The Scarlet Pimpernel

by

Baroness Orczy

Sir Percy’s wife and Armand St. Just’s sister. Like her brother, Marguerite is an “ardent republican” and “equality of birth” is her motto. She is exceedingly beautiful and bright, and as a single actress in France, was known as “the cleverest woman in Europe.” Marguerite shocked intellectual society when she married Sir Percy, a “dull, stupid Englishman,” and she indeed resents her “brainless” husband. Of course, Sir Percy’s dense persona is only an act to conceal his identity as the Scarlet Pimpernel, but Marguerite is initially unaware of this, and she often “sharpens her ready wits” at Percy’s expense. As a citizen of the French Republic, Marguerite was passionate and quick tempered, and she publicly condemned the Marquis de St. Cyr, which resulted in his death and the death of his entire family, simply to get revenge for the Marquis’s poor treatment of her brother. However, as Sir Percy’s wife, Marguerite is British by proxy and therefore more restrained and guided by morals rather than emotion, which reflects Orczy’s opinion of the superiority of the British. Marguerite has “little real sympathy” for “those haughty French aristocrats,” but she thinks the Scarlet Pimpernel is heroic and won’t be a party to his capture and subsequent execution. Chauvelin uses Marguerite’s deep love for her brother to blackmail her, and after he discovers that Armand is in league with the Scarlet Pimpernel and a traitor to France, convinces her to help him identify the Scarlet Pimpernel in exchange for Armand’s life. Marguerite soon realizes that Sir Percy is the Scarlet Pimpernel, and she risks her own life and travels all the way to France to try to save him. Marguerite considers her betrayal of the Scarlet Pimpernel truly “base” and feels she must atone for her sin. By helping Chauvelin, Marguerite abandons her morals when they become inconvenient, and she must right this wrong if she is ever to find happiness again. In this way, the character of Marguerite reflects Orczy’s overarching argument of remaining true to one’s moral compass, even when it appears difficult or impossible.

Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney Quotes in The Scarlet Pimpernel

The The Scarlet Pimpernel quotes below are all either spoken by Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney or refer to Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Social Class and the French Revolution Theme Icon
).
Chapter 5 Quotes

She went up effusively to them both, with not a single touch of embarrassment in her manner or in her smile. Lord Tony and Sir Andrew watched the little scene with eager apprehension. English though they were, they had often been in France, and had mixed sufficiently with the French to realise the unbending hauteur, the bitter hatred with which the old noblesse of France viewed all those who had helped to contribute to their downfall. Armand St. Just, the brother of beautiful Lady Blakeney—though known to hold moderate and conciliatory views—was an ardent republican; his feud with the ancient family of St. Cyr—the rights and wrongs of which no outsider ever knew—had culminated in the downfall, the almost total extinction, of the latter.

Related Characters: Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney, Armand St. Just, Sir Andrew Ffoulkes, The Marquis de St. Cyr, Lord Anthony Dewhurst, The Comtesse de Tournay, Suzanne de Tournay
Page Number: 38-9
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

Sir Percy Blakeney had travelled a great deal abroad, before he brought home his beautiful, young French wife. The fashionable circles of the time were ready to receive them both with open arms; Sir Percy was rich, his wife was accomplished, the Prince of Wales took a very great liking to them both. Within six months they were the acknowledged leaders of fashion and of style. Sir Percy’s coats were the talk of the town, his inanities were quoted, his foolish laugh copied by the gilded youth at Almack’s or the Mall. Everyone knew that he was hopelessly stupid, but then that was scarcely to be wondered at, seeing that all the Blakeneys for generations had been notoriously dull, and that his mother had died an imbecile.

Related Characters: The Scarlet Pimpernel / Sir Percy Blakeney, Bart. / The Hag / The Jew, Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney, The Prince of Wales
Page Number: 44-5
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

She hated the Marquis. Years ago, Armand, her dear brother, had loved Angele de St. Cyr, but St. Just was a plebeian, and the Marquis full of the pride and arrogant prejudices of his caste. One day Armand, the respectful, timid lover, ventured on sending a small poem—enthusiastic, ardent, passionate —to the idol of his dreams. The next night he was waylaid just outside Paris by the valets of the Marquis de St. Cyr, and ignominiously thrashed—thrashed like a dog within an inch of his life—because he had dared to raise his eyes to the daughter of the aristocrat. The incident was one which, in those days, some two years before the great Revolution, was of almost daily occurrence in France; incidents of that type, in fact, led to the bloody reprisals, which a few years later sent most of those haughty heads to the guillotine.

