Chapter 20
Edward and I had barely been crowned a fortnight when the foreign Ambassadors began to flock to pay their respects to us.
The Tuscan Ambassadors were among the first and, remembering the horror of the last I had hosted a Banquet for them, I was doubly mindful of ensuring that they were accorded every respect.
However, when they suggested that Blanche be formally betrothed to their master's little son, Prince Francesco, I had to politely dissuade them.
"I thank you for your kind words, Your Excellency, but I fear that to betroth Blanche so soon after my coronation might destroy England's sense of peace. The commoners have only just been granted their wish of a united Royal Family, after my father's tragic death back in January. It might be best to have the Princess Blanche stay here as long as possible."
"Of course, Madam, but…forgive me; were you not thinking of sending Her Highness to Dublin? We heard something along those lines."
"You are quite right, Excellencies. My sister is indeed to go to Dublin. However, only to her own estates. She is, after all, the Lady of Ireland. It is the practice here in England for the Sovereign to send their heir away from Court in order to give them practice in ruling of their own accord. Since I have no children of my own, needs must that I prepare my sister to rule after me."
"Ah, but Your Majesty, you and Lord Edward are young. You will surely soon be the proud parents of a whole nursery full of Princes and Princesses." The Ambassadors flattered me to my face and I smiled, taking Edward's hand in mine as I answered.
"Pray God you are right, Excellencies. We certainly have every hope of it."
"As we do of maintaining a friendship with your master." Edward broke in smoothly, knowing that we had to bring this interview to an end, for the Imperial Ambassador, Ruy Gomez da Silva, was also waiting for an audience.
Recognising the note of dismissal in my husband's voice, the Ambassadors bowed. "Majesty. Your Highness."
They left us alone and I lost no time in turning to young Mistress Robsart, one of my new Maids of Honour, who was standing nearby.
"Amy, fetch Lady Salisbury for me, would you?"
"Of course, My Lady Queen."
Dipping a curtsy, Amy spun on her heel and was gone. I watched her out of sight before greeting the new Ambassador, who Edward had summoned in the meantime, with a winning smile.
"Excellency. It is a pleasure to welcome you to the English Court."
"And it is a pleasure to be here, Excellency. May I congratulate both you and His Highness on your accession to the throne?"
"Of course. Thank you. Now, I am sure you are tired after your long journey -"
"Quite refreshed after seeing you, Madam." His Excellency assured me. I giggled despite myself.
"Nevertheless," Edward broke in, discomforted by the compliments being paid to me, "Arrangements have been made for you. You are to lodge with our half-sister, Lady Salisbury at her London home. You should find her both an accomplished and gracious hostess. She also, thanks to her mother, the late Princess Katherine, speaks Spanish, so communicating with her shouldn't be a problem."
"Don't concern yourself, Your Highness. I speak fluent Latin and French as well as Spanish and Portuguese." Ruy Gomez assured my husband, who smiled slightly.
"We still wish to make things as easy as possible for you during your stay, Excellency. Lady Salisbury?"
Edward turned his head to look for our sister as he spoke. She materialised at his side as though by magic. "I am here, Your Highness."
"This is the new Imperial Ambassador, Don Ruy Gomez da Silva, Lady Salisbury. We would like you to take him and lodge him with you for now. Excellency, this is our sister, Lady Mary Tudor, Countess of Salisbury and Buckingham."
"Estoy encantado, Doña Maria." Ruy Gomez bowed over our older sister's hand and kissed it as she sketched him a brief curtsy.
"Es también para mí un honor, Señor Gomez."
For a second, I fancied I saw a hint of a blush tint Mary's cheeks under the new Ambassador's gaze, then dismissed it. Mary was thirty-one and as steady a woman as I had ever seen. No man would ever make her blush.
Ambassadors all greeted and feted as befitted their rank, I turned my attention, once again, to preparing Blanche for her departure to Ireland.
I had arranged for a council of trusted Knights and Barons to travel with Blanche and be her advisors, but there were still three more people that I would be more than happy to see go with her.
To this end, I sought out George Boleyn after one of the Privy Council meetings.
"Lord Ormonde? Might I have a word?"
"Of course you can." My cousin fell into step beside me with his usual easy grace.
"Blanche is due to leave for Ireland next month and I was wondering; since you're Earl of Ormonde, would you go with her? Act as her chief advisor? It's not that I don't trust her, but she is only eleven. I'd feel more comfortable if someone was there to keep an eye on her, someone we both know, like and trust. You have lands in Ireland and Blanche likes you as much as I do. She trusts you. If you would only agree to accompany and help her, I think we'd both be much happier."
"Elizabeth, you and Blanche as both as dear to me as my own sisters. You needn't ask. I was planning to get your permission to do just that at the next opportunity anyway."
