Chapter 3

Reunions and Revelations

Catherine woke the next morning feeling surprisingly refreshed given her run-down state the night before. She opened her eyes and promptly closed them again. Where am I? She wondered, knowing full well that she'd gone yo sleep in an empty room, but now she lay on a bed and a very comfortable one at that.

She opened her eyes again to see the room now very lavishly furnished with lush tapestries in jeweled tones of blue and silver adorning the walls. Catherine was still pondering the mystery when she noticed the envelope on a nearby silver table. Catherine knew the handwriting at a glance, even before she saw the very familiar Tudor seal.

Henry...

Catherine sighed as she turned the envelope over in her hands debating whether or not to open it. Curiosity won out in the end. Breaking the seal on the envelope, Catherine carefully removed the single sheet of paper and read:

My Dearest Kate

I hope you will forgive my intrusion last night. I meant no harm and I hope that you will accept these gifts from the House of Tudor in good faith. There are no stings attached, just a sincere hope for lasting and true peace between us.

I know you don't see yourself visiting our court often or indeed ever and I respect that, but I ask for one day at court, after this day I will not bother you again. Please know that you will be welcome at the Tudor Court any time, you have a standing invitation to use or not as you see fit.

I await your coming today, hoping you will see fit to do me this last courtesy.

Your ever humble and faithful servant

Harry.

Catherine could not help, but laugh at the final lines. Still a word-smith, Harry and it seems I'm still a fool, She thought to herself with a wry smile.

At Henry's Hampton Court the king was taking a stroll in the rose gardens when Jaquetta found him. "Well, your favor took some doing Henry, but it is done, they'll be here at about noon and your grandmother will accompany them."

"Thank you Lady Great-grandmother," he told her with a smile. I will not forget this service. Now let's just hope Catherine comes and it is not all for naught."

Jaquetta waved away the king's doubts. "She'll come Henry."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I know because I know Catherine, if nothing else her curiosity will win out, besides I send a carriage for her and I just received word they are on the way."

Henry couldn't quite keep his relief from showing and Jaquetta hid a smile as she linked her arm with her Great-grandson. "I never thought I'd see you this nervous..."

"A lot rides on this day, Lady Great-grandmother."

No dear boy, Jaquetta thought to herself. You are wrong, EVERYTHING rides on this day.

The carriage came to a stop in Hampton Court's elaborate courtyard and as it did Catherine considered briefly to simply return to Castle Lodge with a thought, but again curiosity won out and a short time later she found herself in Henry's private audience chamber with the king, Jaquetta Rivers and Elizabeth Woodville.

It soon became clear that the two women were in charge of this particular audience. ''We are so thankful you could come, your Grace.''

''I must admit that curiosity won out over prudence and I wanted to come thank the king for his kind generosity,'' Catherine said with a rueful smile.

''I hope everything is to your liking, I tried to keep to your tastes,'' Henry's tone was kind, but Catherine could not help, but think he sounded a little distracted. ''If I may ask why exactly did you want me to spend the day at court?''

''I was asking not merely for myself, but for someone who was in life most dear to us both. I thought you might like to see our daughter...''

''Mary's here?'' Catherine could not hide her shock. ''You'd let me see her?'' Suddenly her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why are you being so nice to me? The gifts, sharing your energy and now offering to let me see Mary after everything..."

"Catherine, your my wi..."

"No!" Her voice was firm and strong even as it remained even in tone. "I am not your wife, I was never your wife, you decided that, remember? By your decree I became nothing more than a whore you kept for twenty four years."

"I never called you a whore!"

"No, you just treated me like one, so I''ll ask again what is this really about? What price will I have to pay for these magnanimous gestures of 'kindness'?"

Henry looked at her, standing there like some fierce warrior queen in full armor, she was a sight to behold, his equal in every way. "There is no price Catherine," he finally said, his gaze never leaving hers. "I'd like peace between us, in time maybe even friendship. I'd like it, but I don't expect it. Today I ask only for the opportunity to make whatever small amends I can, there are no strings. Can I send for Mary?"

Catherine nodded, part of her still expected some kind of cruel trick, but if there was even the slightest chance of seeing Mary, she'd risk it.

Elizabeth Woodville stepped forward then, she and Jaquetta had been silent observers during the exchange between Henry and Catherine."Before you see Mary, your Grace, you should prepare yourself, her appearance might not be what you expect."

"Explain?" Catherine said with a calm she did not feel.

"As you know in the after-life the soul often cloaks itself in the form which in life it felt most comfortable in, when the soul was its truest self. Which is why you take this form, as you were when..."

"When I was married to Prince Arthur. What has this to do with my daughter?"

"Mary has the appearance of a five-year old," Henry replied, pushing aside his irritation at the mention of Arthur whose soul was as fragile in the after-life as his body had been in life. Arthur's soul had not been strong enough to come into a after-life such as Henry and Catherine now inhabited.

"Five. I suppose that makes sense, given the history..." She shared a glance with Henry, who met it head-on.

There was a knock on the door and then a herald entered announcing the arrival of 'her Royal Highness Mary Tudor, Princess of Wales' and the next instant a small auburn haired child entered the room. Catherine felt something inside her contract as the child curtsied to everyone present, not seeing her mother at first Mary ran to Henry with an exuberant cry of, 'Papa, Papa!'

Tears she did not know she could still shed sprang to Catherine's eyes as she watched Henry scoop his daughter up into a big hug. ''How's my beautiful pearl today?'' Henry asked as he kissed her temple.

"Fine," the young Mary replied with a shy smile as she basked in her father's attention.

Over their daughter's head their gazes met once more and then Catherine watched as Henry whispered in their daughter's ear: "Papa has a surprise for you..." As he spoke Henry turned with Mary in his arms so that mother and daughter came face to face.

