The distance required by Anne’s high rank is asserted when she marries Richard. For her loyalty, Rose is given a husband “of her own kind,” one of the Duke’s archers. She now travels between village and castle, raising her family and nursing the sick.
Richard usurps the throne upon his brother’s death. The mysterious disappearance of his nephews in the Tower of London is first followed by the death of his heir and then of Rose’s beloved Anne. When Richard dies in battle, Rose returns to her village. Abandoned by her husband, she struggles to survive. Her royal friends are dead, but she has a last service to perform.
