Mysterious Destiny Beckoning Corridors

by D. J. Holmes

“Do you still need our help, my King?” my father asks.

  “Yes, even more at this time. Why would she sign a confession?” Quietly thinking for a few minutes, the King laments. “Oh, why did I leave her alone? She can’t read. She can barely write her own name. They’re going to take my Katherine from me.”

  “Who is going to take her, my King?”

  “The advisors that I have put in power; I created this mess when I separated from the Catholic Church, and created the Church of England. I split my country in half, and the fight for control is still going on.”

  On her own, naive of the power, and secret agenda of the King’s advisors, Katherine had put her signature to paper, not fully realizing the impact that it would have on her life.

  The document stated that she had been promised to another man, as a young teenager, while she was in the care of her step grandmother, the Dowager Duchess. It also accused Katherine of committing adultery, after she had married the King, with Sir Thomas Culpepper, who had a position in the King’s privy chamber.

  “How could anyone believe all of these lies? I have never done any of the things that they are accusing me of,” Katherine yells out of frustration. “I have been accused of TREASON? They told me if I signed the paper that I would go free, that I would be vindicated. That the King would take me back, and the people of England would accept me once again.”

  “Trusting my husband’s advisors, I signed the document, feeling that they would have my best interests at heart; that they were trying to help me. But, now I can see that it was a trap! No one has been more faithful to the King than I have; NO ONE!”

  Katherine was stripped of her title as Queen, along with all her royal jewelry and clothing. On the next day, November 14, 1541 she was taken to Sion Abbey in Middlesex, England.

  She would be held at the Abbey until the charges against her would either be dismissed, and she would be taken back to the King at Oatlands Palace to become his rightful Queen once again, or she would be taken to Tower Green to pay for her crimes against the King.

  After receiving our final instructions from the King, we rode to Sion Abbey in Middlesex, England to guard Katherine.

  During the months, that she is at the Abbey, Katherine would take short walks in the beautiful courtyard garden, with her Lady in Waiting, and her Gentlewomen.

  “Look at that beautiful hawk flying above us. Isn’t it graceful?” Katherine says, admiring its freedom. “It is, my Lady.”

  “The hawks that King Henry has are so beautiful. He loves to hunt with them. There is a hallway between our two bedrooms, where he keeps his beloved hawks, did you know that?”

  “No, my lady, I didn’t know that.”

  Katherine continued, “His love of hunting and the animals that the hawks would catch, gave him great joy. It’s my personal thought that he wished that he could fly like they did. Their beauty and grace was something that he always admired.”

  Her Lady in Waiting added, “He knew how to do everything else. He knew how to sing. He knew how to play several musical instruments, and he was an expert horseman and archer. I remember how he use to win all of his jousting tournaments, until his accident. And his tennis and bowling skills always won him lots of money. And you’re saying today that you think that he also wished he could fly?”

  “Yes. One day, when we were first married, Henry asked me if I would like to watch him take his hawks out for some flying time.”

  “Of course, I said yes. After we were out for a few hours, he said, ‘Look at how graceful their wing spread is. Watch them move up and down using the wind currents. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to fly like that?’ Looking in his eyes, I could see a glint of wishful, almost melancholy thinking, hoping for true personal freedom. That’s what his hawks represented to him.”

  “I never knew that, my Lady. Why would a King want freedom, especially King Henry, he’s the most powerful King in the world.”

  “There are many things that most people don’t know about King Henry...” a beautiful Red Rose caught her eye. “Oh, look over here in the Rose Garden. My favorite color rose.”

  I had just arrived and walked through the Abbey to the Rose Garden where my first sight of Katherine caught her holding a beautiful Red Rose up to her nose, smelling its fragrance. She is wearing a stunningly simple red dress, which is the same color as the rose that she is holding.

  Walking over to a small group of ladies, she says, “My ladies, this is the color that will bring me the courage that I need at this time. Please make sure that I have fresh Red Roses in my room everyday that we are here.”

