomerol, 1629." "It caresses the tongue!" "What was that one again?" "There's something Roman about it." "The hermitage wine, Sire." "You're right." "Caesar drank the same." "My own cellar cannot compare." "Is it your favorite pastime?" "No, Sire." "That would be music." "I saw your instruments." "Admirable!" "You also have a cabinet of medals, a gallery of antiques." " How do you do it?" " It's a labor of love." "And that's enough?" "To love is to desire." "One always gets what one desires." "You desire a lot, I hear." "I shall try to desire, too." "And this gold of which I've heard rumors?" "Imagine taking a hill and blowing it apart with plenty of powder." "I dig down to great depths, crush and heat the rock, extract the ore, and finally the gold appears." "Peyrac is insane to boast to my cousin." "You amaze me, Peyrac," "but your greatest treasure, or so I've heard, remains hidden." " Sire?" " The most beautiful woman in the realm." "She was awaiting Your Majesty's pleasure." " Such beauty!" " Guiche!" "You are very beautiful." "Thank you." " You're very imprudent." " Me?" "Those shoulders, eyes, breasts." "Cover those breasts, my dear." "The Court is buttoned up to here!" "A dreary fashion, but take my advice." "Will you introduce me?" "Vardes, the most dangerous rake in Paris!" " Where's the danger?" " I show it on demand!" " He's also a boor." " So I see!" "You and Peyrac are delightful." "So amusing!" "You must come and see me in Paris." "I'm starving." "To tell the truth, so am I. Just a second." "Does Your Majesty wish the ball to commence?" "The Queen is a little fatigued." "Why are you laughing?" "You were so lovely among all those women." "A pearl among beans!" " You'll never be unfaithful?" " Never." " If you ever were..." " You'd kill me." "Hurry!" "The King doesn't like to be kept waiting!" "Put your backs into it!" "No, the King couldn't have..." "Come on!" "Come on!" " The King is leaving?" " He left!" " Without telling me?" " The King is master wherever he goes." "He did you a great honor coming here." "Get a move on!" "Come on!" "Come on!" "Quickly!" "Quickly!" "He just left without a word?" " To think I saved his life!" " What?" "Six years ago, Condé was preparing to kill him at Plessis." "They had some poison." "I saw where they hid it." "I stole the poison and a pact signed by the plotters." "Don't laugh." "Condé is now very close to the King's brother." "He gets whatever he wants." "If he knew you stole the poison, your life would be in danger." " Where are you going?" " To catch the King." "You won't tell him?" "No, but people don't just leave my house like that." "Leave him." "He was bored." "You saw his wife." "You and I are happy, Joffrey." "I saw him watching us." " It's our happiness I'm defending." " No one can harm that." " I must put my mind at ease." " Joffrey." " Farewell, Madame." " Who let you in?" "With your husband on the road, I cannot leave you alone." " Get out!" " How many times have I heard that?" "The ladies always thank me for disobeying." "They were too easy!" "Let me go!" "Help!" "Let me go!" "Help!" "Don't pick it up!" "With cowards, I only use my fists." "I'll find that bitch again, and I shall have her!" "Yes, I shall have you one day!" " Where's Peyrac?" " Gone to talk to the King." "Why?" "He's insane!" "I'll fetch him back." "Questioning the King!" "Say goodnight." "Going to bed, my big bunny?" " What is it?" "What is it?" " The master, taken!" "He killed one, but there were too many for him." "Taken in a carriage." " Was it the Archbishop's men?" " No, the King's soldiers." " Had he spoken to the King?" " No, it happened before." "It can't be!" "Why arrest him?" "Where's Monsieur d'Andijos?" "He's pursuing the King to Paris." "Prepare the carriage." "It must be a mistake." "I too shall talk to the King." " Please, where is the Rue du Palais?" " Hey!" "There was no point in my waiting any longer, huh?" " What was that?" " Where is the Rue du Palais?" "That's easy, my friend." "Keep on until the Seine's last island." "It's the last street on the left." " Very polite!" "What did you steal off them?" " Nothing." "We've