As a girl growing up in Kentucky, she lived a sheltered, privileged life filled with picnics and plantation balls. Vivacious, impulsive, and intoxicated by politics, she is a Todd of Lexington, an aristocratic family whose ancestors defeated the British. But no one knows her secret fears and anxieties ... more »

Le dimanche gras de l'année 1578, après la fête du populaire, et tandis que s'éteignaient dans les rues les rumeurs de la joyeuse journée, commençait une fête splendide dans le magnifique hôtel que venait de se faire bâtir, de l'autre côté de l'eau et presque en face du Louvre, cette illustre famille ... more »

Sold! wept Mary Anne on her deathbed. Sold for a bottle of rum! Love him, her mother had said. Loving is not always easy. It will mean caring for him, cooking and cleaning for him -- and bearing his children. But it is a hard man indeed, who can resist consistent love for ever. It had all begun in peaceful ... more »

Nous étions descendus à l'hôtel de la Victoire. Monsieur Martin Zir est le type du parfait hôtelier italien : homme de goût, homme d'esprit, antiquaire distingué, amateur de tableaux, convoiteur de chinoiseries, collectionneur d'autographes, monsieur Martin Zir est tout, excepté aubergiste. Cela ... more »

The Anglo-Saxon race was in its boyhood in the days when the Vikings lived. Youth's fresh fires burned in men's blood; the unchastened turbulence of youth prompted their crimes, and their good deeds were inspired by the purity and whole-heartedness and divine simplicity of youth. For every heroic vice ... more »

A one-eyed man with a stuffed crocodile upon his head paused before the steps of Cairo's gayest hotel and his expectant gaze ranged hopefully over the thronged verandas. It was afternoon tea time; the band was playing and the crowd was at its thickest and brightest. The little tables were surrounded ... more »

One powerful king. Two tragic queens. In the court of Henry VIII, it was dangerous for a woman to catch the king's eye. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were cousins. Both were beautiful women, though very different in temperament. They each learned that Henry's passion was all-consuming-and fickle. ... more »

Le 26 octobre de l'an 1585, les barrières de la porte Saint- Antoine  se trouvaient encore, contre toutes les habitudes, fermées à dix heures et demie du matin. A dix heures trois quarts, une garde de vingt Suisses, qu'on reconnaissait à leur uniforme pour être des Suisses des petits cantons, c ... more »

Some twenty and odd years ago there stood a little cabin at the foot of a round hill, that very much resembled a cupola in shape, and which, from its position and height, commanded a prospect of singular beauty. This hill was one of a range that ran from north to southwest; but in consequence of its ... more »

Le 22 mars de l'an de grâce 1718, jour de la mi-carême, un jeune  seigneur de haute mine, âgé de vingt-six à vingt-huit ans, monté sur un beau cheval d'Espagne, se tenait, vers les huit heures du matin, à l'extrémité du pont Neuf qui aboutit au quai de l'Ecole. Il était si droit et si ferme en selle ... more »

Set in the magnificent culture of the Middle East more than four thousand years ago, Lilah is a rich and emotionally resonant story of faith, love, and courage. Living in exile, Lilah is in love with Antinoes, a Persian warrior. They have known each other since they were children, and Antinoes dearly ... more »

A man enveloped in a handsome grey cloak groped through a dark alley which led into the fashionable district of the Rue de Béthisy. From time to time he paused, with a hand to his ear, as if listening. Satisfied that the alley was deserted save for his own presence, he would proceed, hugging the walls ... more »