IN THE COMPANY OF FOOLS

A young French scribe, risking everything, turns sleuth to save the life and reputation of a slandered duchess.

Paris, 1396. A dark figure ventures into a disreputable neighborhood to receive a dirty infant from a gnarled crone. Not long after, the baby is handed off to a surprised Christine de Pizan by a quartet of fools who serve the Duke of Orléans, each with an animal nickname: Giliot, Hanotin, Coquinet, and Blondel. Christine, a scribe, has been copying a book for the Duchess of Orléans, Valentina Visconti. When the fools claim that the baby was found in the palace gardens and insist that Christine take charge of it, she gives it to her mother for safekeeping. As the kingdom’s turmoil is deepened by the grave illness of the king, gossipmongers spread dangerous rumors about Valentina, depicting her as an evil sorceress. The murders of two young women, the prostitute Fleur and the young newlywed Klara, who lived with Christine and her mother after Klara’s groom disappeared, seem somehow connected to the secret baby. The surprise reappearance of Klara’s husband, Martin du Bois, who claims the baby and declares that her name is Bonne, puts yet another spin on the story. Valentina’s enemies weave a tale that she murdered Klara and plans to swap the orphan baby for the queen’s. As one of the Duchess’ only supporters in the court, and with considerable experience as a sleuth, Christine feels compelled to clear her name.

Bayard vividly immerses the reader in the complex and perilous world of medieval France.