taken enough already today." "Shall we go back?" "You carry on stealing." "I've got some thinking to do." "Are you trying to get me in trouble?" "Your husband's been arrested, and you come to our house!" "My sister's house!" "You didn't care about me before with all your gold!" " You hated Joffrey." " If you marry a monster..." "Joffrey, a monster?" "You'll never understand." "He's the best of men and lovers." " Some decency, please!" " Yes, lover!" "Do you know what that is?" "You disgust me!" " I pity your husband." " Why, Madame?" " You're the one to be pitied." " What do you know?" "Your husband has been transferred to the Bastille." " The Bastille?" " It's very serious." "But people do get released." "You're admirably calm, but the King signed the arrest warrant, and the ledger bears neither Peyrac's name nor a charge." "The King wants to keep it quiet." " Exactly." " One of his most loyal subjects..." " He wants him forgotten." " Forgotten?" "Prison often becomes a tomb." "Sorbonne, come here!" "I come to see the Countess of Peyrac." "Counselor Fallot sent me." "Be still, Sorbonne!" "We're in good society here." " What is it?" " Countess of Peyrac..." "François Desgrez, lawyer." "Counselor Fallot said you needed a resourceful man." "I'm at your disposal." " I need a lawyer, not a resourceful man." " I see." "However, none of my honorable colleagues would agree to defend your husband." "All I need is a little information and a few provisions." "You'll have nothing." "I don't believe I need your services." "I know people in the Court." "In that case..." "Sorbonne!" "The queen takes the trick!" "But why was he arrested, no one knows." "There's the ace." "I'll leave the bank." " And imprisoned in secret, too." " What will they do to him?" "There's the jack!" "I'll take it." " Put him on trial." "What else?" " I'd give my life to save him." "I'm going to break the bank!" "I'll do all I can for you, but the memory of La Fronde still rankles the King, and you know my role in that." " Ten thousand livres!" " Banco!" " I've been all over Paris looking for you." " My friend!" "Our friend Lauzun is back from Toulouse." "Your estate is off-limits." "The mine, the house, all sealed!" "Didn't we treat the King well?" " Perhaps too well." " He took offense?" "Perhaps, but that isn't it." "I don't know the true cause." " Countess of Peyrac?" " Yes?" "Someone very important would like to see you." "His Majesty's brother will see you at 5:00." " Me?" " You." "It's about your husband." "But keep it to yourself." "5:00 at his residence." " Well?" " All is well." "Have mercy on us, Lord, and save Joffrey." "Give me strength." "Ask of me what You will for him, for Florimond and for the child I'm bearing." "Night is falling." "I don't want to be murdered in the street." " I'm not afraid." " No, but I am." "Paris is full of cutthroats, and we have no lantern." "His Highness begs your forgiveness." "A sudden fever." "We had to use leeches." " When can I see him?" " Tomorrow at the same time." " Thank you." " The Tuileries doors are locked." "Go by the Jardin de l'Infante." "You'll come out at the Pont Neuf." "I'm terribly sorry for having wasted your time." "Sir, save me!" "My servant's just been murdered!" "You, my beauty?" "And in such a state." "Vardes, if you have any honor, help me to flee." " So you have enemies?" " Nothing but." "Such ingratitude!" "I'm all yours, body and soul." "Just say the word." "Save me, then, and hurry, sir." " Yes, let's hurry." " Where are we going?" "On this couch!" "Not the most comfortable, but who cares?" "I keep my promises!" "At your service." "I saw your husband." " Don't make fun." " I wore this uniform to get in." "I saw Peyrac and know why he was arrested." " Is it possible?" "How is he?" " I'll tell you in there." "No." "It isn't an elegant place, but we won't be disturbed." "Come or I'll say nothing." "You can give this back to him now." "Peyrac's in the Bastille because of the Archbishop." " His nephew's death?" " No, it's not about that unfortunate duel." "The monk, then?" "Peyrac taunted the Inquisition." "That's true." "But