The Conquest. seducing the wife of his boss proves his absolute dominance over his rivals.
Not the obvious season of birds and bees—though the swallows were busy along the eaves—but a gentler, more human cadence: the time when old alliances loosened and new desires made themselves known. Bellmont’s widows and widowers found themselves rehearsing flirtations like children learning a new game. Partnerships frayed into softer threads; proposals that had never been said drifted into the breath between coffee and conversation. bel ami mating season