Ivanhoe Chapter 23

In which the Lady Rowena, detained within a decaying castle chamber, confronts the fervent and unwelcome suit of the gallant Maurice de Bracy, whose courtly words belie his grasping brutality and political designs. Amidst her proud defiance and growing dread, the harsh realities of Norman rule reveal themselves with unvarnished cruelty, setting a somber stage for the trials borne by the Saxon captives.