Les Filleules de Rubens, Tome I

In the humid dawn of 17th‑century Antwerp, a young gentleman named Borrekens begins his day with a ritual bath in a marble tub imported from Italy, then slips quietly to the nearby Notre‑Dame for Mass. After the service he encounters a widowed mother, her face etched with grief, clutching two small children and pleading for relief. Moved by her plight, Borrekens offers a modest kindness, marking the first thread of compassion that weaves through the city’s tangled lives.

Later that morning the same man is summoned to the studio of the celebrated painter Rubens, where a dispute over a parcel of land threatens to stir old rivalries between merchants and the city’s guilds. The conversation hints at legal entanglements and bruised pride, suggesting that personal honor and public duty will collide. As Borrekens navigates these competing demands, the listener is drawn into a vivid portrait of Flemish society, where art, commerce, and human compassion intersect.