“The plan was simple. I had a cousin, also called Jeanne, or Joan, as you would say. She lived near Vaucouleurs with her husband, Durand Lassois, or Laxart, as he is also known. He was sixteen years older than I, so I called him Uncle out of respect.
“My voices told me to go to my Uncle Durand for help. It was May 1428, early summer, blossoms everywhere. I loved those May days. I never dreamed the last day I spent alive would be a day in May. I was full of life in those days and felt the urgency of my voices telling me to go, go, go. So I asked my parents if I could visit Jeanne and Durand. It was horrible deceiving them like that, but my voices came first.
“Mama and Papa agreed I could visit my cousin for a week. We had a lovely time together. Jeanne was gentle and kind, and Uncle Duran
