apartments
Leading figures of court society had their own suite of rooms where they gathered together for gossip and other entertainment purposes.
exile
In this novel, it meant the banishment to the family’s estates at Chantilly.
wit
“Wit” was used in this novel under either having “academic intelligence” or a sort of “sense of mind”, “social self-possession and alertness.”
private room
a small room, often at the tail of a bedroom, where the occupant can use the space for self-reflection
coucher
the last royal reception of the day
The Amboise Conspiracy
a Huguenot conspiracy in 1560, one of the first events that event propelled into a war of religion.
The Order
the Order of the Knights of Malta
gold frieze
a cloth of gold that is very textured and roughened, a popular texture among garments in the sixteenth century.
Anet
a château built for Diane de Poitiers by Henri, well known for its design and structure
Chambord
one of the most extravagant châteaux of the Loire valley
