2023-03-06 22:24:48Part one. Chapter first
You understand everything, Jane. This marriage is a deal. We are not given a choice. If your father hadn’t refused the king’s offer, you and your unlucky brother would have bathed in gold, ”the tall, prim lady said to the young serious girl, nervously fiddling with a scarf in her hands. “My dear, understand: twenty-seven years old, no dowry, ordinary appearance and your absurd character make you not a very attractive party. And your brother's debts scare away any girl from him, despite his beauty. Maps and wine are not the best pastime for the only remaining member of the Gladstone family. But your uncle put up with it. And even though it killed him, there was nothing he could do about it. And so he went to his grave disappointed. But cheers , Jane! This is your family namemok! Your generation has lived in it since the time of William the Conqueror! Are you going to let him go to some Harris and Bridges? Yes, they are related, but are they Gladstones? This is some kind of scum, albeit with money. And your brother did not find anything better than to contact some courtesan. Even though she calls herself a marquise. And her marquisate was obtained through the bedroom of the royal bastard. Not even a son. I beg you, Jane, think. Bertrand de Gault's proposal is a gift from heaven. And what if he's French? They say he's handsome, immensely rich, maybe not as famous as you are, but...
Listen, aunt, the girl interrupted the lady. “Ever since Bertrand de Gault first showed interest in me, I began to make inquiries about him. His family is old enough to be of interest to any high-born family. His cellars are full of chests of gold and jewels, he is really handsome - I saw his portrait that he sent me. However… Do you remember his coat of arms?
The prim lady grimaced when she was interrupted, but regained her composure.
Certainly. He is very unusual. You won't forget it right away. As far as I remember, one of his ancestors combined the coats of arms of his father and mother: a black field with a gold tithiron* and a black amphisbaena** on red. The coat of arms of the de Gau family now consists of these two halves.
What about his family motto?
"To be above everything." So what?
I think it's too provocative. This is first. Secondly, I heard that in his possessions there is not a single monastery, not a single church.
This is an exaggeration. How is it - no church?
And that is not all. I heard a lot about his ancestors, who united the coats of arms, and especially about how they ruined the monastery, on the site of which they built their castle .
Darling, there was a war. And during the war there are no right and wrong.
The war was over by then. Besides, this Bertrand, bearing the name of his sinister ancestor, was born when his mother was in her fifties. And before that, all her children died. And so it has been in this family ever since the first Bertrand de Gos ruined the monastery. I heard about the curse...
My girl, do not invent. What nonsense you are talking! Well, this lady with babies is out of luck, why just talk about the curse? Yes, maybe, like all the French, they are somewhat vulgar and shameless, but they still have an idea about the rules of honor. Otherwise, Bertrand de Gault did not wait so long for an answer then you.
She rolled her eyes and turned her back on the girl.
And yet ... - The girl stubbornly shook her head. The peasants don't want to serve in his castle. There are rumors in the area that he is a sorcerer, and his sister is a witch. That in his cellars he eats the corpses of ruined servants, and his sister bathes in the blood of virgins in order to preserve her beauty. Even the vagabonds who walk around the cities whisper this castle and the name of its owner. Nobody goes there willingly. Everyone is afraid of vampires and werewolves that live in those places.
Enough! the woman yelled angrily, turning sharply to the girl. - You read too much. And read all sorts of crap. Edward Harris and Tom Bridges, as your guardians, arranged this marriage. I did my best to persuade them to agree - and this is how you answered me! Yes, if it weren’t for me, both you and your fool brother would be on the street, and the family castle would go to a bag of money and an inflated turkey
I am grateful to you, Aunt Eloise, for everything. But you must admit that marriage with such a sinister personality as Bertrand de Gau cannot but frighten me.
Nonsense! You will immediately begin to pack on the road. I have already sent a letter of your arrival.
The lady turned and strode out of the room. The girl was left alone.
She went to the window and sat down, staring into the darkness with unseeing eyes. Her thoughts were far away from this place. It's hard to be proud, poor and ugly at twenty-seven. It is hard to have a poor but proud father, a handsome but stupid brother. It's hard to build a fortress out of sand. All efforts are still shattered by stupidity or pride, and everything must be started all over again.
