The Lady of the Unicorn

By MIREILLE PAVANE

When Lily stumbles across the ambitious young artist Andrien Charron at a grand masquerade ball at the Sylvain estate, she is intrigued by the hunger burning in his gaze. Regardless of their shared appreciation for the articulation of beauty, of the richness of the visible world, regardless that he makes something warm bloom inside her heart, she should have stepped back and turned away. She should not have led him to the hedge maze. She should not have risked that small lie. Lies are double-edged weapons. They pave the way for enchanted evenings—and perhaps also the fulfilment of tragic destinies.

• Language: English
• Publisher: MIREILLE PAVANE
• Release date: Jun 25, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463445723

MIREILLE PAVANE

Mireille Pavane cannot recall exactly when she began messing about with books and literature but since then (brainwashed at a young age by the French and Russian writers and E.M. Forster) it has remained an abiding love. Mireille continues to scribble away in secret when not otherwise distracted by a professional career or gardening duties in her alternate life. She also has an unhealthy curiosity and fondness for footnotes which she attempts to curtail from time to time. Mireille is a member of the international and local chapters of the Village Idiots’ Guild.

Book preview

THE LADY OF THE UNICORN

MIREILLE PAVANE

Also by Mireille Pavane

Voyage Out:

Voyage Out

The Grand Tour

The Stroke of Midnight

The Lady of the Unicorn

Of Irises Blue

The Princess and the Gargoyle

Envy

The West Wing Chamber

Innocence

À la Murder: The Couturière’s Tale

Copyright © 2020 Mireille Pavane

Mireille Pavane asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means (including photocopying, recording, scanning, or other electronic or mechanical methods), without the prior written permission of the author and publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, organizations, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover design: Mireille Pavane

Cover images: image by Tatutati from Pixabay, image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay, image by AnnaliseArt from Pixabay, image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

Other images: Floral flowers line art—image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

Smashwords Edition

ISBN: 9780463445723

Licence Notes:

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

The Lady of the Unicorn

When Lily stumbles across the ambitious young artist Andrien Charron at a grand masquerade ball at the Sylvain estate, she is intrigued by the hunger burning in his gaze. Regardless of their shared appreciation for the articulation of beauty, of the richness of the visible world, regardless that he makes something warm bloom inside her heart, she should have stepped back and turned away. She should not have led him to the hedge maze. She should not have risked that small lie. Lies are double-edged weapons. They pave the way for enchanted evenings—and perhaps also the fulfilment of tragic destinies.

Dedication

To all of the people and things I have missed during isolation.

Epigraph

‘À mon seul désir’

(variously interpreted as ‘My sole desire’, ‘To my only desire’,

‘By my will alone’, ‘Love desires only beauty of soul’)

— motto inscription on the sixth panel of La Dame à la licorne tapestry cycle

Table of Contents

Title Page

Also by Mireille Pavane

Copyright Page

Synopsis

Dedication

Epigraph

Table of Contents

The Lady of the Unicorn

Afterword

Thank You for Reading

About the Author

The Lady of the Unicorn

‘Hurry, Lily, or we’ll miss the party!’

I fastened Maman’s necklace around my throat, made some final adjustments to my white unicorn mask and gown, and hurried down the staircase after Florette’s flower fairy wings into the midst of the masquerade ball.

Flotillas of servants bearing platters loaded with refreshments weaved amongst the throngs of masked guests parading about the main hall and ballroom and beyond into the gardens, costumed as brightly and fantastically in concoctions by the most fashionable Parisian modistes as the salons and grounds themselves had been outfitted in gilt and silver encrusted with pearl and jewels, polished mirrors of Venetian glass, Sèvres porcelain on consoles and pedestals with ebony and ivory inlays, Florentine mosaics, cordovan leather, parquetry, high ornate ceilings and blazing crystal chandeliers, marble sculptures and columns, and the contrived graces of thick richly woven Persian rugs and Aubusson carpets, velvet draperies, satin, appliqued silk and damask upholstery, lace from Brussels, Alençon and Chantilly, and a vivid abundance of roses, infusing the air with their sweetness.

‘Florette, wait!’

Instead of pausing to marvel at the decorative wonder of our transformed surroundings, awash in music and loveliness, Florette bemoaned the crowds in frustration.

‘How will I ever find Bertrand in all this?’

A modest dinner party gathering of Papa’s business partners and trading associates had grown to become an annual event of increasingly extravagant proportions held at the Sylvain estate. This year, an invitation to a lavish masquerade ball in the midst of the splendour of the latest Sylvain perfumery rose varieties in bloom and the chance to view the private collection of artworks accumulated by Papa had attracted guests to pass beneath the armorial crest of the estate’s front gates, ferried