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Lady Truyde utt Zeedeur
One of the novel’s antagonists, Igrain Crest is one of the Dukes Spiritual and the Duchess of Justice. Though several people close to her have noted her overbearing nature, it eventually comes out that Igrain sees herself as the self-appointed judge of queens’ deservedness to rule. She treated Queen Rosarian terribly when she discovered Rosarian’s affair with Gian Harlowe, and she attempted to mold Sabran into a queen she could control. Igrain later tries to unseat Sabran after Sabran miscarries and is deemed infertile. Upon discovering Truyde’s plot to frighten Sabran into speaking with the East, Igrain got involved and funneled money to the people who eventually kill Aubrecht, whom she didn’t approve of. Igrain hopes to seat her granddaughter, Roslain, on the throne, but she’s ultimately unsuccessful and is beheaded. Her nickname, the Cupbearer, comes from the symbol for the Knight of Justice: two cups.
Lady Igrain Crest/the Cupbearer Quotes in The Priory of the Orange Tree
The The Priory of the Orange Tree quotes below are all either spoken by Lady Igrain Crest/the Cupbearer or refer to Lady Igrain Crest/the Cupbearer . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 19 Quotes
‘Queen Rosarian died fourteen years ago,’ Loth stated. ‘Then…Sigoso did not do it under Draconic control.’
‘Not all evil comes from wyrms.’
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Chapter 53 Quotes
‘Once Sab was old enough to bear children of her own,’ Loth said, ‘Crest sought help from King Sigoso. She knew he reviled Rosarian for refusing his hand, so together they conspired to kill her, with Crest hoping the blame would drift toward Yscalin.’
‘And Crest still considered herself pious?’ Margret snorted. ‘After murdering a Berethnet?’
‘Piety can turn the power-hungry into monsters,’ Ead said. ‘They can twist any teaching to justify their actions.’
She had seen it before. Mita had believed she was serving the Mother when she executed Zāla.
‘Crest waited then,’ Loth said. ‘Waited to see if Sabran would grow to be more devout than her mother. When Sab resisted the childbed, Crest sensed rebellion. She bribed people to enter the Queen Tower with blades to frighten her […]’
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Chapter 63 Quotes
‘It would be unconventional. You are not my subject, and you are in disgrace,’ the Unceasing Emperor mused, ‘but it seems we are destined for a change in the way of things. Besides, I like to defy convention now and then. No ruler made progress by playing a safe hand. And it keeps my officials on their toes.’ […] ‘They never expect us to actually rule, you know. If we do, they call us mad.
‘They raise us to be soft as silk, distract us with luxury and wealth beyond measure, so we never rock the boat that carries us. They expect us to be so bored by our power that we let them do the ruling in our stead. Behind every throne is a masked servant who seeks only to make a puppet of the one who sits on it. My esteemed grandmother taught me this.’
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Lady Igrain Crest/the Cupbearer Character Timeline in The Priory of the Orange Tree
The timeline below shows where the character Lady Igrain Crest/the Cupbearer appears in The Priory of the Orange Tree. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 6
...looks kind and like he’ll be deferent to Sabran. Sabran notes that Roslain’s grandmother, Lady Igrain, would prefer Sabran to marry the elderly Chieftain of Askrdal, as she thinks trading with...
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Chapter 7
...questioning by four members of the Virtues Council and Queen Sabran. Seyton Combe and Lady Igrain Crest sit on either side of Sabran. Ead feigns surprise when they tell her another...
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...The Council’s conversation turns to Aubrecht’s marriage proposal, which Combe is in favor of, but Igrain Crest is not. Sabran agrees with Crest—it would appear Inys is condoning trade with Seiiki,...
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Chapter 9
...publicly burned this morning. Doomsingers are heretics who believe the Nameless One will return. Lady Igrain is in charge of punishing them. Ead implies that Igrain—and Sabran—are being hypocritical to burn...
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Chapter 14
...of the Ersyr. At one point, Ead stops to listen in on a conversation between Igrain Crest and her nephew. The nephew jokingly praises Seyton Combe’s ability to know everything going...
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...Margret sit together, discussing Combe and whether they think Sabran will end up marrying Aubrecht. Igrain Crest, they note, doesn’t approve of this marriage, as thrilled as she is about the...
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Chapter 19
...for pirates and lordlings”), he sent a dress laced with basilisk venom to her. “The cupbearer” in Inys was the one to slip the gown into Rosarian’s clothes. There hasn’t been...
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Chapter 22
...honor). Sabran hesitates to enter the sanctuary, and Ead notices how thrilled Seyton Combe looks. Igrain Crest’s expression is blank. Aubrecht’s outfit matches Sabran’s, and they meet in the middle of...
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Chapter 26
...a few weeks. Finally, Sabran is ready. She climbs into the coach with Aubrecht while Igrain smiles and Seyton Combe insists that everything will be fine. Ead gets in a coach...
