A subtle, ironic, and delightfully piquant historical novel about the extraordinary fate of the most educated and extravagant woman of the late Middle Ages—the duchess Marguerite, nicknamed Maultrash (Big-Mouthed)—and about a long war between two women: the wife and the mistress. In that conflict, one woman’s weapons were beauty and charm, while the other’s were a brilliant mind and truly divine talent for weaving intricate intrigues.