Book of the duchess: the trial

Number 17: Michael de St Etienne is tried by the High Court of Montvallon

The plot episode 16 (summarised from the text of Lorna’s novel)

That next time that Michael saw the light of day was at the trial. Before entering the courtroom, he was granted permission to wash and dress.

The vitriolic speeches of the prosecutor selected by Provost marshall Guillot rendered null every point that was made in Michael and Raoul’s favour. Both Michael and Raoul were found guilty. Their sentence was death by beheading.

Duchess Jacqueline’s training saved her from breaking down over the sentence. Her lady-in-waiting and friend Marguérite, however, was incapable of holding back her tears.

Lorna’s remarks

This is an early picture, but one that spurred me on enormously.

Except for the figure in the dock, which is poorly drawn and badly painted, the picture is adequate and arresting.

All praise, by the way, is relative in the remarks on this series. None of the pictures are as good as I should like them to be, and no claim to real adequacy is ever made, but for its time and the powers of the artist, this was - and is - good.

The background, so often unsuitable or ill-conceived, is here almost convincing, and the figure of the justiciar and his expression one of the best I have ever done.

I must admit that a good deal of this was copied, but so copied as to seem to fit the original exactly with no obvious overlapping. For this reason I would give high marks here.