a symbolic retribution would have been enough for the Archbishop." "Only he was completely overtaken by events." "He tried to stop the whole thing, but the King upheld the witchcraft charge." "Joffrey respects the King." "But the King doesn't like others to exceed him in certain areas." " My advice is to flee Paris." " Never!" " I'll free my husband from the Bastille." " Only the executioner can." "You're lying!" "You know nothing!" "Why so much dirt?" "The secrets of state are found in the dirt." "It's not only your husband who's in danger." "You are, too." "The King's brother is aware that you know a secret." "I don't know what it is, but it's a terrible one." "I know him." "To protect his friend Condé, he could have you eliminated." " So save your life and run." " Never!" "In any case, Peyrac will be burned at the Place de Greve." " He's innocent!" " Many innocent people mount the scaffold." "Wonderful!" "The forehead of Diana, the eye of Venus..." " And arms like milk." "Sublime!" " Gentlemen, I can't see a thing!" "Yet those splendors are nothing compared to yours, Anne-Marie." "How can I thank you?" "Do me the honor of slightly raising a finger." "Thank you." "A fairy finger." "I didn't even have to throw myself at the King's feet." "He was quite amenable." "If you play your cards right..." "Now go quickly." "Your pose, Madame." "Sire, the Countess of Peyrac is here." " You knew him?" " He lived with his mare." "Quite an eccentric!" "I say, what's she doing here?" "We must act and quickly!" "Sire, forgive my presumption." "It is customary for me to speak first." "Indeed, you're even more beautiful than I remember you." "The golden dress you wore in Toulouse was enchanting." " What is wrong?" " That was my last day of happiness." " Happiness?" " With my husband." "Did I hear correctly?" "You, so beautiful, so desirable, in love with that lame, repugnant creature?" "He is good and charming." "You praised him on his good taste." "He does have a strange charm." "He's a true sorcerer!" " That's not true!" " You forget yourself!" "Your Majesty cannot believe such nonsense!" "I saw what I saw." "He made gold." " Extracted from ore." " Well, he had gold." "So much gold he thought he could do as he liked." "Luxury is not for the herd." "Only the King may live like a king." " My husband is loyal." " By having gold enough to raise an army, to create a state within the state?" "I swear, Sire, that he has never plotted." "We are your most loyal subjects." "On your feet, Madame." " I was told you weren't so shy." " Who dared?" "Come, come." "You refuse the King what you give to others on a bench in my palace?" "Your Majesty stoops to believe a scoundrel's tales?" "What do you want?" "To have your way with me?" "I am nothing now." "Do what you will." "And embrace a ghost?" "Your thoughts would be with that devil!" " Go!" "Let me never hear of you again." " Save him, Sire!" "You are good!" "Leave it to the courts." "Make sure we're not disturbed." "Now to make you disappear." "You have the choice." "Sword or poison?" " Help!" "Save me!" " Only death can save you now." " You wouldn't dare, you cowards!" " You're old enough to do the job yourself." "Quickly, Philippe." "His Majesty's game begins in 10 minutes." " No!" "No!" " You've chosen." "Good." "It's a virulent poison." "You won't feel a thing." "It's the same poison which was meant for you when you were 15." " I saved you then." " Exactly!" "You know too much." "Drink!" "Drink!" "I saved your life once." "Spare me mine." " Drink!" " God is watching." "No doubt." "Let her make her peace." "She's only a witch." "Drink!" "Drink!" "Otherwise..." " Help!" "Help!" " Beware!" "That woman is possessed!" "She slipped from my hands as I was taking her to the convent on the King's orders." " You're lying!" " She threw alcohol in his face." " Not alcohol." "Poison!" " She's insane." " It was poison!" " You're going too far, Cousin." " I know the Countess of Peyrac." " That's enough." "I'm the King's brother." "You are merely tolerated here." "Leave us." "Out, all of you!" "Are you still here?" "Always, when my friends are in