Supremacy

by originella

Lady Elizabeth Beaumont has a secret that she doesn't know about - she was found abandoned in a forest in Lorraine, France as an infant, and adopted by an English noble couple. At the age of ten, she becomes a Maid of Honor to Queen Elizabeth, and later a lady-in-waiting. She marries Lord Edward Chadwick, and becomes a spy towards the Queen of Scots, who has a secret as well...

3. A Refusal and Happenstance

Chapter Three: A Refusal and Happenstance

Edward was called from court as springtime arrived, yet he swore to write to me in his absence. He was only taking a few men with him, and so I slipped down to the stables the morning he was due to leave. We walked to the groom's rooms in the stables, holding one another and just whispering. It was a cool morning, and the dewdrops were still readily apparent on the blades of spring grass as I'd slipped to the stables that morning.

"You'll not be gone long?" I whispered.

"Never fear, my love, I will not be," he replied, pulling back and placing his forehead against mine. "The physicians informed me that my father was worse during the winter, so I must go and be assured of his recovery."

I nodded. "Of course, I understand," I whisper as he pulls his cloak around the pair of us. "I only wish I could go with you."

"You'll have much to do at court, now that springtime is here," Edward tells me patiently yet encouragingly. "Her Majesty will likely be planning picnics and grand balls—you'll not miss me."

"Oh, but I shall!" I cried out then, throwing myself into his arms with a soft wail into his doublet. "I'll never survive without you, Edward!"

"Elizabeth, it will be fine," he tells me, gently easing my arms from around him then and kissing me. "I love you."

"And I you," I reply, kissing him on the mouth before leaving out the back door of the groom's bedchamber. Turning, I saw Edward step out into the stable yard then, signaling to his men that he was ready to go. I watched as he climbed up onto his horse without much difficulty, before he spurred the animal and cantered off into the distance. I turned around on the path, my eyes filling with tears as I made my way towards the chapel, and threw myself down at the altar, and prayed that Edward would be safe on his journey back home.

. . .

The month of April began and springtime was now in full bloom, with longer days and warmer nights. Geoffrey was called from court to tend to his uncle, Gilbert, who wanted company in his old age. Bella, although she missed her husband, did not mind, for the Lord had smiled on the both of them and she was now with child again. Bella could not have been a happier bride, for she walked down the castle corridors with her belly out—just a nip of a thing but still jutting slightly outwards nonetheless—and was quite busy thinking of suitable names for her first child.

"The physicians tell me it's healthy," she told me as we sat in her elegant suite of rooms one afternoon, a full month after Edward had gone, and a fortnight after Geoffrey had left court. "Mayhap it shall quicken in the coming weeks and soon we'll have an heir."

"Did they say when?" I asked.

"October, they said," Bella replied plaintively, running a hand upon her barely-swollen belly as she considered it.

"Does Geoffrey have a mind to send you to Raincourt Castle?" I ask, not wishing to lose my lover and best friend, too.

Bella nods. "Of course, but he knows that I'll not leave court without you," she informs me with a smile. "He's going to go to Beaumont Manor on his way back here to ask for your mother and father's consent on the matter."

I smile at that. "I would very much like to see the home that Geoffrey is going to inherit," I reply. "He's spoken so fondly of it these last several months, you would think he considers it his home."

Bella smiled at the mention of her husband. "He does, bless him. He cannot wait to show it to me. He was so disappointed that Her Majesty could not spare me after the wedding, but I think that she'll release me in August, giving me a generous amount of time before the birth."

"When do you expect to return to court?" I ask.

"Geoffrey says he does not want me returning until the New Year, although I believe he secretly wishes to get me with child again before that happens," she replies with a twitter.

"He wants a houseful of children then?" I ask.

Bella nods. "Oh, yes. A houseful." She lowers her eyes then, tracing her fingers along her belly. "I just hope I can provide that for him. I hope there will be no more dead babies..."

"I've prayed on it, Bella," I whisper, leaning forward and clutching at her hands tightly. "You need not fear. The Lord is on your side and he shall not bring you heartbreak a second time."

Bella smiles. "Keep praying on it, Eliza," she says softly, "as I shall pray for you that Edward makes you his wife."

. . .

In May, I was quite busy with my fetching and carrying for the queen, as my work had doubled now that Bella was only given light tasks because of her pregnancy. It did not matter to me; with Edward absent from court, I appreciated the work laid out for me, and was always able to do the tasks quickly and in an efficient manner. The queen was always satisfied with my work, and even would let me sit at a more opportune place at the ladies table every night at dinner.

When May entered its second week, I received a letter from Edward, as well as from my mother and father. I decided it only right to open the letter from my mother and father first. As I sat in my chambers on my own, in the window embrasure, I gazed at both seals of the letters before I broke the one from Beaumont Manor and read it.

