A/N: Hey people! Thanks for all the reviews, they've made my week and inspired me to write more. Thank you! I'm sorry I've taken a bit longer to update this time, but I hope you enjoy. Please do not forget to review, thank you!
VII
"Sister!" Mary called out running towards the door as she saw Catherine entering the fortress.
"Hello, mon petit!" Catherine said with a wide smile, placing the umbrella she was using outside to protect herself from the sun on the ground, beside the door. "Oh, how I missed you."
"I missed you, too." Mary said as Catherine kneeled and embraced her tightly, standing up.
"Tell me everything," Catherine started, walking around the main hall of her small fortress with Mary in her arms. "How is your French? Have you been riding?"
"Catherine, slow down." Mark said with a small laugh observing Catherine anxiously walking around the house with Mary in her arms. He finished giving the orders to some servants to take her luggage to her room and followed her to one of the living rooms.
"My lady, this arrived in the morning." Lady Eleanore, Mark's mother, entered the living room right after them, carrying a large box.
"What is it?" Catherine frowned, sitting in one of the luxurious couches, placing Mary in her lap and looking from Mark to his mother.
Mark took the box and placed it over another couch, taking a small note that was stick to the box and reading carefully.
"It is destined to Mary." he said, after reading the note and handing it to Catherine.
"It's from the King." he added before she took the note and read 'To Mary Stafford. From: His Majesty King Henry VIII'.
"Burn it." Catherine said simply, but visibly distressed, handing the note back to Mark. Mary observed everything in silence.
"Catherine," Mark said carefully, after exchanging a concerned look with his mother. "Better not."
"I said burn it." Catherine said an octave higher, looking from Mark to his mother.
"Catherine, don't." Mark insisted.
"I wish to see it." Mary said lowly, but loud enough for everyone to hear her. Catherine broke eye contact with Mark and observed Mary's curious eyes in front of her; she then exchanged one last look with Mark and sighed.
"Alright, open it." Catherine said listless.
Mary let out a smile before standing up and reaching for the box on the other couch. With Eleanor's help she untied the laces and opened the box, only to reveal a beautiful golden colored dress with drawings of red roses. Of excellent taste, no doubt. Catherine observed the dress as Eleanor helped Mary to take it out of the box.
"Look how beautiful it is, Mary!" Lady Eleanor said with a smile, as she exchanged a look with Catherine, hanging the dress in front of Mary.
"Catherine, may I keep it?" Mary asked shyly, but with a childish look. Catherine sighed and shook her head. "Please?"
Catherine then saw Lady Eleanor's and Mark's eyes on her, both nodding their heads simultaneously.
"Oh fine!" Catherine said with another sigh, standing up distressfully, walking out of the room, upstairs to her stateroom. Mark followed her shortly after.
x
"Why do you think he sent it?" Mark asked as he watched Catherine lying on the bed in front of him. Her long black hair splattered around her head, her beautiful dark red dress also taking the bed, she had her face turned to the side he was seating, distractively playing with a lock of her hair.
"To remember me I have to pay back," she answered thoughtfully, her eyes lost in the lock of her own hair.
"What will you tell him?" Mark asked, a bit unsure, seeing by how distracted and lost in her own thoughts she was.
"What he wants to hear," she said assuring, as if she had just woken up. She then sat on the bed and looked away from him. "No matter if I tell she had as many lovers as I had in France, even her own cousin Master Wyatt, he will not believe it."
"So you will tell him she had no lovers?" Mark asked, visibly surprised.
"I will tell him she had admirers," Catherine said carefully, as if she was planning everything in her head, then she looked back at him. "And I won't be lying, after all. Will I?"
"Certainly not," Mark nodded, laying his back against the couch, reflecting. "She does have many admires, always had from what you tell me about France."
"She is what 'court' is all about," Catherine said even with a loving laugh. "Always captivated everyone."
"Lady Catherine," their conversation was interrupted with a knock on open door, before one of the servants entered the room. "Sir Thomas Boleyn and the Duke of Norfolk are downstairs asking for you."
"What?" Catherine couldn't help to react instantly to the names. Mark exchanged a look with her, before standing up to take her downstairs.
x
The steps down to the main hall of her house were the longest ever, mostly because before taking them, she asked for Mark to stay on the top of the stairs, but not go down with her. He insisted, but she would not let him. As she reached the hall, she was greeted by Thomas Boleyn and Thomas Howard; both men looking quite sly and serious, but managed a forced nod to her.
"Sir Thomas, Your Grace." Catherine said, acknowledging her visitors.
"Lady Catherine." both of them said lowly.
"To what do I owe the honor?" she asked notably sarcastic.
"I will be straight forward, Lady Catherine." Sir Thomas said after he exchanged a look with his brother in law. "I know you have an audience with the King and I know he paid this visit to your sister and raised your pension."
"Yes," Catherine nodded, blankly staring at them. "And... ?"
"You know about the king and Anne." the Duke of Norfolk continued a bit more calm than Boleyn. "What are you planning? You are not as cunning as your father, but might end up just like him."
Catherine fought hard to keep her unexpressive face and not to grab Norfolk's neck right there. She took a moment to put her thoughts together before replying.
"I don't think so, Your Grace." she said controlling, but calmly. "Since whatever it is I am planning I am planning alone. This time no one will tell the king anything. Isn't that right?"
