The Unexpected

About this issue

This historical fiction piece is set during a French military campaign. Three wounded officers—Vicomte de Mortemart, Marquis D'Antin, and François de Clermont-Aurigny—take refuge from a snowstorm at an inn, where they find a young, mysterious woman already staying. After helping a peasant boy pay for his village school tuition, they dine with the woman in her parlor. Through careless conversation, Aurigny reveals that Mortemart carries a secret mission arranged by the Prince de Condé. The woman's true identity gradually emerges: she is a spy traveling to the Prince of Orange with intelligence that could alter the war's outcome. Pursued by soldiers, she confesses this to the three officers and appeals for their help in escaping. The story combines romantic tension with espionage intrigue, examining questions of loyalty, honor, and whether the officers will aid her flight.