The Devil's Concubine Read online

  “Fourteen, sixteen, twenty days. At first, I consoled myself by blaming my nerves. Thirty days later, no consolation was possible. I was pregnant. All of my prayers and begging had been for nothing. God must have been laughing at me, surrounded by all of his damned angels in his celestial court. Oh! If it were Shallem’s child, heaven would try to prevent his birth just to spite me!

  “The word abortion was always on my mind. It was an urgent and unquestionable solution. I began with homemade remedies that did nothing but cause me unbearable pain and vomiting. After this, I decided I needed an expert’s help. But, how could I send for an expert while I lived in a convent? I didn’t want to leave the convent. I had grown accustomed to it, accustomed to being separated from the human world and to the calm solitude I received behind its walls.

  A key was heard turning in the prison door’s lock. The priest and woman silently watched the guard walk in and place a tray containing a bottle of water and two glasses on the table. After thanking him, they were once again left alone. The priest filled the woman’s glass twice, she eagerly drank both glasses and then he filled his own glass.

  “Time went by,” she continued after the brief break, “the pregnancy was running a normal course and Shallem didn’t appear anywhere but in my dreams. The agony I felt due to his absence became more intense as each day passed.

  “I was idle and a coward so I didn’t do anything to try and hide my waist or any signs of my pregnancy. However, my large habit kept me from scandal until the seventh month. When they asked me who the father was, I answered truthfully, ‘An angel.’

  “They held a meeting for several hours to discuss what to do with me and later told me I had to leave. Perhaps I wasn’t lying, they said, but they depended on pious people for charity and they couldn’t risk a scandal that could leave them without a means to survive, the garden was too small...

  “They threw me out before dawn, in the dead of night, so that no one could see me leaving the convent pregnant. They were courteous enough to give me some money. With it I could pay for two nights in an inn. After this, my child and I were probably going to starve to death on some street corner.

  “Deeply depressed because of my uncertainty and sorrow, I found accommodations in the closest village. I lay down on the bed and cried and was unable to think of any other plan that didn’t involve ending my misfortunate life and the life of the baby who was about to be born. I cried until noon, until I grew weak from hunger. I spent the little money I had left on a decent dinner of red meat in the inn’s dining room. And there, while the tears still streamed down my cheeks mixing with the sweet flavor of the meat in my mouth, I met Dolmance de Grieux.

  “I looked pitiful. I was wearing the same dreadful tunic I had worn when I arrived at the convent and it clearly showed my advanced pregnancy. Dolmance quickly figured out my situation. He was at the table next to mine sitting with another gentleman. They were both wearing expensive clothes designed in the latest fashion. His elegant hairstyle, his manners and his general appearance were all signs he was of noble birth.

  “After twenty minutes the gentleman with him left the dining room and Dolmance sat down at my table but not until he received my silent consent.

  “ ‘Excuse me for being so bold,’ he said, ‘but it seems like fate has led two single people who need to marry to meet at this table.’ He stopped talking and looked at me attentively as though he were waiting for me to get offended and immediately challenge his statement. But what he said had captured my attention.

  “ ‘I’m not mistaken? You, Mademoiselle, are extremely young and from your appearance, I suspect the goddess of fortune hasn’t favored you lately. Do you have a family? No? But you do have a little problem that is about to be born. Isn’t that right? Let me guess. He, the father, and please pardon my presumption, which isn’t due to idle curiosity, but rather to a desire to know your personal circumstances and perhaps arrange an agreement that would benefit us both. As I was saying, the father, was killed in San Juan de Acre and left you all alone in such an embarrassing situation.’

  “He looked at me waiting for an answer. I was growing more curious so I nodded my agreement.

  “ ‘Good,’ he continued. ‘I don’t think it’s wrong to assume that a young husband, who is handsome, wealthy, and ready to share his illustrious last name with you and your child, would not provide you with a completely undesirable solution. I am the wealthiest man in Orleans and I have an enormous, beautiful house in the countryside where your child could grow up healthy and happy, in addition to having the most superb education in the region. You would have all the material riches a woman could ever want and you’d have complete freedom to run the household. As for me, I will never treat you violently or with hate. I’m pleasant to speak with, I’m very clean, and you will never have to go to bed with me.’

