And, oh yes, in additional to all this, Ninon also managed to write a treatise on male-female relationships that is as relevant today as it was in hers. She edited the plays of Molière; was influential in the evolution of St. Evremond’s philosophies and remained his lifelong friend even when he was exiled; defended Descartes when the Faculty of Theology brought him up on charges of blasphemy; paid for Voltaire’s education (that ungrateful bastard); moderated the harsh policies of the infamous and manipulative Cardinal Richelieu, as well as indirectly advising a very silly king; was admired and consulted by the Queen of Sweden; ran a nightly salon where all the finest minds in Europe gathered in spite of Church disapproval. She was a gifted musician, spoke several languages…and she ran an informal school of lovemaking where she taught Frenchmen that foreplay begins with the mind and not the breasts. In fact, the reputation the French have of being great lovers can be traced straight back to Ninon’s education. She was loved by men and women alike, and when the French queen tried to have her locked up in a convent, Paris rioted.
Of course, many of the stories about her are apocryphal. I doubt very much that she ever sold her soul to the Devil for eternal beauty. Just as with Byron, when she died friends rushed in to canonize her. Then enemies tried to vilify her. And, to a certain extent, they both succeeded. It remains for history to pass verdict on who and what she really was. Sadly, I have never found a journal or diary. The ones quoted in this book are made up.
The villain of this story is cut from equally grand cloth, and a part of me hated to cast him as a bad guy. But if you accept that he was his father’s son (that is, the son of the Dark Man from Divine Fire), then madness and corruption would eventually come upon him and therein lay the seeds of ruin.
The historic Saint Germain remains a mystery. This prophet and alchemist—and artist and musician and metallurgist—seems to have been born in 1712 and many think he died in 1784. But there were reports of him turning up, meddling in the politics of Europe as late as 1822. (One would think this an easy matter to verify—after all, all one need do is check his tombstone. However, there seem to have been at least three graves scattered about Europe, and none have the same date of departure.) In all this time, he was never seen to age, nor did he ever eat in public, so his youth-preserving diet remains a mystery. He admitted to traveling into other lands with his mind and talking to the dead. Many think he is a vampire, and who am I to say no? Especially when it makes for such a good story.
If you have curiosity about these two amazing figures, I have listed some reference books that are a good starting place for getting to know these charismatic seducers. And that is what they were: master seducers and puppeteers both personally and at a societal level. We don’t think of them as we do Don Juan or Casanova or other great lovers, though they were every bit as charming and sirenlike. But their larger accomplishments overshadow their personal love lives. They could seduce without sex and they belong on the list of great charismatics like Joan of Arc, Rasputin, Lenin, Kennedy, Malcolm X…even Elvis Presley. People who could topple governments, begin and end wars, move people to faith and riot. Had they been English instead of French (or Hungarian—the jury is still out about Saint Germain’s real nationality) we would have read about them in high school history classes.
As for Miguel—well, I let you make up your own mind about him. I like heroes with some edge to them, men who come with a bit of a twist.
If in your reading you happened to feel like you were actually experiencing high noon at the OK Corral—with ghouls—you were. I tried to banish it, but the soundtrack to every spaghetti western I ever saw kept playing in my head. Except at Lara Vieja. That was really the sunken city of Guerrero Viejo. I wanted it in the story but liked it too well to burn it down in the end, so I changed it for the book. It’s so great to have that power.
If you enjoyed this story and haven’t read Divine Fire, try to find it. That book is about another of the world’s great lovers and original thinkers, Lord Byron.
There! The exorcism is complete. This story is done and Ninon no longer haunts me. I can rest.
Thank you again and—as ever—your company has been lovely. Please write—to Melanie or Miguel—at:
Melanie Jackson
www.melaniejackson.com
PO Box 574
Sonora, CA, 95370-0574
RESOURCE LIST
Life, Letters and Epicurean Philosophy of Ninon de L’Enclos, The Celebrated Beauty of the Seventeenth Century by Charles Henry Robinson
Nymphos and Other Maniacs by Irving Wallace
The Technique of the Love Affair by Doris Langley Moore
The Immortal Ninon by Phyllis Tholin
Ninon de L’Enclos and Her Century by Mary C. Rowsell
Ninon de Lanclos by Emile Magne
The Comte de St. Germain: The Secret of Kings by Cooper-Oakley
The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene, Joost Elffers
A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subversive Spirits by Carol K. Mack, Dinah Mack
Two Pleasant Hours in the National Museum, The Most Important Monuments and Relics by Jose Jimmenez Gomez
Daily Life of the Aztecs by Jacques Soustelle
The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks
Praise
CRITICS RAVE FOR MELANIE JACKSON!
DIVINE FIRE
“Jackson pens a sumptuous modern gothic…Fans of solid love stories…will enjoy Jackson’s tale, which readers will devour in one sitting, then wait hungrily for the next installment.”
—Booklist
“Once again, Jackson uses her truly awe-inspiring imagination to tell a story that’s fascinating from beginning to end.”
—Romantic Times
THE SAINT
“This visit to the ‘wild side’ is wonderfully imaginative and action-packed…[A] fascinating tale.”
—RT BOOKreviews
THE MASTE
R “Readers who have come to expect wonderful things from Jackson will not be disappointed. Her ability to create a complicated world is astounding with this installment, which includes heartwarming moments, suspense and mystery sprinkled with humor. An excellent read.”
—RT BOOKreviews
STILL LIFE
“The latest walk on the ‘Wildside’ is a wonderful romantic fantasy that adds new elements that brilliantly fit and enhance the existing Jackson mythos…action-packed.”
—The Midwest Book Review
MORE PRAISE FOR MELANIE JACKSON!
THE COURIER
“The author’s imagination and untouchable worldbuilding continue to shine…[An] outstanding and involved novel.”
—Romantic Times
“Melanie Jackson is a talent to watch. She deftly combines romance with fantasy and paranormal elements to create a spellbinding adventure.”
—WritersWrite.com
TRAVELER
“Jackson often pushes the boundaries of paranormal romance, and this, the first of her Wildside series, is no exception.”
—Booklist
THE SELKIE
“Part fantasy, part dream and wholly bewitching, The Selkie…[blends] whimsy and folklore into a sensual tale of love and magic.”
—Romantic Times
DOMINION
“An unusual romance for those with a yen for something different.”
—Romantic Times
NIGHT VISITOR
“I recommend this as a very strong romance, with time travel, history and magic.”
—All About Romance
Other books by Melanie Jackson
THE SAINT
THE MASTER
DIVINE FIRE
STILL LIFE
THE COURIER
OUTSIDERS
TRAVELER
THE SELKIE
BELLE
AMARANTHA
NIGHT VISITOR
MANON
IONA
Copyright
LOVE SPELL®
September 2006
Published by
Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.
200 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Copyright © 2006 by Melanie Jackson
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E-ISBN: 978-1-4285-0214-7
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