Related Characters: Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney, Armand St. Just, The Marquis de St. Cyr
Related Symbols: The Guillotine
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 60
Explanation and Analysis:

She had but little real sympathy with those haughty French aristocrats, insolent in their pride of caste, of whom the Comtesse de Tournay de Basserive was so typical an example; but, republican and liberal-minded though she was from principle, she hated and loathed the methods which the young Republic had chosen for establishing itself. She had not been in Paris for some months; the horrors and bloodshed of the Reign of Terror, culminating in the September massacres, had only come across the Channel to her as a faint echo. Robespierre, Danton, Marat, she had not known in their new guise of bloody justiciaries, merciless wielders of the guillotine. Her very soul recoiled in horror from these excesses, to which she feared her brother Armand—moderate republican as he was—might become one day the holocaust.

Related Characters: The Scarlet Pimpernel / Sir Percy Blakeney, Bart. / The Hag / The Jew, Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney, Chauvelin, Armand St. Just, The Comtesse de Tournay
Related Symbols: The Guillotine
Page Number: 67-8
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

“I am sure,” said the Comtesse, pursing up her thin lips, "that if this Chauvelin wishes to do us mischief, he will find a faithful ally in Lady Blakeney.”

“Bless the woman!” ejaculated Lady Portarles; “did ever anyone see such perversity? My Lord Grenville, you have the gift of the gab—will you please explain to Madame la Comtesse that she is acting like a fool? In your position here in England, Madame,” she added, turning a wrathful and resolute face towards the Comtesse, “you cannot afford to put on the hoity-toity airs you French aristocrats are so fond of. Lady Blakeney may or may not be in sympathy with those Ruffians in France; she may or may not have had anything to do with the arrest and condemnation of St. Cyr, or whatever the man’s name is, but she is the leader of fashion in this country; Sir Percy Blakeney has more money than any half-dozen other men put together, he is hand and glove with royalty, and your trying to snub Lady Blakeney will not harm her, but will make you look a fool. Isn’t that so, my lord?”

Related Characters: Lady Portarles (speaker), The Comtesse de Tournay (speaker), The Scarlet Pimpernel / Sir Percy Blakeney, Bart. / The Hag / The Jew, Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney, Chauvelin, The Marquis de St. Cyr, Lord Grenville
Page Number: 81
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 16 Quotes

"Listen to the tale, Sir Percy,” she said, and her voice now was low, sweet, infinitely tender. "Armand was all in all to me! We had no parents, and brought one another up. He was my little father, and I, his tiny mother; we loved one another so. Then one day—do you mind me, Sir Percy? The Marquis de St. Cyr had my brother Armand thrashed— thrashed by his lacqueys—that brother whom I loved better than all the world! And his offence? That he, a plebeian, had dared to love the daughter of the aristocrat; for that he was waylaid and thrashed ... thrashed like a dog within an inch of his life! Oh, how I suffered! His humiliation had eaten into my very soul! When the opportunity occurred, and I was able to take my revenge, I took it. But I only thought to bring that proud marquis to trouble and humiliation. He plotted with Austria against his own country. Chance gave me knowledge of this; I spoke of it, but I did not know—how could I guess?—they trapped and duped me. When I realised what I had done, it was too late.”

Related Characters: Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney (speaker), The Scarlet Pimpernel / Sir Percy Blakeney, Bart. / The Hag / The Jew, Armand St. Just, The Marquis de St. Cyr
Page Number: 135
Explanation and Analysis:

He stood aside to allow her to pass. She sighed, a quick sigh of disappointment. His pride and her beauty had been in direct conflict, and his pride had remained the conqueror. Perhaps, after all, she had been deceived just now; what she took to be the light of love in his eyes might only have been the passion of pride or, who knows, of hatred instead of love. She stood looking at him for a moment or two longer. He was again as rigid, as impassive, as before. Pride had conquered, and he cared naught for her. The grey of dawn was gradually yielding to the rosy light of the rising sun. Birds began to twitter; Nature awakened, smiling in happy response to the warmth of this glorious October morning. Only between these two hearts there lay a strong, impassable barrier, built up of pride on both sides, which neither of them cared to be the first to demolish.