  “I looked at him with such incredulous bewilderment he started to laugh. His laugh was gentle, pleasant and brightened his dark eyes and handsome face.

  “ ‘This is a stupid and cruel joke Monsieur,’ I scolded.

  “ ‘It is not at all a joke, Mademoiselle, believe me. I need a wife and you need a husband. Do you think you’d be able to find someone better? You don’t have anything to lose. Of course, I understand why you are suspicious. Ask people about me, in this inn, in the village, my own servants... I’m known to be a happy, peaceful man of good character. My behavior is impeccable except for one small detail that I will tell you about once you’ve agreed to become my wife. However, if this small detail turns out to be, let’s say, intolerable, you will not be obligated.’

  “ ‘You’re being serious?’ I continued to doubt him.

  “ ‘Absolutely, Mademoiselle.’

  “ ‘If this is true, why did you choose me? You don’t even know me.’

  “ ‘Let’s just say I have to make an extremely urgent decision. I don’t have the time nor the desire to search the world for an ideal wife. Furthermore, it’s very possible that even if I met the ideal woman, I wouldn’t even appreciate her worth. I’m not looking for love. Now that I’ve looked into your eyes and heard the pleasant tone of your voice, I sincerely believe that even if I travelled throughout France, I would not find a better-suited woman. You are gentle, sweet, delicate and pleasant to look at. I suspect you aren’t very cultured, but that can be fixed. Also, soon you’ll give me a child with the least bit of work on my part. I can’t ask for more. You could say you were heaven sent.’

  “He stopped talking and looked at me. Although I believed him, I was still confused.

  “ ‘What did you say about going to bed?’ I asked.

  “ ‘Oh, yes. I’m afraid I gave myself away too soon. It’s about that small detail I mentioned. It maybe something bothersome for a woman as young as you but..., I will never have sex with you.’

  “ ‘What... why not?’

  “ ‘Let’s just say that I’ve already given my heart to someone else.’

  “ ‘And you can’t marry her?’

  “ ‘I’m afraid our society is much too conservative for that. I’m not referring to a person of your beautiful gender although that doesn’t make him less beautiful.’

  “ ‘Oh!’ I exclaimed softly. ‘I understand. You’re not attracted to women.’

  “ ‘Indeed, Mademoiselle. I enjoy myself immensely more with men. So much is my pleasure, that even the god’s couldn’t resist. Does this disgust you?’

  “ ‘By no means. But, are you sure you will never be attracted to me?’

  “ ‘Absolutely, my dear. It’s an undisputed fact. I will never be useful to you in that sense. Although, of course, I would understand if you satisfied your sexual needs with other men, with the upmost discretion and never in public and I would demand the same tolerance from you. I have the habit of throwing occasional... gatherings at my house, gatherings that ladies aren’t invited to. Do you understand what kind of gatherings I’m referring to?’

  “Speechless, I nodded.


  “Suddenly, I realized this was my salvation. A man who could save me from poverty until Shallem returned, without asking for anything in return. Anything?

  “ ‘This agreement seems to really benefit me,’ I said. ‘But, how would it benefit you?’

  “ ‘My dear friend, in this world of social hypocrisy we live in, the love between Adrian and Anton, instead of being viewed as touching and beautiful, as it should be, is viewed as something dirty and despicable. Let’s just say I need to project an image that is more conventional, more tolerable to society. My business and social status demand it and I’m at an age where I can no longer delay getting married. I’m on the verge of being introduced to certain high society puritan women whose friendship could be very beneficial to my business. My marriage will stop all the dirty gossipers that have undoubtedly delayed these lady’s visits to my house. Do I explain myself well?’

