Anne de Barrigan (Kerfol)

Anne de Barrigan was a lady of Douarnenez, who was travelling with her father when she met Yves. Despite being noble, they were quite poor due to her father, who had squanderer his fortune at cards.[1]

Anne had a softening influence and despite not being unhappy, though one servant-woman said she saw her crying, she felt relatively lonely at Kerfol. Additionally, she was unable to have children, which made her even lonelier. She got every luxury she wanted from Yves, but that didn't seem to cheer her up. The only present that made her truly happy was a little dog that Yves bought her. She loved the dog and it was kind of compensation to her for not having any children.[2]

The dog alone didn't seem to be able to cure he loneliness. After she met Herve de Lanrivain, she started to see him a couple of times. On the last meeting, even though she didn’t wanted to, she gave him the dog's collar as a memento.[3]

After Yves found out about the missing collar he strangled the dog[4], Anne was shocked and scared of her life. She wanted Herve to take her away from Kerfol.[5]

She got several other dogs over time and were killed by Yves. In the end, she didn’t want to get any new dogs and just petted the estate's dog secretly, but even that one disappeared, after Yves noticed it.[6]

In the court, Anne explained the night of her husband's death and it's obvious that she didn't care about him, or even love him, since she didn't care about his fever and when she heard him fall and scream, she preferred to warn Herve and even stood at the entrance for another five minutes when she heard the dogs.[7]

After the trial, Anne was shut up at Kerfol by Yves' family, where she died many years later, considered a madwoman.[8]

[1] Wharton, "Kerfol," 333

[2] Wharton, "Kerfol," 334

[3] Wharton, "Kerfol," 337

[4] Ibid.

[5] Wharton, "Kerfol," 336

[6] Wharton, "Kerfol," 337-338

[7] Wharton, "Kerfol," 338-340

[8] Wharton, "Kerfol," 340