Grey Woman

With bated breath, we follow the life journey of Anna, the beautiful daughter of a miller on the German river Neckar. Kind and well-mannered, the young woman accepts an invitation from her friend to go to Karlsruhe, to the household of her widowed mother. The mother is trying to maintain her standing in high society, a life in which salons were an essential part at the end of the 18th century. It is on one such occasion that Anna is introduced to the French nobleman, Monsieur de la Tourelle, who, in addition to his obvious wealth, also stands out for his refined, albeit somewhat affected, behaviour and dazzling charm. The Frenchman is so enchanted by the “Schöne Müllerin,” as Anna is nicknamed in her home neighbourhood, that he immediately begins to court her.

At first, the shy Anna, inexperienced in matters of love, is flattered by the exceptional man's interest, although something in his over-the-top attention seems to warn her. In a society bound by convention, however, it is enough that she does not explicitly reject his courtship at the very beginning – and soon she is standing by his side as his new wife.

Over time and in unguarded moments, Monsieur de la Tourelle reveals that behind his handsome, almost effeminate mask hides a hard man and a relentless predator who, as the author aptly writes, intends to please his new wife only in ways that please himself. He systematically cuts her off from her family, and her stay at his castle, Les Rochers, becomes a luxurious cage for Anna, if not a prison.

The unhappy woman sinks into self-pity and is no longer cheered even by the fact that she will soon become a mother. Her only friend is her chambermaid, Amante. One day, the witty and devoted Frenchwoman accidentally discovers that a letter has arrived for Anna from home, which her husband has somehow “forgotten” to give her. From that moment on, her mistress desires nothing more than to find out how her beloved father and everyone else at the home mill are doing. The two women seize the opportunity presented by Monsieur de la Tourelle's departure and secretly venture into his study at night. For a moment, Anna finds herself alone in it – and at that moment, a terrible visitor arrives, whom she first mistakes for a robber. The reality, however, is much worse: at the head of a trio of hardened criminals, her husband returns home!

As soon as Anna, with Amante's help, manages to recover from the initial shock, they must immediately leave the castle, where their lives would soon be in danger. But the ill-fated revolution, proudly called the Great French Revolution, has recently broken out in France, so it is no safer on the roads. Especially since the tentacles of the criminal gang reach very, very far…

And so, the beautiful young girl and lady of the castle becomes hunted prey – and after all the hardships she endures, the Grey Woman…

Translated from the English original, The Grey Woman, by Jana Srbová.