a house in the neighbourhood, from where he wrote to her with all
the bitterness that her behaviour had provoked and bid her an
eternal adieu.

The Princess began to repent having dealt so harshly with a man
over whom she had so much influence, and being unwilling to lose
him, not only on account of their past friendship, but also
because of his vital role in the conduct of her affair, she sent
a message to him to say that she wished to speak to him one more
time and that afterwards she would leave him free to do as he
pleased. One is very vulnerable when one is in love. The Comte
came back, and in less than an hour the beauty of the Princess,
her charm and a few kind words made him more submissive than
ever, and he even gave her some letters from the Duc de Guise
which he had just received.

At this time there was a scheme afoot in the Court to attract
there all the leaders of the Huguenots, with the secret aim of
including them in the horrible massacre of St. Bartholomew's day.
As part of this attempt to lull them into a false sense of
security, the King dismissed from his presence all the princes of
the houses of Bourbon and de Guise. The Prince de Montpensier
returned to Champigney, to the utter dismay of his wife, the Duc
de Guise went to the home of his uncle, the Cardinal de Lorraine.

Love and idleness induced in him such a violent desire to see the
Princess de Montpensier that, without considering the risks to
her and to himself, he made some excuse to travel, and leaving
his suite in a small town, he took with him only the gentleman
who had already made several trips to Champigny, and went there