In The Midst of Madness: Tudor Chronicles Book Two

by Lesley Jepson

‘But he has children, Kate!’

  ‘Yes, two. And from what the servants tell me when they choose to gossip, it took a lot of wine for him to get them. And his wife was relieved to die of the experience, if they are to be believed. But he is kind, Tom. To me, at least. I divert suspicion from his ….. assignations. That is where he is now, and why I wasn’t allowed to accompany him. I have been told to say he has gone to his children.’ She swallowed hard and took a long breath. ‘He has gone to say goodbye to his lover, before he dies.’ Tears sprang into her eyes, then she smiled. ‘Had I known what I was missing, I would have married you at thirteen!’

  Tom looked at her in wonder. ‘Kate, you honour me. And when Lord Latimer has breathed his last, after a suitable mourning period, I would be honoured that you would become my wife.’ He amazed himself sometimes, with his sincerity. ‘Would you be able to choose your own husband then?’

  ‘I shall be rich enough to do as I please, Tom. But while he lives, we must be discreet. I wouldn’t shame him now, after all this time.’

  ‘Then we will be very discreet, my love. We shall be as quiet as church mice.’

  And Kate, Lady Latimer, formerly Lady Brough, but born Katharine Parr giggled as Tom Seymour began making wonderful love to her again.

  Chapter 20 - 1542

  eg! Meg! A message from Ralph.’ Cat hurried as fast as her bulk would allow her.

  Meg took the message from Cat and broke the seal, reading the message quickly before handing it to Cat. Ralph always made sure his writing was clear when he wrote to Meg. He knew she could read, but he also knew she read slowly and didn’t like the flourishes and curlicues that were accepted in the penmanship he normally used.

  ‘It says Kitty is being taken to the Tower the day after tomorrow, and she will be executed on 13th February,’ whispered Cat. ‘We must send a note to Mother to meet you at the Tower tomorrow.’

  She waddled over to the desk and wrote a brief message to Mary, then sanding and sealing it, she asked Meg to run down to the messenger and tell him to take her note to Hever. Meg smiled her acquiescence, knowing that Cat’s running days were over until her baby was born.

  Cat began to pack a carpetbag for Meg with things she would need for her stay in the Tower with Kitty. Tears fell on the linens as she placed them in the bag. She found it hard to believe that Kitty, so full of life and energy, would be executed within the week, and when Meg came back to the chamber she found Cat sobbing into a shift. Meg swallowed the tears in her own throat; there would be time enough afterwards for tears – if she gave into them now she might never be able to stop.

  ***

  ‘Hell’s teeth, Mary!’ Norfolk gulped down more wine, ‘What do you think you are doing?’

  ‘What I’m doing, Uncle,’ Mary took a deep breath and put steel in her voice, ‘is showing some compassion to a young girl before she is put to death by a jealous old man.’

  ‘She is guilty of treason, Mary. The evidence was overwhelming!’ His voice was getting louder as he spoke, and as he drank more wine.

  ‘Kitty is a damaged young girl caught between the jealousy of one old man,’ she fixed her Uncle with a steely glare, ‘and the ambition of another. She has hardly known one moment of genuine affection in her whole life.’ Mary’s own voice began to rise and tears were clogging her throat, but she was determined to answer Norfolk’s question. ‘And I refuse to let her go to the block without knowing that one person actually loves her!’ Mary glared again at her Uncle, then poured herself a cup of wine and sat, trying to swallow the wine past the lump in her throat.

  ‘But she all but admitted that the evidence against her was true, from what she said to you.’

  Mary looked at him over the rim of her cup, then took another shuddering breath. ‘Lies are what killed Anne, and the truth is going to kill Kitty. But they are both dead because of the madness surrounding the King.’

  Norfolk took a sharp breath and looked at Mary, ‘Make sure you don’t speak treason, girly!’ Mary snorted derisively.

  ‘And who will accuse me, Uncle? You? Haven’t you condemned enough Howard girls?’ She stood and poured him another drink, handing the goblet to him gently.

  ‘I shall be with Kitty until the end, Uncle. I shall not let her face this alone.’

  Norfolk stayed silent, and looked out of the window while he drank his wine. He thought he could hear Cromwell whispering ‘Choose your battles.’

