Den of Thieves

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Authors: Julia Golding

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Den
of
Thieves

J
ULIA
G
OLDING
C
AT IN
P
ARIS
First published 2007
This edition published 2008
by Egmont UK Ltd
239 Kensington High Street, London W8 6SA
Text copyright © 2007 Julia Golding
The moral rights of the author have been asserted
ISBN 978 1 4052 4184 7
eBook ISBN 978 1 7803 1089 3
3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library
Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Books (Cox and Wyman)
www.egmont.co.uk
www.juliagolding.co.uk
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher and copyright owner.
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.
T
HE
C
RITICS
‘Not tonight, Josephine: I'm too busy reading Cat Royal' – N
APOLEON
B
ONAPARTE
‘Publish her and be damned – it's revolutionary hogwash!' –
THE
D
UKE OF
W
ELLINGTON
‘It is the Right of every man to read her books' – T
OM
P
AINE
‘Cat Royal? She provides the oxygen of wit for the brain' – A
NTOINE
L
AURENT
L
AVOISIER, SCIENTIST
‘I was very disappointed: there's not a moment of Germanic obscurity or sublimity in it. I understood every word' – I
MMANUEL
K
ANT, PHILOSOPHER
‘Cat Royal's life is like a fairytale, full of light and darkness' –
THE
B
ROTHERS
G
RIMM
‘Who? I have no time for such frivolities while there is a wagon of aristocrats to behead' – M
AXIMILIEN
R
OBESPIERRE
‘Her wit has a cutting edge' – D
R
G
UILLOTINE
‘Like me, she sounds mad, bad and dangerous to know – just my type' – L
ORD
B
YRON
‘She takes the dead corpse of history and breathes new life into it' – M
ARY
S
HELLEY
‘Not a moment of drowsy numbness when reading her – she's all dance and Provençal song, and sunburnt mirth!' – J
OHN
K
EATS
‘What! She's not still writing, is she? I thought I asked someone to arrest her!' – R
T
H
ON
W
ILLIAM
P
ITT, THE PRIME MINISTER

A N
OTE TO THE
R
EADER

Considering the high tide of feelings running against our French neighbours at present, I should warn my reader that you will find no such prejudices in these pages. I, Cat Royal, late of Drury Lane Theatre, am a declared friend of the revolution (most of the time). If you only like to dine with absolute monarchs on good old English roast beef, suet pudding and beer, perhaps you should look elsewhere for satisfaction. In these pages you'll eat with the people on a meal of highly-spiced French adventure, washed down with a sparkling draught of dance.
Will you take a seat at my table,
mes amis
?

Cat Royal

L
IST OF
P
RINCIPAL
C
HARACTERS

P
ROLOGUE

   

Moving on

Act I

   

S
CENE
1   The Promise

S
CENE
2   The Crown Jewels

S
CENE
3   Exeunt Omnes

S
CENE
4   Mr Tweadle

Act II

   

S
CENE
1   Correspondent

S
CENE
2   Notre Dame by Starlight

S
CENE
3   To the Lamp Post

S
CENE
4   The Thieves' Court

I
NTERLUDE

   

A Country Dance

Act III

   

S
CENE
1   Captain Sparkler

S
CENE
2   Palais Royal

S
CENE
3   The Bishop of the Notre Dame Thieves

I
NTERLUDE

   

Set to solemn music by Handel

Act IV

   

S
CENE
1   English Spy

S
CENE
2   Conciergerie Prison

S
CENE
3   La Fille Mal Gardée

I
NTERLUDE

   

A Ballet-Pastoral

Act V

   

S
CENE
1   Slow Boat

S
CENE
2   A Promise Kept

E
PILOGUE

   

Phoenix

G
LOSSARY

   

 

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