Chapter VI
July, 1550
Arthur remained in his chambers under close watch by the physicians, Anne and Mary for the next couple of weeks before he was deemed well again.
His first request was to see Elizabeth.
He was quite surprised when Mary informed him that she was in Kenilworth Castle and recovering from childbirth (Elizabeth had given birth to a daughter – Mistress Anne Dudley).
"Why isn't she at Court?" Arthur said, puzzled. "She is a royal princess! I cannot imagine her satisfied as a country wife! Why is she only 'Lady Dudley'? When did she get married to Sir Robert? What did I give them as a wedding gift?"
Banishment from Court, thought Mary, but she said, "You gave them a large sum of coins and gifted Elizabeth with jewels."
Arthur frowned. "Not a title?"
Mary shook her head.
"I am a fool!" muttered Arthur, wincing as he rubbed his head. "What kind of brother am I if I allow my own royal sister to be merely a knight's wife?! Do you think Elizabeth is well enough to return? I will be honoured to meet her daughter as well. Why doesn't Elizabeth write to me? I looked through my drawers and discovered no letters from her! Can women write when they are pregnant? You had children, dear Mary. Could you write when you were pregnant?"
"Of course," said Mary, blushing a little. "I suppose...Elizabeth may be occupied. I have written to her and she should be arriving today with her husband and child. Do you want her summoned here upon arrival, or will you meet them in the courtyard?"
"I will go and wait for her to arrive."
"Very well. I must return to my study to finish paperwork. I will join you and Elizabeth for supper tonight if there isn't too much to do."
"I'm sorry."
Mary looked at him, perplexed. "What do you mean?"
"I remember when you had plenty of time to play with us in the nursery and you used to laugh more freely than you do now. I know you are my regent and you must deal with all England's troubles here and abroad. My lady mother informed me what happened between you...and Uncle George."
Mary looked away. "It is not your fault. I bear the burden of the regency the day I agreed to be your regent and England's protector. George understands. I think."
"You should go and speak to him. Let me listen to your plans for England. I am almost of age to rule England myself. Would you not consider it good practice for me?"
"Your tutors-"
"What use is history when I cannot put ideas into use?"
Mary nodded slowly. Of course Arthur could not have access to the political or foreign documents, but it may be wise for Arthur to deal with minor land disputes.
"What if you go to Wales?" she suggested. "It is traditional for Princes of Wales to govern that principality from Ludlow Castle. Even though you are king, it may be good for you to listen to their council meetings and so forth. Elizabeth can even go with you."
Arthur nodded enthusiastically. "Indeed! It is a pity our lord father died when I was a child. Do you think he would've allowed me to govern Wales if he is still alive?"
No, thought Mary. When he grabs power, he will never release it to anyone – not even to you. He thrived on power and fear.
"Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness. Lady Dudley is here with her husband and child."
Arthur flared up and he stared at the messenger. "It is the Princess Elizabeth," he said menacingly. "Even if she married a knight, she is still a royal Tudor Princess. In fact, until her death, she will always be a royal Tudor Princess. Do you understand?"
The messenger nodded frantically.
"I apologise, Your Majesty!" he said at once, bowing clumsily again. "I...I do not mean to disrespect Her Highness! Um...Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, Her Royal Highness, the Princess Elizabeth Tudor has arrived in the courtyard with her husband, Lord Robert Dudley, and their infant daughter, um, Mistress Anne Dudley. Shall I call them in?"
"No," said Arthur, dismissing him. "The Lady Protector and I will go and greet them ourselves. Go and inform the other messengers of Elizabeth's title."
He and Mary went straight to the courtyard and were greeted by the windswept Dudleys.
"What happened to the carriage?" asked Mary.
"It broke down, Your Highness," explained Robert. "We were halfway from Kenilworth Castle before it had problems and we had to ride here. Well, Elizabeth rode and sat in a litter with our Anne. Unfortunately we had to leave most of our light luggage behind and are in no condition to appear at the feast tonight...I cannot apologise enough, Your Highness."
Elizabeth stared at Arthur stonily.
She had been reluctant to return to Court – even though she missed it – and had expected to be treated coldly and poorly by Arthur.
"I'm glad both of you are here and well," said Arthur brightly, not noticing Elizabeth's icy expression. "It has been months since I saw you! I am pleased you decided to arrive a little earlier than expected! I have decided, Robert, to give you the earldom of Leicester!"
"What?" said Robert, taken back.
Elizabeth's eyes widened at the unexpected news.
