Summary

Chapter 1 describes Lynwood Keep, where the seneschal, Ralph Penrose, was telling Dame Eleanor (Lady Lynwood) about a troublesome tenant. Eleanor was waiting anxiously for her husband, Sir Reginald Lynwood, who had been fighting abroad with Prince Edward (son of Edward III). Sir Reginald’s younger brother, Eustace, reassured Eleanor while helping her child Arthur to ride a horse. Ralph annoyed Eustace, by comparing him unfavorably with previous heroes in the family. Finally, Sir Reginald arrived with his troop, the Lances of Lynwood. After greeting his family, he introduced his new chief Squire, Gaston d’Aubricour. Ralph was suspicious of this foreigner, but Eustace admired him. He told Gaston how he hoped to follow in his brother’s footsteps, rather than becoming a clerk.

Chapter 2 begins by summarizing the history of the Lynwood family and their fickle neighbors, the Clarenhams. The Lynwoods had always...