The evening was a splendid affair. My father had hired musicians and the guests had surpassed themselves and dressed even more lavishly than usual. The hall was so crowded it was difficult to move about. The king sat upon Sir Walter’s carved chair on the dais and surveyed the crowd, ogling the pretty women and greeting friends. My brother had a place of honour near him and looked as though he might burst with pride and excitement. He caught my eye and gave me a lofty look, which said as plain as could be ‘I told you so.’
When it was time to begin the dancing, my father bowed low before his liege and offered him the honour of opening the dance. We all knew the king’s leg was troubling him, so no one expected him to dance, but to my surprise he nodded and spoke a few quiet words to my father. Heaving himself to his feet, he was supported down from the platform by two of his courtiers. To my horror, I found I was to have the honour of leading the first dance with the king.
I had danced so little in my life and I could feel all eyes upon me. My body became stiff and clumsy and I found it difficult to move. The king offered his arm and I laid my hand upon it, whereupon he led me to the top of the hall. Couples formed all the way down the hall behind us while we stood and waited. I kept my eyes mostly on the floor, but I could feel King Henry’s eyes upon me. They seemed to burn into me. I felt hot and had trouble breathing in my tight clothes.
The music began. The king bowed. I curtseyed, and almost lost my balance. Then we were dancing. I had to mind my steps so carefully that my fierce concentration almost overcame my fear. But then every time we came together in the dance, the king and I, he squeezed my hand with his podgy paw, and I could feel his smelly breath on me. Twice he farted and the stench almost overwhelmed me. We all had to pretend we had not heard him, though it had been as loud as a trumpet. I began to fear I would faint long before the two first dances were over. But somehow I survived.
The king bowed over my hand and went off to dance with a duchess. I found Gregory at my side and clung to his arm with relief, my limbs trembling.
‘Would you like to dance?’ he asked.
‘Never again!’ I said, breathless and dizzy. ‘I need some air.’
Gregory cast his eyes over the room, looking for the best way out. But then I felt a light touch on my shoulder and turned to see my betrothed standing behind me.
‘Mistress Eleanor,’ he bowed. ‘Is it too much to hope that after your royal partner, you will condescend to dance with a mere viscount?’
‘I regret to inform you that the lady is already promised to me,’ said Gregory swiftly, taking my hand.
‘Ah. I was under the impression it was me she was promised to,’ returned Stanton ironically.
‘In marriage, yes.’ Gregory bowed courteously. ‘But the next two dances are mine.’ So saying, he pulled me through the crowd and onto the dance floor. As soon as we were out of earshot, we both giggled like children.
‘Well done, Gregory,’ I praised my cousin. ‘That left him without a word to say. No small achievement!’
‘I was under the impression … ’ Gregory mimicked Stanton’s lazy voice, and we laughed again. ‘And we did not even give him the chance to engage you for the next two dances,’ he added.
‘For which I thank heaven, fasting!’ I responded. ‘But look, cousin, he repines not. He is dancing with Maria! I don’t think much of his taste.’
‘Nor I, indeed. She’s handsome enough, I grant you, but her temper would turn the milk sour.’
I could feel myself beginning to relax after my ordeal of dancing with the king. I was breathing more freely and with my cousin I was not ashamed to make a wrong step now and again.
‘So what kind of women do you admire, Gregory, if not Maria?’ I asked.
‘Angelic,’ he said at once. ‘Golden haired and delicate.’
‘Oh.’ I was taken aback, and a little hurt. I had asked the question light heartedly, but his answer was serious. I thought of my hair, which was more red than golden, and of my body, muscled and strong from hours in the saddle and the lists. ‘Nothing like me then.’ The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. Gregory’s dreamy eyes came back into focus.
‘No, indeed,’ he agreed, a little too decidedly for my vanity. ‘Not that you are not a very pretty girl, Eleanor,’ he added hurriedly, perhaps reading my feelings in my face. ‘But I admire the ethereal qualities, you understand. And you are so very—’
‘You do not need to explain,’ I said, piqued. ‘Cousin, I have the headache a little, would you mind if I retired? Perhaps you could help me escape the hall without Lord Stanton seeing me?’