"I already have the letters patent prepared," continued Arthur, grinning from ear to ear – something Mary had not seen since he was a boy of twelve. "Robert, if you happen to die with no son, your eldest daughter will succeed as Baroness Leicester. Elizabeth, you will retain the title and style of a royal princess of the House of Tudor, even though you are married to an Earl. You will have your own household befitting your status as a princess and will be welcome at Court. I remember your brilliance at translations, and I may need a translator during my meetings with ambassadors." He smiled at her. "What do you say, dear sister? How would you like to be at my side as my official translator?"
"I..." spluttered Elizabeth. "I..."
For once, she was absolutely speechless!
"I take it as a yes," said Arthur kindly. "Now is that my darling niece in your arms?"
Elizabeth smiled and gently placed her sleeping child in his arms. "Yes," she answered. "Little Anne. I wanted to name her after lady mother, and Robert agreed! Lord Warwick was not happy it was a daughter, but we assured him our next child would be a son."
"Lord Warwick is a hard man to please," Arthur remarked. "He was always a stubborn and insistent man in council meetings, is he not, Mary?"
Mary nodded. "A daughter is just as good as a son. We Tudor women seem to have a knack for having daughters before sons."
Elizabeth laughed.
"Why don't we call her Nanette?" suggested Arthur, smiling as little Anne's tiny fingers curled around the ring on his thumb. "There are already many Annes in the family and it will be difficult to distinguish them in family gatherings."
"Yes," agreed Elizabeth, delighted to see the old Arthur back. "Nanette. A lovely name."
Baby Nanette made a sound before resuming her sleep.
"She can stay in the royal nursery," decided Arthur. "It has been empty for some time and it will gladly welcome a sweet babe like Nanette. Do not fear, Elizabeth. I have already prepared an army of nursemaids to care for her, and I even arranged for your rooms to be next to it! Come! Oh, there is no feast tonight. I have decided we will have a private supper – a family meal."
"That is lovely," said Elizabeth truthfully. "You are indeed a thoughtful brother and king. Shall I place Nanette in the nursery now?"
Arthur nodded. "She had a hard journey for an infant."
"Who is Nanette's godparents?" inquired Mary.
"Lord Warwick and my mother," replied Elizabeth. "I had hoped for you or Arthur to be godmother or godfather, but Lord Warwick insisted. Apparently he is godfather to all his current grandchildren. However, I will demand you and Arthur to be godparents for my next child! I will be quite smug if my next child is a son and Lord Warwick is not godfather to him! It sounds callous, but I must prove to him that I am still a Tudor even though I am Lady Dudley by marriage. It is men like Lord Warwick who do not understand that some women do not change through matrimony."
Robert laughed uneasily alongside the others. Like all sons, he respected and loved his father, but lately, he disliked his father's blunt attitude – especially the way he treated Elizabeth.
"Have you found a home yet?" said Arthur, leading them to the nursery. "It must be odd for you to remain under Lord Warwick's roof!"
"Not much choice, Your Majesty," admitted Robert. "My brother John is fortunate. He is permitted to live in Dudley Castle – if he is not at Court – with his wife, the Viscountess Lisle, and child. Our father prefers to dwell in Kenilworth Castle than Dudley Castle. Even Ambrose is lucky enough to live in Dudley Castle. With my younger brothers, I am obliged to live in Kenilworth Castle. I doubt I can find a permanent place to live with Elizabeth as an Earl's third son."
"Oh, did you forget already, Lord Leicester? You are no longer just an Earl's third son! Once I give you the letters patent, you will find another letter stating your new estates, possessions and annuity. How would you feel being my Master of the Horse? Sir William Herbert seems to be under quite a deal of stress and it may ease his mind if you replace him as Master of the Horse."
"You are too generous, my lord King!"
"We are brothers now, are we not? I wish to see you more often now that you are at Court rather than hiding in Kenilworth Castle! Why weren't you at Court in the first place?"
Robert glanced at Elizabeth and Mary.
"Honeymoon," said Elizabeth quickly. "We travelled throughout the kingdom – including visiting Ireland – and that took quite some time. We rested in Kenilworth Castle and planned to return to Court, but then I discovered I was with child."
Arthur nodded understandingly. "Of course," he said cheerfully. "Now that you are both back, all will be well, eh? Elizabeth, our siblings have already arrived from Beaulieu Palace with our Lancastrian cousins and dinner will be served in a few hours. Here is the nursery. Let us find which cradle Nanette deems suitable for her sleep and I'll introduce you to her nursemaids."
"Presenting the Right Honourable, Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester and Her Royal Highness, the Princess Elizabeth, Countess of Leicester!"
Clang!
Anne dropped her goblet in shock, spilling the liquid content onto the ground, remnants of it splattering on the skirt of her burgundy red gown.