George and Jane Gladstone are the last representatives of the once mighty noble family. A clan in which each of its representatives was selflessly devoted to the king, the wives all as one loved only their husbands, even the servants were distinguished by rare devotion. And their motto is: “There is no god but Christ. There is no master but the king" spoke for itself. Jane's father paid for this frankness and honesty when the current king offered him to testify about his wife's infidelity: he really wanted to have a son, whom his wife could not give him, but his mistress promised. Howard Gladstone then had a choice - to lose honor or refuse the owner. He chose the second. Jane perfectly understood the king's choice: her father's reputation did not give reason to suspect him of duplicity, and the precarious financial situation could improve significantly if his father agreed. But the direct and proud Howard Gladstone just as directly and proudly refused the king. He believed that his act would command respect. However, the king was furious. The beauty of the father, a family trait of the Gladstone male line, always annoyed the king. His honesty offended the king, who was ready to bend under circumstances or a person for the sake of profit, or force them to bend under him. And then there was the unequivocal refusal, which put the king in a stupid position - all this infuriated the king so much that Howard Gladstone was removed from the court, as the king put it, "because of failing health." He was deprived of all the lands that the king had given him earlier. I would deprive this His honesty offended the king, who was ready to bend under circumstances or a person for the sake of profit, or force them to bend under him. And then there was the unequivocal refusal, which put the king in a stupid position - all this infuriated the king so much that Howard Gladstone was removed from the court, as the king put it, "because of failing health." He was deprived of all the lands that the king had given him earlier. I would deprive this His honesty offended the king, who was ready to bend under circumstances or a person for the sake of profit, or force them to bend under him. And then there was the unequivocal refusal, which put the king in a stupid position - all this infuriated the king so much that Howard Gladstone was removed from the court, as the king put it, "because of failing health." He was deprived of all the lands that the king had given him earlier. I would deprive thisand mka, but the royal power receded before him. At that time, the king had not yet redrawn the laws to his advantage. “Let him crawl into his kennel and die there,” he said when another favorite capriciously demanded to deprive Howard Gladstone and this part of his earthly goods. Z athe mok really looked like a kennel. Its dilapidated walls, collapsed passages, overgrown stairs - everything indicated that he had not known repair for a long time. Dying, the father asked his son to take up his mind, and his daughter to get married as soon as possible. George took his father's advice in a peculiar way. To begin with, he broke with gambling and became interested in Marquise Eggert, who at one time was the mistress of the king's illegitimate son and his mistress. Not the current king, but his predecessor, Henry VII, a man with a memorable face and a difficult fate. The aging beauty, as if from a cornucopia, poured money and jewelry onto her new lover, which smoothly passed through the card table into the pockets of other players. For, believing that the golden rain would not end, and its beauty would not fade for a long time, George returned to his former habits. However, the power of favorites also has its end. When the Marquise Eggert was resigned, she completely switched to George. Now jealousy, reinforced by stinginess, for the older the Marquise became, the more she was afraid of poverty, brought George to white heat. The game also ceased to bring him profit.
