Ann gathered up the sleeves and bodice for a brushing down in the laundry, and when they were alone, Kat said, “There is another who would like to greet you before you sleep.”
“I had hoped so.” Catherine swiftly pulled a fresh skirt and bodice from her chest, and Kat tied up the back for her. She checked her hood for neatness, and went to the other chamber alone.
The door opened at her first knock, and the maid stepped back to let her into the dark room. Mary Tudor was kneeling at her small prayer bench, the beads unconcealed in her hand.
“Lady Mary,” said Catherine, curtseying low.
“Catherine. How pleased I am to see you return safe. I have heard much of your business in the North. You are now a widow.”
Catherine chanced a look up. “It has been a dark night of the soul, Your Grace.”
Mary hovered over her. “But you have prevailed, I see, against heavy odds and come again into the daytime. And you will now be the only Lady of your house. Do you wager, Lady Catherine Havens Overton?”
Catherine said, “I have always put my faith in my own senses and in God.” She mused a few seconds. “It has always seemed to me good to gamble on truth.”
Mary took Catherine’s hands in her own and drew her up. The jeweled rings pressed into Catherine’s fingers, making her heart gallop with pain, but she did not pull away.
“We are something alike, Catherine Havens. This island of England will be honest again, mark me. We will bring it back to the true God. You will be grand now, and you will stand by my side. You have a great house, but with me, you are home.”
“My Lady, I have sworn my loyalty to you.”
The sun broke against the trees in the west, and a yellow shaft shot into the room. The king’s elder daughter smiled. “I vow that I will bring the truth back to the people of England. I will turn them from these false men. A woman will bring us again to our glory. It is my dream.” The gold fretting in her heavy hood seemed to catch fire in the bloody light, and the dark eyes of Mary Tudor glittered and sparked.
About the Author
Sarah Kennedy is a professor of English at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia and the author of seven books of poems. She holds a PhD in Renaissance Literature and an MFA in Creative Writing. Sarah has received grants from both the National Endowment for the Arts and the Virginia Commission for the Arts and is currently a contributing editor for Shenandoah. Visit Sarah's website at http://sarahkennedybooks.com
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