  “Yes, my Queen. We’ll do that for you. But don’t worry. You will be found innocent, and everything will turn out. You will be back with him soon.”

  “That’s my hope. But if the worst happens, would you please do as I have asked?”

  “Yes, my Queen.”

  “You don’t have to call me “Queen” any more, since that title has been taken from me.”

  “You will always be our Queen.”

  “Thank you, my Gentlewomen. I have always been grateful for everything you do for me. Thank you all so much,” Katherine says with gratitude.

  Looking over toward Jon, Katherine asks, “Who is that soldier over there?”

  “We were told that he is here to guard you.”

  “Guard me? Guard me from what? I’m here at the Abbey. What harm could befall me?”

  “We agree, Queen Katherine, but they have to do as they are ordered.”

  “Are you saying that Henry ordered him to be here?”

  “Yes, my Queen, and the others that came with him.”

  “…Others?”

  “Yes. They’re surrounding the Abbey.”

  “Well then, maybe I should get out of this dress, since I was supposed to have all of my royal clothes taken from me. My ladies, would you please help me change my dress? I wish I could wear it always, but if others see me wearing it, they will remember it as part of my royal wardrobe and take it from me.”

  “I would die if I were separated from this dress, because it wraps me in courage, and reminds me that there are better days that will come. Sadly, will you help me change back into the black dress that I am supposed to be wearing?”

  “Yes, my Queen, and by that time dinner will be ready.”

  “Thank you, my Gentlewomen.”

  Throughout the months that I watched her every move I observed that Katherine always treated her servants, and any other person that she was around, with kindness and respect; I began to wonder how the King could allow this Queen, a compassionate and empathetic Queen, to be imprisoned.

  “I understand the charges brought against this Queen. But from what I have seen, there must be something else that I don’t know. These charges don’t fit the Queen that I have come to know,” I thought to myself.

  I kept my distance from the Queen and my feelings to myself. Yet, some evenings I would see the Queen looking at the stars from her bedroom window. And every evening just before she left the window, she would put her right palm up to her heart, up to her lips and then extending it in a flat position blowing her love to the stars.

  “How odd, she does the same thing that Mary did to me the last day I saw her.” Each time I saw her go through these motions it would remind me of Mary, bringing comfort to my heart.

  In January of 1542, the Queen’s case was brought before parliament, and she was found guilty of treason.

  On February 10, 1542, I was ordered to take Katherine to The Tower of London. “My lady I am here to take you to the Tower,” I announced.

  “I am still married to the King. I am not guilty of anything. I don’t care what Parliament has decreed.”

  “I’m sorry my Lady, but we must leave on the tide.”

  “I won’t go,” Katherine insisted.

  “My lady, I have my orders, and they say that I must get you on the barge. Would you like to go by yourself, or do you need my help?”

  Kather
ine had been looking out her window. She finally turns around and looks into my eyes. “All of these months I have seen you, Sir, but you have never been close enough to find out your name. What is your name, Sir?”

  “Jon.”

  “Jon, if you will give me a couple of minutes to gather my things, I will walk to the barge on my own power.”

  I nodded my head, as if to say that would be fine.

  Katherine walked over to her bed and reached under the mattress. She pulled out something small enough that it could fit in the palm of her hand. Bringing the palm of her hand up to her mouth, she kisses the contents. And for that small moment, she is completely lost in memories from the past.

  Finally, looking up she said, “I’m ready to go.”

  Looking over at her Gentlewomen, she requests, “Someone please get my cloak for me, and bring my bags.”

  “Yes, my Queen.”

  Giving their Queen honor, the Gentlewomen exited their apartment first, with Katherine and Jon bringing up the rear. As soon as Jon’s father saw the sad procession, he took the lead. James and Timothy walked to the opposite sides of the Gentlewomen. Jon continued to walk next to Katherine. In this way, all of the women were encircled by the King’s guards. The other trusted guards distributed themselves, filling in any areas not covered by the other guards.