Clearly the two men took the hint: she always knew it was them that told the king about her father's plan. It was their time of taking a moment before replying.
"You would never be able to hold the King's attention for long!" Thomas Boleyn yelled an octave higher, losing his temper. "He will tire of you as he had done to others!"
"Oh, I see," Catherine said with a laugh. She then walked calmly around the room, laughing, which clearly disturbed the two men. "You two think I am a mistress to Henry VIII? But oh, you must not worry. I am not and neither I intend to be, the closer I will ever get to His Majesty is through Charles Brandon. As you gentlemen know very well."
"But then why all of this, Lady Catherine?" Norfolk said a bit impatiently. The way the girl kept needling them was surely taking him off his mind.
"Well, Your Grace, I owe no explanation to you." Catherine said in a discreet mocking tone. Then she smiled, Boleyn and Norfolk stared at her with both curiosity and awe to her bold words.
"But I want to settle this, so I will not have to stand your presumptuous presence in my estate no more." she added, after a brief smile. She then started walking around the room. Her shoes making a repetitive noise on the wooden floor, as she made her way to a corner where a beautiful fireplace stood with an enormous painting of the Elizabeth of York above it.
In the few seconds she silently walked towards the fireplace she quickly drew a plan in her mind: Norfolk and Boleyn now certainly were afraid of what she could tell Henry VIII, and they certainly had no idea that no matter if she told the truth, he would only listen to what he wanted. She had just said that to Mark⦠And there she saw a chance she could not let pass.
"You gentlemen are not exactly very aware of your surroundings, am I right?" she started, stopping in front of the fireplace and glanced at the two men that stood where they were, watching her. She saw then that Mark had come down the stairs and watched her from there.
"Since my father has died I have been stripped from everything." she gestured around to the still beautifully decorated room, but missing many of its expensive decoration.
"My family riches, lands, titles, everything is in the possession of Henry VIII now." she continued, looking down and taking a deep breath. Trying hard not to show how disgusted she felt by Henry.
"Even my mother's jewelries," Catherine continued and looked in the two men's eyes, one after the other. Then she stepped forward and stood a few inches from them.
"I want it all back and I will do anything to have it." she said lower. And glanced for a moment at Mark standing by the stairs, then she looked back at the men, still in awe and silence watching her.
"I am not as greedy as my father, however," Catherine continued lowly with a bittersweet smile. "I have no wish over the throne; in fact I want to be away from it as much as I can. I just want what was mine before."
Boleyn and Norfolk exchanged a look before looking back at Catherine, again distancing herself from them, back to the fireplace. With her back to them, she wiped a few tears that had come to her eyes. Tears of wrath. Whenever she reminded herself of all that Henry VIII had taken from her, she felt enraged.
And her pause was crucial at that moment. The two gentlemen could then understand that she, indeed, did not want Anne's place. She was disgusted by the sight and thought of Henry VIII. And they saw there and then that they could have an ally. Catherine made sure they would see that, measuring every single word that she spoke.
"So I must tell you whatever your scheme is, it is working." Catherine said moments later, turning around to look at Norfolk and Boleyn. "The King is fascinated by Anne. But he isn't a complete fool. He looked for me because he knows I am close to her and he knows it was you that betrayed my father."
Both Norfolk and Boleyn stepped back with her last sentence, as if defending themselves from an invisible sword. Catherine smiled; they probably thought she was a foolish young girl. Certainly the fact that she was so aware of her surroundings, and especially what brought her father's death, did impress the two gentlemen. And they didn't even dream that right at that moment she was also architecting a plan of her own.
"So the King must think I would do anything to revenge my father. But I see further than that." she said with mischievous smile. "He asked me of her lovers and do not worry, I have not told him yet. I asked to see my sister first."
"What do you want?" Boleyn spoke finally. Norfolk nodded.
"Riches? We can arrange you that." Norfolk added, gesturing around.
"No, you have not been listening, Your Grace." Catherine replied and approached them. "I do not want your riches, I want my riches."
"Anne has good chances in winning the king's heart and even to become queen. I know her, I know how intelligent she is." she continued and observed Mark for a second, whom nodded in tension for her to continue whatever she was planning.
"But if I open my mouth to say all I know about her, then she will go nowhere." she then became a few inches away from the men again, speaking lowly. "But I might tell him how much of a good and pure lady she is when he asks. When you have enough power and the King starts to spread his favor to you, I want you to ask him to restore my title and give me everything back. No more, no less."
Catherine laid down her cards. She had no idea where all of this could take her, but then again she had nothing else to lose, only her life. For a moment there she thought of how much her father would be proud of all of this. And how much she, a few years back, of disapprove this in herself. But life had made her that way.
"How you will do that I do not mind, and I know you can do it." she finished. And Norfolk and Boleyn seemed to have been in a long and difficult battle, for they were breathing fast and steadily.
"Agreed." Boleyn said before she could turn around and distance herself from them. He then stood his arm to her. She gave him his hand and he shook it slightly, before kissing it courteously.
"When I return to court I will be pleased to tell the King wonders about your daughter then," Catherine said a moment after Boleyn let go of her hand, Mark then approached her and she added for the two gentlemen. "Now, please leave."
