Adapted as a radio serial by H. Beaufoy Milton
Produced by Peter Creswell
Part 6, The fateful letter. Danger and rescue. The comrades part
Characters :
A Story-Teller ; Gerard Eliassoen ; Cornelius, his eldest brother ; Sybrandt, his youngest brother ; Margaret, his love ; Dame Van Eyck , his patroness ; Reicht Heynes , her servant ; Denys of Burgundy, a soldier of fortune ; Martin Wittenhaagen , an old archer ; Ghysbrecht Van Swieten , Burgomaster of Tergou ;
Jorian Keitel , henchman of the Burgomaster; Landlord, robbers, wayfarers, soldiers, etc.
The scene is Holland and Burgundy in the Fifteenth Century
Destined for the priesthood, Gerard, the son of Elias the cloth merchant of Tergou and Catarina his wife, falls in love with Margaret, daughter of Peter Brandt of the neighbouring village of Sevenbergen. In defiance of his parents, Gerard attempts to marry Margaret, but through the treachery of his malicious brothers, Cornelius and Sybrandt, he is arrested and imprisoned by the Burgomaster, Ghysbrecht Van Swieten, who fears Gerard will discover an ancient wrong done by the Burgomaster to Peter Brandt.
Gerard manages to escape, and, after an encounter with the Burgomaster, flees the country, making for Rome, where he hopes to make money by his writing and illuminating, and return a rich man to claim his bride and his family's pardon. He encounters a soldier of fortune, Denys of Burgundy, and they become comrades-in-arms, facing peril and adventure together.