Burgundy enters the account not as a destination Therese visits, but as the place from which Father Antonin could renew the threat of confinement: in Lyon, he warns that he may report her flight to the monastery in Burgundy and have her recaptured.

Reference to the Monastery

While staying in Lyon with Madame Bertrand, Therese unexpectedly encounters Father Antonin, formerly of Saint Mary-in-the-Wood and now superior of his order’s establishment in the city. He rebukes her for escaping and tells her that informing the Burgundian monastery would put her at serious risk of being caught again. Burgundy thus marks the reach of the institution Therese has fled: even away from its walls, the possibility of a report makes her freedom precarious.

Narrative Significance

The threat is part of Father Antonin’s attempt to make Therese comply with his proposal. He softens his manner only to press her and the girl accompanying her to visit his new quarters, offering payment in exchange for their compliance. Therese refuses, tries to signal that he should be silent, and, when his solicitations continue, gives him a false address to shake him off. Burgundy’s mention therefore connects her past imprisonment with a fresh danger in Lyon, while the fabricated address shows her using caution and deception to resist renewed control.