The Laughing Cavalier
Baroness Emma Orczy
 March 1623. William or Willem van Oldenbarnevelt, the Lord of Stoutenburg in the Netherlands is a man on the run. His father, the Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, "John of Barneveld" in the book, was falsely accused of treason and sent to the gallows by the Stadtholder, Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange in 1619 while his brother Reinier van Oldenbarnevelt, the lord of Groeneveld, has since been arrested and executed for plotting to avenge their father's death by killing the Prince. These three are all real historical figures, and the father was executed after a hurried trial. 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. Stoutenburg is not convinced and persuades Nicolaes that he has to arrange for Gilda to be taken away for a few days, so they can complete their plans to kill the Stadtholder before she can tell anyone. Beresteyn, who has seen Diogenes in the Lame Cow, follows the adventurer to Frans Hals' house, where he has gone to be painted, and hires him to kidnap his sister for a large sum. After seeing her portrait, Diogenes recognises her as the lady he had spoken to the night before. With the help of the Spanish woman he saved from the mob, Diogenes bundles Gilda and her maid into a sledge and takes her out of Haarlem. He leaves her under the care of his fellow philosophers for the night and returns to Haarlem, as he has promised Hals that he will sit for him so he can finish the painting. Afterwards, he accompanies Hals to the Lame Cow, where he meets Gilda's distraught father. Nicolaes is furious at Diogenes' appearance back in Haarlem, but can say nothing for fear of giving away his role in his sister's kidnapping. One thing leads to another and before he knows it, Diogenes has promised Gilda's father that he will find his daughter and personally return her to him, for which Mynheer Beresteyn insists he will give the adventurer half of his considerable fortune. Diogenes is now in a conundrum, for he is a man of his word and therefore has to find a way to fulfil his contract with Nicolaes to deliver Gilda to the house of a Jewish banker in Rotterdam, as well as meeting his promise to return her to her father. One word from Gilda could send him to the scaffold, yet despite her vehement verbal attacks on him, he is starting to have deep feelings for her, something which won't go down well with Stoutenburg, who is still determined to marry her. (Incomplete)