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The next year and a half became a real torture for Romagnaka. He was forced to carry out the orders of the hated duchess, each time betraying the queen. Admittedly, Diana's demands were not excessive - she forced Francois either to steal the letter she needed, or to try to persuade Catherine to some kind of decision. The queen guessed that a spy had again appeared in her entourage, and more than once asked her "dear brother" to find him. François languidly feigned activity in search of a spy, while he himself painfully thought about how to get rid of blackmail.

But Diana was not going to let her victim out of her clutches and once a month or two demanded to render her another "little favor". And Francois again and again went to meanness, each time convincing himself: "It's not my fault. I just have to do it." He did not want to admit the obvious - blackmail became possible only due to the fact that he himself initially went to deception. Nevertheless, he felt badly, and the feeling of