  Walking along the beach to Isleworth Landing, Katherine could see the three barges that were waiting, with their oars men, to take her to the Tower.

  “Ah, two large barges with five oarsmen on each side, and one smaller one with three oarsmen on each side, is the smaller barge for me, Jon in case I have plans to escape?”

  “I don’t know my Queen. My father has made all of the arrangements for your travel.”

  Arriving at the barges, father commands, “Jon, I’ll take the front larger barge with the nobles and half of the guards. You take the smaller middle barge with the Queen, and two of her Gentlewomen. James, and Timothy, you bring everyone else with you in the last large barge.”

  “Yes, Sir….”

  As Katherine walks toward her barge, she looks up and down the shore of the River Thames. The wind begins to blow and she turns her face in the direction it is blowing from. Feeling the wind on her face, she takes in a breath of air.

  “Ah, fresh air; Beautiful, sweet smelling, fresh air, one takes it for granted until it is taken away from them,” she longingly says.

  Pulling the hood of her cloak up and over her head, Katherine walks directly to her assigned barge and holds out her hand for me to help her.

  “Please help me, Sir.”

  I held her small hand, and bowed my head out of respect for my Queen, as she boarded the barge.

  It was the first time that I had come into physical contact with her. I noticed how soft and small her hands were. I also felt an unforgettable feeling of electricity running from my arm to my heart, which had been etched into my mind, a familiar feeling of connection.

  Quietly thinking to myself, “It has been several years since I have felt anything like this feeling. Isn’t it strange that the first time I touch the hand of my Queen, that the feeling I felt, reminded me of Mary? When am I ever going to be released so that I can go home? What if she has found someone else? It’s been so many years, and we’ve both changed so much. I don’t even know if I would recognize her if I saw her. But I could always go to her home. Mary, my Mary! I can’t wait until I return home.”

  The weather was considerably cool, on that specific day. The barges rocked from side to side, amid the movement of the waves, as the oarsmen rowed the barges down the River Thames, on their way to the Tower of London.

  It was a solemn looking, quiet procession. But Katherine was peaceful as she sat on the barge, holding the article that she had retrieved from under her mattress.

  Looking at her, I began to feel a sense of pity, “I don’t know what she has in her hands, but if it brings her comfort, then I’ll let her keep it.”

  As I continued looking at her, I remembered that she was somewhere between the age of nineteen to twenty-one. She had been Queen of England for a little over a year, and here she was being taken to the Tower of London, possibly to be executed.

  Looking at the shore line, I finally began to feel the rock of the boat, and the crisp cold wind blowing on my face and through my hair. Looking back at my Queen, I could see that she was resigned to what lay ahead of her, as she quietly sat in her place on the barge, wearing a plain black velvet dress with a black cloak and a black hood.

  I began to wonder to myself, “What did you look like in your royal clothes, full of color and covered with pearls and other jewels? I wish I could have met you in happier times.”

  Nearing the outside of the Tower of London, the front barge slows a little, allowing the last barge to catch up to them, changing positions with the middle barge so that the first and last barges would be sailing through Traitors Gate first. Katherine’s barge would be last to sail through Traitors Gate, because she had the highest noble rank, and this was a sign of respect.

  Once inside the Tower of London, Katherine is escorted to the Queen’s apartments. As the apartment door is opened by one of Queen Katherine’s Gentlewomen, she accidentally startles several doves, causing them to frantically fly all around the room.

  The quick movement of the flying doves has caused many feathers from the rafters to fall toward the floor. Feathers were flying everywhere, and several fell down onto her head and into the Gentlewoman’s mouth.

  “Apparently, we have startled the doves as much as they have startled us. It’s all right, my Ladies, let’s proceed,” Katherine suggests.

  The Gentlewoman turns around facing Katherine and begins spitting out feathers. Suddenly, everyone hears Queen Katherine laughing. A look of shock reflected in all of the Gentlewomen’s faces as they wondered how, their Queen, under these circumstances, could actually laugh at anything.