  “ ‘With admirable perfection. You need an adornment, a delicate and beautiful doll that will silence the gossip forever. A doll that doesn’t want, and I emphasize, will never want to have sex with you nor, if possible, with any other man; someone who, in public, pretends, with a smile on her face, to live in a continuous honeymoon of conventional marriage; someone who knows how to charm your high society quests, someone who is tolerant and open, someone who knows how to close her eyes to the procession of lovers that will surely invade our home on a daily basis. And this is exactly what you have found.’

  “ ‘Excellent! So you accept?’

  “ ‘First I have to get something straight.’

  “ ‘What is it?’

  “ ‘Our marriage is a business agreement, as I’ve just said, to the public. It doesn’t include, nor will it ever include anything sexual, not with you, nor with anyone else. If our agreement is broken, which would only happen against my will, our contract will immediately be rescinded and I will leave while causing you the greatest scandal possible.’

  “ ‘I assure you, my beautiful dear, I wouldn’t touch your soft skin even if my life depended on it.’

  “ ‘I don’t want to offend you, you’re very handsome. But, just like you, my heart, which is broken, has already been taken and remains loyal to the memory of its captor.’

  “ ‘That’s very beautiful, but, you’re very young. It won’t take long for you to forget him and replace him with another in your heart. Therefore, and in anticipation of future situations that will undoubtedly occur, although you deny it now, I have to beg you that when the time comes you keep me informed about who your lovers are so we can plan a strategy together, which will keep both of us from becoming the gossip of the country.’

  “ ‘I’ll promise to let you know, if this puts you at ease. However, once you’ve tried the sweetness of ambrosia, you realize how bitter honey tastes.’

  “He laughed out loud and said, ‘No doubt today is my lucky day.’

  –VI–

  “We were married seven days later. We had just enough time to make arrangements and send invitations to his close friends and family. My suspicions and fears disappeared within two days after we first met. During those two days, I spoke to many people in the area. Just as he had claimed and although everyone knew about his licentious habits, he had the reputation of being kind, gentle, happy and charming. I knew him very well by the day of the wedding. He was a bit shy but he wasn’t reserved and this was a charming contrast. He was sensitive and elegant, and above all, he was extraordinarily intelligent and admirably cultured. He had, what was considered during that era, a very vast library which he was very proud of and which turned out to be an extreme pleasure for me. He showed me everything he had, not with conceit nor arrogance, but rather with the simple desire of wanting to share everything with me.

  “I didn’t regret anything after we were married. He treated me charmingly, like a sister. He brought me flowers and other gifts and was always concerned about my well-being. He seemed very happy with me. And I, after a few days, couldn’t be without him. So much so that it bothered me when he was with his lovers or with anyone else for that matter since this kept me from enjoying his company. When I wasn’t with him, I felt alone and sorrow would overwhelm me.

  “Nine months had passed without hearing from Shallem. I wondered how I had been able to endure them and how much longer I would still have to wait. I would pretend to speak to him so I could explain the decisions I had made. Then, I would imagine his responses just as if they had come directly from his lips. At one point I was afraid he wouldn’t understand the nature of my agreement with Dolmance. This made me regret the marriage, which, otherwise, was perfect for me.

  “I was horrified when it came time for me to give birth. The pregnancy had progressed splendidly, given the circumstances. But that didn’t ease my constant worries. What would I give birth to? Would it be human, more or less?

  “Dolmance arranged for a good doctor from the city and two midwives to attend to me. When the contractions began not only did I not feel pain, I didn’t feel anything. The baby was born before I even realized it.

  “ ‘Dear God!’ the doctor shouted. ‘Monsieur Des Grieux! Look at his eyes! He’s the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen!’

  “Dolmance and the midwives were raving about my son before handing him to me. I never expected anything like it. He was truly the most beautiful baby every conceived. God, how much he looked like his father! But he was so affectionate, so sweet and happy. He had rosy skin and blond hair. And those eyes... He grabbed my finger with his hand, smiled and made the sweetest sounds. To think I had hated him all that time!

