used the Dante Society’s conventions of capitalization for places such as Hell and Paradise.
I’ve been inspired by Sandro Botticelli’s artwork and the incomparable space that is the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The cities of Toronto, Florence, and Cambridge lent their ambience, along with the borough of Selinsgrove.
I’ve found several electronic archives to be quite helpful, especially the Digital Dante Project of Columbia University, Danteworlds by the University of Texas at Austin, and the World of Dante by the University of Virginia. I’ve consulted the Internet Archive site for its version of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s translation of La Vita Nuova along with the original Italian, which is cited in this book. I’ve also cited Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s translation of The Divine Comedy. The text from Abelard’s letter to Héloise was taken from an anonymous translation dated from 1901.
I am grateful to Jennifer, who read the first draft of this story and offered constructive criticism at every subsequent stage. This book would not exist without her encouragement and friendship. I am grateful also to Nina for her creative input and wisdom. Kris read and offered insightful suggestions on the manuscript during the revision process.
Thanks are due to the fine staff of Omnific, especially Elizabeth, Lynette, CJ, Kim, Coreen, Micha and Enn. It has been a pleasure working with you.
I would also like to thank those who read a previous version of my story and offered criticisms, suggestions and support, especially the Muses, Tori, Elizabeth de Vos, Elena, Marinella, and Erika.
Finally, I would like to thank my readers and my family. Your continued support is inestimable.
-SR
Lent 2012
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eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-61669-7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Reynard, Sylvain.
Gabriel’s redemption / Sylvain Reynard.—First edition.
p. cm.—(Gabriel’s inferno trilogy)
ISBN 978-0-425-26651-9 (pbk.)
1. College teachers—Fiction. 2. Newlyweds—Fiction. 3. Family secrets—Fiction. I. Title.
PR9199.4.R4667G35 2013
813'.6—dc23
2013030022
FIRST EDITION: December 2013
Cover design by Lesley Worrell
Cover art: couple: Claudio Marinesco; man: Pali Rao / Getty Images
Interior text design by Tiffany Estreicher
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-seven
Chapter Thirty-eight
Chapter Thirty-nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-one
Chapter Forty-two
Chapter Forty-three
Chapter Forty-four
Chapter Forty-five
Chapter Forty-six
Chapter Forty-seven
Chapter Forty-eight
Chapter Forty-nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-one
Chapter Fifty-two
Chapter Fifty-three
Chapter Fifty-four
Chapter Fifty-five
Chapter Fifty-six
Chapter Fifty-seven
Chapter Fifty-eight
Chapter Fifty-nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty-one
Chapter Sixty-two
Chapter Sixty-three
Chapter Sixty-four
Chapter Sixty-five
Chapter Sixty-six
Chapter Sixty-seven
Chapter Sixty-eight
Chapter Sixty-nine
Chapter Seventy
Chapter Seventy-one
Chapter Seventy-two
Chapter Seventy-three
Chapter Seventy-four
Chapter Seventy-five
Chapter Seventy-six
Chapter Seventy-seven
Chapter Seventy-eight
Chapter Seventy-nine
Chapter Eighty
Chapter Eighty-one
Chapter Eighty-two
Chapter Eighty-three
Chapter Eighty-four
Chapter Eighty-five
Chapter Eighty-six
Chapter Eighty-seven
Chapter Eighty-eight
Acknowledgments
Special Excerpt
About the Author
To my readers,
with gratitude.
Dante and Beatrice ascend to the sphere of Mars.
Engraving by Gustav Doré, c. 1868
“Hope,” said I, “is the certain expectation
Of future glory, which is the effect
Of grace divine and merit precedent.”
—DANTE ALIGHIERI, PARADISO,
CANTO XXV.067-069.
Prologue
1292
Florence, Italy
The poet pushed back from the table and looked out the window at his beloved city. Though her architecture and streets called to him, they did so with hollow voices. It was as if a great light had been extinguished, not just from the city, but from the world.
“Quomodo sedet sola civitas plena populo! Facta est quasi vidua domina gentium . . .”
His eyes scanned the Lamentation he’d quoted only moments previous. The words of the prophet Jeremiah were woefully inadequate.
“Beatrice,” he whispered, his heart seizing in his chest. Even now, two years after her death, he had difficulty writing about his loss.
She would remain forever young, forever noble, forever his blessedness, and not all the poetry in the world could express his devotion to her. But for