Death in Champagne: a brutal murder haunts the French countryside

Death in Champagne, the second murder mystery in the Victor Constant Investigations, débuts on Amazon on 2 October. In this new novel, the Duc de Richelieu (pictured here in martial glory) coerces the military police corps of France into pursuing a killer at large in Victor's territory around Joinville. At the time, the duke is staying with friends at Cirey--Émilie du Châtelet and Voltaire.

I won't be blogging in the next few days, dear reader, so here is a sneak peek into Émilie's territory ...

Émilie du Châtelet was walking with Richelieu on the terrace outside the new wing of her château, through a vestigial parterre garden planted in tiny seedlings of box. Voltaire’s apartments were at the end of the wing. Yesterday afternoon, when he’d looked out a window and spied her taking a walk with Richelieu, he had joined them, but today only Émilie’s children were in evidence. Seven-year-old Florent was on the green slope above the Blaise, dragging his tutor by the hand to point out something in the long, rectangular fish pond at their feet. This was one of his hours for Latin, which Florent hated—possibly he was questioning the Abbé Linant on the classical names for the tench and pike that were reared there. Wasted effort, since Linant knew scarcely more Latin than Florent; every week Émilie had to prepare the abbé for the lessons he gave her son, wondering meanwhile why Voltaire had ever hired him.

Her daughter Pauline, a year older, was sitting on a stone bench beyond the parterre, head bent over a book, conning her lines for Voltaire’s play Alzire. Set in the Peru of the conquistadors, it was a favourite with the aristocratic neighbours, who would be coming for a special version of it in the evening. Pauline had a brilliant memory, loved acting and had played her part before: in an hour or two she would have every line again by heart.

Émilie stepped onto a stretch of grass that led towards the new avenue of linden trees and said to Richelieu, ‘I hope you don’t mind the Champbonins and the La Neuvilles invading tonight. I had to invite them at least once while you’re here, or they’d think us gigantically selfish for keeping you to ourselves.’

He smiled. ‘I can’t wait to see what you all make of your parts. Your son visited me this morning in a crown of gaudy feathers and quizzed me on Inca warriors. I’m expecting due savagery from him tonight.’

She laughed. ‘Yes, however I educate him, he’ll grow up a soldier, like his father.’

‘And Pauline a natural philosopher, like you?’

She sighed. ‘From the convent at Joinville? It’s not a place of wit and wisdom, my dear; I’m sure most of the nuns can barely read or write. Pauline learns more here in a day than she gets there in a month. In fact I shan’t send her back to Joinville tomorrow—it frightens me. Until that monster is caught, I want her with me.’

Richelieu said, ‘I’m sorry I told you about that. I had no idea you’d be so horrified.’

‘What, by hearing of two women raped, killed and mutilated, then displayed like trophies to common view? It’s worse than the tale of Bluebeard! You don’t realise: normally our lovely Champagne basks in bucolic peace. By the way, I haven’t discussed these ghastly murders with Pauline, and you’re not to either.’

He stopped and looked at her in concern. ‘Émilie, the dead girls were peasants, and the atrocities happened near a few pitiful hovels that are miles away from anything to do with you or your daughter.’

She stopped too and said firmly, ‘The killer is a madman. You convinced me of that, the moment you gave us the details from that dispatch. It sounds as though he’s on a rampage, so he could strike anywhere—and if it’s peasant women he’s after, my God, we’re surrounded by them. Voltaire agrees with me—he and my farmer have conferred, and from tonight our hounds and the farm dogs will be let out to roam the grounds until dawn.’

‘That could lead to a fair racket in the small hours!’ Then he looked contrite and put his hand under her elbow, so that they were walking again. ‘Very well, take your precautions. Of course I’ll cooperate: the sooner this villain is laid by the heels, the better. So you’ll be pleased to know that the gendarme I told you of arrives here at two o’clock to take my instructions.’

‘Oh no.’ She was struck by a familiar fear, inspired by Voltaire’s many disastrous confrontations with the police. ‘I’m sorry to hear that. I don’t like gendarmes anywhere near us. Especially not at Cirey.’

Richelieu said lightly, ‘But this is Cavalier Constant we’re talking about—I thought you had him tamed. Otherwise I’d never have ordered him here.’

‘Did he look tame to you?’ She shivered. ‘Voltaire might pretend to enjoy sparring with Constant, but tangling with the gendarmerie makes him just as nervous as it does me. He won’t be happy about this.’

‘About what?’ The winning, flexible voice from behind them made Émilie jump. ‘What are you two planning for my displeasure?’ Voltaire stepped into view and Émilie shook her head at him. He had stalked like a cat across the grass, determined on ambush. Pauline, who must have observed what he was doing from the far side of the parterre and hadn’t made a sound, now giggled, her book forgotten in her lap. Voltaire could always make her laugh.

Émilie said calmly, ‘Cavalier Constant of the Chaumont brigade has an appointment with us here at two o’clock.’ She felt Richelieu start at this—but if he was going to invite the police to Cirey, he could not expect to see them alone. If the Maréchaussée were allowed access to her own house, she intended to hear every word spoken!

Voltaire said to his friend, ‘Where did you think of interrogating him: the dining room?’

Richelieu was nettled. ‘Damn it, I’ll talk to him at the stables if you like! There’s no need for him to trouble either of you.’

‘No trouble at all. We’ll have him shown into my library. It will be less intimidating for him—he’s been summoned there once before. Now, tell us what you wish to achieve from this meeting and we’ll see if there’s any further contribution we can make.’

Richelieu said flatly, ‘It’s simple: I demanded progress on this investigation and I want to know how far he’s got.’

‘Well, you’ll hear the truth from Cavalier Constant. He suffers under the rare drawback of being an honest man.’

Order Death in Champagne here or click the Amazon button at the foot of this page for the series.