Les belles-de-nuit; ou, les anges de la famille. tome 1

Set in the autumn of 1817, the bustling port town of Redon awakens along the slow‑flowing Vilaine. The town’s most prominent inn, the Mouton Couronné, is run by the seasoned widower Géraud, a former seafarer turned restaurateur. His sturdy stone house, crowned with six windows, shelters sailors, merchants, and country folk alike, while the hearth’s warm glow reflects the rhythm of river traffic. Life here is a blend of modest prosperity and quiet ambition, as Géraud quietly guards the modest fortune he has accumulated over the years.

One damp November afternoon the inn’s doors open for three unexpected guests: a veiled young woman in a delicate Indian‑style dress, and two men whose clothes betray a long, muddy journey. Their arrival disturbs the usual quiet, and Géraud, ever courteous, offers them a room overlooking the quay. The strangers speak of a hurried departure from Rennes, yet their guarded manner hints at secrets they carry across the Breton landscape. As the fire crackles and the port’s tide sighs, listeners are drawn into a subtle dance of curiosity and hidden motives.