"Come along," said the woman in uniform.

And they went, their footsteps echoing hollowly in the stone corridor.

It would be like passing through a dark tunnel and it would take her many years to pass through it. But at the end would be waiting those who loved her.

She could not know what would happen to her during those years, but when she was free, one of three ways of life would be open to her. Which would she take?

She felt vaguely comforted. There was no need for impulsive action now. Was there good in everything then? Because of the years she must spend in prison, she would have time to think of the future and the people who loved her.

She seemed to hear their voices echoing in the stone corridor, those who loved her, those who, in their way, had played their parts in putting her where she was—and in saving her life.

Charles, the father who offered his daughter a home; L?on who would be her husband; Fermor who would be her lover.

A wardress opened a cell door.

This was her new home. Here she would sit and dream and think of the past, the present and the future.

The door clanged behind her; the key was turned in the lock.

She closed her eyes and seemed to hear their voices all about her: "Melisande! We are waiting, Melisande."

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(Continued from front flap)

Eager to escape his attention, Meli-sanae sought refuge where she could rind it, first with a young Frenchman who was a victim of the Revolution in his country, then with the rich and voluptuous Fenella, society dressmaker, hostess and friend ol many notahle men and women, and finally as a lady's maid to Mrs. Lavender. Here Melisande round shelter, hut no permanent safety, for it was in the house of the Lavenders that events led her to the day when she stood trial for her life.

With this novel, so full of excitement and mystery that it would seem incredihle if it were not hased on a true story, Jean Plaidy has created a fascinating portrait of one woman's tragic life.

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Jean Plaidy's historical novels are praised on hoth sides of the Atlantic for their meticulous attention to the exciting periods they illuminate. She lives in London.

Jacket design f>y Isabella Fasciano Jacket painting © by Barbara Lofthouse

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