Marguerite de Péronne
also known as Marguerite of Péronne, Lady of Arpentel, Lady Marguerite, lady of the house, my lord's mother
Marguerite de Péronne was the daughter of a minor seigneur of the lagoons, a woman of verdant eyes and troublesome beauty whose wit and learning surpassed her husband Thomas. At twenty-three, she married the low-born knight, a lucky catch for him, and later suggested the Comte de Givras was Thomas's father. She ultimately chose the son, Chrétien d'Évreux, over Thomas and honor.
Marguerite de Péronne was the daughter of a minor seigneur, a famously beautiful and clever woman who married the low-born knight Thomas de Givras. Decades later, now blind and living in her son's castle at Arpentel, she is a grandmother who communicates through a secret, coded signal.
Story so far
Marguerite de Péronne, a lord's daughter known for her verdant eyes and troublesome beauty, was a lucky but formidable match for the foul-mouthed knight Thomas de Givras. She was smarter than her husband, knew Latin, and saw through everything. Upon first seeing Thomas, she whispered 'My God' twice to herself. Their marriage was marked by her private reminder, tapping her ring three times for the ways he had taken her: like a bull, a fox, and a lamb. She once chose the son Chrétien d'Évreux over his father the Comte, over Thomas, and over honor, a decision reflecting her skill at cutting her losses. Rumors claimed she had been deflowered by the troubadour Jehan of Poitou, and she had vowed never to lie with a man who did not love a song. Years later, as the blind Lady Marguerite with milk-white eyes, she resided in the castle of Arpentel, mother to its lord and grandmother to a boy. She summoned an old friar to her parlor, asked him to pray for her grandson's safety from the plague, and communicated by tapping that same three-part sequence on a bench—Bull, Fox, Lamb—in a coded signal only he understood.
Appearance
- beauty: Her beauty was troublesome; many lords and merchants sought her hand · revealed ch.29
- eyes: Verdant eyes · revealed ch.29
- eyes: Has milk-white eyes with just a hint of green; she is blind · revealed ch.44
Actions
- Said 'My God' twice, too low for anyone to hear, the moment she laid eyes on her future husband Thomas · revealed ch.29
- Sang snatches of carols on the ride back from the hunting party · revealed ch.29
- Tapped her ring three times to remind Thomas of the three times he took her: 'Once like a bull, once like a fox, once softly as a lamb' · revealed ch.29
- Told Thomas it seemed painfully obvious that the Comte de Givras was his father · revealed ch.29
- Chose the son (Chrétien d'Évreux) over the father (Comte de Givras), over Thomas, over honor · revealed ch.29
- Summoned the friar to speak with her · revealed ch.44
- Asked the friar to pray for her grandson's safety from the plague · revealed ch.44
- Tapped her ring three times on the bench in a coded sequence (Bull, Fox, Lamb) · revealed ch.44
Secrets
- Was rumored to have been deflowered by the troubadour Jehan of Poitou · revealed ch.29
- Told herself she would never lie beneath a man who did not love a song · revealed ch.29
Status
- Daughter of a minor seigneur of the lagoons · revealed ch.29
- Was twenty-three years old when she married Thomas · revealed ch.29
- A lucky catch for a foul-mouthed knight of low birth like Thomas de Givras · revealed ch.29
- Was smarter than Thomas would ever be and prettier than he thought wives were made · revealed ch.29
- Knew Latin and told jokes in it · revealed ch.29
- Saw through everything and knew how to cut her losses · revealed ch.29
- Is the mother of the lord of the castle and grandmother of a young boy · revealed ch.44
Nothing has been revealed about Marguerite de Péronne yet at this point in the book.