The Honour of Savelli: A Romance

Set amid the volatile courts of early sixteenth‑century Italy, a spirited young Italian is thrust into a sudden confrontation at a bustling banquet. The flamboyant D'Entrangues declares, “I do not drink with a thief!” and the room falls silent, all eyes fixed on the protagonist. He feels both admiration and suspicion from a mix of mercenaries, nobles, and foreign adventurers, hinting at the tangled loyalties that surround him.

After the dinner, Madame D'Entrangues invites him to a hawking party, where a wager pits his prized peregrine against her husband's seasoned hawk. The contest quickly becomes a flashpoint for old grudges, courtly flirtations, and whispers of larger schemes that threaten to upend his sense of honor. Listeners are drawn into the vivid dialogue and the palpable tension of a world where a single proclamation can shift fortunes, and where love and duty collide on the edge of danger.