Under the red robe

In 1630, Gil de Berault, a swordsman and gambler in Paris, kills a young Englishman in a duel, defying Cardinal Richelieu's edict. Arrested and facing execution, he is offered a chance at freedom: he must travel to the remote village of Cocheforet in Bearn and secretly arrest a fugitive nobleman, M. de Cocheforet, who is plotting against the Cardinal. To succeed, Berault must infiltrate the nobleman's household under a false identity, navigating suspicion and danger in a countryside loyal to its lord. As he closes in on his target, he finds himself entangled in a web of honor, deception, and unexpected loyalties, where the line between captor and captive blurs.

A public-domain text edition with newly prepared typography and a typographic cover. Original printed illustrations are not reproduced.