(Thanks to Angel More and SSLE for your reviews. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter-Henry's back)

The 22nd August 1504 was nineteen years since King Henry VII won the throne of England. In celebration of the day, her husband had picked King Richard's crown off a thorn bush and place it on her beloved son's head, Lady Margaret Beaufort had organised a spectacular joust. All had to attend, whether they were a member of the Royal Family, courtier or mere servant- Europe needed to see that it was Tudors, not any other family, who God had chosen to rule England.

'Ow! Harry!' whispered Thomas, as Henry pressed his foot down hard on top of his. He looked over to Henry, who was sat next to him in the stand and saw he was smiling back innocently.

'Your friend is over there, Thomas,' nodded Henry, in the direction of the right side of the field. Thomas, glanced over to where a group of ladies from the Court had gathered to watch the various courtiers pretend to be knights. He was puzzled at first by Henry's words, until he saw Lord Dudley's daughter walk past, with Lucy following her, couching over, trying to sew a ribbon back on to Elizabeth Dudley's dress.

He watched her for a moment and could see the frustration on her face, as Elizabeth Dudley refused to stand still and let Lucy do her job. It had been over a week since they had argued in the corner of the garden and they had not spoken since. In the rare times, when their paths had crossed in the hallways of the Palace, Thomas had quickly turn and walked the other way. The problem was, that he still thought about her often, much to his annoyance.

'She's not happy with you, is she Thomas,' said Henry, rather loudly, causing both Cardinal Wolsey, who was seated beside Thomas and Catalina, who Henry had begged his grandmother to invite to today's celebration and to be allowed to sit with him, to take an interest in their conversation.

'Who is unhappy, Harry?,' asked Catalina, in her beautiful Spanish accent, putting a hand gently on Henry's shoulder, causing him to blush, 'not you I hope,'

'No,' whispered Henry, looking at his feet, 'but Thomas' friend. The pretty lady in the pink over there...but not as pretty as you, Catalina,'

Catalina look out into the crowd andsaw Lucy, who had finally got Elizabeth Dudley to stand still and was able to sew the ribbon back on to her dress. The Infanta, studied the seamstress very carefully, looking her up and down, and noticed that she kept briefly looking in their direction with a scowl before turning away. Catalina then look at Thomas, who seemed to be pretending that his gaze was not falling on the poor woman, then to the Cardinal; she never trust Wolsey, he was too much of a man, who was in need of control over everyone and everything, and the way he now watched with amusement annoyed her.

'I think you are right, Harry,' she said, quietly, 'she does not seem happy,'

'Perhaps,' voiced Wolsey, 'the reason for her annoyance is the group of people watching her trying to do her work,'

'No,' interrupted Henry with confidence, as he finally knew something before Wolsey did, 'she's upset because Thomas pulled away when they were kissing,'

Thomas gripped the side of his chair, as he heard Henry's words. So it had been Henry who had caused the rustling from the trees that afternoon. Out of the side of his sight, he could see a smug smile of Wolsey's face.

'Harry...'

'Except,' continued Henry, 'you wanted to kiss her and I wished you had, as you've been insufferable this last week! You have made me study for hours in that hot class room! You've made me read Odyssey so many times that I know every word, both in Greek and English, by heart and not once have you told me about Utopia!'

'Well, Harry, it seems I have actually manage to do my work correctly for one,' replied Thomas, with a nervous smile. He wasn't goingto deny that he had been had been stricter with Henry this week, as he found making him study hard had help to push other thoughts from his mind.

As he spoke, two knights went to joust again, taking Henry's attention away from him and Lucy. Thomas, who could not see the appeal of jousting, glanced over to where Lucy was now stood. Having finished her work, she was stood with a group of other servants in the corner to the field, talking with another woman, as one of the male servants, probably a cook, went and put an arm round her shoulders.

'You know, Thomas,' said Wolsey, in a low voice, 'jealousy is a perfectly normal emotion,'

'So I am aware,' replied Thomas, watching as Lucy elbowed this man in the stomach and the pushedhim away, before returning to chatting with the other woman, 'but I'm afraid, I do not suffer from it,'

The crowd applauded, as another knight won his spurs and another hit the dusty ground. Beside him, he heard Henry whisper to Catalina about how, when he's king, he will be the greatest knight in Christendom, causing Thomas to roll his eyes; why wouldn't Henry, be content to simply to be a King remembered for his mind and good works.

'She's a very beautiful woman,' continued Wolsey, nodding in the direction of Lucy, who was whispering something into her friends ear, 'I can certainly see the attraction,'

'There are some men, who see only what's on the surface,' replied Thomas, looking away from Lucy and straight at the Cardinal, 'that they do not think for a moment that what lies beneath is more important. True attraction lies from what the eye does not see, or so I've always believed,'

'I trust Thomas, you are speaking about the girl you are marrying and not the one, who your eyes off haven't stopped studying since you spotted her,' said Wolsey, bluntly, getting to his feet as he did so, 'your highest, the King requests our presence,'

As Wolsey and Henry, went to see the King, who despite today being the anniversary of his greatest triumph, still wore the same cold expression he always did. He still hadn't recovered from the loss of his Queen and their eldest child and found only comfort in ruling his country with an iron fist. Thomas watched Wolsey and Henry go, relieved that his remarks had meant that he was not asked to join them and he would be free of Henry's endless questions about Lucy-why couldn't he be that inquisitive during their lessons?

