Honoré de Balzac 
Eve and David [PDF ebook] 

Eve and David, also translated as The Trials of the Inventor (Le Souffrances de l'inventeur) is the third of the Lost Illusions trilogy which should be read in order if possible. Part one is The Two Poets and Part two is A Distinguished Provincial at Paris. The story is continued in a fourth novel, Scenes from a Courtesan's Life.
Eve and David first recounts the story of the happenings in Angouleme during the period of A Distinguished Provincial at Paris. There has been loyalty, duplicity, and double-dealing; also much worrying about their friend in Paris. The story continues the timeline with many twists and turns of fate setting the scene for the fourth novel.