The Marchioness de Bressac’s death and the framing of Justine

The Marchioness de Bressac’s death becomes the Comte de Bressac’s opportunity to secure an inheritance and frame Therese, the former chambermaid who had refused to assist him in a crime. His accusation turns her moral refusal into apparent evidence of guilt, while his denial of her earnings and belongings extends the injustice beyond the death itself.

Causes and Background

The Comte had been plotting against his aunt, and Therese had not agreed to take part. After intercepting a messenger carrying dispatches for the Marchioness, he apparently became convinced that Therese had betrayed his plan. He concealed his anger and continued to treat her as though nothing had changed. The next day, after the Marchioness had drunk her customary chocolate, the Comte proposed a walk in the woods under the pretext of explaining a new plan. Therese did not realize that he had discovered the Marchioness’s secret arrangements or that she was in danger.

The Death and Accusation

The Marchioness became seriously ill on the day Therese left the château, suffering severe pains and convulsions, and died the following morning. Her family gathered at the château. The Comte presented himself as overcome with grief, but told them that his aunt had been poisoned by a chambermaid who had fled on the same day. He called for an autopsy and joined the relatives in condemning the absent woman, encouraging the family to regard her as the culprit.

Inheritance and Deception

The death brought the Comte far more wealth than he had expected. The Marchioness’s strongbox, pocketbook, and jewels—items whose existence had been unknown to others—gave him more than six hundred thousand francs in cash and valuables, in addition to his revenues. The relatives lamented the Marchioness and vowed vengeance if the supposed culprit were found, but then left the Comte in peaceful possession of the inheritance. His display of grief could not entirely conceal his delight at the financial gain.

Therese’s Letter and the Aftermath

While away from the château, Therese had only six louis with her; more than forty louis and her clothes remained in her room. Hoping to recover what she considered rightfully hers, she sent a letter through Jeannette, a peasant girl, carefully concealing her whereabouts. Jeannette returned with the Comte’s reply. Rather than acknowledge Therese’s claim, he branded her the criminal who had poisoned his aunt, accused her of theft, and threatened to have Jeannette arrested if another request came. Therese was distressed not only by the refusal but by what the letter confirmed about the Marchioness’s fate. She understood herself to have been denounced to justice once again for refusing to commit a crime, and remained steadfast in that refusal.