Rue Droite

Rue Droite, the main thoroughfare of Grasse, runs from east to west through the entire length of the town. It is a street of commerce and power, lined with the modest façades of wholesalers and merchants whose real wealth lies hidden behind them in gardens, warehouses, and wainscoted salons. The street is narrow and often clogged with wagons unloading kegs, yet it serves as the spine of the town's public life, connecting the city gate at one end to the grand residences at the other.

Location and Character

Rue Droite is described as a "main artery" that traverses the whole city. Its buildings appear unremarkable from the street, but behind them lie camouflaged palazzi with exquisite gardens, fountains, and silk-walled chambers where the scent merchants of Grasse live like princes. The street is filthy, like the rest of the town, with unchannelled rivulets and brooks undermining the paving, yet it bustles with the commerce of scents, soaps, and oils. Grenouille, during his first exploration of Grasse, stops for a long while in front of one of these disguised mansions at the beginning of Rue Droite, drawn by a scent from its garden that he recognizes as the same fatal fragrance he had encountered years before in Paris.

The Richis Residence

The most significant building on Rue Droite is the grand residence of Antoine Richis, the second consul and the wealthiest citizen of Grasse. It stands at the entrance to the street, and it is here that Richis lives with his daughter Laure, whose beauty and scent Grenouille has determined to possess. The house is well-protected, with grilles on the windows and a watch, but Grenouille knows that any attempt to break in directly is pointless. The street itself becomes a stage for the town's collective fear during the year of murders, and it is from Rue Droite that Richis departs with Laure in a diversionary caravan meant to fool the murderer.

The Execution and Aftermath

After Laure's murder in La Napoule, Rue Droite becomes the site of Richis's private grief. He forbids any preparations for the execution day in his household, disgusted by the public's feverish anticipation. He carries Laure's shredded nightgown, undershirt, and red hair to her room, lays them on her bed, and sits beside them day and night, unable to weep. On the day of the execution, the carriage carrying Grenouille drives down Rue Droite, through the city gate, and out to the parade grounds. Later, after the orgy and the collapse of the trial, Richis brings the unconscious Grenouille back to the same house on Rue Droite, lays him in Laure's bed, and offers to adopt him as his son. Grenouille, having regained consciousness, lies in that bed until dawn, then steals away through the salon and over the garden wall, leaving Rue Droite and Grasse forever.