# XVI: The Beroldy Case explained — The Murder on the Links

> Chapter companion for The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie.

## What happens

This chapter recounts the notorious Beroldy case from twenty years prior. Madame Beroldy, a charming and mysterious woman, was accused of murdering her husband after initially claiming masked Russians were responsible. The trial revealed her romantic past as a fabrication, and her lover Georges Conneau confessed to the crime, implicating her. Despite the evidence, her eloquent defense won her acquittal, and she disappeared with her child.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deception and Appearance

Madame Beroldy's entire life was a web of lies, from her fabricated royal lineage to the false story of masked Russians.

### Love and Sacrifice

Georges Conneau's passion for Madame Beroldy led him to commit murder and later betray her out of jealousy.

### Justice and Morality

The trial questions whether justice was served when Madame Beroldy was acquitted despite strong evidence of her involvement.

## Character check-ins

### Jeanne Beroldy

The accused, a charming and mysterious woman who fabricated a royal past and was acquitted of murdering her husband.

### Arnold Beroldy

The murdered husband, a wine merchant from Lyons.

### Georges Conneau

Madame Beroldy's lover who confessed to the murder and later denounced her.

### Mr. Hiram P. Trapp

A wealthy American who fell in love with Madame Beroldy and was a motive for the crime.

## Key lines

> She swore solemnly that she had had nothing to do with the planning of the crime, that she had awoke on that memorable night to find Georges Conneau standing over her, the bloodstained knife in his hand.

She claimed she was innocent and only woke to find Conneau holding the murder weapon.

_Madame Beroldy's defense during the trial._

> It was a touch and go affair. Madame Beroldy’s story was hardly credible. But this woman, whose fairy tales of royal intrigues had been so easily accepted, had the supreme art of making herself believed.

Though her story was unbelievable, her persuasive skill made the jury accept it.

_Narrator's commentary on her acquittal._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_on_the_links_se/chapters/xvi-the-beroldy-case
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_on_the_links_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_on_the_links_se/chapters