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“I told you to leave the sword,” the woman said calmly. The knight's fingers loosened. “I didn’t see you or your coat of arms. I haven't heard of you or the sorcerers. I was just waiting for you.- How did you know that I would come? the knight asked furiously. The woman shrugged and turned to the shack. - No, you say! The knight grabbed his sword again. But the woman, without turning around, waved her hand, and his fingers seemed to burn. He stared at his hand, then at the back of the retreating woman, and with a cry he rushed to grab her and strangle her. But his hands passed through the void. And the woman herself was a few steps ahead of him. The knight hesitated.- Well? the woman asked as she continued walking toward the shack. - Will you come in? Or am I here to predict your future? The knight hesitated and followed her. Indignation bubbled in his soul - this peasant woman dared to turn her back on him, and even expose him to ridicule with her tricks. Muttering curses,
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After a while, when there was no place for the apple to fall in the hall, the door slammed shut with a loud noise. Katya looked doomedly from one face to another: so different and so the same. Bodily deformities and mental pathologies, the gifts of the psyche and the curses of the soul - all this must soon be destroyed. All this will die and not be reborn. The poems written by a novice boy centuries ago were just poetry. And no prophecy. And now some fanatic decided in his own way to fulfill what he considered a prediction. All of a sudden, all heads went up to the glass ceiling. Katya also heard a sound and raised her head. High above her in white robes and a white mask on his face stood a man.Dear relatives! Suddenly, a voice sounded in her head. “Today, the prophecy of the old monk who was killed right on this spot will be fulfilled. Many years ago, the abbot Gilbert Orsi was crucified by our ancestor and, dying, predicted his punishment up to the thirteenth degree. Only
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During the same week, Katya tried to leave the castle , worrying about Agnia. She was also made nervous by the ever-increasing number of relatives gathering in the castle . And also the strange behavior of golems, wearing something all the time, dragging and repairing. What caused such a pilgrimage of relatives to her, no one could clearly say. However, the sane, interrogated by her, fell into some kind of inhibited state and insisted that they should be here. By the end of the second week, Katya became more and more worried. Moreover, Guillaume became somehow apathetic and clearly tried to avoid her. And Katerina just stopped noticing her. Discouraged Katya tried to act herself. But then her clothes suddenly turned out to be dirty or washed, then the keys to the car or passport disappeared somewhere, then it rained from morning to evening, turning the roads into impassable obstacles, then the candles in the car flooded, then gasoline disappeared somewhere, then she herself ha
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Guillaume looked attentively at Katya, sighed and opened his mouth to continue the story. Suddenly he became alert. Katya also had an unpleasant feeling. For a while, an uneasy silence surrounded and weighed on them. Then there was a thump of feet, and the door swung open. Katerina stood in the doorway, alarmed.Catherine,” Guillaume turned to her. “I feel the presence of a member of our family. Who is this? Katerina suppressed her surprise and spoke quickly.Some woman came and brought the police. She screamed that her friend had gone mad here and she was being locked up like a beast. That people are being killed and eaten here. She brought her hands up to her face. “And worst of all, the commissar who came with her is a distant descendant of ours. Guillaume looked at Katya with a smile. Then he turned to Katherine.But is it possible to influence him?Bertrand finds out just that,” Catherine said calmly.And what is the name of a friend, she did not say? Katya ask
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Well, - Guillaume clapped his hands and rubbed his hands. – Would you like to have a bite to eat? A simple question reminded Katya of a monstrous feast, and nausea rose in her throat.No, no, she shook her head. - Do not worry.Then coffee. Suddenly, quickly, the little man rode up in his chair to the corner where he had a kitchen. It really was a miniature kitchen with a refrigerator, electric stove, microwave and dishwasher. A switch flipped, and a soft, muted light lit up the corner. Everything was sparkling clean and tidy. Jars of coffee, a sugar bowl, a teapot, a salt shaker and other little things were at arm's length. Katya watched in amazement as Guillaume deftly managed all the objects, moving his chair along the way.Yes, in this sense I am not disabled, - he said without looking at her. I have been living with a chair for a long time. It is my legs, and it would be surprising if I had not learned to manage it for so many years. He pointed Katya to
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The room they arrived at was huge, dark, lit only by candles and torches. Through the high window openings one could see the starry sky and the full moon. A circle was drawn in the middle of the room, in which a pentagram was inscribed. There was an inscription in Latin around the circle, black candles burned at the corners of the pentagram. A cross was inscribed inside the pentagram. A smaller part of him was looking at the door. In the place where the planks of the cross met, there was a bowl. Along the walls of the round room were couches with pillows and bedspreads, which could be guessed from the outlines, since most of the room was in the shade. Bertrand de Gault came out of the darkness with a tarred torch.“Here you are,” he said, and lit a torch from a nearby candle. Sweetish smoke drifted across the room. Bertrand waved his hand. Pierre put a three-legged stool over the cup in a pentagram and led Boris to it. Boris, who had already begun to have its effect on the smoke,