‘Of course,’ replied Gregory, at once. ‘Eleanor, this doesn’t have anything to do with our conversation, does it? You are not offended? After all, you are betrothed.’ He looked concerned.
‘No,’ I assured him, not entirely truthfully. ‘But I have a long day tomorrow and I am very tired.’
‘A long day? Watching the joust do you mean?’ he asked with a grin. Then as I hesitated, he asked sharply, ‘Eleanor, what are you up to?’
‘Not here,’ I whispered urgently. Gregory ushered me from the great hall as quickly as the crowds of dancers and spectators would allow. There was a worried crease in his brow, as he hunted for an empty chamber near the hall where we could talk privately. Several rooms were brightly lit with candles and contained guests playing at games of chance. In one room, we came across a couple locked in each others arms in the darkness. We withdrew hurriedly before they became aware of our presence. At last we found a deserted chamber overlooking the garden. There were no candles, only a gleam of moonlight shining through the narrow window. Gregory pulled me into the room, and shut the door behind us.
‘What scheme are you hatching?’ he asked. ‘Is it something to do with your mother?’
‘Mother has been poisoned,’ I explained. ‘I do not yet know how. I need to get into the village to see whether there is a message from her. Only—I am so closely guarded during the day. It has to be before anyone else is up in the morning.’
‘I had forgotten you both could read and write,’ Gregory remarked. ‘How do you obtain messages from your mother?’
I hesitated, reluctant to confide in him any further. But he meant well, I was sure.
‘Mother lowers a basket from her window late at night. I am not allowed to be out at night. But the village women retrieve the note and send the food I take.’
‘But … ’ Gregory looked puzzled. ‘The moat. How do they cross the moat?’
I grinned. ‘They do not. They have a long pole with a hook at one end. Alice’s husband made it.’
‘Do not tell me more,’ my cousin begged. ‘And, Eleanor, promise me you will do nothing more than exchange notes. Promise you will do nothing foolhardy.’
‘What do you care?’ I said fiercely. ‘Go back and dance with the ethereal angel you are so in love with and let me deal with the dangerous stuff.’
‘So you are offended by what I said,’ exclaimed Gregory. ‘Eleanor, you are my friend. Of course I care what happens to you. You know that. I have been in love with Mistress Phoebe since before I met you again, and it has nothing to do with my cousinly care for you.’
‘Mistress Phoebe?’ I repeated incredulously. I knew exactly who she was. ‘I wouldn’t have described her as ethereal myself. Sickly perhaps.’
My cousin looked deeply offended. ‘Don’t insult the queen of my heart,’ he told me.
‘Don’t make me puke,’ I told him. We regarded each other in great hostility for a few moments, our good understanding in danger of vanishing for ever. Then we both became aware of footsteps outside the door. Instinctively, I grasped my cousin’s hand and dragged him to the window niche. He did not resist, and once there, I pulled the heavy curtain across. It reached right down to the floor to exclude draughts in winter, so we were completely hidden. I’m not quite sure why I felt the need to hide. Perhaps it was the habit of concealment that I had practised for years or perhaps I was relu
ctant to be discovered conversing alone in a dark room with my cousin.
We heard the door open and close again on the other side of the room. Whoever had entered was carrying a candle, for there was suddenly more light. I did not dare peep out to see who it could be. Indeed, there was no need, for as soon as I heard their voices, I knew them.
‘Are you certain of this plan, my lord?’ came my father’s voice, lowered conspiratorially.
‘Not certain, but desperate, Sir Walter.’ The voice was Cromwell’s; I could recognize his measured tones. He sounded less calm than usual though.
‘The king intends to divorce Anne as soon as possible,’ Cromwell continued. ‘The marriage has been a disaster. And I risked my career for it.’
‘We both did. If you fall, do you think my life will be safe? Henry does not offer honourable retirement to his counsellors when they fail him. It will be the scaffold for both of us.’ Sir Walter’s voice was hoarse with fear. ‘Do you consider our danger imminent?’ he asked.
