These Old Shades · Chapter
Lord Rupert Wins the Second Trick explained
Léonie awakens after being drugged by the Comte de Saint-Vire, finding herself in a strange seaside town.
What happens
Léonie awakens after being drugged by the Comte de Saint-Vire, finding herself in a strange seaside town. She escapes her locked room and is rescued by Lord Rupert Alastair, who has followed her from England. Rupert is wounded in a scuffle with Saint-Vire, but they find refuge with a kind innkeeper, Madame Marthe. Léonie tends to Rupert, and they plan their next move while hiding from Saint-Vire.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This chapter is the dramatic climax because it marks the psychological and emotional peak of the Duke of Avon’…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Identity and Disguise
Léonie's disguise as a boy is central to the plot, as Saint-Vire believes she is a boy and she must maintain the ruse even in danger.
- Power and Control
Saint-Vire exerts control over Léonie through drugging and abduction, while Rupert and Léonie struggle to regain agency and escape.
Characters to notice
- Léonie de Bonnard
Awakens after being drugged, escapes the Comte, and is rescued by Rupert. She tends to Rupert's wound and shows resourcefulness and fear.
- Lord Rupert Alastair
Follows Léonie to France, is wounded by Saint-Vire, but manages to rescue her. He is weak but determined, and they hide together.
- Comte de Saint-Vire
The antagonist who drugged and abducted Léonie. He wounds Rupert in a confrontation but is forced to flee when Rupert fires a pistol.
- Maman Marthe
The kind innkeeper who takes in Léonie and Rupert, tends to Rupert's wound, and provides comfort and shelter.
Key passages
“I am in tomorrow! That man made me go to sleep, and I have slept all day and night!”
Léonie realizes she has slept through an entire day and night due to the drug Saint-Vire gave her.
Highlights the disorientation and danger Léonie faces after being drugged.
“I am glad that I bit him, and threw the coffee over him.”
Léonie takes pride in having physically resisted Saint-Vire during her abduction.
Shows Léonie's spirited and defiant nature even in peril.
“Here am I chasing you to God knows where, with never a sou in my pocket, nor a sword at my side, and the landlord's hat on my head!”
Rupert describes his desperate and ill-equipped pursuit of Léonie across the Channel.
Illustrates Rupert's impulsive loyalty and the comic absurdity of his situation.
