Maitre Cornelius

In the cathedral of Tours in 1479, love and danger meet beneath candlelight, stained glass, and the watchful eye of power. A young nobleman, Philippe Goulenoire, dares to court the beautiful Madame de Vallier, wife of the jealous and deformed Comte de Saint-Vallier, whose dagger and suspicion make every whispered glance feel fatal. When the lovers are briefly united in a chapel, she confesses the misery of her marriage and begs for help, while Philippe swears to save her by infiltrating the household of Maitre Cornelius, the feared silversmith whose strange ties to Louis XI make his house a place of rumor and dread. Admitted into Cornelius's austere tower, Philippe is tested, confined, and left to endure a grim, secretive world ruled by suspicion, locked doors, and hidden wealth. But imprisonment only sharpens his resolve. By moonlight he studies the building, dismantles a lock with a concealed dagger, and prepares a daring escape, driven by love, desperation, and the perilous promise of reunion. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.