Related Characters: The Scarlet Pimpernel / Sir Percy Blakeney, Bart. / The Hag / The Jew, Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 139
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes

How strange it all was! She loved him still. And now that she looked back upon the last few months of misunderstandings and of loneliness, she realised that she had never ceased to love him; that deep down in her heart she had always vaguely felt that his foolish inanities, his empty laugh, his lazy nonchalance were nothing but a mask; that the real man, strong, passionate, willful, was there still—the man she had loved, whose intensity had fascinated her, whose personality attracted her, since she always felt that behind his apparently slow wits there was a certain something, which he kept hidden from all the world, and most especially from her.

Related Characters: The Scarlet Pimpernel / Sir Percy Blakeney, Bart. / The Hag / The Jew, Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 142
Explanation and Analysis:

She felt no longer anxious about Armand. The man who had just ridden away, bent on helping her brother, inspired her with complete confidence in his strength and in his power. She marveled at herself for having ever looked upon him as an inane fool; of course, that was a mask worn to hide the bitter wound she had dealt to his faith and to his love. His passion would have overmastered him, and he would not let her see how much he still cared and how deeply he suffered.

Related Characters: The Scarlet Pimpernel / Sir Percy Blakeney, Bart. / The Hag / The Jew, Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney, Armand St. Just
Page Number: 147
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18 Quotes

Since she had entered this neat, orderly room, she had been taken so much by surprise, that this obvious proof of her husband’s strong business capacities did not cause her more than a passing thought of wonder. But it also strengthened her in the now certain knowledge that, with his worldly inanities, his foppish ways, and foolish talk, he was not only wearing a mask, but was playing a deliberate and studied part.

Marguerite wondered again. Why should he take all this trouble? Why should he—who was obviously a serious, earnest man—wish to appear before his fellow-men as an empty-headed nincompoop?

He may have wished to hide his love for a wife who held him in contempt... but surely such an object could have been gained at less sacrifice, and with far less trouble than constant incessant acting of an unnatural part.

Related Characters: The Scarlet Pimpernel / Sir Percy Blakeney, Bart. / The Hag / The Jew, Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney
Page Number: 152-3
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 19 Quotes

The mask of the inane fop had been a good one, and the part consummately well played. No wonder that Chauvelin’s spies had failed to detect, in the apparently brainless nincompoop, the man whose reckless daring and resourceful ingenuity had baffled the keenest French spies, both in France and in England. Even last night when Chauvelin went to Lord Grenville’s dining-room to seek that daring Scarlet Pimpernel, he only saw that inane Sir Percy Blakeney fast asleep in a corner sofa.

Related Characters: The Scarlet Pimpernel / Sir Percy Blakeney, Bart. / The Hag / The Jew, Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 158
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 25 Quotes

She looked through the tattered curtain, across at the handsome face of her husband, in whose lazy blue eyes, and behind whose inane smile, she could now so plainly see the strength, energy, and resourcefulness which had caused the Scarlet Pimpernel to be reverenced and trusted by his followers. "There are nineteen of us is ready to lay down our lives for your husband, Lady Blakeney,” Sir Andrew had said to her; and as she looked at the forehead, low, but square and broad, the eyes, blue, yet deep-set and intense, the whole aspect of the man, of indomitable energy, hiding, behind a perfectly acted comedy, his almost superhuman strength of will and marvelous ingenuity, she understood the fascination which he exercised over his followers, for had he not also cast his spells over her heart and her imagination?

Related Characters: The Scarlet Pimpernel / Sir Percy Blakeney, Bart. / The Hag / The Jew, Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney, Chauvelin, Sir Andrew Ffoulkes
Page Number: 209
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 28 Quotes

The distant roar of the waves now made her shudder; the occasional dismal cry of an owl, or a sea-gull, filled her with unspeakable horror. She thought of the ravenous beasts— in human shape—who lay in wait for their prey, and destroyed them, as mercilessly as any hungry wolf, for the satisfaction of their own appetite of hate. Marguerite was not afraid of the darkness; she only feared that man, on ahead, who was sitting at the bottom of a rough wooden cart, nursing thoughts of vengeance, which would have made the very demons in hell chuckle with delight.

Related Characters: Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney, Chauvelin
Page Number: 231
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 31 Quotes

“Dressed as the dirty old Jew," he said gaily, “I knew I should not be recognised. I had met Reuben Goldstein in Calais earlier in the evening. For a few gold pieces he supplied me with this rig-out, and undertook to bury himself out of sight of everybody, whilst he lent me his cart and nag.”

