A Lover's Pinch

Meet Gabrielle and Henriette: bare-breasted players in a long-forgotten scene. From their gallery in the Louvre, Paris, they stare blankly at you from the sumptuous bath they are sharing; while Henriette nonchalantly pinches Gabrielle’s nipple. This is the story of Gabrielle and Henriette but above all, it is the story of why that curious painting was commissioned. Henriette d’Entragues comes to Court in 1598 when Gabrielle d’Estrees is at the height of her power as the king’s favourite. Like Gabrielle, Beautiful and intelligent, Henriette rises easily to prominence in the Court of Henri IV. She finds she has become an unwitting player in Gabrielle’s bid to become queen. Soon Henriette develops ambitions of her own, and is drawn into a deadly fight for the crown of France as both ladies discover to their cost that political scheming is a dangerous game when you are competing with the mighty Medicis. Told through the eyes of Henriette, this is a tale of love and deception, murder and intrigue, where the innocent girl must evolve into the wiley stateswoman to survive.