The La Motte Woman

Book excerpt: Daughter of a bastard branch of French royalty, Jeanne de La Motte-Valois descends like a whirlwind on 1780s Paris. Jeanne rises by luck and pluck from the depths of childhood beggary to the pinnacle of court and Paris society, and cannot rest until she amasses the riches needed to support a life style befitting a princess. When she crosses paths with Prince Cardinal Louis de Rohan, the handsome, wealthy scion of the mighty house of Rohan, his own obsessive ambitions play perfectly into her plans. Add to this volatile mix the crown jewelers Bohmer and Bassenge, who in their bid for artistic immortality create a diamond necklace whose purchase would bankrupt a nation. From the glittering intricacies of the royal court to the dark cells of the Bastille, the La Motte woman concocts a masterful swindle that will rock the French throne and drag Marie Antoinette's name into the gutter.