Dearest Elizabeth,

Joyous news from Beaumont Manor as your brother, Thomas's wife, Honor has been delivered of a son just seven days ago. He has been christened Roger Thomas Philip Henry Beaumont, and we none of us could be happier for the Beaumont name. Honor is well following the birth, and Thomas is beside himself at the birth of a son. Two-year-old Anne is absolutely besotted with her younger brother, as we all are.

We have heard from Isabelle's husband, Lord Geoffrey, that he would very much like it if you were to make the journey to Raincourt Castle, his ancestral home, this summer when Isabelle enters her confinement. I should think it would be most appropriate for you to be there for your close friend, Elizabeth. She comes from a good family, as does Geoffrey, and mayhap they know a suitable young man for you.

We are all thinking of you at court in London, my dearest. St. James's Palace was a great favorite of mine when I served Her Majesty as a young girl. She stays there because it reminds her of her mother, Anne Boleyn, and how much she was devoted to King Henry.

Your loving mother,

Lady Anne, Countess of Beaumont

Next, I thought it right to open the letter from Edward, for I knew my beloved would expect a hasty reply. I set aside the letter from my mother, knowing that I would have to write her quite soon. Picking up Edward's letter, I saw his careful, even strokes on the inside if I held it up to the light, and smiled to myself at his caring. Breaking the seal, I spread the pages, my heart skipping a beat as I fancied I still smelled him within the parchment.

Dearest Heart,

I am writing to you at the first moment I have an opportunity to do so. My father is most unwell and the physicians tell me and my lady mother that they believe he will not last the summer. Although he and I were never the closest father and son, he and I have come to an understanding in what prove to be his final days. I am able to take him for turns about the gardens for a quarter of an hour each day, until exhaustion overtakes him, and I am forced to put him to bed.

It is a queer thing, my darling, seeing him like this; it is almost as if he is a wee babe who no longer understands which way is up. He is sweet and kind to my lady mother and to myself most days, and then there are moments of clarity, when he returns to his proper senses and becomes himself again. While he was not a father to me during his lifetime—apart from informing me of my duty as Lord Chadwick and as the future Duke of Chadwick—I knew he always meant well. It was not because he wanted to be particularly terrible to me, Elizabeth, it was because he did not know the difference in the first place.

I know you will wish for me to return to court and be by your side, as I faithfully promised I would. Alas, with my father so weak, I fear to leave him would swiftly bring the end. I wish to have these final moments with him, no matter how brief they may be, so as he passes from this life into the next with comfort. As I said, he will not last the summer, my darling, so when autumn arrives, I shall be there with you.

I've heard tell that Geoffrey has asked for you to accompany Bella to Raincourt Castle when she enters her confinement. I think such a thing to be a wonderful arrangement, as I myself have made plans to be there for the christening. Although my elder sisters, Frances and Thomasine, have children of their own, I was not as close to them as I was to Bella, so, in a way, this shall truly be my first niece or nephew.

I shall await you at Raincourt Castle, my darling, this autumn, without fail.

Your dear friend,

Edward, Lord Chadwick

I felt my eyes swim with unshed tears for a number of reasons. One, that Edward's father was ill, and that meant that Edward would likely become Duke of Chadwick far sooner than we all believed. Secondly, that once Edward became the duke, he would be farther from my reach than ever, as he would be expected to marry a woman of merit. And thirdly, because I would not see my beloved until after Bella had had her baby.

. . .

The summer indeed was full of picnics and banquets; the queen was much taken up with courting dignitaries from foreign kingdoms, as Lord Burghley constantly wanted for her to make a match somewhere. Despite the notion that the queen was over forty, she was still as youthful and vibrant as ever, and her most trusted advisor wanted to use her as a bargaining chip. The queen, however, would not be bought, and made the summer the summer of empty promises, never committing to any one man or kingdom.

With Bella advancing into her pregnancy quickly, the queen had me sit with her during some afternoons, as Geoffrey had been called to the French court this time, to see how the peace treaty with England was working out. I didn't know much about it, and was content to sit with Bella throughout the weeks of early summer, as the month of June wore on. Bella turned sixteen, and her beloved Geoffrey, ever-generous, sent her special velvets from France, as well as jewels, to appease her.

"Just look at this," Bella said in mock-admonishment, holding up a necklace dripping with diamonds and rubies.

"It's beautiful," I replied.

Bella laughed, tossing it over to me. "It's for you."

I blink. "What?"

"Listen," she says, taking up her letter from Geoffrey. "'My darling, it would be unfair of me not to send our dear friend Eliza a piece of appreciation as well. It is what the noble French ladies are wearing at King Henri's court. Please give this to Eliza with my compliments, as I know she has expressed a fondness for rubies and diamonds.'"

