Chapter Two~
May 2nd 1464, Grafton Manor, Northamptonshire
The King had left the day after his 'marriage' to Elizabeth and I still could not find it in me to be happy for her. Even so I kept it a secret from everyone that is until I saw Anthony walking towards the hunting lodge one morning. He always was one to pick up on Elizabeth and my silent conversations, even if he could not explain what we were saying between one another. I could do nothing but run after him until I heard him calling Elizabeth a whore and shame to our household. By the time I reached the two of them she was explaining how she had wed the King and Anthony was saying what a fool she was. How he had done this before with half the women in England. That sadly was when I appeared.
"Kathrine? Did you know?" He asked sounding not angry but upset to think that not one, but two of his sisters had gone and stabbed the family in the back in such a way.
"She told me yes, but I never agreed to it! Did I want my eldest sister fooling herself into marrying the King of England? Of course not!" I said pushing my brother shoulder before adding,
"I only ever wanted her to be happy, not under some guise of a false marriage."
"You are wrong! Both of you are wrong!" She cries shoving the two of us aside and stepping back into the hunting lodge before slamming the door shut causing me to look at Anthony and say to him,
"Speak not a word, not even a whisper to anyone. Do not even think it to yourself. If you think she has shamed the family then think of what you saying it to anyone else will do." I watched him sigh and shake his head before he turned to look at the lodge sadly. Turning to leave with a shake of his head clearly upset, I called after him,
"I only ever wanted her happiness! Is that not what we all want?" I watched him pause before he continued onwards away from the lodge leaving me to try and talk with Elizabeth. Only it was no use, after several attempts she would not come out and I was left to return to the manor and find Mother. Yet she too would not hear a word of my anger apparently having heard some anger from Anthony as well. Alone in my bitterness, I was left with no choice but to continue on with my day as if nothing ever had happened. All the while I kept fiddling with my necklace wondering now if Elizabeth had pulled from the river her marriage ring to the King, what was my pendant going to bring to me? It was not until sometime later with me lost in my musings that I found Elizabeth pacing the bedrooms by herself. Left standing looking at one another, she was the first to speak.
"The battle should be any moment now." I could only nod since truth be told I had forgotten all about it.
"Are you afraid?" I asked dumbly watching her sink onto the bed she shares with her boys as she plays with her ring saying,
"Is not ever wife when her husband goes into battle?"
"Well, when their husband is King of England I would think they'd be even more so." I tell her taking a seat by her side and taking her hand into mine before looking down at her ring. Sitting in a comfortable silence, I finally say,
"I am sorry Lizzy, I could only go by what my heart said was right at the time and it told me I could not trust him. Yet I see now how desprite you are for him,"
"You do not trust him still." She returns as I shrug telling her,
"He is King, but your happiness will always come first."
"And what of your happiness then? Have you thought of what the river will bring to you?" She asks me picking up my necklace to look down at it. I only hum and tell her truthfully,
"I keep asking myself that also. I have no King to marry, no children to keep safe from danger and yet I feel danger looming overhead. I want to make sure that I am happy yet not at the price of others."
"Mother would say that is a dangerous game." Elizabeth replies but I tell her,
"The more allies you make the easier it is to win a war." Giving me a wry look, Elizabeth sighs saying to me,
"I simply wish for this all to be quick and done with." Sadly her wish is not answered for the next morning a messenger arrives saying King Henry's forces have been defeated and that he had fled to the moors with a price on his head. Not only that but Queen Margaret taken her son to Scotland but it meant that the war would never end. Yet for now the fighting has ended and King Edward had won, and not only that but he was alive. Of course with that news I need only one glance to know what Elizabeth was thinking and soon enough the next morning I ran to find Elizabeth and Anthony talking to one another on the trail from the hunting lodge.
"Did you know?" Elizabeth asked as if accusing me of something leaving me speechless and turning to Anthony for an explanation.
"Know what?"
"That Edward was to marry the Princess Bona of France!" Elizabeth cried in pain leaving me to shake my head and turn to Anthony who said to the two of us,
"I told you both it was foolish for you to think the King was going to marry you Elizabeth." Leaving us both behind I turned to Elizabeth who I could see was distressed so took her arm in mine telling her,
"You, and you alone have his heart Elizabeth. Do not listen to Anthony you hear me?"
