Lord Tony’s Wife · Chapter
VIII: The Road to Portishead explained
Yvonne de Kernogan realizes she has been tricked by her father, the Duc de Kernogan, and Martin-Roget into leaving Bath.
What happens
Yvonne de Kernogan realizes she has been tricked by her father, the Duc de Kernogan, and Martin-Roget into leaving Bath. She attempts to escape by jumping from the carriage but is recaptured by Martin-Roget. Her subsequent pleas for help at an inn are dismissed because her father and Martin-Roget have spread the story that she is insane. Defeated, she is taken to Portishead and put aboard a ship bound for Nantes.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Disguise
The Duc de Kernogan and Martin-Roget deceive Yvonne by feigning illness and misdirecting the carriage, then spread a false story that she is insane to discredit her pleas for help.
Freedom and Oppression
Yvonne is forcibly taken from her husband and home, her attempts to escape and seek help are thwarted, and she is reduced to a helpless prisoner.
Characters to notice
- Yvonne de Kernogan
Realizes she has been trapped by her father and Martin-Roget; attempts escape but is recaptured; later gives up hope after being publicly humiliated as a 'crazed' woman.
- Martin-Roget
Assists the Duc in the deception; recaptures Yvonne after her escape and later gloats over her failed attempt to seek help.
- Lord Tony Dewhurst
Mentioned as Yvonne's husband, who is unaware of her abduction; she thinks of him and hopes for rescue.
- Sir Percy Blakeney
Mentioned as a powerful friend of Tony Dewhurst who might help in the rescue.
Key passages
“It was not until Bath had very obviously been left behind that Yvonne de Kernogan—Lady Anthony Dewhurst—realised that she had been trapped.”
Yvonne only understood she was being tricked after Bath was far behind.
Opening realization of the deception.
“Before M. de Kernogan could realise what she was doing, before he could make a movement to stop her, she had seized the handle of the carriage door, wrenched the door open and jumped out into the road.”
Yvonne acted quickly, opening the door and leaping from the moving carriage before her father could react.
Yvonne's desperate escape attempt.
“She looked up into the face of Martin-Roget, who without any hesitation or compunction lifted her up as if she had been a bale of light goods.”
Martin-Roget effortlessly picked Yvonne up and carried her back.
Recapture by Martin-Roget.
“We told them that I was travelling with a sick daughter who had become crazed through the death of her lover, and believed herself—like most crazed persons do—to be persecuted and oppressed.”
Her father had spread the lie that Yvonne was insane due to grief, so no one would believe her story.
The ruse used to discredit Yvonne.