I shake my head, getting to my feet as I cross to the mirror, managing to clip the necklace about my throat. "It is lovely, Bella, truly," I say, awed, as I turn around to face her. "What do you think?" I ask, raising my neck. "Does it truly suit me, then?"

Bella clapped her hands. "Marvelous," she replies, lowering her eyes to the other gifts that Geoffrey had sent. "He states that the seamstress at Raincourt Castle is at my disposal, and yet I believe I should await the birth of the baby before I ask her to make anything..."

I step towards her then, smiling at her and returning to my chair. "Well, just think of it, Bella—in a few short months, you'll have a beautiful baby for you and an heir for Geoffrey. What could be more marvelous than that?" I ask, truly coming up with nothing.

Bella shakes her head. "I cannot think of a thing," she proclaims then. "Of course, I hope for a boy, so that I may call it Edward for your beloved and for my father..."

"Edward informed me that he was not particularly close with your father," I said quietly, not wanting to upset her in the slightest. "Were you and he close to one another?" I want to know.

Bella smiles. "He was a good father to me, and for some odd reason, I believe I was the only child he truly cared about. Frances and Thomasine couldn't be married off fast enough, and he and Edward were always at odds with one another, it seemed..."

I purse my lips and shake my head. "Mayhap he and Edward can come to an understanding," I reply.

"Before the end," Bella says solemnly, reaching out to grip my hand.

"Before the end," I agree.

. . .

I turned sixteen the following month and was pleased that the queen gave me a pearl necklace and wished me well. Bella gave me a bolt of velvet she had gotten from Geoffrey in France, informing me that it was to be held onto, on her husband's orders, until my birthday. It was a breathtaking scarlet, and I had the seamstress work double time to have it ready for a ball by the end of the month, of which the queen informed me I was to attend. I had new scarlet slippers for the occasion, and I was permitted to wear my hair long and loose. I painted my lips red that evening, and darkened the skin on my eyelids with coal, and felt every inch a lady.

With my ruby and diamond necklace clipped about my neck, and my gown with belled sleeves and an oval bodice about me, I walked with Bella down to the banqueting hall for dinner. Bella was to sit at the ladies table that evening, as dancing was considered ill-advised for her, so far along in her pregnancy. I led her to the ladies table firstly and, upon turning around, let out a cry of joy as I saw my mother, father, elder brother Thomas, and his wife, Honor, had made the journey from court. Gleeful, I ran up to them all and embraced them in turn, taking Honor aside briefly to discuss how my niece and nephew were doing these last months.

The queen called for dancing immediately thereafter, and I was all too pleased to partake in this activity. Turning around to see who I would partner, I felt myself gasp aloud then as I spotted Edward coming towards me through the crowd that seemed to part around me. He extended his hand towards mine and I took it as the musicians struck up a chord. Edward and I advanced upon the other dancing partners then, and he turned and spun me quickly; it was quite a lovely romp.

"I didn't know you'd returned," I whispered, awestruck.

"Try to smile," he replied softly. "One would think you'd seen a ghost. Be calm about it, Elizabeth," he told me.

I nodded, forcing a smile. "I thought you would stay at Chadwick Hall," I say then, finding that I am grinning up at him.

"My father has been doing better of late, and I thought a little excursion into London—especially for my beloved's birthday—was necessary."

"Sixteenth birthday," I say, wishing to drive the point home that I was truly not a little girl anymore. "I am sixteen now. All but a lady."

"You have been a lady from the moment I kissed you," Edward replied, his eyes darkening then at the memory.

"I was fourteen then, you blaggard," I hiss underneath my breath, and failing to keep from laughing.

Edward flattens his mouth then, trying to keep laughter from escaping his lips and managing to succeed. "Well, I would have thought you would have been pleased to see me..."

"Oh, I am, I am!" I say, forcing myself to keep my voice down. "Immensely so, Edward, truly..." I bit my lips then, looking around.

"What?" he asked.

"If we were alone," I said, keeping my voice low, "I would tell you and show you just how much," I told him, my cheeks heating at the notion that I'd dared to say such a thing.

"Hopefully we can slip away later," Edward says, taking my hand in his and kissing it as the dance ends. "Then you can truly show me how much."

Heart in my throat, I managed to stumble back to the ladies table, but the queen had other ideas. Sensing her eyes on me, I turned to her then, giving her a curtsy, and feeling myself go pale as she beckoned me forth. Forced to obey, I approached the dais and knelt, peeking upwards for my next command. When she beckoned me a second time, I climbed two stairs, struggling into a second kneeling position until finally, the queen had had enough.

