Chelsea Quinn Yarbro [Saint G Commedia Della Morte (v5.0) (ep

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.Traveling players of all kinds were turning into regional performers with wide repetoires and more complex theatrical effects, with the single exception of trained animal troupes: these were enlarging their regions, becoming the true precursors to the traveling circuses of the following century.Although most of the events of the story are historically accurate, I have shifted some of them slightly in time for exigencies of plot and story length; I trust that this will not compromise the novel too much for any reader familiar with the chronology of the actual events.* * *There are, as always, a number of people to thank for their help in the preparation of this book: thanks to Bailey Adams for access to maps of the French roadways at the end of the eighteenth century; to Susan Duttle for summarizing the changes in various regional Revolutionary Tribunals and Assemblies, including the Girondais movement in Lyon and its conflict with the National Assembly in Paris; and to Leonard Schoen for disagreeing with her, thereby opening up possibilities for my story line to use; to Michael Ivory for information on regional and class dialects in eighteenth-century France; to Harry Jecks for information on the later history of the Commedia del’Arte; to Ed McEller for supplying translations of legal proceedings of the time; to Victoria Smith for information on the daily lives of Commedia del’Arte players; to Penelope Weiss for filling in gaps regarding border policies and the refugee issues during the French Revolution, and the regional differences that impacted national policies.Errors in historicity are, as always, mine, and should not be held against these good people.Also on the list of thanks are Libba Campbell and Maureen Kelly, who read the manuscript for errors; to Jim Gates, Deena Love, and Howard Risser, who read it for clarity; to Bill, Suzon, Gaye, Megan, Charlie, Peggy, Steve, Marc, Lori, Brian, Jim, Shawn, Maureen, David, and Christine; to Sharon Russell, Stephanie Moss, and Elizabeth Miller, for their insight and support; thanks to Neil Gaiman for his generous quote for this series; to Paula Guran for webmastering ChelseaQuinnYarbro.net; to my agent, Irene Kraas, for persistence in the face of strong headwinds; to the incomparable Wiley Saichek for all the Internet promotion, including the blog tour; to all those at Tor for sticking with the series; to Robin Dubner, Saint-Germain’s (and my) attorney; to the good people at DragonCon for importing me yet again to talk vampires; and to the booksellers and readers who have hung in with this series, which is now twenty-five books long and, I hope, counting.CHELSEA QUINN YARBROSeptember 2010PART IPHOTINE THERESE D’AUVILLEText of a Notice of Detention issued by the Revolutionary Tribunal of Avignon for Madelaine de Montalia at her estate, Montalia, carried by Revolutionary courier and delivered five days after it was ratified by the Deputy Secretary for Public Safety in Avignon.From the Revolutionary Tribunal of Avignon:This is to inform the woman known as Madelaine de Montalia that she is to regard herself under house detention by the Revolutionary Tribunal of Avignon.Any attempt to flee or to resist this order will result in her immediate transportation to Avignon for public execution.She is required to house and feed the Revolutionary Guards who will shortly arrive to enforce this detention; all costs of such maintenance shall be borne entirely by the woman Madelaine de Montalia.Failure to conform to the orders contained in this Notice in any particular will result in imprisonment for the woman Madelaine de Montalia.No challenge to this Notice will be accepted by the Revolutionary Tribunal of Avignon, and any attempt to circumvent the conditions contained herein will be regarded as willful disobedience to this lawful Notice and will result in imprisonment.We are informed that the woman Madelaine de Montalia has a long-term guest who lives with her, Theron Baptiste Heurer, formerly of Bourges, as well as a staff of nine for the chateau and ten for the cultivation and tilling of the fields and vineyards of the estate, all of whom will be allowed four days in which to decide whether to depart or remain with the woman Madelaine de Montalia, with the understanding that if they remain they may well share her eventual fate.Safe conducts for the members of her household and guest that will include up to four persons will be delivered by the Revolutionary Guards; these will be valid for twenty-one days, after which they will no longer secure any borders-crossing for anyone attempting to use them for that purpose.The woman Madelaine de Montalia will be informed of any change in her detention, and will be required to hold herself in readiness to comply promptly with any and all orders from the Committee for Public Safety of the Revolutionary Tribunal of Avignon, or any Revolutionary Tribunal recognized by the Revolutionary Tribunal of Avignon.This Notice is to be given primary authority in regard to the woman Madelaine de Montalia and until such time as it is officially rescinded, to be adhered to in every detail.This on the 22nd day of June, 1792.Long live the Revolution!Long live the People’s Justice!Georges Marie ForcierDeputy Secretary for Public SafetyRevolutionary Tribunal of Avignon1“I need you to do this for me.If you don’t leave in the morning, the opportunity will be lost, and neither of us will be secure here,” Madelaine de Montalia said to Theron Heurer with growing emotion; she made herself speak softly in case one of the newly arrived Revolutionary Guards was listening outside the door.“Go while the safe conduct is valid.If you wait—”“But I don’t want to leave you—because those damned Revolutionary Guards are here.I don’t like the look of them.Worse than gutter-scum.Those men are beasts!” Theron folded his arms and glared at Madelaine de Montalia to keep from revealing the level of dread he felt on her behalf.“I’ve dealt with worse.” Madelaine had a sharp, unpleasant memory of the cellars beneath Hotel Transylvania and Saint Sebastien’s coven, half a century ago; she shook her head as much to banish the recollection as to dismiss his worries.“You have to go.”“But wouldn’t you rather have me here?”“Yes, if that were my only concern for my safety.But I’m only safe for as long as I can be sure of loyal friends.Whomelse can I trust with this errand but you? And what will the Revolutionary Courts demand of me next? This has to be done quickly or it may be too late [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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