1. What information is provided at the beginning of the book to help the reader understand the characters and setting?
The book begins with a list of characters and a map of France and England. This prepares the reader for the characters he or she is about to meet, as well as the setting of the story. This is the first step the author uses to guide the reader into Europe of the sixteenth century.
2. What is the role of Mary de Guise, and why does she require the services of Crawford of Lymond?
The regal and humorless Dowager Queen, Mary de Guise, had been brought to Scotland as King James V's bride and had now been left a widow with a war, a baby queen, and several rebellious nobles. Mary de Guise wants Crawford of Lymond to serve as a good spy in France prior to her upcoming stay there and to stay during her visit in the country.
This section contains 6,009 words
(approx. 21 pages at 300 words per page)