Captain Scarlett

In the wake of Maria's runaway, the Duke of Corlaine publicly rebukes Count Villiers for failing to secure the alliance. He hints at consequences for the failure and pressures Villiers to restore order. The moment establishes the duke's ruthless interference in personal affairs.

Maria's carriage is ambushed by highwaymen on a country road. Captain Scarlett, a Frenchman returning from England, drives off the attackers with bold action. Villiers arrives soon after and arrests the remaining men, though he remains resentful toward Scarlett.

Scarlett discovers that the duke has confiscated his estate and given it to Villiers as punishment for past slights. The loss fuels his distrust of the duke and motivates his resolve to resist. He steels himself for a coming clash with the aristocracy.

Scarlett slips into Maria's bedroom on the estate and meets a desperate fiancée. Maria tries to purchase Scarlett's help with money, but he offers friendship as payment instead. The scene marks the start of a fragile alliance built on mutual respect.

Scarlett is captured and imprisoned in the dungeon alongside Pierre du Cloux, a highwayman whose family was dispossessed by the duke. Pierre explains how their fates and motives align, creating a quick camaraderie between the two men. They begin planning an escape from their captors.

Scarlett and Pierre outwit the guards and slip away during the wedding festivities between Maria and Villiers. Scarlett rescues Maria before fleeing to a safe encampment with Pierre's help, while the pursuing guards are misled. The escape solidifies their alliance and stakes in challenging the duke.

As they travel, Villiers realizes the rider is not the true Maria and confronts Scarlett in a deadly duel. Villiers is killed, leaving Scarlett and Maria more determined to resist the duke's machinations. The death shifts the balance of power and worsens the immediate danger.

Maria discards her wedding dress and takes on masculine clothing to ride with Scarlett and Pierre. The trio becomes a self-sufficient force roaming the countryside, ready to aid the oppressed. Their partnership is now unofficially a rebel alliance.

The trio continue their patrols, helping peasants while the duke consults Etienne Dumas about killing the outlaw. Etienne disguises himself as a peasant and schemes with the guards to bait Scarlett into a mock execution. The plan tests everyone’s loyalty and resourcefulness.

Etienne volunteers to go to Josephine in Scarlett's place, where he manipulates the woman into aiding his trap. He offers her gold to secure her cooperation, exploiting Scarlett’s reputation and goodness. The ruse deepens as Scarlett unknowingly walks into the trap.

Etienne's plot collapses when Scarlett realizes the deception and defeats Etienne in single combat, ending his treachery. Josephine's ruse is exposed, and the group must rapidly adjust to the new threat. The farmhouse confrontation tests Scarlett's leadership under pressure.

The trio resumes their mission, overpowering a greedy toll-guard and approaching the duke's fortress. Maria is captured during the ensuing pursuit, and the duke issues an execution notice for the next morning. Scarlett confronts the duke in a climactic duel, frees Maria, and the two share a kiss as they ride away with Pierre.