"Does that mean you will?"
"With all my heart." George stooped to kiss me on the forehead and I let him, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
"There is one more question I want to ask you, George."
"Anything, Elizabeth."
"Blanche is eager to – to take Jess and Nora with her when she goes to Ireland. Personally, I am more than happy to let her do so, but I wondered whether you thought Mary; your Mary, that is, would agree to the idea."
George sighed. "I thought you might ask that."
"If you've already thought about it, what's the answer?"
"Honestly? That I don't know. She'll be thrilled at the honour of you choosing them, that's for sure, but whether she'll want to lose them is another matter. I think you'd be better off talking to her yourself."
"I see."
"I'm sorry I can't be of more help."
"No, no. You've done more than enough, George. Thank you."
"A pleasure, Your Majesty." George bowed then dropped back to speak to one of the other councillors as I strode on ahead of him.
Following George's advice, I decided to call on Mary Stafford to discuss the twins' future. I would ordinarily have summoned her to Court to talk to her, but with such a delicate matter under consideration, I deemed it best to avoid all the protocol that I possibly could.
My older cousin greeted me pleasantly, calling the children down to pay their respects and letting me spend a few minutes with my sisters before sending them back to their lessons. The twins protested at this, pouting, but an assurance that I would come up to hear them sing later and then out to the stables to see Nora ride her pony soon restored their good humour and I watched them hurry away to the schoolroom with a half-indulgent smile playing about my lips.
"You should be proud of them, Elizabeth. They're lovely girls."
Mary Stafford's soft voice brought me out of my reverie. I turned to her with a wry chuckle.
"It's down to you, Lady Stafford. No, forgive me, I meant Mary. They've changed so much since they came to live with you. Changed for the better. When I think of the shy little girls they once were…"
My voice trailed off, almost horrified by the difference. They had been so shy. Not around me, but everybody else. Even Kat had scared them. And they'd been so sensitive. Particularly Jess. I couldn't have helped either, come to that. Love them though I did, duty to England had always come first with me. If my father wanted me at Court, to Court I went. To the girls, it must have seemed as though I was abandoning them. Time and time again.
"You couldn't have done any more for them, Elizabeth." Mary Stafford murmured, as though she could read my thoughts. "You were hardly more than a child yourself. Anyway, they idolise you, both of them."
"Really?"
"Absolutely. No one can say a word against you in their hearing."
"Well. I do my best by them. I like to think that Mama would have been pleased to see us so close; all four of us."
"Of course she would."
My hand was enfolded in my cousin's as she reached out to reassure me. No one but the Boleyns – Mary, George and Anne and their families – had the privilege of being allowed to treat me so informally, even in private, except my sisters and my husband's family. Some would say that I shouldn't even let them treat me informally, but I was only sixteen. I needed people I could trust; let my guard down around. Especially since I was Queen.
But musing on that wasn't going to give Blanche her heart's desire. Sighing, I sat up and withdrew my hand.
"It's Blanche who really rails against the cards Fate dealt the twins, though. She adores them. She wants to take them to Ireland with her as Maids of Honour."
"What? Jess and Nora? They're only seven."
"They're only a year younger than my great-grandmother was when she joined Court." I pointed out, before switching tack. "Please, Mary. Blanche is absolutely desperate. I promised her I'd talk to you about it. I know they're young, but you know Lady Bryan wouldn't let any harm come to them if they were under her care. She's fierce at times, yes, but she would never hurt a child. Can't they go with her?"
"That's not what I'm worried about. I know they'd be well cared for. It's just – sending them away is one thing, though I love those girls dearly. It's the insecurity it might bring them. And have you thought what the other nobles will say? They'll expect their daughters to go with Blanche, not your sisters."
"My sisters are the great-nieces of the Duke of Norfolk and the wards of the Queen Dowager's sister; the Queen's cousin. That makes them as good as any Knight's daughter, at the very least. Besides, I plan to marry them to Earls, at the very least. They'll be Lady Eleanor and Lady Jessica someday. They'll be expected to go to Court then. They might as well start now. Unless you're absolutely certain that it would destroy them, which I hope it wouldn't, please don't tell me that you're going to refuse outright."
"Well…"
"If it's a case of treating all your children equally, I promise I'll take Katy and Annie into my own household as soon as Annie's old enough. And Henry too. Or they can be companions or servants to my children!" The words tumbled out in a great impulsive rush, making Mary laugh in spite of herself.
"With all your pleading, I might think that you've promised Blanche that she can have my girls whether or not I agree!" she warned teasingly. However, her next words positively thrilled me.
"I'll have to talk to my husband and to the girls themselves – and even then, I'm not promising anything – but I'll think about it."
