Part One 1336-1337/Eight Summary

At Bolingbroke, Blanche's childhood home, Katherine and Blanche formed a loving friendship, partly due to Katherine's admiration of her. They sew, sing and play music together. Katherine temporarily forgets the difficulties of Kettlethorpe. Katherine does not know that the duke had written to Blanche, asking her to look in on Katherine, since Hugh has told him Katherine is pregnant.

Katherine feels guilty when Blanche's children respond warmly to her, and seem to prefer her over their mother, but Blanche does not react.

Katherine calls Blanche the Queen of Heaven, and Blanche sends her back to Kettlethorpe in a beautiful carriage with many gifts. During the long carriage ride, Katherine has time to think. She decides to live her life as Blanche does, and realizes that she had been guilty of the sin of accidie - spiritual sloth...