Marie Antoinette undermining the First French Republic, Louis XVI was separated from his family and tried in December. He was found guilty by the Convention, led by the Jacobins who rejected the idea of keeping him as a hostage. On 15 January 1793, by a majority of one vote, that of Philippe Égalité, he was condemned to death by guillotine and executed on 21 January 1793. The queen, now called "Widow Capet", plunged into deep mourning. She still hoped her son Louis-Charles, whom the exiled "Comte de Provence", Louis XVI's brother, had recognised as Louis XVI's successor, would one day rule France.
The Garden of Martyrs for Finola. Halligan scoffs at Daley and catalogues the many girls he’s known in his rakish life. Daley sings an Irish tune that conjures for Halligan the figure of Bridie, an old flame. The reverie is broken by the macabre voices of the throngs descending upon Northampton for the coming execution. Outside, the stagecoach deposits Cheverus, Finola, and her baby in the streets of Northampton. The crowds eye them suspiciously, taunting them. Night falls. Unable to find a place to lodge, Cheverus and Finola are approached by the Widow Clark, who offers them a bed for the night. The Widow