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The novel concerns rivalry between the households of Gaston Phoebus Count de Foix, lord of the provinces of de Foix and Bearn, and John, Lord of Armagnac, as outlined in Froissart's CHRONICLES.
It opens with the noble Sir Equitan, his loyal esquire, Agos de Guisfort, and the young, flirtatious page, Will of the West, travelling to Count de Foix's castle for the tournament honouring the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Sir Equitan is actually the Count de Montpensier, son of de Foix's bitter rival, the Duke de Berry, in disguise. His motives for heading to the castle incognito are initially innocent: he merely wishes to participate in the tournament. But after glimpsing the beautiful Jane of Boulogne, Count de Foix's ward, he decides to lengthen his stay.
Count de Foix makes several announcements at the tournament. He declares his intent to regain the land unlawfully seized from Jane of Boulogne by the Lord of Armagnac. He also announces that Eustace the Adopted will be knighted. Eustace was brought to the castle fifteen years ago by the Count's estranged wife, who pleaded with de Foix to raise the orphaned two-year old as his own son as a favor to her. 'Brave and generous, humbled by misfortune' (71), Eustace quickly becomes a favorite with the Count, despite the mystery of his birth, outshining the hot-tempered Evan de Foix and Gracien, de Foix's two bastard sons. All three are potential heirs, since the Count's only legitimate son, Gaston, was unfortunately murdered by his father, who mistakenly thought the young man involved in an assassination attempt against him. Eustace, unbeknownst to anyone at the castle, is actually the son of Peter de Bearn, also murdered by de Foix. But neither the Count nor Eustace will discover this for another three hundred pages.
Eustace pines for Jane's best friend and de Foix's niece, the warm-hearted but fickle Isabel de Greilly. Isabel is promised to Sir Gracien, though she loves Eustace. Jane quickly falls for the disguised Count de Montpensier but is promised to Sir Evan. The cunning, treacherous Prior Philip of Avignon (a trusted advisor), in cahoots with the jealous Sir Evan, hopes Eustace's love for Isabel will be the source of his ruin with the Count. Philip works on de Foix to have Evan named successor, instead of Eustace, the favorite. With Evan in power and wedded to Jane, and Isabel vowed to the convent, Evan would support Philip's ambitions and Isabel's inheritance would go to the church.
Meanwhile, Eustace's uncle, John de Bearn, appears disguised as a Franciscan at the castle to warn Eustace not to trust the prior, or Count de Foix, but to leave and seek the secret of his birth at Lourde. The Count notices Eustace talking to the Franciscan and grows suspicious; the Prior encourages his paranoia, and also hints that Isabel and Eustace are lovers. Incensed, the Count orders Eustace thrown into the dungeon. John de Montpensier's identity is also discovered; the Count plans to have him executed. Jane pleads for his life and saves him by vowing to marry whomever the Count dictates. The loyal Sir Espaign pleads for Eustace and Count de Foix relents.'Eustace shall not die,' declares the Count,'but my pardon is conditional; within three days let him depart the court: let him leave Foix and Bearn' (196). Eustace, now knighted and clutching the ring of his knighthood that holds the secret of his birth, heads for Lourde to discover his roots.
Meanwhile, Isabel and Jane make a pilgrimage to St. Ann's. The two women and Eustace are abducted and imprisoned by Armagnac's men. Eustace, flung into the dungeon, is tended by fellow hostage Lady Matilda, who happens to be Peter de Bearn's widow and Eustace's mother; she recognizes Eustace's ring as her husband's and the two have a bittersweet reunion. The emotion is unfortunately too much for her; she dies after pleading with Armagnac for Eustace's life. Uncle John de Bearn sneaks into the dungeon through a subterranean passage too late to save Matilda, but he rescues Eustace.
Meanwhile, Armagnac plans to have Jane thrown off a cliff by his agent, the cut-throat Basil le Mengeant. Will of the West thwarts them by dressing as Jane. Agos and Montpensier spy Basil and Will struggling on the cliff ledge. They rescue Jane, wound Basil, and seize him for interrogation.
Agos infiltrates Armagnac's castle disguised as a pilgrim. Prior Philip betrays the Count to Armagnac, who bribes him with a promise to make him a Cardinal. Prior Philip plans to use Lady Jane as a pawn to force Count de Foix to surrender; while revealing his plan to the imprisoned Lady Jane, Agos, witness to the conversation, subdues the Prior, binds him, and leads Lady Jane to safety.
Agos sneaks Eustace and his men into the castle but is killed during the ensuing battle. Sir Evan blows up the tower where Prior Philip sits, bound and gagged. Eustace wishes to avenge his father but, because he accidentally saved the Count's life, de Foix refuses to fight, for 'I will not accept a challenge that may imperil the life of my preserver,' he attests (358). Because Eustace refuses to slay him in cold blood, the Count seeks God's forgiveness and grants Eustace the Lady Isabel as his wife.
The Lord of Armagnac and his nephew D'Albreth are taken prison but set free upon restoration of Lady Jane's lands and the receipt of two hundred thousand francs. While Eustace and Isabel happily govern Languedoc, the Lady Jane remains true to her vow to de Foix and is given to Count de Montpensier's father, the Duke de Berry, as a way of amending the quarrel between Count de Foix and the Duke.
© 2000 Debra L. Cumberland, Univ of Nebraska-Lincoln / Sheffield Hallam University
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