  ***

  ‘Your Highness.’ Mary spoke as she curtseyed to Kitty in the Royal Apartments in the Tower, Meg curtseying beside her.

  Kitty hurled herself into Mary’s arms, and Mary, expecting this reaction, had stood quickly. She hugged the little girl to herself tightly.

  ‘She is no longer “Your Highness”,’ Anne Seymour’s cold voice came from the table by the window. ‘The marriage is no more and you must address her as Lady Catherine.’

  Mary hugged Kitty back firmly, and whispered, ‘Are you still Kitty to me?’ Kitty nodded into Mary’s shoulder, and giggled softly. ‘Then Kitty you shall stay,’ and Mary gave the tiny girl a squeeze and carefully set her back on her feet.

  Meg was unpacking their small bags and finding a place to put their linens, determined not to let her tears fall. Kitty was still holding Mary’s hands and leading her to the window seat.

  ‘Are they treating you well, my lovely?’

  ‘Oh yes, Cousin. Sir William has been very kind. He brings me sweetmeats with my supper.’ Kitty giggled and lowered her voice, ‘Lady Anne gets very irritated with me, Cousin. She thinks I should spend my days in sanctity and prayer, but I get very bored. I can’t read, and I don’t sew. She doesn’t like it that I want to sing.’

  ‘We shall sing together, my lovely. Meg will join in and we shall sing some wonderful songs together.’ Mary smiled at Kitty, pressing her fingers in confirmation, and swallowing the lump in her throat.

  Sir William Kingston, Constable of the Tower, accompanied the servant who brought the evening meal to the Royal Apartments.

  ‘My Lady, the warrant of execution has arrived, and it is my duty to tell you that it will be tomorrow morning.’ He softened his voice and tried to deliver the news of Kitty’s execution as gently as he could. Kitty looked at him with terrified eyes.

  ‘Thank you, Sir William,’ Anne Seymour inclined her head in the direction of the Constable. Kitty jumped up and went to Sir William, taking one of his large hands in both her small ones, and looked up at him with her pale green eyes.

  ‘Could you bring the block in here, Sir William? I am not very clever, you see, and I need to practice.’ She smiled up at him, eyes awash with tears, ‘I wouldn’t shame my family by doing the wrong thing.’

  Sir William couldn’t manage to speak. He looked down at this tiny little girl, asking to practice before she died and he was completely overcome. He blew his nose loudly on his kerchief and motioned for the servant to leave. He bowed to Kitty and recovered himself enough to say, ‘I will have it sent up, my Lady.’ Kitty beamed at him in gratitude, and in the long night before her execution, Kitty practiced laying her head on the block while Mary tried to tell her what to expect.

  ‘You will have a coin in one hand, to give to the headsman.’

  ‘But Cousin, I don’t have any money,’ panic rose in Kitty’s voice at not having money to pay for her execution. Mary put her hand in her own pocket and showed Kitty the coin.

  ‘I have it here, my lovely. I will keep it safe until tomorrow.’ Kitty smiled gratefully.

  ‘Then you will place your hand on his head in forgiveness. You don’t have to say anything to him, just give him the coin with one hand and place the other on his head. That will be sufficient. He will be
kneeling at your feet.’

  ‘What then, Cousin?’ a whisper.

  ‘You may speak to the people. You should ask for the mercy of God, and the forgiveness of the King. That will do. You don’t have to remember to say anything else. Then you hand your prayer book and rosary to me or to Meg. We will both be there. We won’t leave you,’ Mary tried to sound reassuring. ‘Then we take your cloak and you place your head on the block, as we practiced. You know how to do that?’ Kitty nodded firmly. She had done it so many times through this long night; she knew exactly what to do.

  ‘Thank you Cousin,’ another whisper, then Kitty put her arms round Mary and stayed cuddled in the crook of Mary’s arm until the morning came, singing softly.

  ***

  As dawn fingered the cold winter sky, Sir William knocked on the chamber door to signal that her ladies should prepare Kitty for her final walk outside. Behind him were servants from the Tower, come to collect the block and take it to the scaffold. Kitty woke from her doze in Mary’s comfortable arms and looked around in bewilderment.