"Come and stand beside me, Lady Elizabeth," she said, giving a lighthearted chuckle as my nearly falling. "Come on, now."

Getting to my feet, I gripped my skirts and came forth, standing beside her throne and curtsying again. "You sent for me, Your Majesty. Are you feeling at all hungry or thirsty?"

The queen shook her head. "No, I am quite all right, Lady Elizabeth."

I turned and followed her line of sight to survey the court at their dance. "It is almost as if it is an entertainment, Your Majesty," I said quietly.

"Quite right," the queen replied, turning to face me. "And one day, when you are married and have a home of your own, you too shall experience such a thing, my dear."

I turned to look at her. "Married, Your Majesty?" I asked.

The queen smiled at me, almost as if she was shocked that I believed she would permit me to remain unmarried as she had done for so long. "Well of course, Lady Elizabeth—you are the only daughter of an earl who is loyal to me. You are quite a prize."

I shook my head, and forced myself to smile again, knowing that I could not, under any circumstances, present myself as ungrateful for this declaration, no matter how sudden it was. "I am honored, Your Majesty, that you would consider me for wedded bliss," I tell her.

"Charles Radclyffe is a good catch," she tells me softly, naming Edward's close friend, who I'd often danced with. "Lord Radclyffe has a good income and comes from a good family. His uncle is the Duke of Radcliffe, and although he has a son of his own, I believe that Charles will one day inherit the dukedom from him..."

"Is the Duke of Radclyffe's son an unkind man, Your Majesty?" I asked, never having met him in all my life.

The queen laughs. "Oh no—he is kind enough. He is called Anthony," she tells me patiently. "Anthony Radclyffe is often sick in his bed. He's not been at court since he was a teenager and even then, he was ill. Poor lad... However, I think a match between you and Lord Radclyffe is something worth thinking on, Lady Elizabeth."

I nod, curtsying to her, although my heart breaks at the notion of me marrying anyone but Edward. "Yes, Your Majesty," I reply.

. . .

August began and Bella and I proceeded to gather our belongings together for our trip to Raincourt Castle. Geoffrey, not wishing to miss the birth of his first child, was attempting to hurry up negotiations in France in an effort to return to Bella quickly. I was pleased that, even though Geoffrey was away, that Bella would have me with her during the dark hours of her confinement. Having heard nothing from Edward since his return to Chadwick Hall, I wondered if I should inform him of the queen's decision that I should be betrothed to Charles Radclyffe by Christmas should pass through to his ears.

The second week in August came and Bella and I were given permission to leave Hampton Court for Colchester, of which we would have to leave by dawn to ensure that Bella was there quickly. I arose before dawn from the small bed I'd made up in the chamber Bella shared with Geoffrey, my belongings with me to safeguard that we could leave for Colchester as quickly as possible. Bella awoke with no trouble, and we hastily dressed one another in the semi-darkness for travel.

We met the Winthrop guards in the stables, who were entrusted with our safekeeping for the duration of the journey. They loaded our belongings into our saddlebags, not wanting to attract attention on the road with a cart. As long as we road quickly yet not dangerously, Bella was permitted on horseback, and although it worried me, a physician had informed Bella that it was her choice whether or not to do so. Just as the sun was beginning to creep up over the green surrounding us, we were on the road away from court.

We stopped midway for refreshment, and Bella seemed grateful to be out of the saddle for a brief period. She ate some of the dried meat and cheese, but seemed keener on the wine, sipping it lightly so as not to upset the baby. After nearly an hour, our guards informed us that we'd best get a move on, I helped Bella to her feet and brought her to her horse. Gently getting her up into the saddle was another matter, but we managed.

The sun was lowering in the sky as the day was beginning to finish, but the captain of the guard finally announced that we'd reached Colchester, and that Raincourt Castle was not far. We finally came to a small valley wherein I'd heard the castle was located, and Bella let out a cry of joy as she saw it. I knew that she'd never been there, but Geoffrey had certainly described it enough to her that she would know it on sight.

"We're here, Viscountess Winthrop, Lady Elizabeth," the captain of the guard told us jovially, seemingly pleased at Bella's relief. He came into the courtyard at the front of the house, and the clattering of hooves must have alerted the household, for the door suddenly opened and Geoffrey's aunt and uncle stood there for a moment before stepping outside. "I brought them safe and sound my lord marquess, my lady marchioness," the captain said informatively.

"Thank you, Andrew," Marquess Gilbert said and approached Bella's horse immediately, grabbing the reins with a kindhearted smile. "My dear niece, it is wonderful to have you home at last."

"Uncle Gilbert!" Bella cried out, as if greeting an old friend, and swung one leg off from around the horse and slipped from it, whereupon Marquess Gilbert caught her immediately.

