Désirée
Désirée
is the amazing true story of an irresistible girl from Marseilles who followed her heart to a throne in the bold, glittering years of Napoleon's rise and fall. Annemarie Selinko has told this sweeping story with such brilliance and charm that it has already made its own spectacular history throughout Europe and the United States as one of the great best-selling ' novels of the decade.
"The most fascinating historical novel since
Gone with the Wind."
Boston Post
"An epic love story . . . it's irresistible reading."
Chicago Tribune
". . . an historical novel that may be rated along with
Anthony Adverse
and
Gone with the Wind."
Houston Press
". . contains enough inside information to have come from the pen of that scandalously extravagant courtesan, Josephine Bonaparte."
Sterling North,
New York World-Tele gram
Originally published by William Morrow & Company,
Désirée
was also a selection of the Literary Guild.
A CARDINAL GIANT
This
Cordinal
Giant
edition includes every word contained in the
original, higher-priced edition. It is printed from
brand-new plates made from completely reset, clear, easy-to-read type.
Désirée
William Morrow edition published January, 1953
10 l'KINTINGS
Literary Guild edition published February, 1953
Dolla
r
Book
Club edition published June, 1954
Condensation' in
Omnibook
August, 1953
Cardinal Giant edition published November, 1954
3rd printing
....................
December, 1954
The publishers wish to acknowledge the special assistance of Joy Gary in the preparation of the final American version of this novel.
Translated from the German
Copyright, 1953, by William Morrow & Company, Inc. All rights reserved
Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 52-9706. This
Cardinal GiaW
edition it published by arrangement with William Morrow & Company, Inc
Printed in the U. S. A.
A
Notice:
Cardinal editions are published in the United States by Pocket
Books, Inc. and in Canada by Pocket Books of Canada, Ltd. Trade
marks registered in the United States by Pocket Books, Inc. and regis
tered in Canada by Pocket Books of Canada, Ltd. Application for
registration filed in the British Patent Office by Pocket Books, Inc.
To the memory of my sister, Liselotte, to her joyous spirit, her greatness of heart.
CONTENTS
PART I
The Daughter of a Silk Merchant of Marseilles
Marseilles, at the beginning of Germinal, Year II
3
(The end of March, 1794, by Mama's old-fashioned reckoning)
Twenty-four hours later
11
Marseilles, at the beginning of Prairial
31
(The lovely month of May, says Mama, is almost over)
Marseilles, middle of Thermidor
52
(Beginning of August, Mama says)
Marseilles, end of Fructidor
66
(Middle of September)
Paris, twelve months later__Fructidor, Year III
77
Paris, twenty-four hours—no, an eternity—later
85
Marseilles, three weeks later
100
Rome, three days after Christmas in the Year V
103
(Here in Italy they still use the pre-Revolutionary calendar: December 27, 1797)
Paris, end of Germinal, Year VI
118
(Except in our Republic, where everyone calls it April, 1798)
Paris, four weeks later
131
PART II
Marshall Bernadotte's Lady
Sceaux, near Paris, autumn of Year VI (1798)
143
Sceaux, near Paris, New Year's Eve
157
(The last year of the eighteenth century begins)
Sceaux, near Paris, 17 Messidor, Year VII
167
(To Mama, probably July 4, 1799)
Sceaux, near Paris, a week later
167
Paris, 18 Brumaire of the Year VII
180
(In other countries: November 9, 1799. Our Republic has a new Constitution)
Paris, March 21, 1804
195
(Only the Magistrates stick to the Republican calendar, and write today: 1 Germinal of the Year XII)
Paris, May 20, 1804
217
(1 Prairial of the Year XII)
Paris, 9 Frimaire of the Year XII
227
(By the Church calendar: November 30, 1804
Paris, at night after Napoleon's coronation December 2, 1804
238
Paris, two weeks after the Emperor's coronation
256
In a stagecoach between Hanover in Germany and Paris, September, 1805
268
(The Emperor has forbidden our Republican calendar. My late mama would be pleased—she never could get used to it)
Paris, June 4, 1806
281
Summer, 1807, in a travelling coach somewhere
in Europe
286
In our new home in the rue d´Anjou in Paris.
July, 1809
302
Villa la Grange, near Paris. Autumn, 1809
311
Paris, December 16, 1809
319
Paris, end of June, 1810
332
PART III
Our Lady of Peace
Paris, September, 1810
341
Paris, September 30, 1810
372
Helsingor in Denmark, the night of
December 21 to December 22, 1810
375
Helsingör, December 22, 1810
380
(Today I arrived in Sweden)
In the Royal Palace, Stockholm
End of the interminable winter of 1811
384
Castle Drottningholm in Sweden
Beginning of June, 1811.
396
Paris, January 1, 1812
403
Paris, April, 1812
413
Paris, middle of September, 1812
417
Paris, two weeks later 425
Paris, December 16, 1812
430
Paris, December 19, 1812
438
Paris, end of January, 1813
448
Paris, February, 1813
452
Paris, beginning of April, 1813
459
Paris, summer, 1813
466
Paris, November, 1813
470
Paris, last week in March, 1814
481
Paris, March 30, 1814 484
Paris, March 31, 1814
495
Paris, April, 1814
494
Paris, middle of April, 1814
518
Paris, early May, 1814
533
Paris, Whitmonday, May 30, 1814
Late in the evening
540
Paris, late autumn, 1814 546
Paris, March 5, 1815
552
Paris, March 20, 1815
557
Paris, June 18, 1815
560
Paris, June 23, 1815
563
Paris, during the night of
June 29-30, 1815
566
PART IV
The Queen of Sweden
Paris, February, 1818
587
Paris, June, 1821
594