Our Lady of Refuge by Bernard Capes
In 1808, Luc Caron, a French-born showman, and Pepa Manoele, disguised as the boy Pepino, reach the Spanish village of San Lorenzo with their peep-show after crossing the mountains. The village is grim and hostile: its men are helping besiege the French-held fort of San Fernando near Figueras, while rumours spread that French troops are approaching. The sub-prefect recognizes Caron and then recognizes Pepino as a woman. Caron explains that Napoleon’s service has ruined his family and that he and Pepa are travelling after his father’s death. He carelessly reveals that they have encountered French soldiers in the hills, prompting the sub-prefect to summon the villagers to arms. The French advance guard, led by Colonel de Regnac, has indeed descended from the mountains. De Regnac’s Tuscan recruits are frightened and sluggish, but the column enters San Lorenzo after guerrillas fire on its officers. There it finds Caron and Pepa resting by a churchyard. De Regnac identifies Caron as the man who misled him about the road and sees in the peep-show an insulting image of the Emperor. He orders Caron hanged. Pepa pleads for Luc, but the Colonel, attracted to her and aware that she is a woman, claims her as his protection. Luc bids her farewell before he dies; stunned by grief, Pepa affects indifference and agrees to guide the French towards Figueras. As night approaches, Pepa directs de Regnac to Our Lady of Refuge, a solitary hospital maintained by the monks of Misericorde for the fallen and afflicted. She says the monks offer shelter without distinction, and the Colonel, needing to wait for his men, accepts the refuge. Its giant, veiled porter admits the officers, while the troops are sent to the outhouses. De Regnac takes Pepa to his cell, calling her his servant, then locks her inside before joining the officers’ supper. A hidden passage opens in the cell, and the giant monk emerges. He knows Pepa as Pepa Manoele, once among the house’s wards of mercy. She tells him that the French have murdered Luc, the man who rescued her from that life, and begs to be shown what she must do before grief destroys her. The monk leads her away. In the refectory, the French officers feast on rich food and wine. De Regnac distrusts the hospitality and insists that the Prior taste every dish and drink first. The old Prior complies, apparently eating from each plate and drinking a mixed cup of wine. He sends away the servants, draws his cowl over his face, and drinks while the officers cheer. Once they have all drunk, the refectory door is shut, locked, and bolted. The Prior collapses. Outside, monks chant prayers for one near death. De Regnac lifts the fallen figure and discovers that it is Pepa, dressed as the Prior. Dying from the poison she has used against the French, she tells him that she took the Prior’s place after he pursued the servants. She declares that she poisoned the wine, returns the Colonel’s “wages,” and says she is going to Luc, daring de Regnac to follow. The poison overwhelms him and the other officers. Their attempts at rescue are useless; within half an hour all are dead. The tale judges the violence as an act born less of patriotic fanaticism than of Pepa’s love for Luc.
By Bernard Capes · First published 1898 · Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Short Story, Revenge Tragedy · 6,265 words
First lines
When Luc Caron and his mate, whom, officially, he called Pepino, plodded with their raree-show into the sub-Pyrenean village of San Lorenzo, their hearts grew light with a sense of a haven reached after long stress of weather. Caron sounded his bird-call, made of boxwood, and Pepino drummed on his tabor, which was gay with fluttering ribbons, and merrily they cried together:
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Genres
- Historical Fiction — The story is firmly set in 1808 during the Peninsular War, incorporating Napoleon's occupation of Spain, the siege of Figueras, French military forces, Spanish guerrillas, and the period's brutal reprisals.
- Historical Short Story — It is a compact, self-contained narrative built around a single wartime episode, culminating in Pepa's revenge upon Colonel de Regnac and his officers.
- Revenge Tragedy — Luc's execution motivates Pepa's calculated retaliation; the narrative culminates in mutual death, poisoning, and the destructive triumph of love-driven vengeance.
- War Fiction — Military occupation, guerrilla resistance, marching troops, political violence, national conflict, and atrocities committed in wartime are central to both plot and atmosphere.
Tags
Napoleonic Wars · Peninsular War · 1808 Spain · Catalonia · Figueras · Spanish village · French occupation · Spanish resistance · guerrilla warfare · anti-Napoleonic sentiment · cross-dressing · travelling showmen
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Our Lady of Refuge is listed on Textopian as a short story by Bernard Capes, dated 1898 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Bernard Capes
- Date: 1898 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Short Story, Revenge Tragedy, War Fiction, Gothic Fiction
- Length: 6,265 words
- Structure: 1 section, 173 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for Our Lady of Refuge by Bernard Capes
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