"How was your journey?" Marchioness Agnes asked, stepping forward and looking over Bella, as the marquess came to me.

"You must be Lady Elizabeth Beaumont, Bella's dearest friend," he said in the same affectionate tone. "I'll help you down."

I swung my leg out from around my horse as well and slipped down, getting caught immediately thereafter by the marquess. "Thank you, my lord, for allowing me into your home."

"Oh, come off it," he said gently. "Geoffrey thinks of you quite as a sister, so I am just as much your uncle as I am his or Bella's."

"Uncle Gilbert, then," I said with a laugh.

Gilbert joined in my laughter. "There we are, then," he said, leading me over to Agnes, and I immediately curtsied to her.

"My lady marchioness, it is a great honor—"

"Aunt Agnes," she said, a gleam in her eyes. "I am your aunt as well, my dear child. Welcome to Raincourt Castle."

"It is beautiful," I say as Gilbert puts a free arm around Bella's shoulders as he leads us inside.

. . .

The months passed quickly at Raincourt, and I settled in quite quickly, as the kindhearted Gilbert and Agnes were generous with their time and with their wealth. Whenever a merchant came by with jewels or velvet for gowns, Gilbert and Agnes were quick to pull out some gold coins and shower Bella and I with gifts. I never made it a point to ask for anything, as they were already letting me to stay with them and eat at their table every day. I wanted for nothing, and yet I was pleased that I was also permitted to use their messengers to send letters to my mother and father.

When October dawned, Bella, her belly looming large as she attempted to move from one room to the next, was kept a careful watch upon, as we did not want her to come to any harm. By the third week of October, Bella was told not to leave her bedroom, and that is when, in the middle of the week, her pains formally began. With Gilbert on instructions to write to Geoffrey on his return from France—he had boarded a ship which would take him Calais the week before—we were running out of time. I was called to Bella's bedside during the early hours of the ordeal, her face pinched with her pain.

"Edward has not been writing because of our lord father," she says softly, and grips my hand on a wave of pain. "I cannot say more... Please, Eliza, write to him and beg him to come here. Please..."

Leaving her with Agnes, I rushed to my chambers then and made a grab for a piece of parchment and my ink pot. Dipping the quill into the ink, I felt my hand shake at the enormity of what was happening. I could hear Bella's screams of terror and pain through the walls, and knew that I would have to go to chapel immediately thereafter to pray for her.

Edward—

I know not why you refuse to write to me, so I am doing so to you. Bella is in labor and will have her child in a matter of hours or a day, according to Agnes. She must not be upset, but she bids me to write to you and demand that you come to Raincourt Castle in Colchester at once. She has need of you, Edward, more so than ever.

The queen indeed wishes for me to be betrothed at Christmas, to one Lord Charles Radclyffe, your good friend. It pains me to say so, Edward, but with your silence, I am afraid I must bend to her will. I've promised nothing, but no words from you will silence all my hopes and dreams for a love match forever.

Please hurry to us. We all have need of you.

Lady Elizabeth Beaumont

I go at the run to one of the messengers at Raincourt and hand off the letter, telling him to bring it to Chadwick Hall in Blackpool. He tells me he knows the house and I am gladdened for it, giving him two gold coins for his trouble, and promising him three upon his return if he is back before nightfall. I know it will be nearly impossible for him to do, but the day had hardly begun. Perhaps if he truly hurried, Edward could be with us all and quickly.

Just as I am about to go to chapel to pray for Bella's soul, I am summoned back to her chambers, where she begs to know if I've written to Edward. I assure her that I have and she seems relieved to hear it, gripping at my hand. I tell Agnes that I shall stay with Bella, and she seems relieved. She kisses Bella upon the forehead and leaves the stuffy room, while I gently push the hairs from Bella's forehead and attempt to sooth her.

"It is all right," I say gently, pushing her bolsters into place. "It shan't be long, Bella, I swear it. Uncle Gilbert has already written to Geoffrey—he was in Calais last week, remember? He could not have been delayed much, and soon he will be home to you..."

"Home to me..." Bella whispered.

"And I've written to Edward," I tell her quietly. "I've sent the youngest and fastest messenger for the job to get to Blackpool and back. I hope he shall read it and return with the messenger by nightfall."

"Have you told him?" she asks between moans of pain. "Have you told him of the queen's desire to have you wed to Lord Charles Radclyffe?"

"I made mention of it, after informing him of your situation," I reply, knowing I should not have troubled Edward with it in the first place. "I didn't want to, Bella, but I could not help myself..."

Bella shakes her head. "No," she agrees. "If Her Majesty attempted to betroth me to another, I would certainly inform Geoffrey of it... Ow!" she screams then and shivers, gripping onto my hand again. "Please God it is a boy and Geoffrey shall not demand another child from me for a time..."