  ‘I have a new gown for my death, Cousin?’ she asked, blinking round the room.

  ‘Yes, my lovely. A nice heavy brocade to keep out the chill, in a lovely pale blue that will suit you so.’ Mary tried her best to keep the tears from her voice as she described the gown that Kitty would wear to her execution. Kitty smiled and nodded, excited about a new gown and heedless of the reason behind it. She stood obediently still while the ladies tied her petticoats and laced the back of her gown, then smoothed her tiny hands over the sumptuous fabric in delight.

  ‘Will you sit a moment, my Lady, so I can braid your hair up for your coif?’ Meg’s gentle voice interrupted Kitty’s pleasure in her new attire, and she sat amenably so Meg could coil her hair high enough to fit the lace cap over it.

  ‘I have such a lot of hair, Meg.’ Kitty giggled, reaching up and touching the sweep of hair piled on top of her head. ‘Tom loved my hair, but it did get in the way so.’ She dropped her arm and Meg gently tucked as much of it away as she could, swallowing hard and trying not to shed the tears that were brimming in her eyes.

  When Kitty was finally ready, Anne Seymour opened the door and Sir William stepped inside the chamber. He was visibly moved by the sight of Kitty dressed in new garments for her execution, and he offered her his arm. ‘The stairs are steep, my Lady. I would be glad to help you.’

  Kitty beamed at him, and took his arm regally. ‘Why thank you, Sir William. You are truly a gentleman.’ He was bereft of speech and could do nothing other than nod his acknowledgement at her words, so he patted the hand she had rested on his sleeve, then walked with her though the door and down the spiral staircase to the green below.

  Sir William helped her up the steps of the platform, and although she began to tremble when she saw the block resting in the straw, Kitty remained silent. She stepped carefully over towards the masked headsman, making sure her skirt didn’t get dirty from the straw spread over the platform. She gave him the coin from Mary’s pocket, then placed her other hand on his head as she had practised, then she took a deep breath and turned towards the crowd.

  ‘I ask the blessing of God on my soul, and the King’s forgiveness for any wrong he deems me to have done him. And although I die a Queen, I would rather die the wife of Tom Culpeper.’ Kitty’s small pure voice carried through the clear icy February air and the silent group gathered to watch could hear every word. Then she turned and gave her rosary to Meg and her missal to Mary, who hugged her and whispered in her ear. Kitty looked into Mary’s blue eyes and nodded excitedly, dimples flashing in her cheeks at Mary’s whispered words.

  Then calmly, she knelt in front of the block, the damp of the morning air making the wisps of glistening auburn hair escaping her cap seem to float around her head like a shining bronze halo. She gazed solemnly at the crowd and then bent her head, laying her cheek carefully in the hollow of the wood. Anne Seymour came forward and tried to bandage her eyes but Kitty shook her head impatiently. Her green eyes looked up at the headsman, and she nodded briefly, then serenely closed her lids over their emerald depths.

  The headsman stepped forward and swung his axe swiftly, severing the little Queen’s head in one blow, and Mary and Meg clung to one another and wept as Kitty’s blood flooded out across the platform and swiftly stained the straw.

  ***

  ‘Oh, Ralph, she was so brave,’ Meg sobbed her sorrow onto her husband’s shirt, and he tightened his arm round her, stroking her hair back from her hot face with his other hand.

  ‘She let us dress her, and she was so calm. We struggled to get her coif over all that glorious hair, and she didn’t complain. Then we walked her down the steps to the courtyard.’ Meg sipped her wine before her voice steadied enough to continue. ‘We had practiced and practiced, so she knew what to do, and she did it all perfectly.’ Meg sniffed and wiped her nose on Ralph’s kerchief that she clutched in her fingers.

  ‘She paid the headsman and blessed him, then turned to the crowd and asked God’s blessing and the King’s forgiveness. Then she looked round at the crowd and said, in a loud steady voice, “I die a Queen, but I would rather die the wife of Tom Culpeper.” Oh Ralph,’ Meg’s voice broke and she wept for a while before she could continue, ‘she gave me her beautiful amber and jet rosary, and she gave Lady Mary her prayer book. Lady Mary hugged her tightly and whispered that she loved her, and that Tom was waiting for her, and she smiled, Ralph. Really smiled, as if she was excited to be going to see Tom. Then she put her head on the block and….,’ Meg collapsed in more sobs.

