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The Scandal That Shook the Throne
A Historical Novel Inspired by the Praslin Affair
A murder that shook a kingdom. A confession that rewrites history.

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The official records say the Duke took his own life.
My family's records say he was at our dinner table in Nicaragua.

A short historical novel of the 1847 Praslin Affair, built on fifteen years of family research.

A Gripping Reimagining of the Murder That Helped Topple the French Monarchy

In August 1847, the murder of the Duchesse de Choiseul-Praslin by her husband, a Peer of France, helped bring down the French monarchy. Most retellings follow the governess. This novel turns the lens toward the one figure history tried to silence: the murderer himself — intimate, unsettling, and told from inside his mind.

Two Stories, One Murder: The Praslin Affair Through Opposing Lenses

Vintage movie poster for All This, and Heaven Too starring Bette Davis, depicting the famous dramatization of the Praslin Affair.

 

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Sobre la historia que inspiró Cuarenta y Siete Puñaladas


En el corazón de uno de los escándalos más impactantes de la Francia del siglo XIX se encuentra Henriette Deluzy-Desportes, institutriz de los hijos del duque de Praslin. Amada por los niños y respetada por el duque, Henriette se convierte en el blanco de la desconfianza feroz de la duquesa, cuya conducta cada vez más errática desencadena una cadena de acontecimientos trágicos que marcarán para siempre a toda la familia.
En 1938, la escritora Rachel Field llevó este caso a la literatura con All This and Heaven Too, una novela que se convirtió en un bestseller internacional y que más tarde fue adaptada al cine en una exitosa película protagonizada por Bette Davis y Charles Boyer. Su obra consolidó la imagen de Henriette como una mujer inocente atrapada en un torbellino de celos, poder y obsesión.
Cuarenta y Siete Puñaladas retoma esta historia casi noventa años después, pero desde un ángulo completamente distinto: la voz del propio asesino, el duque Charles de Choiseul-Praslin. A través de su confesión íntima y perturbadora, la novela cuestiona todo lo que creíamos saber sobre el crimen que estremeció a la monarquía francesa y ofrece una mirada más profunda a los impulsos humanos que pueden destruir un imperio desde dentro.

A New Perspective: The Duke’s Confession


What if the Duke did not die in 1847?
Drawing from French archival records and Nicaraguan family oral tradition, this novel explores a provocative premise: that the Duke escaped France, lived under an assumed name in Nicaragua, and carried the weight of his crime for another 35 years.
Through his confession, the novel examines:
•     Power and its corruptions
•     Obsession and its consequences
•     The thin line between guilt, remorse, and self‑preservation
•     How the powerful evade justice while the innocent pay the price
This is not just a retelling — it is a reckoning.

Explora la intersección de la historia documentada y la leyenda familiar

Author Jaime Pasquier brings together 15 years of genealogical research, 19th‑century archival material, and inherited family memory to reconstruct a version of the Praslin Affair that history never recorded.
The result is a narrative that blends:
•     Verified historical events
•     Oral tradition passed down through generations
•     The hidden movements of aristocrats in exile
•     The moral ambiguity of a man seeking redemption for an unforgivable act
This intersection of fact and legend creates a story that feels both historically grounded and hauntingly personal.

What Readers Say

“Richly detailed and gripping. Pasquier blends meticulous research with vivid storytelling, turning a real scandal into a sweeping narrative about power, corruption, and the human cost of privilege.” — Cajetan, Verified Amazon Purchase ★★★★★

“I did not expect the narrative to be so revealing, including the perspectives of everyone involved.” — Elizabeth Valdez ★★★★★

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Continue the Story

The Last Aristocrats follows the Duke’s escape from France and his thirty-five years of exile in Nicaragua. Spanish readers can find El escándalo que sacudió el trono and Cuarenta y Siete Puñaladas.

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Secure your copy and step inside one of the most explosive scandals of the 19th century.

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