'I think you should talk to her,' came a distant sounding voice in Thomas' ear. He turned, not able to think, who the voice could belong to but then saw Catalina smiling back at him.

'Forgive me,' she said, in her dignified Spanish accent, 'I'm afraid I do not know the lady's name,'

Thomas hesitated. On previous occasions when he had meet with the Infanta, they had got on well due to them holding many of the same beliefs andThomas being great admirer of her mother, the pious and strong willed Isabella of Castile, but at that moment, Thomas felt uncomfortable in the presence of the young, former Princess of Wales.

'Lucy, your highest,' he replied, clearing his throat, 'her name is Lucy,'

'Lucy,' she repeated, slowly, 'she's hurt. I can see the way she's been glancing over here and I think, despite being one of God's most kindest men, that you are the reason for her unhappiness,'

Thomas felt uneasy, hearing her speak in such away. Not just because of the nature of her words, but because he knew that the Infanta was right. He was the reason for Lucy's unhappy mood when ever she looked over. Lucy had just been being kind andhe had spurned her, believingit was something dark... But then they had almost kissed?

'We had a misunderstanding,' replied Thomas, carefully as he thought through the events of a week ago. He liked being with Lucy. She was beautiful, it was a lie to deny that he did not think her attractive, but it was talking with her that he missed. He liked hearing her speak her mind and voicing her opinions against his. And unlike most, she listened to him, 'and it was my fault,'

'There are all different types of friendships,' smiled Catalina, watching as Lucy and her friend started to walk away from the crowd and back to the Palace, 'some are very difficult for others to understand but I think if both of you understand it, then that's all that matters,'

Was it wrong to be friends with Lucy? It was just that one moment and after Henry had distracted them, they had realised it was a mistaken-even if Thomas had gone about it the wrong way. God had tested the both of them and they had passed.

'If you'll excuse me, your highness,' said Thomas, getting to her feet, 'I just remembered that I have to speak with someone,'

'Of course,' nodded Catalina, happy, as she saw Thomas leave in the same direction as Lucy, that despite being ignored by the her former father-in-law, someone was willing to listen to her words.


'Lucy!'

Lucy, who was still in conversation with her friend, turned round with a smile, that dropped into a scowl the moment she saw Thomas. She had seen him sat with the Prince, Catalina and Wolsey, who made her skin crawl and had seen Thomas, as well as the rest of them, watching her every move and if it had notbeen for her friend, Joan, she likely would have snapped. She had made her laugh but the moment she saw Thomas and heard him speak her name, she snapped.

'What do you want?' she spat, her eyes staring at him hard, 'to give your friends something else to laugh at?'

The two of them stood there looking at each other, Thomas feelingextremely uneasy as Lucy glared back at him, her blue eyes filled with hatred. None of this was made any better by her friend, who looked at Thomas with utter contempt.

'Can we speak, Lucy?' he asked, quietly, his eyes trying not fall away from Lucy's, whose blue eyes suddenly seemed to soften,-but only slightly.

'She don't want to speak to you!' snapped the other woman, grabbing hold of Lucy's arm, 'come Lu,'

She pulled at her friend's arm, but Lucy didn't move. Despite her anger, she had missed Thomas. She missed his company, she missed having someone to speak with, who actually listened to her and respected her-that was the only reason she had kissed him on the cheek that day. Lucy did not want another union with a man, she enjoyed the freedom and respect she had as a widow and she would never dream of risk everything, for a few moments of passion. She was not like that. Thomas had hurt her-really hurt her and she wanted him to know.

'You go ahead Joan,' said Lucy, turning to look at her, 'I'll catch you up,'

'Lu!'

'Joan,' replied Lucy, her voice showing some of its sharp edge. Joan, glared once more at Thomas, before nodding to Lucy and leaving. Lucy, with hands on hips, looked Thomas up and down before speaking, 'well, what do you want, Mister More,'

Thomas flinched as he heard not only the prickly tone of her voice, but because she once again she was calling him by his title.

'It's Thomas,'

'No, it's Master More,' hissed Lucy, 'and I'm Goodwife Giggs, not Lucy! Cause using our names would mean that there was something, resembling a friendship between us and we can't have that, can we?'

'Lucy, please forgive,' said Thomas, taking hold of Lucy hand, 'I'm truly sorry. The fault is with me, not with you,'

'Too true,' snorted Lucy, though she did not pull away from him. Part of her wanted to be away from him as far as possible. He held her hand so lightly, she could easily have knocked him away- but that was the reason, she stayed. John, had always been rough with her, even when they were getting along, unlike Thomas, who despite the fact they had fallen out, still treated her in the same manor, he had always done, (except for that row)-gently and with respect, 'you're holding my hand, Thomas,'

Thomas looked down and saw that she was right, their hands were joined together. Inside, part of Thomas started to once again panic, but he still couldn't let go. He had missed Lucy. He had missed their talks, hearing Lucy laugh. He missed having someone, who understood him to listen to his ideas and who didn't just dismiss them. He simply missed her, surely that could not be wrong?

