mother of Bruce's son. While the two are quarreling, Bruce returns and he and Amber get into a violent fight, broken up by Corinna. Unbeknownst to Amber, the Duke of Buckingham (one of the influential men to which Amber prostituted herself) decides Amber is a threat and makes a plan with a former enemy, Lord Arlington, to get rid of her. The two men write Amber a note claiming Corinna has died. A hopeful Amber leaves England in pursuit of Bruce, hoping he will finally marry her, unaware that Corinna is alive and well. Characters Original characters Amber St. Clare – The illegitimate daughter of two nobles who is raised by well-off farmers ignorant of her origins. She is extremely beautiful and ambitious but also selfish and naive. Lord Bruce Carlton – A free-spirited Royalist, thirteen years older than Amber, who spent his formative years in exile following Charles II of England's wandering court. Lord Almsbury – a friend of Bruce Carlton's who is also taken with Amber. He tries repeatedly over the years to make Amber his mistress. He is more willing to stay at home and play politics to secure his fortune, unlike his free-spirited friend. Nan Britton – Amber's loyal maid and an only female friend. Black Jack Mallard – an extremely tall, clever, and lustful highwayman who uses his savvy to escape from debtors' prison. Michael Godfrey – a bon vivant law student who falls in love with Amber and introduces her to a life of hedonism. Captain Rex Morgan – a swashbuckling lothario who keeps many mistresses but is most interested and loyal to Amber, wanting to marry her despite knowing that she is married and has a child by another man. Samuel Dangerfield – a 60-year-old widower and one of the richest men in England, this self-made man becomes Amber's second husband. Earl of Radclyffe – Amber's ugly and indebted third husband is both impotent and abusive. Unbeknownst to Amber he was once engaged to marry her mother, Judith, before she ran away, leading him to pine after her for the rest of his life. Gerald Stanhope – Amber's fourth husband who is the foppish first son of a family that went bankrupt during the civil war. He allows Amber to dominate him, and eventually allows her to pay him off so that she may live freely while he consorts with his mistress. Bruce