Alençon lets a ruthless little smile spread across his face.“So you don’t want Henri to return to Navarre to rule again? Is that what I am to understand by your clandestine overtures?”
Du Bartas nods, making up his mind.“He has abandoned us and our faith, thanks to your sister and her wiles. Why should we accept him, when he broke the contract between him and us? When he turned his back on his faith?”
Alençon cannot resist twisting the knife further, enjoying the new turn to the conversation. He sees how this rebellion would benefit himself most, giving him at a stroke all he desires. “Of course it’s understandable that Henri would weaken in the face of such temptation. Marriage to a woman like my sister-” he pauses for effect, “-well, I’m sure you all know her reputation for licentiousn