'I was unfair to you the other day,' he said, looking straight in Lucy eyes, 'I was wrong to have behave such away. You are no sin, Lucy, far from it in fact,'

'No, I am no sin,' replied Lucy, calmly, touching the cross of her son's rosary, that she still worn round her neck, as she spoke, 'any friend of mine would know how strong my faith holds with me. I'm no whore, I wouldn't just throw myself into a man's bed,'

Besides that first night by the fire in Lucy's house, when she had cried into his chest about the guilt she felt about the death of her poor young son, Thomas had not thought on Lucy being a woman of deep faith.

'Perhaps, if we were to be friends again...'

'We are friends, Thomas,' she sighed, shaking her head, 'it was you, who choose to think there was something sinister... Let's go for a walk,'


They walked around the outskirts of the field, away from the rest of the crowd, who were still watching the joust-but Lucy had a feeling Joan was keeping an eye on them from a distance. Neither said anything at first, just walked in silence, occasional looking at each other, smiling briefly, before once again looking away.

Lucy walked over to the pen, where the horses were being held and leaning over the fence, patted one on the nose, as they both heard a cheer come from the direction of the joust.

'I didn't think you'd be here today,' said Lucy, glancing over in the direction of the cheers, 'I thought you wouldn't be taken in by all this nonsense,'

'Harry asked me,' replied Thomas, leaning on the fence next to her, 'I've never seen the appeal of pretending to play at war...but then, I've never seen the appeal of war,'

'It's just an excuse not to talk and try and work things out,' sighed Lucy, 'poverty is not the only reason men become soldiers,'

'Your husband was a soldier, was he not?'

'Yes,' laughed Lucy, throwing her head back, 'though I don't think all the talking in the world could have saved me and him. If he hadn't had left to become a mercenary, I think I would have, '

Thomas, as he heard her laugh and saw her blue eyes sparkling, realised he felt no guilt about them being alone together. They were friends and that was all.

'Well I never had the pleasure of meeting your husband,' smiled Thomas, 'but I'm glad that you decided not to die on a foreign field,'

'No, I'm too much of a fighter for that,' said Lucy, raising an eyebrow, 'though simply ignoring the problem is another excuse not to talk...are you going to deny that you've been ignoring me,'

'I'm not going to deny, what is true,' remarked Thomas, 'but would you have spoken to me, if I'd come to see you?'

'I would have cracked the cooking pot over your head,'

'You could have come to see me,'

'If I did know where you lived,' smiled Lucy, resting her head on Thomas shoulder, 'would your father have let me cross your doorstep,'

They to look at each other, their eyes meeting andwere locking briefly, before they once again looked away. Though unlike the previous times, they didn't pull away from each other, with neither panicking but Lucy still felt the need to reassure him.

'Thomas, I'm not sinful,' continued Lucy, looking up at the blue sky, before returning to look at Thomas, 'do you know the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Putney? Can you meet me there tomorrow at noon?'


Henry and Wolsey retook their seats beside Catalina, after having spoken with the King, who despite the solemn look on his face, had only wanted to greet his son and speak with him about his studies.

'His majesty is very proud of you, Henry,' said Wolsey, sitting down next to him, 'he's impressed with how far you've come in your education,'

'Yet,' complained Henry, sitting down with a thud beside Catalina, 'he still will not let my joust!...Catalina, where is Thomas?'

Catalina smiled and nodded in the direction of the of the field just behind the tents. Henry winced, as he looked over to where Catalina had pointed and smiled as he saw his friend talking with the pretty lady in pink-maybe Thomas would make their lessons more fun this week?

'Christ, Thomas,' muttered Wolsey to himself, as he watched Thomas and Lucy part, both with smiles on their faces, 'why can you be like other men. Romp with her in the hayloft. Get her out of your system, then forget about her,'


'Don't fall for him,' whispered Joan, as Lucy rejoined her in the Palace kitchens and helped herself to some bread, 'it can only lead to trouble,'

'It's a good thing I'm not then, isn't it,' replied Lucy, cutting through the tough bread, 'so there won't be any trouble,'

Joan look at her friend, as she put the bread away and went searching for some jam. Lucy had been unbearable to be around this week, snapping at the tiniest little things but now, she seemed to be calmer and her eyes seemed to have regained their usual shine.

'Is that why you and him both can't look each other in the eyes without smiling,' answered Joan, cynically, as Lucy spreading some strawberry jam on her slice of bread, 'do you think his family will let him marry and have babies by the likes of you. It will end in tears, Lu, with your heart broken and me having to pick up the pieces!'

'Well,' smiled Lucy, chewing on her bread and jam, 'it will make a change from me having to pick up the pieces of your broken heart,'