Sällskapet beger sig även upp mot Rydychan för att se om de kan göra någonting åt de tre baron-bröderna som tagit lady Gwendylyns län, men de blir inte insläppta. Tvärtom, de får höra att den äldste brodern sir Basile har tagit nyfikna riddare tillfånga i Oxford. De får även reda på att sir Bege - den yngsta brodern - är något av en hetsporre som vill hävda sig.
Rydychan is a large county on the upper Thames River, wealthy when it is not occupied by usurpers. The Countess Gwendolyn of Rydychan is one of the wealthiest heiresses in the lands, but usurpers currently hold all her properties.
The Countess is very attractive, a desirable heiress (though she is worth no Glory or income if she does not have her lands). She is a middle-aged woman, still quite pretty after all the years and children and sorrows. She has been married twice, and borne a daughter by the first and a son by the second, but both husbands have fallen in battle.
As a rich heiress, she wants a husband — but as a twice-widowed woman, she can choose her own. However, she seeks more than a husband. She wants revenge, and to once again rule over her father’s holding.