to complete her deed. She put some poison in a soup which she brought herself to him, and she was monstrous enough to tender it to him with the expression of the most tender care for his health.
Not long afterward, hence, the poison made its effect. Lord Aubray suffered a violent spasm and an unbearable stomach pain; a deadly fever burned his body. Under the excuse of assisting him and giving him herself the medicines, his daughter did not leave him one moment unsupervised.
With the deepest expectation, she observed the effects of the poison. Her unique wish was to see death coming quickly; her unique fear, that the strong physical constitution of the unfortunate father might resist the poison. However, none of her facial expression did betray these satanic sentiments; rather more, she seemed to live intensely her father's sufferings. The sick father would be brought back to Paris and succumbed a few days from the strength of the poison.
Certain crimes, particularly crimes of this kind, are so abominable that people are far from suspecting them, or can not even once envision their possibility. No one could guess the true cause of the sudden death of the unfortunate father; no one could imagine that the daughter was the one who targeted his body. People showed to his children their compassion over the loss of such a honest father, and the beautiful, sorrowful daughter was surrounded by her closest relatives. This illusion under which she hid her inner joy, had totally the aspect of sincerity that everyone believed she felt the loss even more painfully than her other brothers and sister. However, she trusted herself to make up for this burdening constraint which she had to endure, in the arms of her abominable lover with whom she has already made beautiful plans to spend the heritage of the killed father in the best manner.
In the meantime, the Marquess' share of the inheritance, turned out not to conform to her expectation. Most of the inheritance was shared between her older brother who succeeded his father's office, and the younger one who was Member of Parliament. Saint Croix and his shameful accomplice saw their goals only half fulfilled. There were, hence, two persons staying in their way of being in possession of all the inheritance which they awaited by murdering the father. The death of the two brothers would hence be decided. In this case, the preemptive rights on the fatherly inheritance, law and the family promises to the sons, made up their death sentence.
Saint Croix undertook himself the completion of this plan. It was enough for him to have brought the Marquess into parricide, and through such act, has secured her discretion and her acceptance of every subsequent steps. What was still left to do, he wanted to achieve by himself.
Two henchmen at his sold, were the most infallible means for him to that end. The first one, named Martin, born in the same province as him, lived in his house and was a kind of butler. He could entrust to this man the most horrible enterprises, knowing that no difficulty would frighten him whenever it was about committing a crime. Fabricating false money was his main occupation; the time he had left, he spent in the most unrestrained excesses. A servant who, in fact, deserved to serve such a master! The other one, named LaChaussée, his former servant, possessed equally all the necessary dispositions to earn his trust perfectly.
The last one would be chosen as the tool. The Marquess found an occasion to hire him in the service of her younger brother who lived together with the older one. However, she hid to her brothers very carefully that this man, previously, was in relationship with Saint Croix, the same way as she, above all, also most painfully kept secret to them her own relationship with her lover.
The first attack should be directed at the civil Lieutenant. LaChaussée would be promised 200 Pistols with the assurance of a lifelong support, if he would eliminate him off their way. The zeal with which this villain did his work, has however almost betrayed the whole plan.
Eager to fulfill his contract rapidly, and wanting not to fail his goal, he gave his victim too strong a dose. He brought to the civil Lieutenant a poisoned glass of water and wine. Hardly has this one brought it onto his lips, that he repelled it, frightened and shouted: “What have you given to me, villain? I believe you wanted to poison me!” He gave the glass to his secretary who tasted some of it in a spoon and assured that it tasted bitter and smelled like vitriol. The smallest confusion of the servant would betray everything. But criminals of that kind seldom lack the necessary presence of mind. Without the least losing his composure, LaChaussée took in hurry the glass and emptied it. “Apparently, he said, I took a glass in a hurry from which the Member of Parliament, early today, has taken his medicine, hence the bitter taste.” Hence, he got away with this incident with a mere reprimand, because of his negligence; and the incident aroused not any further suspicion.
However, this failed attempt, despite being linked with such a great danger, did not deter the plotters from continuing their plan. To execute it more securely, they decided to put in danger, at the same time, many more persons who were not specifically their target.
In the beginning of April 1670, the civil Lieutenant went onto his estate near Villequoy in Beausse, to spend the Easter holidays there. The Member of Parliament, accompanied by LaChaussée, travelled with him. One day, as a numerous company ate with them for lunch, seven persons would suddenly, at the same time, become sick from the meal. These were the ones who have eaten a stew which has been served them. All the others who did pass this specific dish remained healthy. The civil Lieutenant and the Member of Parliament were the first ones on whom the effect of the gift were seen. They would be seized by the most violent vomiting. On April 12th, they returned back to Paris, both with livid faces as if they were precisely enduring a long and severe illness again.
This incidence kept Saint Croix ready for the right moment when all the advantages which he has intentioned for himself in the crime would come. He exhibited two letters from the Marquess, the first one of 30 000 Pounds in his own name and the other one of 25 000 Pounds in Martin’s name. So great were hence the sums which the Marquess paid for the murder of her brothers!
In the meantime, the civil Lieutenant's condition would worsen day by day. He observed an insurmountable aversion for any dish and his vomiting continued. Three days before his death, he felt a raging fire in his stomach, which seemed to devour him totally. He died, finally, on June 17th, 1670. During his autopsy, people found the stomach and the bladder totally blackened and dried, as if they were burned by an intense fire; and the liver was deformed and gangrened. It was concluded that he must have been poisoned. But who should be the suspected man? People did not have yet the least suspicion.
The Marquess has taken the precaution, during this incident, to go to the countryside. Saint Croix reported to her, now, the death of the civil Lieutenant by adding: the Member of Parliament's condition would allow to hope that he soon will follow his brother.
In fact, the Member of Parliament had also the same symptoms as his brother. He must, however, still spend one month longer in this deplorable situation.
His mind was not lesser martyred by a painful fear, than his body by violent pains. Unceasingly suffering from inside and outside, he found every position uncomfortable. Staying in bed was a martyrdom to him; and yet, has he hardly left it, that he demanded to return there again to seek relief which he found only in the arms of death. People opened his corpse and found his stomach and liver in the same condition as his brother's. That LaChaussée was the murderer, he guessed so little for he bequeathed him a rather large sum of 300 Pounds in his will, which would be given to him without any difficulty.
Yet, the Marquess' thirst for inheritance was still not quenched. Until now, she has worked for half for her sister with whom she has to share their brothers' inheritance. To have everything for herself, this latter must also be gotten rid of, and hence, her work was still only half done, if a fourth murder would still not follow the previous three. She saw, hence, to it that her sister would also succumb with the namely weapons. Only that this one, warned by so many terrible examples which happened so rapidly, one after the others in her family, was on her guard and faced all the subsequent events with intelligent precaution.
However, the Marquess' husband would also be involved in the worst manner. “Lady Brinvillier”, told Lady Sévigné in her 270th letter, “wanted to marry Saint Croix and gave many times to her husband poison to be able to execute this plan. Saint Croix, however, who really did not have any envy to marry a woman who was equal to him