The Laughing Cavalier

Story Description: March 1623. The Lord of Stoutenburg is a man on the run. His father, John of Barneveld, was falsely accused of treason and sent to the gallows by the Stadtholder, Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange in 1619 while his brother the lord of Groeneveld has since been arrested and executed for plotting to avenge their father's death by killing the Prince. Meanwhile, Stoutenburg, now a fugitive for his part in the plot, is determined to get his revenge. While on the run, Stoutenburg asks for shelter from Gilda Beresteyn, the daughter of a rich merchant. Gilda was once in love with Stoutenburg, but has never forgiven him for abandoning her to make a more profitable marriage. Despite her reservations she lets him into her room for a short time and feeds him, but eventually she sends him away again for she knows her father, who is a friend of the Prince of Orange, will not approve. Nine months later and Gilda is walking across Haarlem, with her serving men, to the New Year's eve service. On route she witnesses three foreign adventurers intervening on behalf of a Spanish woman, who is being attacked by a mob by the Postern gate. After the fracas is over, Gilda speaks to the poor strangers about their gallant actions and is strangely taken by Diogenes and his twinkling eyes. Yet despite kissing her hand, he refuses any offer of assistance and only succeeds in offending her by requesting that he be given her leave to go to the Lame Cow to quench his thirst. Gilda continues to church, where rather than listening to the service she sits and fumes about the behaviour of the mysterious stranger. Determined to spend some time praying, she stays behind afterwards in the empty church but is disturbed by a secret meeting between Stoutenburg and his allies (including her brother Nicolaes), when Stoutenburg, fuelled by rage, shouts out his plans to murder the Prince. Her brother follows her out of the church and it soon becomes apparent that Gilda has overheard everything. She begs her brother to reconsider his part in the evil plot, but he refuses and instead asks her to swear that she will not tell their father. She also refuses, but Nicolaes still tells the rest of the group that she can be trusted not to betray them.