peril." "I've helped the Countess before." "For the last time, get out!" "I give you my word as a gentleman." "Your protégée is in no danger." "Is my word not enough?" "The order includes you, too." "Don't worry." "You have my cousin's word." "My word, yes, but not the Knight of Lorraine's!" "Take your revenge!" "Guards!" " Flee!" "They'll kill you!" " You're my only friend!" "That is why I stay." "Go!" "I'll hold them off." "So can the nasty lawyer be of some use?" "They killed my servant and tried to kill me." "They didn't succeed, I see." "The streets aren't safe." "It was in the Louvre!" "They get so bored in that big place." " Farewell!" " Was I right?" " I didn't trust you." " All right, I'm listening." " I had an audience with the King." " And?" "Joffrey's to be tried for witchcraft." "Sorbonne, that's our cue!" "Let's go!" "With the trial in three days, how can you come here?" "You fear for your husband's position?" "You feel the same deep down." "You don't want to cause us problems." "But what about the little one?" "He can't sleep in an inn!" "And the one yet to be born?" " Madame, where will you go?" " Don't worry." "It's a big world." " Where are we going?" " I don't know." "But I do." "Let's go!" " Where are we?" " At the temple." "The perfect place for you." "The King's guards never come here." "Kouassi-Bâ, sell the carriage." "You can live on the proceeds." " Never, Your Ladyship." " Thank you." "Your new lodgings." "You!" "Raymond!" "My sister, respect the robes I wear." "Just as friendly as ever!" "You haven't changed." "Be nice to your brother." "I had trouble finding him." "He's going to help us." " Are Jesuits forbidden to smile?" " No, but this is serious." " When do you see the Great Exorcist?" " No more witchcraft stories!" "You shouldn't have wed a sorcerer." " He isn't, and I'll prove it!" " And we'll help you." "Father Kircher's testimony will be crucial." "All thanks to you." "I'll persuade him to testify if Peyrac really isn't in league with the devil." " The rest is in God's hands." " God knows the truth." "Don't worry." "All stand for the court!" "Bring in the accused." "His Majesty has appointed an extraordinary commission to pass judgment on you, as for the traitor Cinq-Mars." "Accused, take the oath." "I swear to tell the truth, but as..." "No restrictions, or you'll not be allowed to speak!" "The accused silenced, a defense silenced, justice itself silenced." "Makes it a lot easier, huh?" "All right, then." "I swear to tell the truth," " however surprising it is." " The prosecution?" "Gentlemen of the bench and the jury, this is a simple case." "The crime is witchcraft." "The penalty for witchcraft is death." "I demand death!" "No further comment." "I defer to my ecclesiastic adviser." "I carried out on the accused the ordeal of the stamp dipped in holy water." "Anyone possessed by the devil screams when touched by it." "Ten times I touched Peyrac." "Ten times did he scream." " Is this true?" " Yes." "A stamp like this one, my honorable friend?" "Yes, a classical exorcism stamp." " May I try?" " But..." "Your arm." " But how..." " This stamp is an exact copy of the monk's own, the work of an apprentice locksmith at the Bastille." " May I call my witness?" " Do so." "The workman who made both instruments." " It's true, My Lords." " How old are you?" " Seventeen." " His testimony is not valid." "Guards!" " Courage!" " It's you who needs it." "On your feet!" "I request permission for my client to sit down." "He's an invalid and has been tortured for days." "On your feet before your judges!" "On your feet!" " Joffrey!" " Order!" "His Majesty did not permit the public's presence at this trial so that it could degenerate into a circus." "If there are any more such incidents," "I will order proceedings to be held in camera." "The Prosecution's witnesses will convince the court that your client is a spawn of Satan." "A duel!" "Monsieur Germontaz, very strong." "Best swordsman in Languedoc." "Impossible to beat him, but my master..." "Thank you." "In his own words." "Yet the accused, this cripple, did beat the Knight of Germontaz, that