This article: In the 19th century, a Grande Dame summons The Brothers Grimm to her palace. The brothers discuss their interpretation of the Cinderella story. She then shows them a slipper and tells them the story of Danielle de Barbarac.
In 16th-century France, Auguste de Barbarac is a widower and the father of eight-year-old Danielle. Auguste marries Rodmilla de Ghent, a haughty baroness with two daughters, Marguerite and Jacqueline. Auguste gives Danielle a copy of Sir Thomas More's Utopia. Later, when leaving for a trip, Auguste dies of a heart attack. By the time Danielle is eighteen, the estate has fallen into decline and Danielle is forced to be a servant to Rodmilla and her daughters. Jacqueline is the only one out of her family to show Danielle any kindness.
One day, Danielle stops a man from stealing her father's horse and in the process realizes he is Prince Henry. He buys her silence with gold, as he is fleeing an arranged marriage to the Spanish Princess Gabriella. He is caught, however, after he recovers and returns the Mona Lisa to Leonardo da Vinci, which had been stolen by gypsies. Meanwhile, Danielle uses the gold Henry gave her to buy back the servant Maurice, who Rodmilla sold into slavery to pay off her debts. To do this, she dresses as a noblewoman and is warned that she will be severely punished if discovered. Henry overhears Danielle arguing with the Cargomaster and orders Maurice's release. Henry insistently begs for Danielle's name until she finally gives him the name of her deceased mother, Nicole de Lancret, with the added title of comtesse (countess). King Francis tells Henry that he is throwing a masquerade ball, where he must choose a bride or wed Gabriella. Meanwhile, Rodmilla schemes to marry Marguerite to Henry. contains an answer for the question: What name does the person dressed as a noblewoman say is her name?, what is it ?


Nicole de Lancret