January 1, 1559
Her mind still racing from the night before, Queen Mary woke up with the sunrise, unable to continue sleeping. She was worried for Lady Mary and her task as a spy. Not to mention she felt extremely guilty for even putting her cousin in that situation. However, the crown came with a cost, she had already learned that lesson many times from her mother-in-law. Sometimes, to be a Queen, you have to make decisions that make your stomach churn. Mary's solution to this uneasiness was simple. She was going to throw herself in to her work. There were still many final details of the coronation that needed to be settled, and Catherine Grey had offered to help Mary with the final details. As they looked over the preparations Catherine said," Your majesty may I ask you something?"
Mary smiled as she turned to her cousin, "Why of course." Mary tried to act as if all was normal, but he was nervous for Lady Mary Grey and she had been feeling this weird sensation which she feared was a sickness. Throwing herself in to her work did not completely distract Mary, especially since she was working so closely with Catherine, who had no idea what Mary had asked her younger sister to do.
"Do you have marriages planned for us, or do we find our own suitors?" Catherine asked. She knew as being in line for the throne she needed to ask the queen about a marriage. And though Queen Mary had a closer cousin who is ahead of Catherine in line for the throne, it was believed, if Mary died childless, Catherine would be named the heir to the English throne, with Mary Grey behind her. This meant, legally, that the Grey sisters would need to as permission before marrying anyone.
"What an odd question my lady," Mary said hiding a smiled," This would not have anything to do with the Earl of Hertford would it?" Anyone who saw the two of them together could see the attraction between them. Even Mary, who had only seen them for a few moments the day before noticed the lingering stares and the blushing, from both of them. Not to mention, their short walk the day before lasted much longer than anticipated. Something was there, and all of court could already tell.
Catherine blushed, "No, well sort of. He just said I should consider him as a suitor, and it made me wonder." Catherine was doing a horrible job at hiding how she truly felt. At the end of the day, it was just a crush, as of right now, maybe it could be more, but Catherine had never even had a crush on another man before. After the incident with Jane, the Grey sisters and their whole family became recluses, hardly talking to anyone from the outside world. No man had ever given Catherine attention, and she never wanted it, until now.
Mary smiled at her cousin," I have no doubt His Grace is a good man, but don't accept the first proposal you receive." Men can be flighty, that much Mary knew for sure. Just look at what a man's impulses did to all of England. A civil war still loomed over their heads because of Henry VIII's easily swayed heart and mind. She would support Catherine, no matter what, but she also wanted to protect her.
Catherine nodded, knowing that Mary's advice rang true. After all, Catherine was the most eligible woman in England, perhaps even Western Europe, certainly many men would try to win her hand. "Yes I know your majesty, but he is so sweet, I think I will consider marrying him," she confessed. Catherine would never rush in to anything, but she had to admit, something about the Earl was appealing, and he was loyal to Mary.
"If you truly love him and wish to marry him I will accept it," Mary replied, wanting her cousins to be happy, just as she was with Francis. "But I suggest you wait to be sure."
Catherine nodded," Of course your majesty. On an unrelated note, where is my sister? Shouldn't she be here?" Certainly the second in line for the throne should also help with the final preparations of the coronation. Besides, Catherine wanted to keep an eye on her sister. She was young, and naive, despite being intelligent, and she worried that Lady Elizabeth could easily manipulate her. Catherine could not bear to lose another sister, though she suspected Queen Mary would try her hardest to make sure that did not happen either.
Mary gulped nervously, but kept her composure. For the sake of the plan, not a single soul could know what Queen Mary had asked Mary Grey to do, and sadly that included Catherine. If Lady Catherine knew what Queen Mary had asked of her younger sister, she would be very upset. "She was not feeling well this morning, she went for a walk in the gardens with Lady Elizabeth," she lied. Well, it was not a complete lie, that is where Mary Grey was, but it was not because she was ill, it was because she was following orders. Mary hated liars, and now she was becoming a rather good one, which did not help to settle her guilty stomach.
Catherine frowned, her fear having been realized. Elizabeth posed a danger to the country, but she posed a particular danger to the Grey sisters personally, because they were already from a treasonous family. "I hope that witch doesn't get in my sister's head. The last thing I need is to loose another sister."