“But if Chauvelin had discovered you,” she gasped excitedly, “your disguise was good ... but he is so sharp.”

“Odd’s fish!” he rejoined quietly, “then certainly the game would have been up. I could but take the risk. I know human nature pretty well by now,” he added, with a note of sadness in his cheery, young voice, “and I know these Frenchmen out and out. They so loathe a Jew, that they never come nearer than a couple of yards of him, and begad! I fancy that I contrived to make myself look about as loathsome an object as it is possible to conceive.”

Related Characters: The Scarlet Pimpernel / Sir Percy Blakeney, Bart. / The Hag / The Jew (speaker), Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney (speaker), Chauvelin, Reuben Goldstein
Page Number: 264
Explanation and Analysis:

All his fatigue was forgotten; his shoulders must have been very sore, for the soldiers had hit hard, but the man’s muscles seemed made of steel, and his energy was almost supernatural. It was a weary tramp, half a league along the stony side of the cliffs, but never for a moment did his courage give way or his muscles yield to fatigue. On he tramped, with firm footstep, his vigorous arms encircling the precious burden, and... no doubt, as she lay, quiet and happy, at times lulled to momentary drowsiness, at others watching, through the slowly gathering morning light, the pleasant face with the lazy, drooping blue eyes, ever cheerful, ever illumined with a good-humoured smile, she whispered many things, which helped to shorten the weary road, and acted as a soothing balsam to his aching sinews.

Related Characters: The Scarlet Pimpernel / Sir Percy Blakeney, Bart. / The Hag / The Jew, Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 268
Explanation and Analysis:
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Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney Character Timeline in The Scarlet Pimpernel