  ‘And Jane Rochford?’ asked Ralph quietly.

  ‘Oh, Ralph, that was dreadful. I was so relieved that Kitty had …… gone, before they brought Lady Rochford out. She wouldn’t stop screaming! She couldn’t bless the headsman, or speak to the crowd, or anything, really. The Constable had to force her to her knees at the block, and still she was screaming, until …..until…,’ Meg couldn’t tell him anymore.

  ‘And how was Lady Mary, sweet Meg? It must have been hard for her, after Lady Anne and Sir George.’

  ‘She was so strong, Ralph. Tears ran from her eyes, but she ignored them. She made sure Kitty knew she was loved, and she told her Tom loved her and would be waiting for her. I don’t think Kitty could have been as brave if Mary hadn’t been there.’ She swallowed more wine and then her eyes narrowed, ‘Anne Seymour was horrid. So cold. She wanted Kitty to pray for forgiveness all night, but Kitty wanted Mary to sing to her, and rock her. So after she had practiced with the block, that’s what we did. We took turns to sing with Kitty.’

  ‘Lady Anne just looked down her nose at us, and kept sighing in disgust. Lady Mary gave Kitty to me to cuddle and marched over and told her to keep silent or she would slap her!’ Meg giggled softly, ‘Kitty’s eyes were like saucers, because Lady Anne tried to tell Lady Mary she was in charge, but Lady Mary said that she was a Howard, and Lady Anne was only a Stanhope, so Lady Mary would do as she pleased. And she came back to cuddle Kitty and sing.’

  ‘I’m so glad you’re not going back to court, my Meg,’ whispered Ralph, kissing her hair as he tightened his grip round her waist. ‘I don’t know what will happen next with the King, and I don’t want you caught up in all this insanity.’

  ‘I shall stay at Hatfield with Princess Elizabeth, my love. Cat will be going back to Hever to wait for her child, and Lady Mary asked if I would stay with the Princess until Cat is able to return. We don’t want the Princess to feel alone, without people round her who love her. Perhaps Kitty’s life would have been different if……,’ her voice trailed away again and the tears fell once more. All Ralph could do was hold her and try and comfort her with his love.

  Chapter 21 - 1541

  y love, why do you weep?’ Tom Seymour held
Kate closely as she shivered in ecstasy, then rolled to the side of her, kissing her face and feeling the salt of her tears.

  He carried on kissing down her neck, to give her chance to speak.

  ‘The poor little Queen died today, Tom. That makes me sad, but I have also received a letter from my husband, telling me he is on his way home. I have to join him there, and I must leave this afternoon. He doesn’t have many more days left to him, and then I will have to sequester myself in mourning before I can return to court and see you again. That makes me sad, too.’

  ‘But after your mourning period, my love, we may be married. You said your next husband would be chosen by you.’

  Kate smiled and stroked his cheek. ‘And I choose you,’ she kissed his nose, ‘but I will have to be circumspect, Tom. I would not shame my husband, even after his death. I shall wait a suitable period before I return to court. I shall not see you for perhaps months.’

  ‘Then we will have to take our fill of each other before you leave, my love, to last us until we meet again,’ and he rolled on top of her again and captured her lips with his own.

  ***

  Ned Seymour was closeted at Richmond with Thomas Wriothesley and Stephen Gardiner, discussing England’s position in Europe and not liking what Thomas was telling him.

  ‘My Lord, since the Cleves marriage was dissolved, Charles of Spain and Francis of France are looking to begin hostilities against England again, and the Flemish Dukes are thinking of joining their cause!’ Thomas waved the latest diplomatic missive at Ned.

  ‘So what do you propose, Tom? The King is still morose and uncommunicative, and won’t want us on the brink of war. He constantly weeps for his wanton queen.’

  ‘We must negotiate with them, my Lord,’ Thomas looked at both men, and Gardiner nodded piously. ‘The country can’t afford a war, so we must negotiate with the Schmalkaldic League to help us maintain the tenuous peace we already have with France and Spain.’