Mary shot Catherine a sympathetic glance, and she even felt a twinge of guilt, but not about Lady Mary. For some reason, she felt guilty about the execution of Jane Grey, which took place almost five years ago." Did you forgive her? Mary I mean." It seemed that Queen Mary had taken on the burdens and the guilt of her predecessor, but she was unsure why she felt that responsibility.
Catherine sighed, and Mary could tell that she had just asked a really painful question. "As a Christian I have tried, I really have, but she beheaded my sister, a teenager, just because of what my father did." Catherine began to tear up a bit, but she forced herself to stop. Mary Tudor was not going to get her tears again, not today.
"Do you resent him as well?" Mary asked curiously, after all, their father was the person who instigated Jane's attempted usurpation of Mary's crown.
She nodded, "More so than Mary, but he is my father and I still love him." There was a lot of complicated feelings there, and Catherine did not really want to bring them all back up now, but she would answer her Queen's questions, like a good servant. That's all she had ever tried to be, a good servant.
"But Mary was your cousin, don't you still love her?" Mary asked sort of getting upset. Her biggest fear was ending up like her cousin Mary, cold and alone on her deathbed.
"If I am to speak freely about the former queen I must say I do not love her, as a person or a queen," Catherine said bitterly, ending her statement abruptly. Mary was expecting a but from her, but it never came. Catherine hated Mary Tudor, and that was the end of it.
Mary started to tear up a bit. All she could think of is the picture of the old dying Mary laying alone in her bed, with a stranger being her closest friend. "Mary was a good woman, she separated politics and emotion, she committed no crime." Of course, she felt horrible for saying that, as true as she thought it was. Catherine did not need to hear that though. It was her sister that died after all.
Catherine frowned seeing Mary's tears," I'm sorry if I offended you your majesty, but perhaps you knew Mary differently than me, or all of us for that matter."
Mary looked down having never thought of that. Mary saw Mary Tudor on her deathbed, when her real character came out, someone who wasn't holding back. The world didn't know Mary Tudor the way Mary did, and maybe that was the problem. "I suppose you are right," Mary said and sighed. She looked down at her own black dress for she decided to remain in mourning until at least her coronation, but no one else seemed to be mourning."Catherine, I wish for you to tell everyone at court to wear their mourning clothes until my coronation. Every year on the anniversary of her death to the anniversary of my coronation we shall wear black to mourning Mary Tudor."
Catherine looked a bit confused at Mary, but nodded and curtsied," Yes your majesty," she said then went off to tell those at court about the Queen's new orders.
Meanwhile Lady Mary Grey and Lady Elizabeth were walking in the garden. Mary's heart stopped almost every time one of them spoke. She had accepted this mission from the Queen, but that did not mean she liked it. She felt dirty not only was she lying, but she was lying to family. Just months ago, it seemed like the Greys and ELizabeth were on the same side. Two prominent protestant forces under the rule of a Catholic Queen. Now, they were enemies, all because the Greys chose to side with Mary Stuart this time around. "So Elizabeth you said you will be marrying King Phillip?" Despite her guilt and fears, Mary knew she had a job to do.
Elizabeth nodded with a little of bit pride, "Yes within the next to months he shall come for the ceremony." Mary knew she needed more details though, or at least answers to crucial questions.
"But rumor has it that you've been corresponding with Lord Dudley," Mary said. All of court was talking about it. Elizabeth and Dudley have been close ever since the beginning of Mary Tudor's reign and it wasn't much of a secret. Most people just assumed they would get married one day and they still thought that, but with this news of Philip entering the picture, Mary needed answers on what Elizabeth's intentions were.
Elizabeth sighed," Yes I was. He was my first choice in husband, until King Philip wrote me." She said and seemed a bit upset about it. Could she still have feelings for her former lover? Did Elizabeth even have feelings? These were answers Mary wanted to know, but not the answers that she needed to know.
However, Mary got an idea. Something that could save all of them from civil war. If Elizabeth had feelings, and those feelings extended to Lord Dudley, then maybe she could be convinced to follow her heart, instead of her ambitions. Then, they could all live happily ever after, as a family. "You seem upset about not marrying Lord Dudley."
"He is a good man, he shouldn't have to face being denied," Elizabeth said coldly, it was clear that Mary was testing her patience, but she tried to not snap. This only confirmed to Mary that Elizabeth did harbor feelings for Lord Dudley.
"If your heart is leading you to Lord Dudley, follow it!" Mary pleaded, but calmed herself, trying not to reveal that she actually had an alternative motive. Their entire futures could rest on Elizabeth's choice of a husband, and it seemed that Dudley would work out best, for everyone involved.