prodigious swordsman." "The only explanation is that Peyrac put a spell on him!" "The Head Inquisitor's nephew?" "You flatter me." "And this doll!" "This fetish was found in the coffin of one of your mistresses." "What have you to say?" "It's quite like me, but better-looking." "She took you to the grave like a crucifix!" "Do you think you're God?" "God is handsome." "Peyrac has charmed the jurors." "You must persuade them, Father." " Father Kircher has no doubts." " I'm sure." "If I can get to see your husband, my exorcism will chase any demons far away." "The Great Exorcist's testimony will carry a lot of weight." "I think so, too." "The flames of hell!" "Look, the three diabolical colors!" "Lead is lead, gentlemen." "The rest is all devilry, lies and trickery!" "Lucifer has always wanted to change God's natural order of things." "The smoke is the thoughts of the damned!" " Peyrac!" " All that's left is purification." "Kouassi-Bâ, take the ingot and show it to them." "Don't look!" "You'll fall under the spell!" "Can I see the ore, too?" " Yes, auriferous pyrite." " How do you know?" "From the classes I give at the university." " Order!" " Send out the devil's helpers." "No!" "No!" "It's now time for purgatory!" "Peyrac wasn't content to play with the processes of nature." "He also toyed with human beings." "Tell the court." "That man is death!" "The witness is bewitched!" "Speak!" "He took me from my family, tore me from my husband." "He makes me lose my senses every hour of the day!" "We had to protect this woman by hiding her in a convent." "He laughs during mass." "He breaks crucifixes, sets them on fire and throws them at me to burn my skin!" "Stop this playacting!" "Get up!" "You're no more possessed than I am." "No, don't tear my dress!" "Don't touch my body!" " Enough!" " I give you my soul!" "She's foaming at the mouth!" "Yes, foaming!" "But it's soap!" "They put soap in her mouth!" "The monster is laughing!" " Take her away." " No!" "No!" "There's the proof, gentlemen." "He destroyed a creature made in the image of God." "A hysterical woman's playacting cannot condemn a man to death!" "I have proof that my client is no sorcerer." "Here it is!" ""I, Father Kircher of the Company of Jesus, official exorcist, hereby declare on my soul that Joffrey, Count of Peyrac, exhibits no characteristics of diabolical possession." "Signed 25 December, 1660, at the Bastille."" "The Church itself, the most concerned party, has cleared my client of the crime of witchcraft, or do you prefer the ravings of a backward monk or a madwoman?" "This court demands more than a last-minute testimony fabricated for a lost cause." "Father Kircher can testify in person." "Unlike some, I am no forger." "I demand that Counselor Desgrez be disbarred for contempt of court!" "And I demand the presence here of Father Kircher." "Granted." "We will reconvene tomorrow." "Aren't they coming?" "Are you alone?" "Kircher isn't at the bishopric or at his friend's." " We must find him!" " I'll come." " Not in your current state." " I'm coming with you!" "All stand for the court!" " The court is in session." " It is now 11:00." "Counselor Desgrez' delaying tactics have gone on long enough." "It is time, I think, to..." "Your honor, the body of Father Kircher has been found in the Seine." "He'd been strangled." "It was you." "You had him killed." "It was you, and I shall prove it!" "You used him, and now he can't deny your machinations!" "The gentlemen on the bench will understand." "They already understand that two attempts have already been made on the life of the Countess of Peyrac in the Louvre." " You accuse the King?" " No, those who blind his justice!" "An insult to His Majesty!" "Arrest him!" "This is a mockery of a trial!" "The Archbishop of Toulouse himself opposed the death sentence demanded by Bourié!" "Sorbonne!" "Sorbonne!" "The truth will come out!" "Sorbonne!" "In your heart and soul, do you choose acquittal or death?" " All eight of you." " I don't know anymore." "I just don't know." "Those for death?" "The King has no love for the uncertain or incompetent!" "Peyrac, the court has declared