"Earl and Countess of Leicester?!" she repeated, staring at her daughter and son-in-law in amazement, before turning to a grinning Arthur.
"I cannot allow my dear sister to remain the wife of a third son, now can I?" laughed Arthur. "Robert, Elizabeth! Sit down, please! Dinner is about to be served! You look simply lovely Elizabeth! Robert, have a seat! You're family now!"
Anne smiled tightly, still astounded by the news.
The first round of dishes arrived and there was silence as everyone began eating ravenously, with only the sound of quiet chatter from the children's table heard.
"I don't want to ruin the good mood," said Mary, wiping her mouth with a handkerchief after she finished a large slice of pigeon pie. "However, it is of the utmost importance we discuss and solve it. Arthur, before you ah, injury, you signed a peace treaty with France which involved the marriage of the Dauphin François and my Margaret. You had decided to send Margaret to France, but she is still a child. Is it possible to keep her in England until she is older? Kings do not send their daughters to the kingdoms of their future husbands at a young age anymore."
Arthur frowned thoughtfully as he chewed a slice of roasted beef. "I suppose she can stay in England until she is fifteen or sixteen," he decided, to Mary's delight. "I too, also wish to discuss the matter of peace with France. Even if there is a French match, it cannot guarantee permanent peace between France and England. We should insist on two marriages between France and England. The Dauphin's marriage to our dear Margaret, and one in the future; their child to an English prince or princess. I also think it is wise if we ally ourselves with all of France's traditional allies to isolate France, or at least warn France to keep in line of peace. We most certainly need Scotland as an ally, and Hungary is already on our side through the marriage of Katherine to Archduke Maximilian, who is not only the heir to the Holy Roman Empire, but to the thrones of Hungary and Bohemia."
"Katherine will be wife to a powerful man," remarked Anne. "Future Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia with a dozen other titles."
"Indeed. She is now also a mother!"
"So we have Hungary as an ally and you plan to befriend Scotland. What about Poland? Mary told me once that France plans to be allies with Poland."
"Poland is quite far from England, but I suppose it is necessary to make new alliances. Dear Mary, one of your Habsburg cousins married King Sigismund II Augustus of Poland."
"Yes, Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria – Maximilian's sister," replied Mary. "She is unfortunately dead now and he is married to a Polish noblewoman, Barbara Radziwill. It is said she is ill, and as the King is still childless, he will be in need for a new, more healthy and fertile bride. Perhaps it will be useful for England to sign a treaty with Poland and offer Sigismund II Augustus an English bride."
Arthur nodded enthusiastically. "Perfect way to befriend Poland!"
"Are you certain?" said Elizabeth hesitantly. "There had never been an English bride sent to Poland before. Besides, none of us knows how to speak Polish."
"You are quite talented at languages. Why don't you learn Polish and teach the chosen bride? I'm sure the princess chosen will find you a better teacher than any royal tutor."
"I will give it a try..."
"Excellent!" He smiled at Elizabeth. "If there is anyone I can trust to master a language within a few months, I will wager a thousand pounds on you."
"When will Philip and Jane return to England?" Anne inquired. Openly, she would never admit that she actually missed Jane, who had been the unwilling mistress of Henry VIII's heart, before her marriage to Philip, Duke of Bavaria.
"Most likely before Christmas," answered Mary. "The Elector Palatine has frequent bouts of illness and Philip is needed to be his brother's regent. Hopefully we will see them both back here in England with their children at Christmas."
"What about Scotland?" said Arthur, who had found a sudden taste for political discussion. "We all agree that allying with Scotland is quite important. Mary, I remember faintly you said to me that negotiations with Scotland had been finalised?"
"Yes. All that is needed to seal it is a royal marriage."
"I propose myself as the husband for the Queen of Scots. What better way than to finally unify England and Scotland through peace than war?"
Mary poked her roasted chicken uncomfortably. It seems even after memory distortion, Arthur was still keen on marrying the young Scottish Queen.
"Very well," she said, surrendering her plans for Ned to be King Consort of Scotland. "Are you absolutely certain? She is only a girl of eight and you must wait at least another six years before she is physically capable of bearing you heirs."
"I will wait," said Arthur calmly. "The unification of England and Scotland is necessary to avoid further raids and bloodshed, and to rob France of one of its most traditional allies. I know I said earlier that Margaret may stay in England until she is older, but I am more concerned that the Scots will send their young Queen to France to marry the Dauphin. If our Margaret can be sent to France quickly to be raised alongside the Dauphin, the Scots will hesitate in their game. Of course the Dauphin has a younger brother, but what advantages will that bring to Scotland with an English princess married to the heir of France? I am more than willing to allow Annie and Bess to accompany her in France for let us say, a year. By then, a match will be found for Annie and Margaret will not need Bess with her in France."