There followed one still moment which seem to stretch on for eternity as Catherine watched recognition flare in Mary's dark eyes. Another moment passed and then Mary was out of her father's arms and running towards Catherine, who met her halfway.

"Mama!" Mary cried as she jumped into her mother's arms.

Catherine caught her and held her close as she sank to her knees whispering: "My beautiful daughter, my precious one, how I have missed you." Mother and daughter clung to one another for what seemed like ages before finally breaking apart.

''Now my darling,'' Catherine said as her eyes drank in every detail of her daughter. ''What would you like us to do today?''

''I want you to read me a story,'' Mary said beaming at her mother.

''A story it is then,'' Catherine said with a smile as bright as the sun.

''They make a very pretty picture, don't they?'' Elizabeth Woodville whispered to her grandson a short time later where he stood unobtrusively in the doorway of the private library watching Catherine and their daughter seated among velvet pillows as they read Mary's favorite story together.

''I've never seen a more enchanting sight,'' Henry admitted in a suspiciously gruff tone. ''Was I really that blind and cruel in life?''

"You were, unfortunately, every inch the tyrant modern historians see you as."

"I never meant to be a tyrant, lady grandmother I wanted to be a Renaissance Prince ruling over a chivilric England, basking in the holy light of God with my Princess Summertime by my side forever."

"It was a nice dream and one you had within your grasp until...well until your drive to father a male heir became obsessive." Elizabeth sighed."The real irony is if you'd only waited a few years your 'obsession' with the harlot would have naturally fizzled, Jane Seymour would've come along and a dying Catherine, thinking only of your happiness and the good of the realm, would've given you and Jane her whole-hearted blessing and died in peace with all the honor due a queen."

"Jane would have lived?"

Elizabeth shook her head sadly. "Some things are destined, but you'd have your male heir and Elizabeth would've come from your third and final marriage to Catherine Parr. You'd have died a beloved king mourned by your people and history would remember you as the greatest Renaissance Prince Europe had ever seen instead of a capricious, wife murdering tyrant."

"It all turned on her," Henry whispered, his gaze never leaving the enchanting scene before them.

"Of course it did. Catherine was your true queen and the source of much of your power, when you declared her queen-ship invalid you cut yourself with the same damn knife and your people paid the price."

There was a soft knock on the door of king's private study and Henry and Elizabeth went through to the study to find Jaquetta who told them there was someone who really wanted to see Catherine. She'd barely finished speaking when little Edward, in the form of a three-year-old toddler came barreling through the door, with a 15-year old Elizabeth hot on the boy's heels.

"Eddie you cannot go in there without permission! Edward stop!"

The boy did stop at the sight of his father and looking abashed as he curtseyed and said. "Hello, your Majesty," Edward said with a toothless grin.

''Hello Edward, Elizabeth,'' Henry greeted his two children with a bemused smile as he looked to Elizabeth for an explanation.

''I'm sorry father,'' Elizabeth said. ''Edward couldn't wait he really wants to see...''

''I want to see the lady of the pomegranate,'' the boy interrupted excitedly. ''She's a friend of mommy's...''

Catherine's voice reading another story to Mary carried to the occupants of the study and the boy ran full tilt into the library with Elizabeth in pursuit once more, before Henry could ask any of the questions now whirling in his soul. Questions like, how did Edward know anything about Catherine, a woman who had died years before he was even born? How was it possible for Jane and Catherine to have ever been friends?

Elizabeth, Jaquetta and Henry quietly moved closer to the library and witnessed Catherine's reaction to Edward and Elizabeth's interruption.

"Well hello there," Catherine said as she looked up from the book she had been reading to her daughter. Mary enthusiastically introduced her half-siblings to her mother. "Mama, this is Elizabeth and Edward."

Henry noted that Catherine's smile never faltered as she greeted his children by other women. She curtseyed to them both, hugging each in turn and asks whether they would like to join her and Mary for another story, both agreed and Edward promptly made himself at home on Catherine's lap.

Catherine was an excellent story-teller doing the voices and enthralling the little ones and the teenage Elizabeth alike. As she finally closed the book amid pleas of 'more, more' little Edward looked up at Catherine with what could only be described as open adoration and while Henry couldn't blame the boy he couldn't quite understand it either.

It was Jaquetta who enlightened the king once they had returned to the private study. Elizabeth Woodville had gone to check on the progress of the private lunch the king had arranged earlier for Catherine, the kids and himself, meanwhile Catherine had taken the three royal children for a stroll in the gardens.

"Catherine and Jane knew one another, after a fashion," Jaquetta began.

"So I gathered," Henry said with an edge of impatience, "but how is that even possible?"

"You must remember that Catherine only went to Purgatory when you died. Prior to that she was one of the strongest souls I'd ever encountered. She of course kept a close eye on her daughter. When Jane was in labor Mary called on her mother to help Jane even going as far as giving Queen Jane a crucifix which had once belonged to Catherine.

So Catherine came and helped your new Queen as much as she was able. Jane and your son would've died that very night if it wasn't for her. Catherine was devastated when Jane died and was there to help her across when her time came. Afterwards Catherine and Jane both acted as guardian angels to Edward. By the time Edward died Catherine was in purgatory, but Jane's stories of Catherine kept her image fresh and vivid in the boy's soul... Your first Queen cast a long shadow Henry.''

"So it would seem Lady Great-grandmother, so it would seem..."

The lunch with Catherine and the children was most enjoyable even though she showered most of her attention on the kids. Henry found he didn't mind as he was free to simply observe Catherine's interaction with the kids. She was so compassionate and gracious, even with Elizabeth, the daughter of arguably her greatest rival... Henry felt the ache inside him intensify as he longed for the one thing he was sure he'd never have again.