"Please God," I reply, just wanting Bella to come out of this safely. "Please God you are both well."

Agnes returns after a time and I venture back out into the rest of the castle, going to the kitchen to get something to eat. The cooks give me some fresh bread and cheese, and I am pleased with this. I eat it quickly before venturing outside, savoring the coolness the autumn air brings. My hair is pulled back into a braid which goes down my back, and my sleeves are turned up at the elbows to keep them ready for assistance.

It is twilight, and the sun is threatening to extinguish over the edge of the mountains, and I look out at the path beyond, seeing nothing. Just as I am about to turn to return into the house, I hear hoofbeats off in the distance and find I cannot believe my ears. Watching the path which goes from the courtyard and slopes around to the main road, see the same messenger from this morning, with Edward just behind him on horseback. Shocked at this unexpected turn of events, I hastily hand over the gold coins to him before he goes into the kitchens for refreshment, while Edward turns to me.

"Where is Bella?"

"Still in labor," I reply. "Agnes is in there with her. She's all right." I turn towards the kitchens then, motioning to where the messenger has gone inside to eat after the long journey. "Are you hungry?" I ask.

Edward shakes his head. "No."

I nod then. "Well, I am quite sure Bella has need of me..."

"Elizabeth," Edward says softly, reaching out then and catching at my arm. "I don't want you to go..."

I turn and look at him, forcing myself to keep the tears from my eyes. "Your sister has need of me..."

"Don't..." He whispers. "Please..."

We are interrupted by a third set of hoofbeats, and Geoffrey himself comes around the corner, shocked at seeing us there, and Edward drops my arm as if it has burned him. He takes the horse into the courtyard, where a groom arrives to collect it, before approaching the pair of us then, grief on his face. "Who is attending my wife?" he demands, his voice sharper than he'd originally intended it to be. "Is she all right?"

"Agnes is attending her," I reply, "but now that you are here, I should see to her." I turn around then and make my way into the castle again, and up the staircase and towards Bella's bedchamber. I hear her screaming again and open the door, Agnes encouraging her. This time a midwife is kneeling before her as I shut the door behind me, and I know the time is now.

"She's almost there," Agnes confirms as I sit by Bella's side.

"I'm here, Bella," I say gently, and she immediately grips my hand.

"Geoffrey?" she whispers through her screams. "Edward?"

"They're all right," I reply, forcing myself not to gasp at her grip upon my hand as it bordered upon painful. "They've only just arrived."

"Here?" Bella whimpers.

I nod. "Yes. Here, in the kitchens, I presume."

"I am glad for it," she replies then, gasping then as the midwife grips upon her legs and forces them apart. "Eliza! Agnes! Help me!" she screams in a panic as the midwife darts in between her legs then and takes ahold of something before pulling it, sending Bella screaming again. "I'm splitting into two!" she yells out then before falling back upon the bolsters as the midwife holds onto something quite small.

The midwife painstakingly brought it over to a basin filled with water and cleaned it up, sucking the fluid from its mouth then as it made a resounding cry off the walls of the castle. Agnes and I mutually breathed a sigh of relief as the infant was wrapped up and brought directly to Bella, who reached out and took ahold of it, looking it over. As Agnes and I watched over Bella's shoulder her actions towards the infant, she pulled back the cloth and let out a resounding cry of sorrow.

"No..." She whispered then. "I've failed..."

Peeking, I saw that the baby was a girl, and, despite the midwife's assertions that it was healthy, Bella handed the squalling thing to me. I decided it would be best to take it out to present to Geoffrey, hoping that he would not be disappointed. Mentioning this to Agnes, she agreed immediately and I took out the little girl, making my way to the kitchens and managing to keep her quiet as we arrived.

Geoffrey immediately get to his feet and gave a cry when he saw the infant and took it immediately. "Beautiful..." He whispered as Edward came up behind him to have a look.

"Gorgeous," he agreed.

"It is a girl," I said quietly, yet Geoffrey did not seem to mind either way. "The midwife says she is strong and healthy."

"How is Bella?" Edward asked, and Geoffrey looked up to hear my answer to the question about his wife.

"Sad," I reply, turning to Geoffrey. "She believes she has failed you for birthing a daughter."

"What nonsense!" Gilbert cries, emerging from his study and taking a peek at the baby. "A beautiful child—as beautiful as her mother. If not a son now then perhaps next time."

"What shall her name be?" Geoffrey asks, suddenly bewildered.

"Agnes's mother, your grandmother, was called Temperance," Gilbert says gently, taking a look at the baby again. "Hair as red as that," he says, regarding the infant's head, "and quite a force to be reckoned with."

