lucrecia is well connected. her latest liaison with jaime, a government minister, has benefited the village in which her lands lie. when she sees her family relationships and a future move from the provinces to madrid threatened, she tries to use her standing with the town’s authorities and the local clergy to thwart the old man in his quest. their plan is to have the count of albrit confined in a nearby monastery, but the still-formidable don rodrigo quickly realizes their intentions and manages to escape their trap. he reminds some of the smarmy villagers of their checkered past in the days when the count of albrit was a power to be reckoned with.