"Enough prying Mary," Elizabeth chuckled a bit, but she had a forcefulness that told Mary that this conversation was over. "We really should be thinking about your own marriage. After all, you are high in the line of succession, and when I marry Philip, your station will rise, and when I retake England, you will be first in line to the throne, after my children of course." There it was. Elizabeth's confession about her true intentions, Mary almost turned pale at the idea. "I am sure there are some rich and handsome Hapsburg princes for you to choose from."
Mary tried to return Elizabeth's playful tone, but truthfully, she was still in shock at the realization that Elizabeth was comfortably planning a civil war. "I am from a treasonous Protestant family. No Hapsburg would want me." And I do not want a Hapsburg she thought to herself, but decided not to include that. Elizabeth might be Queen one day, God forbid, and Mary needed to be on her good side.
"Perhaps. Maybe even France. After I dethrone Mary, I am sure Henri of France will want to secure an alliance to keep French interests in tact. I hear Prince Charles is around your age," Elizabeth suggested, knowing that, as Queen, she would need to secure her rule through good alliances, and that meant more than just with Spain. "Then again, I do not think his mother would allow it, Catherine de Medici is a raging b-"
"Lady Elizabeth!" It said and they turned around and saw none other than Catherine De Medici, who, unbeknownst to them, was sent by Queen Mary to the gardens, in order to relieve Lady Mary from her spy duties for a bit."Lady Elizabeth, Lady Grey, I'm glad I caught up with you. I just got in from France, and the Queen told me that you would be out here."
Both girls bowed respectfully and Elizabeth said," Your majesty how are you here now?" This was a surprisingly polite question from Elizabeth, who was infuriated to have to deal with the French Queen. Catherine de Medici's reputation preceded her, and Elizabeth knew that this would only make her plans more difficult.
"I took a boat here a few days after my son left for here," the French Queen replied with her fake politician smile, "I have brought Charles with me too, we want to help get ready for the coronation." Despite being in a conversation with both of them, Catherine de Medici was staring daggers in to Elizabeth and it was not subtle, but Elizabeth was more than happy to return the favor.
The intensity of this conversation became to much for Mary, and she needed to get out. "Where is prince Charles?" Lady Mary asked.
"He is in side with Queen Mary, perhaps you could go find him, he'd love someone close to his age, and I need to discuss boring politics with Lady Elizabeth," Catherine said sweetly, knowing full well that Lady Mary was trying to find and excuse to leave. She was happy to oblige, she preferred to speak privately to Elizabeth anyways.
Lady Mary nodded," Yes your majesty," she curtsied then left so quickly she was almost running. Perhaps court in general had become to much for her.
"You majesty, what was it you wished to speak to me about? Elizabeth asked nervously. Knowing Catherine de Medici, it would not be a shock if the French Queen pulled a dagger out and stabbed Elizabeth where she stood, and then blame it on the wind. However, Elizabeth knew that Catherine only resorted to those thing when she was backed in a corner, which proved one thing. Elizabeth had a chance at success.
Catherine shot Elizabeth an angry glance, her smile disappearing at the instant Lady Mary was out of eye sight. "What exactly are you plotting?"
Elizabeth backed away in shock, trying to play dumb, "Excuse me?" How much could Catherine possibly know?
"I am the Queen of France and an Italian, but you think you can outsmart me. I know about the deals you've been making," Catherine said not wanting to reveal all that she knew. Her time as Queen taught her only to show her cards when necessary, and Elizabeth was not worth it, not yet always. Catherine had always had complicated feelings about Queen Mary, but she loved her son, and Elizabeth was a threat to him, meaning Elizabeth needed to be destroyed.
"And what would you be referring to your majesty?" Elizabeth asked testing her knowledge. If Catherine could play coy, then Elizabeth would too. She laughed a bit, "Until you are ready to actually talk to me, keep your threats to yourself, your majesty."
Catherine gritted her teeth in annoyance at this foolish girl. If this young girl, no, this young bastard, though she could go toe to toe with Catherine she was wrong. "Mary might not have the heart to kill you, but I lost my heart a long time ago and I wouldn't even loose a minute of sleep over killing a bastard," Catherine said then turned to walk away. "Enjoy this day, Lady Elizabeth, for it will be the last good one you ever have, if I have anything to say about it."
Chapter 6 re-write