The timeline below shows where the character Marguerite St. Just / Lady Blakeney appears in The Scarlet Pimpernel. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3: The Refugees
Social Class and the French Revolution Theme Icon
Disguise, Deception, and Dual Identity Theme Icon
...he is not expecting any other guests, except for Sir Percy Blakeney and his wife, Lady Blakeney , but they won’t be staying long. Lady Blakeney’s brother, Armand St. Just, is sailing... (full context)
Chapter 4: The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel
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...been more bitter against us aristocrats than the men,” and the Comtesse agrees. One woman, Marguerite St. Just, had “denounced the Marquis de St. Cyr and all his family to the... (full context)
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...“I pray God that while I remain in this beautiful country, I may never meet Marguerite St. Just.” Suddenly, there is a commotion outside and a stable boy bursts through the... (full context)
Chapter 5: Marguerite
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The Comtesse stands immediately at the mention of Lady Blakeney . “I will not see her!” she proclaims. A “low and musical voice” can be... (full context)
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Lady Blakeney approaches Suzanne and the Comtesse “with not a single touch of embarrassment,” as the Comtesse... (full context)
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...friendship. Come Suzanne.” She grabs her daughter and “sails majestically” up the stairs. “Suzanne,” mocks Lady Blakeney in the Comtesse’s accent. “I forbid you to speak to that woman.” Lady Blakeney laughs,... (full context)
Chapter 6: An Exquisite of ‘92
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Marguerite St. Just, a French actress who is “lavishly gifted with beauty and talent,” was coming... (full context)
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As a young, single woman, Marguerite was at the center of the European “world of intellect,” and she “glided through republican,... (full context)
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...“universally voted to be totally unqualified for the onerous post he had taken” in marrying Marguerite, and everyone thought it would have been better for him to have picked “a less... (full context)
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...accepts him. He appears very proud of his wife and doesn’t seem to care that Lady Blakeney doesn’t hide the “good-natured contempt” that she feels for him. She frequently “sharpens her ready... (full context)
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...yells Sir Percy as he enters the coffee-room, “how sheepish you all look…. What’s up?” Marguerite looks to him. “Oh, nothing, Sir Percy,” she says dryly, “nothing to disturb your equanimity—only... (full context)
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...Monsieur,” he says. Sir Percy laughs even louder and calls him “a bloodthirsty young ruffian.” Lady Blakeney looks to Sir Anthony for help. “The child is bursting with rage,” she says sarcastically,... (full context)
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...says. “Aye, do!” Sir Percy says and then yells to Mr. Jellyband for a drink. Lady Blakeney says there’s no time—the skipper of the Day Dream is coming to take Armand back... (full context)
Chapter 7: The Secret Orchard
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Outside “The Fisherman’s Rest,” Marguerite’s brother, Armand, approaches. Marguerite yells excitedly to him. She is dreading her brother’s return to... (full context)
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“Hush!” Armand warns, looking around suspiciously. Marguerite’s fear for her brother’s safety is obvious. “Ah! You see: you don’t think yourself that... (full context)
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Armand asks Marguerite if Sir Percy knows about “the part [she] played” in the capture of the Marquis... (full context)
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When Sir Percy and Marguerite first met, he “seemed to worship [her] with a curious intensity of concentrated passion.” She... (full context)
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Armand is confused by his sister’s heartache. Sir Percy has always loved Marguerite more than she loved him, but now it seems that “with the waning of her... (full context)
Chapter 8: The Accredited Agent
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As Armand sails away, Marguerite stands and watches him disappear. Sir Percy leaves her to her thoughts and doesn’t bother... (full context)
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Just one day after Sir Percy and Marguerite were married, she told him how she had “inadvertently” contributed to the death of the... (full context)
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...of treason is “sufficient” evidence for the French tribunal to send anyone to the guillotine. Marguerite’s words had been “impulsive” and “thoughtless,” and while they came from a place of deep... (full context)
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As Marguerite makes her way back to “The Fisherman’s Rest,” she sees a familiar form approaching. “Chauvelin!”... (full context)
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“Have you ever heard of the Scarlet Pimpernel?” Chauvelin asks. Of course, Marguerite has heard of him—everyone in England has. Clothing, food, and horses have all been named... (full context)
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Marguerite has “little real sympathy” for French aristocrats, but she “hates and loathes” the way the... (full context)
Chapter 9: The Outrage
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...and reads several letters. “Armand St. Just a traitor after all,” Chauvelin smirks. “Now, fair Marguerite, I think that you will help me to find the Scarlet Pimpernel.” (full context)
Chapter 10: In the Opera Box
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...if this Chauvelin wishes to do us mischief, he will find a faithful ally in Lady Blakeney .” Lady Portarles gasps. “Will you please explain to Madame la Comtesse that she is... (full context)
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...her private box. Once she is seated, Chauvelin excuses himself and makes his way toward Marguerite. He knocks on the door, and Marguerite cries out. “You frightened me. Your presence is... (full context)
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Chauvelin tells Lady Blakeney about his recent attack on Sir Andrew and Lord Anthony. Several letters and important papers... (full context)
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...and claimed that the writer would “be at G.’s ball.” Chauvelin smiles. “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” Lady Blakeney says, “and G.’s ball means Grenville’s ball…” Chauvelin nods. He simply wants Lady Blakeney to... (full context)