  “ ‘Juliette,’ Dolmance whispered and with an astounded expression, sat down beside me on the bed. ‘Now I know what you meant by the ambrosia!’

  “Time passed. Chretien, this is the name I baptized my son with, caused no problems in spite of the fears I had. He knew how to speak with prodigious perfection by the time he was one. Not only in French, but also in English since these two languages were commonly used among the aristocracy and high society.

  “Dolmance enjoyed reading to him, and did so very often as he held him in his arms. One day, even before Chretien turned a year and a half old, Dolmance realized he had learned how to read on his own. As soon as he became aware of Chretien’s incredible intelligence, he hired professors from all disciplines to tutor him. By the age of four, Chretien had absorbed all the knowledge they could give him.

  “He was an absolute prodigy. Not only had he mastered everything taught to him, he also formulated his own theories. By mere observation, he had learned how to play any instrument we put in front of him. He was extremely sweet and won the hearts of all who knew him and his fame spread through France in such way it wasn’t long before the King himself demanded to meet him. I didn’t want to go so Dolmance took the child genius to the palace. Chretien captivated the entire court and this gave Dolmance’s already prosperous business a considerable boost.

  “I had turned into a charming lady, cultured by Dolmance and by Chretien’s own professors. To the people in our community, I lived in apparent peace, however, on the inside, I was tortured and filled with anguish due to Shallem’s absence. ‘Maybe he’ll return tomorrow.’ I told myself every day. ‘Maybe tomorrow.’

  “However, my peace was interrupted one day. When Chretien was about to turn six years-old something horrific started to happen to him. He had always believed Dolmance was his father, since this is what we had told him. Well, one day, and for no apparent reason, he started acting belligerent and began calling Dolmance by his first name.

  “ ‘Why do you treat your father like that?’ I asked him when we were alone.

  “ ‘He’s not my father,’ Chretien replied in a loud, confident voice. He slammed the book he had in his hands on the table and stormed out of the room although I had ordered him to stay.

  “I was at a loss and didn’t know how he had come to this conclusion. After this revelation, his treatment toward us became unbearable. He completely ignored us, didn
’t respond if we spoke to him, and if we tried to get him to respond he would rudely leave the room. Given his intelligence, it was very difficult to deal with him. He was an adult prodigy trapped in a tiny, charming, and beautiful body. His responses, when there were responses, were sarcastic, bitter, and defiant.

  “Dolmance suffered tremendously and I, who loved him dearly, suffered twice as much for him. He didn’t deserve to be treated like that; he had always been a gentle and loving father and was never harsh with Chretien. He cared for him and gave him the best of everything. Dolmance loved him as if he were his own son.

  “Now, I was faced with an unsettling question. Had Chretien, in some way, found out about his real father?

  “ ‘I know who my father is! He came to me!’ He screamed one day in rage while his blond hair fell over his beautiful eyes.

  “ ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about!’ I yelled, terrified that he did know and would say his real father’s name in front of Dolmance who, at that moment, was looking at him with a horrified expression.

  “ ‘I hate you! There’s nothing more you can teach me! I despise you!’ Chretien screamed.

  “It seemed surreal, watching him there with his small but well developed body and his rosy cheeks turning red with rage screaming such shocking words at those who loved him the most.

  “ ‘Is this how I raised you?’ Dolmance fearfully intervened. Chretien glared at him with his piercing eyes so fixed on his it truly seemed like he wanted to hurt him, however, he didn’t say a word.

  “The changes in Chretien were all we could think about. Dolmance became so worried that he quit working and barely saw his lover. Nevertheless, we were the only ones who suffered our son’s change. In front of everyone else, he still behaved like the same adorable boy who made everyone fall at his feet. From our servants to nobility, his powerful charm and allure turned everyone into mere slaves. In front of any visitor, no matter how important, he would display his hypnotizing beauty like a peacock as it spreads its wings. No one would have guessed what a furious beast he could become.