The Man Who Laughs Part II, Book the First, Chapter IX - Hate is as Strong as Love

In which the courtly intrigues and whispered malignities of a foul-tempered parasite named Barkilphedro are laid bare, revealing how low cunning and spiteful devotion can weave a powerful influence beneath regal veneers. Amidst the gilded chambers and lavish estates of seventeenth-century England, the slow but certain gathering of enmity and secret machinations unfolds with a subtle and venomous artfulness.