The Last Out

After the Caroline War, Jean de Carrouges and Jacques le Gris swear allegiance to Count Pierre d'Alençon. Pierre uses his influence to reshape fortunes, seizing the estate of Aunou-le-Faucon to cover back taxes and gifting it to Jacques. This move elevates Jacques within Pierre's circle and sets the stage for a later rivalry with Jean.

Jean marries Marguerite de Thibouville to secure a large dowry that would grant him control of valuable estates. The arrangement ties Marguerite's family's wealth to Jean's fortunes, and the promise of land strengthens his position at court. The marriage lays the groundwork for future tension when finances and loyalty are tested.

Pierre leverages his power to seize the prized estate of Aunou-le-Faucon to settle Robert's back taxes and gifts it to Jacques. Jacques' elevation within Pierre's circle creates envy and resentment in Jean. The act widens the rift between the two squires as their fortunes diverge.

Following the death of Jean's father, Pierre appoints Jacques to the captaincy of a Carrouges family post. Jacques now holds a position of authority in the same lineage Jean hoped to command. The appointment deepens the personal stakes of their rivalry.

Jean and Jacques reconcile during a celebration, and Jacques becomes smitten with Marguerite after she befriends him. Jacques misinterprets Marguerite's friendliness as a sign of affection for him. The seeds of the impending conflict are sown as intimate emotions complicate loyalty.

Jean heads to Scotland for a failed military campaign; though he is knighted, he remains financially ruined. He journeys to Paris to collect his wage, leaving Marguerite to manage the estate in his absence. Marguerite's competence as a manager becomes a focal point of the feud once Jacques returns.

One day, with Marguerite alone at the chateau, Jacques visits and declares his love in a crude, forceful manner. He corners her, rapes her, and then orders her not to tell her husband. The assault becomes the catalyst for the later trial.

Upon Jean's return, Marguerite tells him of Jacques' assault. Jean questions whether she truly spoke truth, then proposes that she have sex with him to confirm Jacques' guilt by removing the possibility that she lied. Marguerite is devastated by the proposed test and fears what it would mean for her.

Pierre informs Jacques that Jean is accusing him of raping Marguerite, and Jacques denies it. Pierre's attempt to resolve matters through power fails as Jean takes the case directly to King Charles, requesting a duel to the death. Marguerite is abandoned by some friends who doubt her, while Jean's mother urges her to drop the accusations.

Six months later, Marguerite stands firm in her truth at the trial, and the court concedes that Jacques might be the father of her child. Marguerite is warned that if Jean loses the duel, she could be burned for perjury. Not long before the duel, Marguerite gives birth to a son, adding emotional weight to the confrontation.

King Charles grants Jean's duel request, setting the terms for a decisive confrontation. The duel is framed as a public test of truth and honor, heightening the stakes for all involved. Marguerite learns that perjury could carry a grave penalty if she is wrong, intensifying the pressure on everyone.

The duel begins with jousting as both knights are unhorsed and forced into hand-to-hand combat. Jean is wounded in the groin but manages to pin Jacques, pressing him for a confession. Jacques maintains his innocence, and Jean delivers the fatal blow, securing his victory for the night's verdict.

Jacques' body is publicly stripped and hung upside down as a grim symbol of the outcome, while Pierre looks on. Jean basks in the glory of his victory, though the triumph is morally complex and contested by many. The public ritual underscores the harsh consequences of the trial's conclusions.

An epilogue reveals Jean dies fighting in the Crusades, leaving Marguerite to run the estate in peace for the remainder of her life. She never remarries and maintains control over the lands she stewarded. Her resilience ties the three perspectives into a single, enduring memory of the era.