"How can I not when Edward is telling me to wait and wait before we announce ourselves to even Father?!" She says waving a hand in the air as we walk back home as I continue,
"Because Lord Warwick is the Kingmaker and pulls strings all around the Kingdom. Yet at the end of the day he is not the King, Edward is. However, that does not mean Edward can freely play his cards however he sees fit. Like a game of poker or chess, you have to play to win not play to show off." Laughing at me, Elizabeth shakes her head as the two of us put aside what had occurred for more pleasant conversation. Even so, when Elizabeth next gets a message it is signed 'my love' and with lovers words. Only what shakes both Elizabeth and I is the fact that Mother says the messenger also brought a summons for Father and a summons for all the nobles to Court.
"It would mean, that he plans to announce his marriage." I say turning to look at Elizabeth who has hope in her eyes only Mother tells the two of us,
"It seems, the French Princess Bona is at Court." And I have to witness Elizabeth's eyes shatter right before me. Taking her shoulders as to catch her, I can feel her shaking under my hands and glance up at Mother who looks as forlorn as Elizabeth. Together, the three of us make our way back into the manor with plans to make ready for Father and our brothers to return. Three days pass with no word from London until I see a racing horse coming towards the front gate.
"Elizabeth!" I cry and before I can call out to her again she is already running outside to meet the messenger with me hot on her heels. By the time I am at her side she is already smiling brighter than the sun and upon seeing the letter I can see why.
"Oh Lizzy! Lizzy!" I cry embracing her tightly and cheering, feeling my cheeks hurting from smiling so much. The two of us end up on the ground as I am unable to let her go until Mother appears and only then do I let go allowing her to hand the letter to Mother. Once she reads the letter she opens her arms wide and embraces Elizabeth while I stand up myself.
"You have won your Prince." She says only I cut in,
"No, she has won her King." With tears in her eyes, she takes my arm into her own and we three make our way into the manor greeted by the greatly confused household. Mother reads the letter out loud causing a whole ruckus of cheering and yelling before everyone started shouting,
"God save the Queen!" Clapping her hands, Mother hurried the younger ones while the oldest could help Elizabeth and us with the clothing to prepare.
"I have finished writing to my family in Burgundy, inviting them to London for the coronation. They will confer on you the position you will need to see this through and if we fail, they will be there for refuge and support." Mother tells us while Elizabeth steps down from where she was being measured for new clothing and though she says it sounded more like a battle than marriage Mother reminded her how serious this truly was. The King marrying from another Household and a commoner at that. Mother continued on yet it was not until she spoke of Elizabeth's children living with kinsmen that Elizabeth spoke sharply, looking same as I had when I had had my dream. In an instant Mother shooed out the other girls and I helped them to leave as Mother tended to Elizabeth. I could hear Mother telling Elizabeth that this was a Seeing, about her truly being of our Mother's bloodline. Once Mother was sure that Elizabeth was calm, I went to her as she told me,
"My boys must not be with strangers."
"Then I shall make sure of it." With a tight embrace the two of us continued preparing to leave for London with everyone else. It seemed both too soon and not soon enough that Elizabeth was walking towards her horse with the household, children and servants, on either side curtsying to her. Mother stood behind as I stood off to the side with the others in order by age. I watched as she took one look back before facing her destiny head first, climbing onto the horse with help of the stable hand. It would take us all ten days before we would meet Father and our brothers again in London, shorter if we did not make any unnecessary stops along the way. Yet we were all in a hurry, Elizabeth the most, to make it to Palace of Westminster were King Edward had made his Court. When at long last we could see the walls of the castle ahead of us, everyone led by my Father and our brothers, Elizabeth, myself and our other sisters along with a carriage for the younger girls and our Mother were riding in all went underneath an archway leading into the courtyard of the Palace of Westminster. Looking upwards towards a balcony, I could see the whole of the Court come to meet the soon to be Queen. Straightening my back, I watched King Edward appear and Elizabeth be helped off her horse. Once in each other's arms the two shared a kiss which in truth I could not help but roll my eyes heavenward before I looked over those looking down at us. Seeing Mother appear out from the carriage, I dismounted my horse with no need of help and moved to stand with my other siblings. Only I could not help but notice the woman Mother was speaking to. Dressed in red with dark brown, nearly black hair, when she moved to look at me I felt compelled to look away and move as close as I could be to Elizabeth. Of course this did not go unnoticed by a few eyes yet I did not care. I would always be loyal to my family first Queen or no. After Elizabeth was introduced to the entire Court there was applause happy or no, our Mother explained to us girls that we were to meet with King Edwards's mother, Cecily Neville the Duchess of York. Walking through the castle gave me both a sense of wonder and dread. Wonder knowing my sister was soon to be Queen, yet dread for who knows was danger we had all been put into now. However it was the woman sitting in the chamber before us that worried me the most at the moment.
