The Poisoned Crown by Maurice Druon

Author:Maurice Druon
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2011-09-22T22:06:28+00:00

Never could he have believed that his judge would appear in the marriage chamber in the form of so beautiful a woman, her hair trailing behind her like a comet.

Louis's face crumpled; he looked like a child about to cry.

`And what do you want me to do now?' he asked in a shrill voice. `I can't bring the dead back to life. You don't know what it is to be a King ! Nothing that has happened has been done altogether by my will and yet you blame me for everything. What do you expect to get by it? What's the use of blaming me for things that cannot be undone? Leave me, go back to Naples, if you can't stand the sight of me any longer. And wait till there's a Pope, so that you can ask him to untie the knot that binds us! Oh, the Pope ! The Pope they've never succeeded in making,' he added, clenching his fists. 'You don't know how, hard I tried ! None of this would have happened if there had been a Pope.'

Clemence placed her hands on his shoulders. She was a, little taller than he was.

`I would never think of leaving you,' she said. -'I am your wife to share your lot, your sorrows as well as your joys. What I desire is to save, your soul, to inspire you with repentance, without which there is no forgiveness.'

He gazed into her eyes, and saw there nothing but goodness of heart and a great strength of compassion. He felt relieved; he had been so frightened of losing her! , And he drew her to him.

`Dearest, dearest,' he murmured, 'you are better than I, oh how much better, and I don't know how I should live without you. I promise to mend my ways and to repent of the harm - of which I have been the cause.'

As he spoke, he hid his head in the hollow of her shoulder and touched her neck lightly with his lips.

`Oh, dearest,' he went on, `how good you are,' How wonderful you are to love ! I promise I will be such as you would wish. Of course I have fits of remorse, and sometimes they terrify me ! I can forget only when I am in your arms. Come, dearest, let's make love.'

He tried to lead her to the bed, but she stood still and he felt her grow rigid in refusal.

No, Louis, no,' she said very softly. `We must do penance.'

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