Book
The Fool Beloved
First published 1949
In the fictional duchy of Celonia, Count Angelo survives an assassination attempt that kills a friend and soon learns that his brother Fortunio has also been poisoned. To discover who is directing the violence, Angelo adopts the humiliating but useful disguise of a court fool, placing himself close to men who would guard their words around a known nobleman. His investigation draws him toward the threatened Duchess Jenevra and a struggle for control of the state.
Farnol builds Celonia from the politics of medieval Italy: rival nobles, poisoned succession, fortified courts and the danger of condottiere-style violence. The fool’s costume makes political observation possible while also reversing social rank, allowing Angelo to hear truths denied to his titled identity. Romance and intrigue converge as exposing the conspiracy becomes inseparable from protecting both the duchess and the legitimacy of her rule.
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