“Apparently he was outstanding and I only wish I could have lived in those days and met him.”
“What happened to him?” enquired Malvina.
“When the Revolution came, my ancestor realised that if he was to remain alive he had somehow to win the approval of the Republicans.”
“How could he do so?”
The Duc paused for a moment before answering,
“He ordered the villagers where his large and most prestigious château was situated to demolish it!”
Malvina gave a cry.
“I don’t believe it.”
“Unfortunately it’s true – they defaced the front, the towers, the entrance and the bridge over the moat.”
“And that saved his life?” she asked breathlessly.
“They did not take him to the guillotine.”
“It sounds an incredibly drastic way of pleasing the Revolutionaries,” sighed Malvina.
“It was either th