Chapter 11: Lord Grenville’s Ball
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...stands ready to greet his distinguished guests, and Chauvelin lurks nearby, scanning the crowd for Lady Blakeney . It is not long before the Prince of Wales arrives with Lady Blakeney on... (full context)
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...sent you, and look upon you merely as our guest,” the Prince of Wales says. Lady Blakeney regards the French agent as an “old friend,” and the Prince of Wales claims Chauvelin... (full context)
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...welcome those of your compatriots whom France has driven from her shores.” He turns to Lady Blakeney and proceeds to introduce her to the Comtesse. “Every compatriot of Lady Blakeney’s is doubly... (full context)
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The Comtesse, whose “respect of royalty amounts almost to a religion,” bows “ceremoniously.” Lady Blakeney does the same, and the Vicomte approaches. The Prince of Wales remembers meeting the Vicomte’s... (full context)
Chapter 12: The Scrap of Paper
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Despite the gaiety of the ball, Lady Blakeney “suffers intensely.” Her nerves have been on edge since meeting Chauvelin at the opera, and... (full context)
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As Lady Blakeney wanders about the ball, she notices Lord Anthony and Sir Andrew, who both look “a... (full context)
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...Andrew retreat into the boudoir, Lady Blakeney “suddenly ceases to exist” and is replaced by Marguerite St. Just. She slips into the room behind Sir Andrew and pretends to be faint,... (full context)
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“Whichever it is, Lady Blakeney , this little note is undoubtedly mine,” Sir Andrew says as he takes the paper... (full context)
Chapter 13: Either—Or?
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...supper room at one o’clock precisely.” It is nearly eleven now, which means that both Marguerite and Armand’s “fate will be sealed” in two hours. To Lady Blakeney, “it seems a... (full context)
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During Lady Blakeney ’s dance with Sir Andrew, he says nothing of the incident in the boudoir and... (full context)
Chapter 14: One O’clock Precisely!
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Alone, Lady Blakeney thinks about her predicament. She will tell Chauvelin what she has discovered, save Armand, and... (full context)
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...I may safely expect to find the person I seek in the dining-room, fair lady.” Lady Blakeney agrees, but there are sure to be many people in the dining-room—it is, after all,... (full context)
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Chauvelin promises to send Armand’s “imprudent letter” to Lady Blakeney tomorrow by carrier, and heads directly to the dining-room. He arrives a few moments before... (full context)
Chapter 15: Doubt
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Lady Blakeney watches as Chauvelin makes his way through the crowd to the dining-room. After several minutes,... (full context)
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Lord Grenville appears to escort Lady Blakeney to her carriage, and Chauvelin is waiting at the door. He takes Lady Blakeney’s arm... (full context)
Chapter 16: Richmond
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Despite the stress of the evening, Lady Blakeney enjoys the short ride home. Sir Percy is sure at the reigns and rarely speaks... (full context)
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Suddenly, Lady Blakeney feels an “intense sympathy” for Sir Percy. The events of the last several hours have... (full context)
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After Sir Percy and Lady Blakeney arrive at their “palatial” estate by the river, Lady Blakeney heads for the sprawling gardens.... (full context)
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...Percy replies, “but ‘tis on the other foot the shoe happens to be.” He tells Lady Blakeney that she will find the evening “more poetic” without him. “The estrangement, which alas! has... (full context)
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“Percy!” Lady Blakeney yells. “I entreat you!” She reminds him of early in their courtship, when he “still... (full context)
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“Nay! I myself told you the truth of that odious tale,” Lady Blakeney says. Yes, admits Sir Percy, but not until after he had already heard all the... (full context)
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“Listen to the tale, Sir Percy,” Lady Blakeney begs, as she tells him all about the Marquis de St. Cyr and his despicable... (full context)
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“I entreated you for an explanation,” Sir Percy says to Lady Blakeney . “I fancy that you refused me all explanation then, and demanded of my love... (full context)
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Standing close to Sir Percy, Lady Blakeney can feel his eyes upon her in the darkness, but he will “not yield” to... (full context)
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...he shall be safe,” he says. “Now, have I your permission to go?” he asks. Lady Blakeney turns and begins to walk away. She doesn’t turn around as she heads towards the... (full context)
Chapter 17: Farewell
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Lady Blakeney retires to her room but does not sleep. Despite her worry for Armand, Lady Blakeney... (full context)
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Suddenly, Lady Blakeney hears footsteps outside her door. She opens it and finds an envelope at her feet.... (full context)
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“You are going?” Lady Blakeney asks Sir Percy. “Whither?” He tells her that, like his letter said, his presence is... (full context)
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As Lady Blakeney watches Sir Percy drive away, she is “no longer anxious about Armand.” She can’t believe... (full context)
Chapter 18: The Mysterious Device
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By the time Lady Blakeney wakes, it is late in the morning. Sir Percy’s groom has returned with his master’s... (full context)
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...one side sits Sir Percy’s office, which is off-limits to everyone except his private valet. Lady Blakeney notices the door slightly open and decides to take a look. She often jokes with... (full context)
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“Why should he take all this trouble?” Lady Blakeney asks herself as she studies the room. Sir Percy’s office “obviously” belongs to “a serious,... (full context)