"Oh, thank you, Mary! Blanche will be delighted!"
Leaping up, I flung my arms around my cousin and then, at the first strains of a virginal being played, raced out of the room so as not to disappoint my little sisters.
After a great deal of thought, Lady Stafford finally agreed to allow Blanche to take Jess and Nora with her to Ireland, so when, on our last night in Bristol before she sailed, I went to spend some time with her, I found them in her rooms as well.
"Blanche, Jess, Nora." Dismissing my sister's ladies with a silent wave of my hand before I greeted them, I bent to kiss them each in turn, then took the real purpose of the visit from my skirts. "Look what I've got for you."
I handed them each a silver locket set with a jewel: a ruby for Nora, an emerald for Blanche and a sapphire for Jess, letting them examine them closely.
The moment she opened hers, Blanche understood.
"Bessie…"
"I had the portrait copied. It's only fair. We're all her daughters. We should all be wearing them."
Instinctively touching my hand to my own mother of pearl locket, this one set with a gleaming black pearl, I said no more, but waited for the twins to speak.
"Who is she? The lady in the painting?"
"She looks like us." Jess added to Nora's questions, begging me for an explanation.
"That's because she's your Mama. Your real Mama."
The words almost stuck in my throat, so choked up was I by now. I'd waited so long to give the twins a keepsake of our mother and now; now that the moment had come, it was as though I was in a dream. Tears pricked my eyelids and I didn't even try to restrain them as I answered Jess's whispered question, "The one who went away?"
"Yes. Yes, Jess. That is your Mama, the one who went away."
"She was so beautiful." Blanche murmured.
"I know. And she loved us all so much. So, so much."
"But then why go away? Didn't she want to stay with us?" Nora asked, unwittingly driving a stake through my heart with her words.
"She did, Nora, she did. She wanted to stay, oh, so very, very much. But there were lots of people who didn't like her, so they decided to take her away from us. And then, later, God took her to live with him and the angels. That's why she's not back, even though the horrible people who took her away from us are gone. But it doesn't change how much she loves us. Nothing will ever change that. I promise."
I met each of my sisters' eyes for one long moment before I continued, "So we have to make her proud. She's watching us from Heaven now and we have to make her proud. Will you do that? All of you? Will you wear the lockets and do your best to make her proud? For me? For her? For our mother; Her Majesty Queen Katherine Howard?"
My voice rang with determined pride as I said the last words; called my mother by her former title for what was almost the first time since she died.
Glancing at each of my sisters in turn, I silently held out my arms to them.
All three of them – Blanche included, for all she was almost a young woman – sprinted forward and fell into my waiting embrace.
"Of course we will, Bessie! Of course we will!"
Unable to speak, I clutched them close to me, all four of us weeping, until I could no longer tell where my tears ended and the others' began.
The next morning, Edward and I accompanied Blanche and her retinue to her ship.
Most of the formalities had already been taken care of; all that remained was for me to remind her household of the great honour that had been done to them in my choosing them to accompany my sister to her estates and bid them to conduct themselves with propriety during their stay in Ireland.
This I did, in a ringing voice, and then Blanche, George Boleyn beside her, as befitted her escort, curtsied to me and Edward.
"Farewell, Your Majesty. Your Highness. May God keep you until we meet again."
I curtsied back, then pulled her up and kissed her on both cheeks, enfolding her into my arms.
"Take care, sweetheart. I love you."
"I love you too, Bessie. I'll see you soon."
"Of course. Christmas. Now go, Blanche. You need to catch the tide."
Nodding, Blanche moved to say her goodbyes to Edward whilst I took my leave of George Boleyn.
"I leave my sister in your care, Lord Ormonde. Watch over her for me."
"I swear on both my life and the Cross of St. George that I will do so, Your Majesty." George promised, kissing my hand as protocol required. I inclined my head briefly in acknowledgement.
"Then I am relieved. I hold you to that Oath, My Lord. For now, farewell."
"Farewell, My Lady Queen." George bowed, and then offered his arm to my sister. They went up the gangplank and, barely a minute later, the ropes were loosened, allowing the ship to drift away.
Edward and I watched them out of sight, noting how Blanche, unable to bear the sight of the ever widening stretch of water between us, had buried her head in George's chest. His arm was around her shoulders, holding her tenderly, as an older brother might do to his favourite younger sister.
"She's in good hands." Edward whispered.
I nodded. Nevertheless, I still didn't leave the harbour until her ship was well and truly gone. Even when I did, it was only to go to Bristol Church to pray for Blanche's safe arrival in Dublin.
She was my only full sister; my greatest earthly treasure. I couldn't bear the thought of losing her.