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...intruder shoots Lambren and then points the pistol at Ead. The intruder says that the Cupbearer has nothing against Sabran—except when Sabran makes bad choices and won’t listen. Ead throws her...
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Chapter 30
...death, says things aren’t as they thought in Yscalin, and warns them to “Beware the Cupbearer.” It was sent from Rauca. They wonder who the cupbearer is, and Ead promises to...
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Chapter 34
...bear this baby, all hope is lost. Additionally, the Dukes Spiritual bring constant bad news. Igrain Crest announces that Yscalin is building a fleet clearly designed to invade Inys, and she...
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...Ead asks if Truyde is connected to the cutthroats, or if she knows who the Cupbearer is. Truyde knows nothing, and Ead believes her. Truyde then insists that the Nameless One...
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Chapter 37
Ead accuses Combe of being the Cupbearer. He insists he isn’t—but the Cupbearer is close and dangerous. Combe says that a coach...
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Chapter 39
...death, and Sabran losing her baby—and the political instability that Inys now faces. The mysterious Cupbearer, Ead says, wants to murder Sabran, and the Dukes Spiritual could bring about a civil...
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Chapter 44
...downs the cup of sun wine still there. Gazing at the cup, she realizes that Igrain Crest must be the Cupbearer. Maybe Roslain is in on it, too. Ead weighs her...
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Chapter 47
...vanquish him. First, though, they have to make sure Virtudom doesn’t fall. She’s fairly certain Igrain Crest is the Cupbearer and was likely involved in Queen Rosarian’s death—she likes “obedient” queens,...
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Chapter 49
...and the people (should they discover she’s not pregnant). Loth, for his part, fixates on Igrain Crest. While he always liked her, he knew she was overbearing—and he once saw Queen...
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...Bess Weald. When she shows Loth and Ead to a room, Ead tells Loth that Igrain is responsible for Truyde’s death—and Loth notes that if the queen can’t sign death warrants,...
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Chapter 50
...Sanctuary Royal. People are at their evening prayers, and Ead notices lots of people wearing Igrain Crest’s double cup symbol. Loth, meanwhile, sneaks into Margret’s room, where she falls into his...
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...their way, and Margret startles briefly—and then tells Ead to use her fire to scare Igrain. The three discover Lintley imprisoned by the guardhouse. Ead picks the lock, and Margret rushes...
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...out a window and sees Lintley, Loth, Margret, and other Knights of the Body fighting Igrain’s guards below. She sends Draconic fire into the fray, startling everyone. Loth shouts that he...
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...races for the Royal Bedchamber and finds Roslain crumpled on the floor, threatening to cut Igrain’s throat if she touches Sabran. Roslain finally realizes it’s Ead, and Ead confirms that Roslain...
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Chapter 52
...Council Chamber, and Sabran demands Ead and Loth tell her everything. Sabran is now free. Igrain Crest and those loyal to her are imprisoned, as are Nelda Stillwater, Lemand Fynch, and...
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Shakily, Sabran offers Loth the document Igrain Crest tried to make her sign. She shares that Igrain tried to tell Roslain that...
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Chapter 53
...feast. They join Loth at the high table, where Loth tells them what he learned. Igrain has been the self-appointed “judge of queens” for years and punished Queen Rosarian after discovering...
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...for guidance so they can protect Virtudom. Sabran says that she will pardon most people—but Igrain Crest is accused of high treason. Sabran promises to protect her people and defend Virtudom....
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...explains how, when Sabran fell ill and Ead left court, he began to suspect that Igrain and Roslain were “guard[ing]” Sabran, not caring for her—especially when Dr. Bourn shared that nobody...
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Chapter 55
...kill her at any moment. Over dinner, Margret fills Lady Annes in on Sabran’s miscarriage, Igrain’s arrest, and Igrain’s conspiracy with King Sigoso to murder Queen Rosarian. Lady Annes shares that...
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Chapter 56
...agreed to look for information on Empress Mokwo. Awkwardly, Loth shares what he heard from Igrain about Queen Rosarian’s affair with Gian Harlowe, implying Sabran may be his daughter. Sabran suggests...
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Chapter 57
It takes convincing, but Sabran agrees to have Igrain Crest beheaded quietly instead of publicly drawn and quartered. A small group gathers to watch...
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Chapter 68
...was orphaned. The Unceasing Emperor says he was orphaned young, too. Loth describes Sabran’s coronation, Igrain Crest’s regency, and the discovery that Igrain murdered Rosarian. Again, the Unceasing Emperor experienced something...
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Chapter 69
...tells Niclays about Truyde and Triam Sulyard’s conspiracy, how it all went wrong, and about Igrain executing Truyde. Numb, Niclays accuses Sabran of cruelly shutting down opposing views and punishing people...
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