"Duchess Cecily, it is an honor to—"Elizabeth tried only the woman merely turned her head saying in a tired sigh,
"I am not happy about this marriage."
"That is a shame, we are all delighted." My Mother said stepping forward though the Duchess continued about how the wedding was secret, private as Mother put it. It was only when the Duchess spoke of Edward not being the King that Elizabeth spoke,
"But he is the King and he has chosen me."
"Unless I should unseat him." Confused, I listened as the Duchess spoke of disowning him for his brother George to be King instead. Only I knew my Mother not one to be trifled with, as even with her calm exterior she could outwit any man. My mother spoke sharply to the Duchess, speaking of things that should not be spoken of again and as the color drained from the older woman's face at every word, I could not help the smile on my face when Duchess Cecily curtsied to my sister, the soon to be Queen of England and wife of her son. It was not until we all left her chambers that I smiled brightly at my sister who returned it herself.
"Majesty," A young page boy said bowing low before standing saying,
"I have been instructed to show your Lady Mother and the Lady Kathrine their chambers." Looking at Mother and Elizabeth, both Mother and I followed the page boy through the hallways until we came to a set of double doors. The page boy opened them and stepping in said,
"These are your chambers Lady Rivers and across the hall are your Lady Kathrine's. These are the closets to the Kings as can possibly be."
"Thank you young sir." Mother said as the two of us entered Mothers chambers and closing the door behind him we found most of Mothers things had been brought in, her trunks of clothes and personal items to be put away later next day. The chambers were spacious, a half wall fireplace with several plus chairs around for people to sit and tables for food and drink. A four poster bed sat along one wall with lush covers, sheets and pillows of reds and creams, a vanity and burrow with privy screen and standing mirror near one corner of the room for clothing, desk and chair with bookcase with each piece made from the same oak wood.
"As these chambers as close as they can be?" I said as I took a seat in one of the many plush chairs before the roaring fireplace as she told me,
"Elizabeth's boys will be with me and the King clearly sees how important you are to Elizabeth or she has made it clear how important you are to her. Never the less do not let it go to your head."
"I intend to let it go nowhere and to keep my door locked whenever I am inside!" Waving a finger at me with a smirk on her face, the two of us went to check on my chambers which, those smaller than Mothers, were very comfortable. I had a half wall size fireplace with two plush chairs and small table for drink same as Mothers, a large four poster bed with lush covers, sheets and pillows all in royal blues and cream tones and my trunks had been delivered. A large burrow to put away my clothing, a vanity and standing mirror for changing along with privy screen, desk and chair for writing and even a bookcase. I even had a sitting window to look out over a courtyard!
"Make sure you keep these doors locked at all times and never, ever go out at night. And never open them for strangers." Mother said and with a nod I was embraced and watched her leave. Turning around in my new chambers, I set about putting my things away with or without servants. My personal items such as books and private treasures I tucked away, clothing I decided could wait until tomorrow. I did this mainly to make myself comfortable and to busy my mind. My whole life had been turned upside down for my sister's happiness. Everything had changed dramatically and I now needed to figure out where I stood in all of this. I knew marriages would need to be arrange to make strong alliances, and I was only a mere girl who could be married off to whomever would be the perfect match. That thought had me move to the window seat and stare out into the courtyard from where I could see a fountain with dozens of flower beds, bushes and topiaries. Fiddling with my necklace, I thought back to the river and how Elizabeth had pulled out the same ring that had married her to the King of England. A knock on my door had be alert in a heartbeat and creeping towards it I heard a familiar voice call,
"It's me."
"Lizzy!" I call unlocking the door to see her standing in the hallway wearing a heavy cloak to hide her face and ushering her in quickly shut and lock the door.
"At this hour, really?" I ask since I only just now notice myself the hour of the night, the fire nearly dead and the moon out high in the sky.
"I cannot find peace with the vision I had." She says pacing before the fireplace wringing her hands before her.
"A woman in red, her hands covered in my blood!" She says before turning to me and saying,
"And all for what?" taking her shoulders in my hands and looking her square in the face, I can say only the honest truth,
"Because you are to be Queen of England Lizzy."
