At the glittering court of Henri II, where Diane de Poitiers rules the king and every intrigue is watched, Mademoiselle de Chartres marries the Prince of Cleves without loving him. Then she meets the Duke of Nemours, and the story follows, with almost surgical precision, her struggle to conceal and master her passion for him.
Published anonymously in 1678, this short masterpiece of restraint still reads with remarkable psychological sharpness. Download the free EPUB.