  “I’m sorry for laughing,” she said. “I’m not laughing at you. You just reminded me of something that happened to me when I was a young girl,” she said with a huge smile. She took a breath, quickly regaining her composure and everyone continued into the apartment.

  I asked, “Do you need any help, my Queen?”

  “No, thank you. I would just like a little privacy,” she says quietly.

  “I’m sorry. My orders are that I am to stay with you at all times,” I stated adamantly.

  “Stay if you must. But would you at least turn around so that I can change my clothes?”

  I turned around. Katherine’s Gentlewomen helped her change her clothes, and put her things away.

  “What is that in the palm of your hand, my Lady?” one of her Gentlewomen asks.

  “Sit down everyone,” Katherine requests. “I want to tell you all a story.”

  As they sit down, Katherine begins, “When I was a little girl, around the age of nine, my mother died. My father was gone most of the time, and our servants had so much work that they didn’t care what I did. At the same time, I could never go anywhere when I wore my royal clothes. So I began to secretly dress in clothes that the servant’s children wore, so that I could get away and wouldn’t be noticed.”

  “I would run through the field close to our home. I would sit on a log by the stream, and put my feet in the water, feeling the current run between my toes. I always loved that feeling. It made me feel free.”

  “One day a paper boat sailed by my feet. It was the finest boat that I had ever seen made out of paper.”

  This turn of events caught my attention and I began listening to Katherine’s story intensely. As she spoke, the story seemed strangely familiar. But it had been so long and I was not willing to believe my feelings.

  “I wanted to find the owner of this boat, so I ran up stream, as a boy wearing commoner’s clothes was running down stream. I asked him if the boat was his and he said it was. He looked like he was around twelve years old.”

  “Because we were close in age, and seeme
d to have a lot in common, we saw each other several days during that summer.”

  “One day we had been playing all different kinds of running games all morning long and we were very hungry. We smelled this wonderful aroma coming from a nearby cottage. My friend suggested that we go and ask if we could do any work for something to eat. So we ran over to the farmer’s wife and asked her. She told us that she needed help taking the slop to the pigs, a cord of wood chopped and a dozen eggs gathered. The boy that I was with took the slop to the pigs and then went to chop some wood. I ended up trying to get eggs from some chickens.”

  “Can you imagine me in a chicken coop?” she asked her Gentlewomen.

  “No, my Queen, I can’t.”

  “Me either.”

  “So did you get feathers all over you, like I did just a minute ago?”

  “I’m coming to that,” Queen Katherine said with a smile.

  “I walked into the hen house and stepped on something on the floor. ‘Oooo, what is that smell?’ I said to myself. Then I tried to cajole the hens by talking to them. ‘Come here little ones I need some eggs.’ As I approached them, they wouldn’t let me take their eggs. So I put out my hands and waved at them saying ‘Shoo. Shoo. Just move over there for a moment?’ Then they began to protect their eggs with their wings and their beaks. I told them ‘Ouch, don’t peck me. I’ll leave a couple for you to hatch. I just need to get a dozen for this lady’s pies.’”

  “Nothing worked. So I decided to try another strategy. I stood up with my hands on my hips and said, ‘Do you ladies think that you can cooperate with me. I mean from one lady to another, do you think that you could help me out a little?’ Nothing I said, or did, helped me to get even one egg. Finally, realizing that this would be a lot harder than I ever thought that it would be and because I was extremely hungry I just decided to take the eggs.”

  “Before long there were hens flying all over the place, squawking and making all kinds of noise. Hundreds of feathers looked like they were suspended in the air, waiting to gain their freedom outside of the hen house. When I finally came out of the door, I had feathers in my hair and in my mouth, but I had the basket of eggs.”

  Katherine looks at the Gentlewoman, who had been the first to enter the apartment, “So, do you see why I was laughing after you walked into the apartment?”

  “Yes, My Lady. I can see why you were laughing,” the Gentlewoman smiles and adds. “I wish I could have seen you with feathers all over you.”

