Page 465 - Revelation

Svetlana de Rohan-Levashova. Revelation

– Everything since that day when he managed to escape the death in fire... – I
smiled. – Everything since his birth.

Sever nodded, and at his wish the "door" into the past was open for me again to
tell me the next unique story…
– After the four fugitives made an enormous fire on the Bidorta mountain – a
sign for Montsegur – they got warm a little and continued their hard journey which had
to bring them to their friends, to the secluded castle of Usson. The castle was hidden
from the curious eyes by the surrounding mountains and seemed to be the most suitable
place to hide the priceless guest for a while.

An early drawing of Usson Castle ...
It was an outstanding place, Isidora. And the owners (seigniors) of the castle were
outstanding people too, especially Lady Esclarmonde de Usson. Oh, yes! Do not be
surprised, my friend, in that terrible time the Cathars had five Ladies Esclarmonde!
They said that this name brought luck to the person. Well, to my mind, it was quite the
contrary... But the name was truly very beautiful. I will tell to you a little bit about Lady
Esclarmonde de Usson... She deserves that people know the truth about her. Exactly
the truth, not those fables which the church spread about her... – and on catching my
interrogative look, Sever sadly answered: – Yes, my friend... It is another sad story
about an amazing person, a woman-warrior, whose life was extraordinarily brave and
light and around whom the "dark" later created a disgusting image. Like Magdalena,
she was depicted as a "woman of easy virtue" and a "mad witch" who roamed lost
about the Occitan Mountains. There was even a certain "brother Robert" who
confirmed in written form to the Inquisition that he met the naked Esclarmonde in the
wood surrounded by a pack of white wolves... which had human faces ...
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She was an illegitimate child of Raimond Roger, Count de Foix, and the Abbess
Ermingarda.

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You may read a detailed description of Lady Esclarmonde de Usson’s amazing life in my next book The Children of
Sun.
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