you guilty." "Of course." "You have to kill me, and I'll tell you why." "La Fronde was up in arms, certain princes wanted to poison the King, foreign powers were at our gates, but the King needed Condé, so he forgave him La Fronde, knowing nothing of the poison." "You yourself are poison!" "Imbecile." "Condé has been pampering the King's brother." "He's desperate to find the poison." "Clément Tonnel, Condé's spy, knew that Angélique had stolen the poison and overheard the plot, so her life was in danger, but, to get to her, I had to be eliminated." "And were you?" "I was arrested." "The coast is clear now." "They can murder my wife." "Then they'll be safe." "On what charge was I arrested?" "The most spectacular and ridiculous, witchcraft." " You know everything." " Retrial!" "I demand a retrial!" "He's Peyrac's accomplice!" "We have noticed your sympathy for the accused, but we take note of your demand." "Justice is generous." "Justice needs no adjective." "It is neither above nor below." "It simply is." "Who votes for a retrial?" "No, thank you, my friend." "No one?" "Count of Peyrac, the court sentences you to death." "You will be burned at the stake in the Place de Greve." "I'll leave my children with my sister and go to the King." "You won't get into the Louvre." "There are arrest warrants out for you, me, Fritz and Kouassi-Bâ." " I leave Paris tonight." " You're abandoning me, too?" "Here are some peasant clothes." "Come with me to Monteloup, the only place you and your two boys can hide." "It's impossible." "She cannot put our family in danger, and my superiors are exiling me." "I won't leave while Joffrey lives." "One last thing." "Take this." " It's the price demanded by the executioner." " To save him?" "No, to strangle him and spare him the flames." " My darlings!" " What's going on?" "Your sister's sons, Madame Angélique's boys." "My husband is the Count of Peyrac." "I beg you." "Yes, 30 ecus is the price." "Don't worry." "He'll feel nothing." "I can't believe it." "There must be something I can do." " Read your palm, madame?" " Leave me alone." "There's someone who can save you and Peyrac." " You know me?" " What does it matter?" "Bandits could always ambush the condemned man's cart." " Bandits?" " It's all you have left." "Take me." "It's Barcarole." "Mission accomplished." " The Peyrac widow." " Not yet." "Tomorrow anyway." "Be quiet!" "I've been waiting, Angélique." "I never once lost sight of you." "I knew you'd come." " Nicolas..." " Nicolas is dead!" "He waited for two days in the forest, two days and two nights." "Soldiers caught up with him, but he killed them all." "Now he's called Calembredaine." " Help me." " To attack the condemned man's cart?" " What will you pay?" " Whatever you ask." "Don't offer me gold or silver." "You're ruined." "I'll offer you a deal." "Peyrac goes to the stake at 6:00." "I know every inch of the route." "I'll save your husband's life, then we both leave for America as we decided when we were children." "Think of it, Angélique." "A new life for us." "Nicolas." "Peyrac will live!" "Take it or leave it." "I accept." "It's a dummy!" "They've tricked us!" "Quick, to the Place de Greve!" "For them to execute him in secret, he must have scared them." "The bastards!" "The swine!" "Angélique!" "That creature!" "Catch her!" "She's the sorcerer's woman!" "Throw her on the bonfire, for the love of heaven!" "Don't let her get away!" "Burn her!" "Burn her!" "Let me go!" "Let me go!" "Let me go!" "Give us the woman!" " Let me go!" " Give us the woman." "Let me go!" "Let me go!" "Shoot if you want." "Yes, look." "There are a lot more of us." "Saved!" "Do you hear?" "You're saved, Angélique." "You're safe." "Not even the King can harm you here." "It's no longer America I offer you but a whole citadel." "I offer you the strength to help you find yourself again." "You can count on them." "They're not demons." "An ugly lot perhaps, but good fellows." "You'll be their Marquise." "Marquise of the Angels!" "Angélique, you have to live." "We're here." "You have two boys and your revenge and all of us." "Angélique, you have to live."