  “It was a fun day. In fact, my friend and I had a lot of fun that summer. After we got to know each other better, he gave me something that I have been carrying all day. It’s beautiful, look,” and she opens her hand.

  “Oh my lady, it truly is beautiful!”

  I looked up as Katherine was showing a ring to each Gentlewoman and was extremely surprised at what I saw.

  Immediately storming over to Katherine, with more anger than I meant, I said, “Where did you get this ring?” grabbing it out of her hand.

  “It was given to me by my one and only true love, Sir. May I have it back?” Katherine commands.

  “Your one and only true love, I laugh at you, my Lady.

  I had James, my man servant, go to town and bring me back this ring. There is no other ring that looks like this and I gave this ring to MY one and only true love!” I said with emphasis.

  Katherine begins to cry. “Sir, if you choose to take something from me, choose anything that you like but don’t take this ring from me, I beg of you!”

  “Where did you get it? I gave it to Mary. You must know where she is. I’ve been looking for her everywhere I go. Where is she?” I demanded.

  “Mary?” Katherine repeats the name in disbelief. “Yes. Mary, Where is she?”

  In shock, Katherine continues, “I swear to you, Sir, this ring was never given to any other girl. It was given to me when I was nine years old. My fingers were too small. So we put it on a chain that he had around his neck, so that I could wear it as a necklace until my fingers were big enough. Matthew gave me this ring. Matthew is my one and only true love.”

  “Matthew?” My head started spinning. Her name is Katherine. Yet she said that a boy, by the name of Matthew, gave her the ring.

  “Where were you when, Matthew, gave you this ring?”

  Still crying she said, “I was waiting for him in the field where we would meet.”

  I sat down for a moment, looking at her strangely, trying to formulate everything in my head. Looking up to my Queen I quietly asked, “Why is it that you always look to the stars every evening before you go to bed?”

  Calmly, between whimpers, she answered, “Matthew told me, that if we were ever separated, that if we looked to the first star of the evening and made a wish to be together, that sometime…somewhere, we would find each other. Knowing that this star knows where he is, I blow my love to him every evening. The same way I did…the last time I saw him.”

  Finally, I could see the face of the little girl that I had fallen in love with so many years ago.

  “Katherine… I am Matthew.”

  “Are you mocking me, Sir?” Katherine asks insulted.

  “No, Katherine. Let me give you some proof. James, would you come in here?”

  “What’s all the yelling about, Jon?”

  “I’ll tell you in a minute. Do you remember the days that I would sneak off of the palace grounds to go to see Mary?”

  When I said the name of “Mary” again, Katherine looks at me still in shock, but her crying stops. She is trying to make sense of everything she is hearing me ask James.

  “Yes, Sir I remember,” James answers.

  “What name did I use when I left the palace grounds?”

  “You used the name of Matthew, Sir.”

  “Do you remember when I asked you to go to town to find something that I could take to Mary?”

  “I sure do, Jon,” James’ eyes widen.

  “Where did you find it? What was it and what did it look like?” I asked, wanting this information quickly.

  “I remember that day quite well. Genola and Hortence were visiting your family with their mother...Oh, did you know that they lost all of their money and their Father died. They are working as kitchen help.”

  “James!”

  Realizing that he had gotten away from what Jon wanted to know, he starts again. “Sorry. Anyway, you hadn’t been able to see, Mary, for a few days because they were visiting your family at the palace. You had to be careful so that Genola didn’t see you leave the grounds.”

  “Yes, get on with it, James.”

  “I rode to town and looked in all of the shops. I didn’t think that she would like a clock. I mean everyone has one of those. I didn’t think that she would like a horse. Everyone has one of those also. I didn’t think that she would like a…” seeing my impatient look James stops. “... I finally found this one-of-a-kind, exquisite ring.”

  “What did it look like?”

  “It was a beautiful Red Rose, set on top of a gold band.”

