The First Sir Percy: An Adventure of the Laughing Cavalier is a 1920 adventure novel by Baroness Orczy featuring Sir Percy Blakeney, ancestor of Orczy's character The Scarlet Pimpernel. It is a direct sequel to The Laughing Cavalier, occurring a few months after the events in the first book. Plot summary It is March 1624 in Holland. Two months earlier, a mercenary/adventurer who calls himself "Diogenes" foiled the plot on the life of the Stadtholder. Now, he has finally met his real father, an English nobleman, and realized his true identity as Sir Percy Blake of Blakeney, heir to a large estate in Sussex. He will soon marry Gilda Beresteyn, the woman he was paid to kidnap in January. Blakeney has invited his friends from his mercenary days, "Socrates" and "Pythagoras," to the wedding. However, while traveling there, Pythagoras runs afoul of Lord Stoutenburg (now a fugitive for his plot to kill the Stadtholder). Stoutenburg recognizes Pythagoras, gets him drunk, and has his servant Jan shoot him in the back and leave him for dead. On the day of the wedding, Diogenes is concerned when Pythagoras does not show up. Socrates and a group of men go out to look for him. Just as the celebration is ending, Socrates returns with the wounded Pythagoras. After being given medical treatment, Pythagoras reveals that Stoutenburg has a new plan to assassinate the Stadtholder, namely, the Archduchess Isabella has troops crossing the IJssel and coming up from Kleve. They plan to seize the cities of Arnhem and Nijmegen, then march across the Veluwe and confront the Stadtholder with a vast army. On top of this, Stoutenburg is plotting to poison the Stadtholder using chemicals he has been taught to manufacture by Francis Borgia. The Stadtholder asks Diogenes to fight at his side. Diogenes is torn between his feelings for his new bride and the call of honour and duty. Gilda settles the matter when she brings him his sword, telling him he must leave for Vorden within the hour. Gilda's brother, Nicholaes, travels with Diogenes as far as Barneveld but on returning home, he tries to convince Gilda that her husband is a traitor and is in league with the Archduchess. In Vorden, Diogenes delivers the Stadtholder's orders to Messire Marquet and his troops. En route to Wageningen, he is suddenly chased and shot at by men on horses. Plunging into the river