Untrustworthy Daughters of Eve

Do you want to know the ugly truth? Harry's not the arrogant lecher he thinks he is. I know. Big surprise but it is the sad truth. Harry, out of all the thorns I have had to pull from my backside, he's the one who's been hardest to get rid of. He's like a plague, everything in his path becomes corrupted.

The first time I found them together, I'm not ashamed to say that I felt enormous satisfaction. Watching my brother squirm in terror, yelling like a mad shrew, gave me more pleasure than soaking in the blood of my enemies.

As for my dearest wife, nothing brought me more joy than seeing her and my daughter-in-law plead with me to spare her and my brother from a traitor's death. To show how merciful I was, I answered their pleas.

~o~

Arthur's mercy however came at a high cost. His second daughter-in-law who had remained quiet out of love for her daughter and her husband's future crown, made a terrible bargain with Queen Catherine. To save her from the disgrace that would befall her and Harry, she convinced her to submit herself to the King's mercy and swear before God that from now on she'd be as her motto, a humble and obedient wife.

Catherine initially refused but Anne's strong words brought her to kneel before her lord and sovereign. "You've damned me." Catherine said, looking accusingly at Anne. The room she was in was luxurious like her previous apartments but less spacious. She had been reduced to a Queen solely dependent on her husband's grace, with less than four ladies to keep her company. All carefully selected by Arthur.

"You made your own bed. You should lie in it but that would shatter the foundations this monarchy stands on. The scandal would be too much for the king to handle."

"Or his son." Catherine added. She smirked at Anne. "Do you take me for a fool, daughter? You were in my service and before that, your mother and sister were. I knew that you were meant for more than being married off to some Irish Count to settle some land dispute between the Irish and the English. I entertained your ambitions because I saw in you a worthy suitor for my son and because it avoided me the pain of having to quarrel with my husband and Wolsey over their preferred match with that sickly French Princess."

Anne couldn't help but smile at that. "Some say I am more French than English."

"Some say the same thing about me. I am more English than Spanish. I don't care what the people say, neither did you." Catherine commented. "Were my son a dolt, I would have thought twice but as it happens he isn't but he lacks direction and like a seasoned commander, I gave him a skilled captain to stir him in the direction." She sat on the empty armchair facing Anne. "Sweet irony. Why are you truly here, Anne? Come to gloat some more?"

"Why would I do that when others can do it for me?" Anne answered. "I was never your enemy, Catherine. You gave me something that went beyond my wildest dreams. For that I'll always be grateful but do you remember what you told me when you convinced the King to make Elizabeth titles of her own?"

Catherine nodded. How could she not? Arthur was against it. It went against tradition but tradition had been broken many times in England. Had his grandmother and another distant female ancestor of his not been sole title holders? What about her friend, Margaret Pole? Was she not a Countess in her own right? If God would not grant Anne and William more heirs, than they needed to prepare Elizabeth for her future role and give her something that'd also make it clear to their subjects who would rule after her father. She was created Duchess of Richmond and Marquis of Pembroke. Both titles and land holdings were a call back to the titles that had been held by the first Tudor monarch, his mother and uncle.

"Arise our little Margaret Beaufort." Arthur joked. Everyone joined them in laughter after Catherine added: "No, do not spoil this moment, you're going to make her cry. She deserves better. She is much prettier than nun Beaufort."
It was one of the happiest moments of their marriage and of Catherine's life. It made her hopeful for the future.

I should have never turned my back. It's when you least expect it –her mother had told her- that those you trust the most, will stab you in the back. Who knew that the one she needed to watch out for wasn't one of Harry's jealous ex-lovers, but her beloved daughter-in-law?

Ambition, thine stain thy heart. Her father had written in a prayer book he'd sent to her, months before his death and her daughter's birth. That and other notes on the bottom of every prayer served as reminders of her childhood lessons when she accompanied her parents into the battle camp outside Granada. How ready I was. Nothing could stop me. I was always on alert.

One simple mistake, too much trust, were all that was needed to brew the perfect tonic that sent he to her doom.

"I will never forget that day. I was so proud of what you and I had achieved. Lizzie looked like a little queen-in-waiting."

"She might not be, I said. But you assured me that if it was God's will, who was I to go against it? She hasn't stopped asking about you? She wonders why you've not written her back. If only it were so easy to put this behind us." Anne said.

"How do you propose we do it? Smile like two hypocrites while our eyes shoot daggers? While you look for other ways to undermine me so you can save yours and your husband's hides?"

"Elizabeth is too young to understand but one day she will, when she has a family of her own. Wouldn't you have done the same?"

"There are no do-overs in life so it is pointless to reminisce about what ifs. But if I am to entertain this hypothetical exercise of yours, no. I would never betray the woman who welcomed me into her abode."

She was a terrible liar. Such a crying shame. Years of political experience should have give her the training to convince her successor. But she was too proud to choose honesty, mix truth with lies with the person she felt hurt by the most.

After a long discussion, Anne said something that broke Catherine's stubborn shield. "I hoped that we could have gotten to some form of agreement. I care not for your opinion of me, Catherine. I meant every word I said to your women. Let the tongues of those who've hurt the crown be pierced by the thorns of the holy cross but for my daughter's sake, I came here in the spirit of friendship."

"Duly noted and duly given." Catherine said icily then turned to view the window. Outside her granddaughter Elizabeth was playing with her cousins and favorite aunt, Princess Mary. The two were like sisters. It made Catherine happy, knowing that Elizabeth had formed a bond with another strong minded girl.

"Lizzie loves her." Anne said knowing the laughter of their daughters had caught her attention. Catherine did not turn back to her. She did not need to. Her agreement was enough for her. "William and I have talked about having another child."

"You will. You two are still young. Young enough to give us a son to carry the Tudor name."

"Perhaps or perhaps not. Either way, we are happy. Lizzie is our axis mundi, with the right role models, she can become the greatest ruler England has ever seen, just like her Spanish namesake."

Catherine did not respond to that. Days passed and she was moved to Kimbolton. Arthur was isolating her from everything and everyone she loved. Last she heard from Harry, he had been released from the Tower and placed under house arrest in one of his less luxurious properties.

Arthur always thought of himself as the epitome of chilvary. In the beginning he was. But things had changed. He had become more ambitious and jealous. His jealousy had been too much for her to bear. She thought she was stronger than most women but she turned out to be just as weak as the first woman, Eve.

This was much her fault as it was Harry. She had made her bed. She had no choice but to lie in it and face the consequences. A part of her scolded her. It reminded her whose daughter she was, and that regardless of the sins she committed, she still had aces under her sleeve. Are you going to let Arthur and his cronies beat you down? What happened to the girl who promised she would bow down to no one except for God?

She's still here.

Her subconscience was right. She was beaten but not broken. How many times had the soldiers of God been defeated in battle but got back up on their feet, stronger and tougher than ever? Only God could judge her. If Arthur thought this gilded cage was enough to contain the raging beast within her, he was going to be sorely disappointed.