‘I do not know. I thought, when I was awarded the earldom, that the danger was past,’ Cromwell muttered. ‘But Henry grows ever more capricious and dangerous, and my enemies have been busy against me.’
‘And yet he agreed to come here,’ argued Sir Walter. ‘He shows us great favour by so doing. Especially when all know he longs to be by the side of Catherine Howard. And she would be reason enough to throw aside the marriage with Anne, and us with it.’
‘Is there a chance you can interest him in your daughter instead of Catherine Howard?’ Cromwell asked. ‘He seems mightily taken with her. That would be a triumph indeed, and would secure us the king’s favour for some time to come.’
There was a long pause. My hand found my cousin’s and gripped it hard. He returned the pressure, trying to comfort me.
‘I fear it is a slim hope,’ sighed Sir Walter at last. ‘There was not that look in the royal eye that I observed when it fell upon Catherine last. I do not believe Eleanor could hold him.’
I did not want the king’s notice. The very thought made me sick to the stomach.
‘Your daughter has grown into a beautiful young woman,’ argued Cromwell. ‘It is worth a try.’
‘A try, yes. And a new marriage of my own into the right family might help matters also. But we still may need to revert to your plan, dangerous though it undoubtedly is. A boy king on the throne would be so much easier to control,’ Sir Walter murmured. ‘We know that Henry will live for some years yet.’
‘Hush, do not speak of that horoscope. You took a great risk there. If even a breath of that comes to the king’s ear, we are dead men, and that pitiful vicar of Bradford with us.’
‘We had to know,’ hissed my father.
His voice made me shiver. My heart was beating so loudly, I was afraid they would hear it.
‘I believe we will have little choice,’ Cromwell whispered. ‘Did you not hear, yesterday, how—’
There were more footsteps approaching the room. The door opened, more light came into the room. There was a sudden burst of female laughter.
‘Ladies,’ cried my father in an unsteady voice. I could only imagine the shock he must feel to be disturbed during such a conversation. ‘Forgive us! We are dull old men, discussing business!’
It seemed that this was not an excuse, however. We heard the women cajole and plead. With much drunken laughter and many vulgar shrieks they eventually succeeded in drawing the two men from the room and back to the hall. The door banged shut behind them, and we were left in darkness and silence.
My cousin let go of my hand and let out a long, unsteady sigh of relief.
‘Business?’ he whispered. ‘Treason, more like. Dear God, cousin, what evil have we just overheard?’
‘That they should dare … ’ I breathed. ‘Plotting against my mother is bad enough, but this is the king of England. They put themselves in mortal danger.’
‘And us,’ said Gregory quietly. ‘Good God, they have been casting a horoscope. They must be mad.’
‘What is so bad about that?’ I asked. ‘Surely it cannot be worse than planning to overthrow the king?’
‘It is as bad,’ replied my cousin. ‘Henry has expressly forbidden the casting of horoscopes or any other means of predicting his death. It is high treason and the penalty is death. Come, Eleanor. We must leave this room. Is there another door? They must not suspect we overheard them.’
I nodded, and cautiously led the way out of a second door which gave onto another empty chamber. We crept thence into a corridor in the servants’ quarters, swiftly descended two flights of stairs and then emerged into the castle garden. The evening air was balmy, and I could smell the roses. The moonlight was bright and cast sharp shadows along the walkways.
Gregory and I walked in the garden a few minutes in silence, each busy with thoughts of what we had overheard.
‘I think this explains why it is suddenly so urgent for Sir Walter to be rid of Mother,’ I said hesitantly. ‘He is relying on a new marriage to shield him from the wrath of the king.’
‘Perhaps,’ replied Gregory absently. There was a pause and then he continued. ‘Eleanor, if you are planning to leave the castle, I can only advise you now to do so,’ Gregory whispered. ‘I have changed my mind. You will be far safer away from here. Do you need any help?’
‘I may do. I have yet to gain Mother’s consent or to hear whether she is well enough to flee. Cousin: thank you. I’m sorry I spoke ill of Mistress Phoebe. I’m sure she’s very … that you’ll be very … ’
I couldn’t think what to say, but my cousin gave me a rather strained grin. ‘That’s all right. Lord Cromwell clearly thinks you a beauty, if that is any comfort.’
