Book of the duchess: Michael at Grâce à Dieu

Unnumbered image: Infant Michael in the care of Monk Hilary of Grâce à Dieu

The plot episode 2 (summarised from the text of Lorna's novel)

Henri III died of cancer three months after Guillot slayed Antony de St Étienne and his wife. The dead duke was buried in a tomb at the Minster of Vannes, next to his murdered cousins.

Guillot stepped in to take control of the duchy, ruling as guardian of Henri III’s infant daughter Jacqueline. He built up the palace guard, confiscated the property of anyone who threatened him, and exiled legitimate aristocratic landowners so that he could pass their estates onto friends from his days as a mercenary soldier. Guillot’s long-term ambition was to marry Jacqueline when she came of age, and thus grasp the duchy for himself as the now-legitimate duke.

Over the course of Jacqueline’s childhood, Guillot groomed his ward to give public demonstrations of force and will power. His plan was so successful that by the time that Jacqueline ascended to the duchy, she had already earned the reputation of a fit successor to the inhumane father who had ordered the massacre of his cousins in cold blood.

Meanwhile monks cared for orphaned Michael at the cloister of Grâce à Dieu, having sheltered him in secret since the night of his parents' murder. They hoped that when Michael learnt of his heritage, the wrong-doings against his family, and the suffering of the people of Montvallon, he would seek revenge and release the population from the ‘wicked and savage’ duchess.

Michael, however, had led a very sheltered childhood amongst the monks, and everything that he knew about young women had been learnt through reading Chaucer and listening to the lyrics of troubadour songs. He refused to believe that Duchess Jacqueline could be as evil as his guardians claimed. He vowed that when he came of age, he would travel to Vannes to check this for himself. In preparation for his mission, Michael spent a year training in arms.

The last piece of advice that the monks gave Michael before he set off to Vannes was to make contact there with a rebel called Raoul.

Lorna’s remarks

We have been unable to find Lorna's comments on this illustration. They do not appear to have been saved in the archive (if they existed at all).