  “When you brought it home and showed it to me, what word was already written on the inside of the ring?”

  “Destiny”

  “And what did I ask you to add to the inside of the band?”

  “You asked me to carve a boat to represent how you met each other.”

  Turning back around I asked, “There, Katherine. Do you believe me now?”

  Tears began streaming down Katherine’s face once again. Looking directly into my eyes she said, “Yes, I believe you. I can see, in your face, the young boy that I fell in love with.”

  “Things could have been so different. Why did you tell me that your name was, Matthew? Why did you wear commoner’s clothes?” she says softly, as tears continued to flow.

  “Why did you tell me that your name was, Mary? And why did you wear commoner’s clothes?” I quietly asked.

  We both tried to smile at each other, as I gave the ring back to Katherine. Only this time I
put it on her finger.

  I couldn’t let go of her hand. We just stood facing each other wondering if it was a dream.

  “Finally, the stars have brought us together, Katherine.”

  “I knew they would, Jon. But, why now?”

  The sound of sniffling broke the silence. They looked around. Everyone was so happy for Jon and Katherine, that their eyes were filled with tears also.

  “What are we going to do now, Katherine?”

  “Would you mind if we just held each other for a while without thinking of anything except this moment?” Katherine asked.

  We embraced each other tightly, knowing that this might be the last time that we would be able to hold one another in this life time.

  “Every night that I was away, I would look up at the light of the first star and make a wish that we would find each other. Where did you go, Mary? I’m sorry. I guess I should call you Katherine. Where did you go, Katherine? Everywhere I went, I always looked for you, hoping that somehow you might be where I was. But I was never able to find you?”

  “Do you remember the night that you brought me home and I told you my master was home?” Katherine asked.

  “Yes.”

  “The horse-drawn carriage, in front of my home belonged to my uncle. He had come to see how I was doing. When he saw that I was out so late, dressed in commoner’s clothes and had no chaperone, he sent me that very next morning to live with my paternal step grandmother, Agnes, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. My uncle knew that I didn’t want to go, so he had our servants walk in a line on both sides of me so that I couldn’t run away. They put me in the coach, and the horses galloped along the same road that you brought me home on the night before.”

  “While I was riding in the horse-drawn carriage, I saw the kite flying in the wind. By then the horses had slowed down so I jumped out of the coach and ran toward it thinking that maybe you had found it and was now flying it waiting for me to come to the field. When I got close, I could see that it was a girl dressed in noble clothing.”

  “It must have been, Genola…. Go on Katherine.”

  “When I saw that it was a girl flying it, I looked around for you, but I couldn’t see you. I asked her where she got the kite. She told me that, Sir Jon had given it to her and that they were going to get married. I asked her if she knew, Matthew. She said that she had never heard of a Matthew.”

  “By that time the coachmen had caught up to me. They dragged me back to the coach and pushed me in. The horses began to gallop again, and I laid down on the bench and cried until I fell asleep.

  The next thing I knew was that I woke up in a bed in a dormitory that my grandmother, a very rich and powerful woman in her own right, was running for all of my girl cousins and other girls of noble birth.

  “Did you like living at your grandmothers?”

  “It was alright. The house itself was quite large. The room that the other girls and I stayed in was huge. There were six beds in our room. Well, actually seven. There was a smaller one next to the door, that our care taker was supposed to sleep in, but we never saw her. Two of the beds with their head boards back to back were closest to the door. And further into the room four other beds, next to each other, each set of two, with their head boards back to back.”

  “Further into the room, there was a gathering place, or what you might call a sitting area, with windows that looked to the outside.”

  “The room was fine, but I felt that I had been thrown from the frying pan into the fire. What I mean by that, Jon, is that I had no one to take care of me in that place either. My grandmother was supposed to be there for me, but she was always gone to socials, or away visiting family at the King’s palace.”