‘None at all. Good night, cousin.’
Gregory took my hand in his and raised it briefly to his lips.
‘Good night, and good luck, Eleanor.’
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
My Eleanor,
I am ready to leave as soon as you can contrive it. But I am still very weak. The chaplain forced a poisoned glass of wine down my throat. I fear he may do so again.
All my love
Mother
I collected Mother’s note and the sleeping powder from the village at dawn the next morning. Joan accepted my comb and my cushion covers, and I gave her some sweetmeats I had saved from the banquet besides.
On my walk back to the castle, my head was busy with schemes to obtain the key. I knew the chaplain drank the wine Betsey poured out for Mother morning and evening. It should be possible to drug it. And then, once I had the key, I needed to get Mother out when the castle was quiet. The servants were unlikely to prevent me, but I needed Sir Walter, Mistress Maria, and Lord Stanton and as many others as possible out of the way. During the joust seemed to me to be an ideal time.
On my return, I went straight to the stables. There I found Tom grooming one of Sir Walter’s horses in the yard. The early morning sunshine was gleaming on his coat as Tom brushed him.
‘Good morning, Tom!’ I greeted him. ‘Have you been promoted from cleaning tack? Sir Walter’s Thunder—that’s an honour.’
‘Aye, Miss Eleanor, that it is,’ responded Tom.
‘No one else in the stables can equal you in caring for horses,’ I told him warmly.
‘Are you feeling all right, Mistress?’ asked Tom, looking surprised. ‘I thought I was a pile of horse apples.’
I laughed. ‘I can be nice sometimes.’
‘And how’re you liking all the gaiety?’ asked Tom gruffly. ‘You be fine as a new-minted coin. Dressed up proper like you should be.’
I sighed. ‘Yes, I’m in favour all of a sudden. But I find I miss the freedoms of my old life after all.’
‘We miss you in the stables,’ said Tom.
I stepped closer. ‘You’ll have to do without me altogether shortly, I’m afraid, Tom,’ I said quietly. ‘I need Beau and Arianna saddled and ready to go within the hour. I know there’s precious little stable room, but can yo
u do that for me?’
Tom stopped brushing and stared at me.
‘I knowed there be summat wrong soon as you started sweet talking me instead o’ the usual stuff,’ he remarked. He glanced around to see if anyone was nearby and then lowered his voice further. ‘Be you going away with your mother?’
‘If I can arrange it.’
Tom stared at me. His hand was gripping the brush so hard his knuckles gleamed white.
‘Take me with you,’ he urged.
I felt a tug on my heartstrings. Tom was my oldest friend. It was hard to abandon him. For his own sake, I hardened my heart.
‘You know I can’t,’ I whispered. ‘We don’t know where we are going. We have no money to pay you, nor even to buy food. You have a good place here. In any case, you are Sir Walter’s servant. I can’t just take you.’ To my embarrassment, I could see tears gleaming in Tom’s eyes.
‘You’ll be a-needing someone to protect you, like,’ he muttered. ‘What do two females know of travellin’ alone?’ He wiped his nose on the back of his hand, and stood looking down at me. It struck me he knew I was going to say no, so forlorn was his expression. I squeezed his shoulder briefly.
‘I’ll send for you as soon as ever I have a safe home somewhere,’ I promised.
‘You could do worse than marry that lord o’ yours,’ said Tom unexpectedly. ‘He might help get your mother freed.’
I looked at him in blank astonishment.
‘Are you joking? I hate him. And he would no sooner help me than fly to the moon!’
‘I’ve reason to believe he’s a good man, Mistress Eleanor.’
‘What makes you say so?’ I asked.
‘His servants and his horses love him,’ stated Tom.
I snorted. ‘Am I a servant or a horse?’ I demanded. ‘Anyway, I’ve every reason to know he’s no gentleman.’
I left Tom rather abruptly. I was taken aback by what he had said, but soon dismissed it. ‘Let a man be good with horses,’ I said to myself, ‘and Tom will be certain they have every imaginable virtue.’
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