****Please do not read the paragraph below if you have not finished this section****

I can see how lonely Kate must have felt dealing with George's "unnatural" tendencies but as smart as she portrayed in the book I am surprised she didn't suspect at least a little bit that George was after her money.  Everyone else saw it so why not her?  Also all it took was a little pushing by her friend Margaret in Richard's direction and suddenly they are involved in a passionate love affair?  I thought AES could have done a better job of having Kate be a little more conflicted about it then just being like "Ok well if you say God will think I tried with George and he'll understand...."

Also this George couldn't help but remind me of George Boleyn who also was rumoured to have a liking for boys. 

DISCLAIMER: PLEASE READ AFTER FINISHING THIS SECTION  :)  (can you tell I'm paranoid about giving away part of the story before someone reads it?)

Here are a few of the reader guide questions:

1.  Kate is reluctant to marry her first husband, Thomas Draper, a man much older than she.  But int what ways does Kate's marriage to Thomas benefit her?  Why then is Kate, a smart woman, so deceived by her second husband George, who not only marries her for her money but harbors a dark secret?

2.  When Kate finds out why George refuses to consummate their marriage, she decides to keep his secret.  Why does she choose not to reveal what she knows, even though it could be the very thing that will free her from the marriage? 

3. When Kate first begins her affair with Richard, he is 15 and she is 2 yrs older.  What draws them together?  Is their relationship based on more than youthful passion?  After the initiation of their love affair at the Howard's home, Richard attempts to persuade Kate to accompany him to London as his mistress.  Although she's tempted, as it would allow her to see him more often, why does Kate refuse Richard's offer?

Thoughts?

I know, *I* saw it coming a mile away (including the homosexuality)

I've finished up this section, and am really finding that the theme of loyalty is very strong through this book - Kate's loyalty (which I agree is often misplaced), Richard's loyalty to his brothers, and their loyalty to each other.

I'm also a *bit* annoyed with Kate in that she can do everything, and is beautiful too. She's just too perfect in a way.

Having said that, I am still loving the book

I'm also a *bit* annoyed with Kate in that she can do everything, and is beautiful too. She's just too perfect in a way.

I felt that way for awhile, too, but the fact she was deceived by George makes her FAR from perfect. (My take on it: I think she was in lust, not love, with him. She'd never been around a male who excited her sexually, so she was too naive to know it was clouding her judgement.)

And don't forget - she's terrible at writing letters, sewing and housekeeping! Although I'll admit, it does get old after awhile that everyone just loves her & thinks she's delightful (except George, of course).

Agree, Felicia - Kate had never been with a man she was sexually attracted to, which caused her to have complete blinders on to George's behavior including his initial flirting with Anne, his questions about her money from her marriage, and Richard Haute's concerns.  Of course, then it's not a surprise that she would also fall in love with Richard.....she'd never known a man who'd shared her affections whom she was actually attracted to.

I also find it annoying that she can seem to do no wrong in everyone's eyes.  I'm curious to see how she behaves when Richard finally marries.

Kate had never been with a man she was sexually attracted to, which caused her to have complete blinders on to George's behavior including his initial flirting with Anne, his questions about her money from her marriage, and Richard Haute's concerns.  Of course, then it's not a surprise that she would also fall in love with Richard.....she'd never known a man who'd shared her affections whom she was actually attracted to.

Oh absolutely, I think that two things were going on between her and George - the first being that she was very young, and mistook his intentions (which were clearly of a financial nature) towards her, and the misplaced loyalty that we were discussing.

But, it doesn't excuse the perfect thing, and that everybody thinks she's perfect too.  And, I'm not sure the fact that she's not good at letter writing quite makes up for it. It is really a minor quibble, though, it's still a VERY enjoyable book.

Was Richard III really fairly short?  I know his brother was a hulk of a man like Henry VIII (in fact I believe that's where Henry inherited the frame from).  I'm no expert on Richard, but I guess that fact surprised me for some reason.