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Le 13e Hussards, types, profils, esquisses et croquis militaires... á pied et á cheval by Emile Gaboriau
-Mille millions de tonnerres! s'écria le hussard Gédéon Flambert, j'y vois clair à la fin. Moi qui m'étais engagé pour servir glorieusement ma patrie, je suis tout simplement entré au service d'un cheval-de mon cheval.
Encore, ai-je bien le droit de l'appeler mon cheval, et n'est-ce pas lui, qui, à plus juste titre, pourrait dire: mon cavalier?
Le hussard Gédéon, de garde d'écurie ce soir-là était alors à demi couché sur une botte de paille. Pour la première fois, depuis cinq mois qu'il était soldat, il trouvait un instant pour réfléchir.
-Oui, continua-t-il, tout pour mon cheval, impossible de sortir de là. C'est, ma parole d'honneur, à en être jaloux. Je lui appartiens comme l'ombre au corps, ma vie est à lui, il l'absorbe, il la dévore. Car enfin, à quoi se passent mes jours, qu'ai-je fait aujourd'hui?
Ce matin, à cinq heures, bien avant le jour, j'ai été éveillé par les éclats enragés des trompettes.-Premier déjeuner et toilette de mon cheval.
Nouveau coup de trompette à six heures; pansage.-Cinq quarts d'heure durant j'ai étrillé, brossé, bouchonné, épongé, peigné mon cheval.
A neuf heures, promenade de mon cheval.
A midi, autre repas de mon cheval.
A deux heures, second pansage de mon cheval, nouveaux soins, autre repas.
A sept heures enfin, souper de mon cheval.
Et encore et toujours mon cheval! Pour lui on a remis en vigueur le cérémonial décrété par Caligula à l'usage de celui dont il fit un consul.
Cependant mon cheval est en bonne santé. Que serait-ce, grand Dieu! s'il était au régime. Je tremble à la seule pensée qu'il peut tomber malade et qu'alors je deviendrais son infirmier.
Mes journées ne lui suffisent pas, il lui faut mes nuits. Ainsi, à cette heure, lorsque je serais si aise de reposer dans mon lit, je suis ici de garde d'écurie, c'est-à-dire que je vais passer la nuit à veiller sur le sommeil de mon cheval, et du cheval de mon brigadier, et des chevaux de tous mes camarades...
-Garde d'écurie! cria une voix formidable, garde d'écurie!
D'un bond, Gédéon fut sur pied et en présence du brigadier de semaine qui faisait une ronde.
-Je présuppose que vous dormiez, dit sévèrement le brigadier; vous aurez le plaisir de me faire celui de deux jours de consigne.
-Brigadier, je vous assure...
-Silence dans le rrrang ou je réitère. Que je sais que les chevaux ils se plaignent que vos ronflements ils les empêchent de dormir.
Il n'y avait rien à répondre. Le brigadier s'éloigna en amortissant le bruit de ses pas, afin de surprendre quelque autre délinquant.
-évidemment, se dit Gédéon, je suis dans mon tort. Je songerai une autre fois à ne plus réfléchir, mieux vaut dormir maintenant et tacher de mériter ma punition. Mais pourquoi diable me suis-je engagé! Pourquoi ai-je été précisément choisir la cavalerie?
Pourquoi?
This early work by Émile Gaboriau was originally published in the late 19th century and we are now republishing it with a brand new introduction.
For as long as Emily can remember, she has wanted to overcome her shyness and explore her sexuality. Still, everything changes when she receives an invitation to visit one of the town's most prestigious BDSM clubs, DESIRE'S DEN. On the day she chose to peruse the club, she noticed three men, all dressed in suits, standing on the upper level, near the railing. Despite her limited vision, she persisted in fixating on them. Their towering statues belied the toned bodies concealed by their sharply tailored suits-or so she could tell. The hair of two of them was short and dark, and the third had light brown-possibly blond-hair that reached the shoulders. The dark, crimson background incised their figures, exuding an air of mystery and strength. They stood in stark contrast to the unfiltered, primal energy that pulsed through the club. Shocked by the desires these men aroused in her, she was disappointed to learn that they were masters seeking a slave to divide and conquer. She couldn't afford the fee, and she also realized that they were outside her league. Emily hurriedly left the club, feeling disappointed and depressed, unaware that she had also caught the group's attention. A world of wicked pleasure, three handsome men. Over the years, they have lived a life of decadence, their lavish lair serving as a stage for their most sinister desires. But despite the unending parade of willing subjects, one woman sticks out. A mysterious stranger with white porcelain skin and a killer body, a slave, a name with no address, the first lady to attract their eye and they will go to any length to obtain her no matter the consequences.
A man like Travis Sinclair wants nothing more than a woman who matches his sexual prowess and is used to getting everything he wants. A cold-hearted billionaire ,he lives by one rule - no love, no commitment. Ayanna Davies isn't looking for a relationship. She's focused on her work and the financial security it brings. As a high end escort, her client is full of filthy rich men who are willing to pay handsomely for her services. But when Travis Sinclair becomes one of her clients, she begins twice about mixing work with pleasure. Not knowing that he is an old acquaintance whom she despises.
Brenna lived with her adoptive parents for twenty years, enduring their exploitation. When their real daughter appeared, they sent Brenna back to her true parents, thinking they were broke. In reality, her birth parents belonged to a top circle that her adoptive family could never reach. Hoping Brenna would fail, they gasped at her status: a global finance expert, a gifted engineer, the fastest racer... Was there any end to the identities she kept hidden? After her fiancé ended their engagement, Brenna met his twin brother. Unexpectedly, her ex-fiancé showed up, confessing his love...
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"
"Mr. Evans, please maintain some dignity. Don't forget I'm your brother's wife!" Having caught her husband and best friend together in the bed, Elena wanted nothing more than to exact revenge on the people she once called family. She refused to be a pitiful divorcee and vowed to make everyone who had once looked down on her beg for forgiveness. And to start with her newfound freedom, Elena indulges in a one-night stand with a stranger. However, what was meant to be a fleeting escape turns into a nightmare when she learns that the stranger is none other than her husband's older brother! Would Elena be free from the shackles of her marriage? Or would the mysterious stranger make her life a living hell since he seemed to have a personal vendetta against his family? [The story is 18+ and involves mature content.]
After two years of marriage, Kristian dropped a bombshell. "She's back. Let's get divorced. Name your price." Freya didn't argue. She just smiled and made her demands. "I want your most expensive supercar." "Okay." "The villa on the outskirts." "Sure." "And half of the billions we made together." Kristian froze. "Come again?" He thought she was ordinary—but Freya was the genius behind their fortune. And now that she'd gone, he'd do anything to win her back.