  “After a few years, I was moved to the home of my uncle, Thomas Howard, the 3rd Duke of Norfolk. While there, I was prepared, although I didn’t know what all my training was about, to go to court at the King’s palace. My uncle’s plan, and hope, was that the King would notice me and make me his next wife, although I was never told anything about it.”

  “At this time he was married to Anne of Cleves. My uncle sent me to the King’s Palace as a lady-in-waiting. The King noticed me there, courted me, and then asked me to marry him.”

  “This helped the Howard family, to once again become favorites of the court, since our family downfall after, Anne Boleyn’s, beheading. She was my first cousin, and part of the Howard Family also… it seems like such a long time since we were together, Jon. Where have you been?”

  “That same evening that I took you home, when I returned to my home, my father asked me why a visitor knew more about my whereabouts than my own mother did. You see Genola, had seen me with you two times. Once when I gave you that ring, and another time when you were in town and the ruffians were giving you trouble. The minute that my father walked in the door from his campaign, Genola told him everything. My mother was shocked, and my father was furious!”

  “Knowing that I had been out, and my mother didn’t know where I was, and the fact that this had been going on for months, the next morning he told me that I was going on campaign with him. He said that I was to get up, get dressed, and be on my horse within a few minutes, because everyone was waiting for me.”

  “While I was riding with the regiment, I noticed the field we would meet in. Then I saw your home. I was going to break rank and ride to tell you where I was going. But, the guards by my side told me that if I left, it would shame my father, and though I wouldn’t be punished, James, and, Timothy, would be, because of me. I had no choice. I had to go. I had no way to get a hold of you, and each campaign in France and Scotland took me further and further away from you.”

  “Every night when I saw the stars I would make a wish that somehow somewhere I would see you again…. This is an odd time to be brought back together, don’t you think?”

  “It’s a perfect time, Jon.”

  “It is a perfect time, isn’t it, Katherine? I’ve come at this time to help you escape from this execution. I’ll make a plan so that we can both leave here and be together forever.” My mind started filling with excitement for the ideas I had, to escape this death sentence.

  “Jon, I need to tell you something…. I want you to know that I am innocent of the charges that have been brought against me.”

  “You don’t have to worry, Katherine. I’m going to make a plan for both of us to get out of here.”

  “I love you for your plan, Jon, and for wanting to keep me safe…. Honestly, I don’t care what everyone thinks of me. All my life there have always been rumors told about me that were never true…. But I do care what you think, my love. So if things go poorly tomorrow, I want you to know this.”

  “You don’t need to tell me anything, Katherine. All that matters is the fact that we have found each other, and from here on out, our lives can start over.”

  “I truly love you for saying that Jon. But I want to tell you everything so that you will know the truth.”

  “I’m here for you, Katherine. Go ahead, I’ll listen.”

  “I want you to know everything, Jon, walk over here with me.”

  “…Alright.”

  “I want you to know why I married our King.”

  “Go ahead, Katherine, I’ll listen.”

  “When I was a lady-in-waiting for Anne of Cleves, Henry noticed me and began to bring me all kinds of gifts. At first I wouldn’t accept them. But he kept approaching me and he could get me to laugh. He was a very gentle, sweet man and little by little I began to see the majesty in him.”

  “Did you know that he knows how to sing?” Katherine asked.

  “No, I can’t say that I’ve ever heard him sing.”

  “He has a beautiful voice. When we were courting and throughout our marriage, we would sing together in the Privy Chambers.”

  “We would also dance together. He’s a wonderful dancer. Of course, we couldn’t dance very much because of the pain in his legs, but what he could do for a long period of time was pl
ay his many musical instruments. I use to love to sit and hear his many pieces of music that he composed. Did you know that he had many musicians that played with him, and he always experimented putting different instruments together in different music pieces?”

  * * *

  Julia stops reading for a moment…thinking, “That’s right! From the different combinations of his instruments, it is said that he contributed to the development of the modern orchestra that we enjoy today.”

  “Oh, yes and the Privy Chambers, as I remember, are their personal living quarters in whatever palace they are in.”