"Bella's and my grandmother was called Frances," Edward put in.

"Temperance Elizabeth Frances Agnes Winthrop," Geoffrey said, a little look at me when he said my name.

"Beautiful," Geoffrey declared.

"Lovely," I put in.

"Perfect," Edward replied.

. . .

I was permitted to remain at Raincourt Castle until Christmas, until such a time as my betrothal could be arranged. I was able to convince Bella enough that Geoffrey, Gilbert, Agnes, Edward, and I were not disappointed in her about the birth of a daughter, and she seemed satisfied with that. I was surprised when Edward remained at Raincourt, and I firmly believed that it was due to my letter sent before Temperance's birth.

We finally got a moment alone in the first week of November, when he was not in constant correspondence with various members of his household and with the queen herself. I was sitting in the garden one afternoon, taking the air in my autumn cloak, writing a letter to my mother about Temperance's christening, to take place the following morning. I was to be named godmother to Edward's godfather, and I found myself growing uneasy at the thought of us in such close proximity due to the events of the last days.

Just as I finished the letter and got the messenger to take it away for me, I saw Edward coming towards me then. I knelt in a brief curtsy, expecting him to go back in the house to converse with Geoffrey or Gilbert, as he had often done this past fortnight. However, Edward approached me directly, and even seemed pleased to find me alone.

"Shall we walk?" he asked.

"We may," I replied.

Edward took my arm and I nearly gasped aloud at his hand on me, yet said nothing as we walked about the gardens. "Temperance is lovely."

"Yes," I agreed. "Would that we all could have a baby as lovely and as good-tempered as that."

"Certainly leaves the namesake to the imagination..."

"I certainly don't know what you mean," I reply.

Edward stopped in his tracks then, and I turned to look at him. "Will you accept the queen's offer to marry you to Charles?"

I shrugged. "I've no reason not to. He is a good man and such a match is certainly an advantageous one..."

Edward dropped my arm then and advanced towards me, tilting my chin up and sighed. "You've one reason not to, Elizabeth—for the love you bear me. I certainly believe that such a reason is—"

"The love I bear you?" I demand. "What of the love you bear me, Edward? Am I to believe you still care for me? When you did not inform me of your father's death and the notion that you are now Duke of Chadwick?"

Edward sighs. "Elizabeth, you have to understand that I never intended for any of this to happen—to love you, any of it..."

"Why?" I demand then, catching at his face then and securing it in my palms so as he will look at me. "Why can you not allow yourself to be hopelessly in love with me as I am with you?"

"I have allowed myself," Edward replies, letting me go and going down to one knee then, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a ring. "I'll try to be better about speaking to you in the future..."

"Edward..." I whisper.

"...but as for right now, I love you, Elizabeth."

"I love you, Edward," I reply.

"Then marry me," he says. "Elizabeth, marry me."

"I cannot!" I cry out. "What of my betrothal to Charles? I cannot go against the queen, Edward! Think of Katherine and Mary Grey, who did so, and the pair of them were the queen's own cousins!" I cry out, desperate to find another way of going about this.

"But you are not a princess of the blood, Elizabeth, nor are you formally betrothed to Charles yet," he replies steadily. "Elizabeth Catherine Matilda Eleanor Beaumont, will you be my wife?"

"Yes," I whispered then, hardly believing what I was saying.

Edward rose up then and placed the ring upon my finger, and I let out a shout and threw my arms around him then, laughing echoing through the garden and along the walls. "As for Her Majesty, we shall figure her out together," Edward declares then, and I nodded, eager for the results to come to pass.

. . .

"And so, Your Majesty, I humbly beseech you and beg your pardon, but I cannot in good faith marry Lord Charles Radclyffe, as I am already pre-contracted to the Duke of Chadwick," I say to the queen, finding my legs growing numb at being lowered for so long.

"You are not pre-contracted," the queen says flatly.

I raise my eyes to hers. "Your Majesty?"

"You are not pre-contracted to the Duke of Chadwick," the queen says again, her voice cold. "You are not pre-contracted because I will not allow it. I will allow your refusal of Lord Charles, but not your pre-contract to the Duke of Chadwick, for he cannot be yours."

"He cannot?" I ask, dumbstruck.

"He cannot," the queen rules. "He outranks you."

I blink, lowering my eyes to the carpets, knowing that the queen is testing me and that I must not submit to fury. "Yes, Your Majesty," I reply, nearly shaking with rage.

"You may go," she says with a wave of her hand.

I am seething with rage by the time I return from my meeting with the queen, so much so that I destroy my bedroom in the process. The maids are horrified but set it to rights for me. A physician comes to see me and says I have a fever, which excuses me from the queen's service for a week. It is December by the time I have a visitor, and I am surprised to find it is my father.

