Emma Rose was the rival of any man in wit, intellect, and courage. Those who gazed upon her face lost their breaths, being awestruck by her beauty. The only child of John Wilkin, the greatest sixteenth-century sword maker in all of Europe, Emma lived in Calais, then belonging to England. She was given a glorious life, but it was not hers alone to keep for fate claimed partial ownership. Two men vied for Emma's affections, disrupting the compass of history. One was Arthur Tudor, the Prince of Wales and the first-born son of Henry VII. He was heir to the English throne. Prince Arthur lived a life robbed of choices; "duty" suffocated his "desires." When he turned two, his father used his future as a pawn in a maneuvering game of political chess and promised his son's hand in marriage to the Spanish princess, Catherine of Aragon, the youngest daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella. It was foolhardy for Arthur to dote upon Emma Rose but he chose to ignore the consequences Emma's second suitor was a French nobleman, Rene du Blanc, a soldier of fortune who swore his allegiance to King Louis XII of France, who rewarded him handsomely. His pursuit of Emma was likewise fraught with uncertainty for reasons better left unsaid. Who would win Emma's heart and why would the identity of her lover lay hidden from the world for 30 years? Because the mystery was destined to alter the course of European history...once the answer was revealed by "The Letter " BRETT STEPHAN BASS is an attorney-at-law who began his professional career specializing in corporate litigation and appellate work. Leaving an active legal practice to become a business entrepreneur, he retired at age 50 to study science, art, literature, religion, and philosophy, to travel the world with his wife, Rosalind, to hone his skills as a photographer, and to write extensively about a variety of life experiences. He and his wife reside just outside of New York City.