(Part 1 of 4)
THE MAN BETWEEN THE TWO WOMEN: KING HENRY II OF FRANCE
Twilight lingered over the little clearing in the woods around the River Cher, before bowing out to an ink-smudged night. A veil of stars, softly aglitter, settled over the Château de Chenonceau.
Boats, with two and three people, peeled away from the dock. In each, the oarsman was a courtier in his doublet and hose, a sprightly heron’s feather in his velvet hat. The women’s gowns—trimmed with satin—rustled as they shifted in their seats, their necks gleaming pale in low-cut, form-fitting bodices. Here and there, diamonds sparkled on a slender throat and light hands flashed with jewels as they trailed their fingers in the placid waters of the Cher.
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