"I hope you have not been too unwell," he says, kissing my forehead.

"Not so much," I reply, not going into detail. "How are things, Papa? Are things at Beaumont Manor well?"

He sighs. "Thomas is ill," he replies. "Tuberculosis, the physician says, and poor Honor has got it, too."

"Dear God, no!" I cry out.

"Poor Anne and Roger are so weak from exhaustion and worry that your mother and I fear the worse for them," Papa admits. "We fear that this could be the end for all, Elizabeth."

"I shall pray, Papa, I shall," I say, determination in my voice. "You need not fear, for my prayers are answered."

Papa remains at court for another few days before returning back to Beaumont Manor, where I hear nothing for three weeks. Pacing up and down my chambers I feel a trifle better when I hear that Honor is on the mend and is said to be with child again. I continue to pray, even though the news comes that Anne, my little niece, has died and passed into the Kingdom of Heaven. I feel sick with rage that everything is happening to my family, and stay shut up in my chambers for hours, all at prayer.

It is heartbreaking when I get the news just two days later that Thomas has died as well, and I find that my wails can be heard throughout the palace. Now my family's heir was the little poppet, Roger, my nephew, who was not yet one year old. Honor was still holding on, although the infection had gripped her again, and had, by now, passed to Roger. I found myself weak from hunger, yet refused to eat until I received word from home. I wanted nothing but good news and glad tidings, and I feared I would receive neither.

Finally, as the New Year arrived, I prayed that good times would come to pass again, but it was not to be. A handwritten note from my father came a week after the year had begun, and I guessed that they had taken a proper amount of time to mourn before giving me the news. I almost did not need to read the letter, and yet I felt compelled to break the seal and do so anyhow.

Dearest Elizabeth,

Sad tidings from Beaumont Manor. You will know by now that your brother, Thomas, and your niece, Anne, are no more. Prepare yourself, my girl, for now Honor and little Roger have perished from tuberculosis as well. Honor was able to deliver the child before her death—they named her Elizabeth for the queen and for you—but the poor thing died after just a few hours.

That leaves you, my precious daughter, as heir to it all. At the risk of infection, I am promptly amending my will, so that at my death, you will become Countess of Beaumont, as your mother once was. As the sole heiress to everything, I shall make it plain that my half-brother's son, Arthur, shall have nothing. It has been you since you were a baby, Elizabeth, I know that now. Since you were found in the woods, I knew you would be the one destined for greatness.

Despite the queen's refusal, if you would like it, you have our support in your pursuit to wed Edward, Duke of Chadwick. I shall come to court if you ever have need of me to vouch for you, my love. All you need do is ask for me.

At the risk of infection, burn this.

Your father,

Philip, Earl of Beaumont

I raised my eyes then, a sense of wonderment filling me then. Although I knew I would have to pray for the souls of Anne, Thomas, Honor, Roger, and Baby Elizabeth, something gave me pause. It was a strange sense of foreboding, and yet a sense of fulfillment.

I was now my father's heir. From this moment until the moment he died, I was now Lady Beaumont. And from his death until my own, I would be known as the Countess of Beaumont. Such a notion could not be taken lightly, for now Queen Elizabeth could not think of me as just another one of her ladies, but an heiress in my own right. How could I ever even think of myself in the same way, now that I was no longer a mere lady?

Quickly, I went to my desk again and made a grab for a piece of parchment and a quill, knowing what I had to do. I felt myself shaking as I dipped the quill into the ink, wondering what I was to say. Finally, the words came to me, and I knew they had been there all along.

Dear Edward,

You will have heard the news of my dear brother, Thomas's, death. Thomas was predeceased by my niece, Anne, and then by his wife, Honor, his son, Roger, and a third child, called Elizabeth for me and for the queen. Although I am aggrieved at their losses, I know that they come at a price, a price that shall be forthcoming.

I am now my father's heir—my father's only heir. As such, I stand to inherit Beaumont Manor, the land around it, and the title that comes with it. I shall become Countess of Beaumont upon his death, as nobody comes before me now. I know it is a great responsibility, but Papa has shown me how things work since I was a little girl, as my brothers were always quite sickly, and I had to know what was happening within the estate walls, on the off-chance that this event ever came to pass.

If you still wish to marry me, then that wish is my desire. We shall await until my next birthday, my dearest, for my period of mourning shall be over by then, and the queen's judgement shall be clear. If she makes no further mention of a match for me, or if she does insist I marry another, I propose to run. My father will support us, as will Geoffrey's family, if circumstances call for it. I shall risk everything to be with you, my love, and if that risk is your desire, I suggest it comes to pass.

I love you, my Edward. Do not forsake me.

Your beloved,

Elizabeth, Lady Beaumont