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Whitehall Palace. August 10, 1540.
It had been well over a week since Henry VIII married Catherine Howard. Everyone at English Court was buzzing with excitement about the idea of Duke Ethan of Chicago courting the lady Mary. The Duke of Springfield was not among them though. Anthony could not get over how Mary would eventually take the crown and become a murderous Catholic zealot. He tried to remind Ethan about the reign of Bloody Mary, but it did no good. His brother was blinded by the fact that a beautiful girl was actually into him. Even Duke Anthony had to admit that their affections for each other were genuine.
Mary and Ethan were always spending time with each other. They would eat meals together, take walks along the palace grounds, even attend Catholic services as a couple. On the one hand, Anthony wanted to be happy for his younger brother because he knew Ethan had long struggled with finding a girlfriend. On the other hand, Anthony wished that it could have been anyone besides little miss Lutheran killer. The younger Barker brother was smitten with Mary and from what anyone at court could see, she was smitten with him in equal measure. Ethan was worried about what trouble Anthony would get into, but from where he was standing now, it seemed to be Lord Chicago who was in danger of getting in too deep.
It was 2 weeks after the wedding that Anthony was summoned to the Queen's chambers. As he walked in, he was greeted by Catherine's new ladies in waiting who were fawning over the new Queen.
"Ah, your grace!" Catherine exclaimed as Anthony stepped forward and kissed her hand.
"Your highness." He replied as he bowed his head in respect. Catherine motioned for her ladies to leave them and once they had gone to the outer receiving room, she pulled Anthony in for a kiss.
"I have missed you so your grace." Catherine said as she held him close.
"And I you." Anthony assured her as he returned her kiss. They both knew that it was dangerous to behave in this way, but the attraction was proving to be overwhelming.
"Cathy..." Anthony muttered absentmindedly as he buried his face in her hair.
"Cathy?" The Queen asked as she looked at the Duke.
"Sorry your highness, it's a popular name in Illinois." He replied with a chuckle. "It's short for Catherine."
"I like it." Catherine said as she caressed Anthony's cheek. He pressed a gentle kiss on her hand as the two gazed at each other's eyes. Eventually, Anthony and Catherine sat back down.
"Cathy...we have to be careful." Anthony insisted as he paused to ensure that the Queen's ladies in waiting were not trying to eavesdrop on their employer. "I want to be with you, but if Henry finds out, he will have both our heads."
"I know that, but I need you Anthony." Catherine insisted as quietly as she could. "Everything that you said to me before the wedding, I can not get it out of my head."
"What do you mean?" Anthony asked as he took Queen Catherine's hands in his and squeezed them.
"All my life...i've been a toy for men to play with and discard once bored; I see that now." she replied solemnly. The Duke of Springfield knew full well what she meant by that: the abuse that she had suffered under Henry Mannox and Francis Dereham; and to some extent, the dowager duchess. Of course, he could not let Catherine know that he himself knew about these things, so he just nodded.
"I'm sorry Cathy." The elder Barker brother said as he felt genuine remorse for how Catherine Howard had been treated for her entire life.
"With you though, when you said what you did about his majesty, even at the risk of committing treason...it made me feel like you actually care about me." she said as he looked into her beautiful brown eyes.
"I do care about you Cathy." Anthony insisted as Catherine gave him a smile.
"You saw me as more than simply the secret parts of my body." she continued. "The way that you looked at me, when our lips touched...you may not know it, but that is the way that every maiden wishes to be looked at."
"Cathy...I want to see you, but please don't think i'm doing this because I just want a fuck or some favor from the Queen of England." Anthony pleaded as his voice took on a rare and serious tone. "If we are going to do this, I want to...court you."
"Court me?" Catherine asked in surprise and to some extent, amusement.
"Yes, I want to spend time with you and get to know you as a person." Anthony continued as he planted kisses on both of her delicate hands. "I vow that I will not touch you unless you want me to. Enough men have taken from you without giving anything in return...I refuse to join their ranks." Catherine looked as though she was trying to keep tears back as she cupped Anthony's face in her hands.
"In God's name...why could I not have married you?" she asked painfully as Anthony shook his head.
"I don't know." he insisted. Anthony wondered why Catherine could not have been wed to a decent man or why she could not have been born in modern times where she could have been free without risking her life. He supposed he would simply have to wonder, because Anthony knew it was pointless to ask. All he could do was enjoy the moment.
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