5
‘It was the fin-de-siècle façade of the Hôtel de la Cité, understated but grand all the same, that caught her eye. Covered by ivy, with wroughtiron gates, arched stained-glass windows and deep red awnings the colour of ripe cherries, it whispered of money.’
The alleyway leads to the Place Saint-Nazaire. On the left are souvenir shops, on the right is the Hôtel de la Cité – which opened in 1909 on the site where the Bishop’s Palace once stood. Like her grandfather before her, it is the sumptuous accommodation that Marie-Cécile de l’Oradore chooses when she visits Carcassonne. She and Paul Authié share a meal in the impressive dining room.
