Summary
Henri de Malassise and the Baron de Biron, real-life negotiators of the Peace of Saint-Germain signed in 1570, match wits with two Huguenot gentlemen over the fate of two towns, Sancerre and Angoulême. Their feints, maneuvers and compromises form the substance of a tale far more psychological than historical, as an enigmatic woman weaves an intrigue and vanishes once the treaty is concluded. Drawing on his own diplomatic missions, the author offers a masterly “portrait of the negotiator,” beneath whose sober surface immense and ferocious passions stir.
