Page 50 - THE DECAMERON: 100 Days on 100 Etchings by Petru Rusu
P. 50

“The Count of Antwerp“


             So this Walter, Count of Antwerp is left behind to govern all                wants marriage and nothing less. In the end, the parents have

             of France when the King and his son go off to war against                    to consent to the marriage because they don’t want their son
             the Germans. He’s a good-looking guy and recently widowed,                   to die. So Jeannette marries the young man of the house and
             so it’s no surprise that the King’s daughter-in-law soon falls               everyone’s happy. Now back to Perrot, who’s on the other side
             for him. One day, she summons Walter to her boudoir so                       of the country. He’s grown up to be handsome, courageous,
             that she can confess her passion. Walter’s astonished and                    a good jouster, etc., etc. As luck would have it, a plague of

             because he’s a loyal subject, he asks her if she’s completely                some sort strikes the area and everyone in the house where
             out of her mind. She doesn’t take it well. Instead of accepting              he grew up dies - except one daughter of his master and
             the situation, she musses her hair and begins to scream that                 mistress. Naturally, she marries Perrot. The King of England

             Walter’s trying to rape her. Walter doesn’t wait around to find              elevates Perrot to the position of marshal, to take the place of
             out if the household staff believes in his innocence. He takes               Perrot’s dead father-in-law. Walter decides it’s time to look up
             off for his estates. Gathering up his children and taking nothing            his kids and see how Fortune has treated them. First, he goes
             else with him, he heads for England. Meanwhile, news reaches                 to check on Perrot. But before revealing himself, he wants
             the King and his son about Walter’s naughty behavior. They’re                to see how Jeannette’s doing. He’s taken into the house out

             so enraged that Walter’s banished forever and his estates                    of pity by Jeannette’s husband (whose name is Jacques) and
             are destroyed. Walter knows that he and his children need to                 fed in the kitchen. Jeannette’s children take a shine to the old
             travel incognito, so he gives the children the new names of                  man and won’t be separated from him.  Despite his father’s

             Jeannette and Perrot. Jeanette’s taken in by the kindly wife                 insults and grumbling, Jacques gives Walter a position in the
             of a King’s marshal in London; Perrot is fostered by another                 household to take care of their horse and amuse the children.
             of the King’s marshals in Wales. Walter’s heartbroken at the                 Back in France, the political tides begin to turn. The King dies
             loss of his children, but he knows he had to give them up.                   and his son (the one with the lying wife) ascends the throne.
             He heads over to Ireland and becomes a servant to a baron.                   Walter goes along with Jacques’ crew. He performs his duties

             Meanwhile, Jeannette grows up to be a stunner. Her foster                    well but still flies under the radar. Meanwhile, the mendacious
             mother realizes that she must really be a nobleman’s daughter,               Queen of France is about to die. On her deathbed, she decides
             even though she can’t prove it. The lady’s son who is gorgeous               to confess her false accusation against Walter of Antwerp.

             and accomplished falls desperately in love with Jeannette. But              The King of France feels just awful about the banishment of
             he assumes that his Mom won’t approve because Jeannette                      Walter, so he proclaims a reward for anyone who can find him
             comes from lowly parents. He hides his love for Jeannette                    and return him to France. He plans to elevate Walter even
             and we all know that doing this will only result in dire illness.            higher than his former rank. Walter brings Jacques and Perrot
             Pretty soon, the young man’s on his sickbed and everyone                     together, reveals his identity and tells Jacques to claim the

             despairs of his life. A clever young doctor quickly realizes that            reward from the King of France as the dowry he never received
             his patient’s in love with Jeannette, so he tells the parents                when he married Jeannette. Jacques is happy to do this. Walter
             what he thinks is going on. Jeanette’s foster mother tells her               appears before the King in his ragged clothes, just to shame

             son that he should get well soon, because she’s going to see                 him more. It works. The King restores Walter to his proper
             to it that Jeannette will be his. She has no intention of marrying           rank. Walter tells Jacques to take the enormous reward back to
             her son to a person with a questionable background, but she                  his snob of a father and rub it in his face. The whole family’s
             believes a little fling will cure him. But she doesn’t anticipate            joyfully reunited for a time in France where Walter remains for
             Jeannette’s unwillingness to become anyone’s lover. Jeannette                the rest of his life.


                                                                                                                                “The Count of Antwerp” Retrieved from publicly source: shmoop
     DECAMERON      50                                                                                      <https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/decameron/summary/second-day-eighth-story>
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