Chapter 19: The Scarlet Pimpernel
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With the Scarlet Pimpernel seal-ring still in her hand, Lady Blakeney runs out of the house and into the garden. “Bah!” she thinks to herself. “It... (full context)
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With her thoughts in a “whirl” and “her mind a blank,” Lady Blakeney notices a young woman enter the garden. “Where are you?” Suzanne de Tournay yells to... (full context)
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Lady Blakeney has a sudden realization and wonders how she could “have been so blind.” She understands... (full context)
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“But what is it, chérie?” Suzanne asks, noticing Lady Blakeney’s distraction. “Are you ill, Marguerite? What is it?” Marguerite asks to be alone and Suzanne agrees and begins to walk... (full context)
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...Percy is “wearing a mask.” Now, she wishes she had “torn it from his face.” Marguerite’s own love for her husband “had been paltry and weak,” and it was “easily crushed... (full context)
Chapter 20: The Friend
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Lady Blakeney bids Suzanne farewell and tells her servants to ready the horses and carriage. She cannot... (full context)
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Lady Blakeney has her servant drive her to Sir Andrew’s house in Pall Mall, where she tells... (full context)
Chapter 21: Suspense
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By the time Lady Blakeney reaches “The Fisherman’s Rest” it is past midnight. Mr. Jellyband welcomes her into the coffee-room,... (full context)
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As Lady Blakeney waits, she thinks about Chauvelin. She had seen nothing of him on her way to... (full context)
Chapter 22: Calais
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After being stranded in Dover for nearly two days on account of the storm, Lady Blakeney and Sir Andrew (in disguise) finally charter a boat across the Channel. The “fresh sea-air... (full context)
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Sir Andrew leads Lady Blakeney to the “Chat Gris,” a “small wayside inn on the outskirts of Calais,” and knocks... (full context)
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Sir Andrew assures Lady Blakeney they are in the right place. The man who let them in, Brogard, is the... (full context)
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“Tall Englishman?” Brogard asks. “To-day! —Yes.” Sir Andrew and Lady Blakeney immediately stop eating. Brogard continues. “He went…yes…but he’s coming back…here—he ordered supper…” Lady Blakeney grows... (full context)
Chapter 23: Hope
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Lady Blakeney is relieved that Sir Percy is safe and headed for the “Chat Gris.” Sir Andrew,... (full context)
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Lady Blakeney suggests Sir Andrew take a “voyage of reconnaissance in the village,” and she offers to... (full context)
Chapter 24: The Death-Trap
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Lady Blakeney sits quietly for more than fifteen minutes, and then Brogard begins to set the table... (full context)
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Lady Blakeney hears footsteps outside the inn, and hopes that it is Sir Percy, but then she... (full context)
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Lady Blakeney ’s high spirit begins to dissipate. For Sir Percy, escape will surely be “impossible.” Chauvelin’s... (full context)
Chapter 25: The Eagle and the Fox
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Lady Blakeney ’s “breath stops short” at the sound of what she is sure is Sir Percy’s... (full context)
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...the wig and hat have changed you a bit.” As Sir Percy stands facing Chauvelin, Lady Blakeney watches from the attic, and she is suddenly struck by her love for her husband.... (full context)
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...yes. “Not a lady—I trust,” Sir Percy jokes, “surely the holy Church does not allow?...eh?...” Lady Blakeney watches as Sir Percy walks across the room and discreetly removes his snuff box from... (full context)
Chapter 26: The Jew
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It takes several minutes for Lady Blakeney to “collect her scattered senses,” and then she hears Desgas’s voice in the street. Chauvelin... (full context)
Chapter 27: On the Track
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Lady Blakeney hears Desgas outside shouting orders, and then she hears the Jew’s old cart drive down... (full context)
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Chauvelin doesn’t think of Lady Blakeney at all, and he doesn’t have the “slightest remorse” for the impossible position he has... (full context)
Chapter 28: The Père Blanchard’s Hut
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Down the cliff, Lady Blakeney can see a small hut, and she begins to hastily make her way to it.... (full context)
Chapter 29: Trapped
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As Chauvelin’s men carry Lady Blakeney down the footpath, they continue to fine-tune their plans. There are now two additional men—strangers—inside... (full context)
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Chauvelin turns to Lady Blakeney . “Before that handkerchief is removed from your mouth, fair lady,” he says, “I think... (full context)
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...Sir Percy, and everyone else, but she comes up empty. It is “impossible that she, Marguerite Blakeney, the queen of London society, should actually be sitting here” trying to hatch a... (full context)
Chapter 30: The Schooner
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Lady Blakeney ’s “aching heart stands still” at the sound of the singing. The voice comes closer,... (full context)
Chapter 31: The Escape
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Lying on the ground, Lady Blakeney is aware only of the sounds of nature and the rushing waves. Her dress is... (full context)
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“Percy!” yells Lady Blakeney . “I am here! Come to me!” Sir Percy is still tied up, no matter... (full context)
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“Percy,” Lady Blakeney says, “if you only knew…” Sir Percy looks at his wife tenderly. “I do know,... (full context)
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Lady Blakeney has forgotten all about Sir Andrew as well. Sir Percy had run into him back... (full context)
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“The boat of the Day Dream?” Marguerite asks. Sir Percy laughs. When he slipped instructions for Armand into the hut, Percy gave... (full context)