Mary and Anne stared at him, astounded to hear his brilliant plan.
"That is a perfect plan," Mary said finally. "It seems you are quite good in the game of politics. That is pleasing to hear. Very pleasing. I will write to the Scottish and French ambassadors and Margaret must be prepared to leave. I admit, it is my maternal instincts that selfishly want Margaret to stay here in England with me for a while longer."
"I want the best for England," said Arthur modestly. "Margaret may feel more at home with her sisters in France. I will travel to France with them to personally sign the peace treaty."
"You will?" said Anne and Mary in unison.
It was hard to believe they were speaking to the same sixteen year old who was spiteful and rebellious to them a few months ago!
"That may be dangerous," spoke Robert, who had up to then, watched their discussion with great interest. "What if someone attempts to kill you again? I doubt you will have Suffolk and his tennis racket and a ball to protect you."
"I will be under armed guard," Arthur pointed out. "The best knights of the realm will be at my side and I imagine it will be quite difficult for an assassin to kill me. Besides, Edmund will remain here in England in case I am poisoned in the journey between England and France. As you are all needed to accompany me to France, I plan to leave Uncle George as regent."
Mary froze. "What?"
"I cannot appoint any random nobleman as regent of England," said Arthur, glancing at her with a slightly bewildered expression. "I know you and Uncle George are not getting along, but who else can we trust to rule England while we are abroad? We have many cousins, but how many of them can we actually rely on? The Marchioness of Dorset is intelligent and an able woman, yet she seems to have the ambition of five men! The Earl of Berkshire is of a kinder material and is more family man than his father ever was, yet he lacks the political brain his sister Lady Dorset has. That is only some of our relatives I noticed during Court festivities celebrating my recovery."
"You are very observant."
"Why thank you, dear Mary! Do you agree with your husband as regent while we are away?"
"If it is your wish. However, I must warn you, from what I heard, George has indulged in drink more than he does when he was here at Court."
"Yes. I will straighten him out before we leave for France."
"Exactly when do you plan to leave for France?"
"After we finalise negotiations with France and Scotland. Perhaps we can send a family member to Scotland as our representative? He – or she – can inform us monthly about the Scottish Queen and current developments in Scotland. It must be a reliable individual."
"Do you have any candidates?"
"Perhaps the Duke of Suffolk? He is loyal and saved me from an assassination attempt. Besides, he is one cousin I know I can trust."
"Very well. Suffolk it is!"
"Is Margaret aware of her impending departure yet?" asked Elizabeth.
"I…" faltered Arthur. "I cannot remember. Perhaps we can inform her again when the date of her departure has been decided upon. Does anyone know what happened to Lady Jane Grey? I have not seen her around Court in a while."
"She is in Bavaria," said Anne promptly. She still could not forgive the demure Jane Grey for choosing the path of seducing Arthur even if the said girl denied it most fervently. "As one of the Duchess of Bavaria's maids-of-honour, she will remain in Bavaria until the Duke and Duchess choose to return to England. Speaking of Jane Grey, how old is she now? Fourteen? She is old enough to be married and in a year or two, a mother."
"Shouldn't that be Lord and Lady Dorset's duty?" said Mary uncomfortably. "They are her parents and technically responsible for finding their daughter a spouse. Do you have a suggestion, Anne? You seem particularly keen to marry her off."
"Marry her to Lord William Paulet," grunted Anne, returning to her meal. "He is heir to his grandfather's marquessate. I doubt Lady Dorset will complain about the match. If she is concerned about the Paulets' noble blood, then I suggest Lord Charles Neville, heir of Henry Neville, 5th Earl of Westmorland. As long as she is not married in the royal family, I am appeased."
"That is what Lady Dorset hopes," said Mary, bemused. "Everyone is aware that Lady Dorset wishes for
her daughters to marry into our family. The Grey ladies have royal blood and have enough status to marry into the royal family, but you are vehemently against it. I have nothing against Lady Jane Grey, but I am interested in your sudden hatred towards her."
"You know why!" hissed Anne, glancing quickly at Arthur for a second. "As the Lady Protector, you have the right to refuse or give permission for those of impeccable noble blood! If the Greys and Nevilles reach an agreement and betroth Jane to Charles, you have the ultimate say in the matter! Believe me, I know what it is like to have a betrothal broken!"
"As do I," Mary reminded her.
"We all do," interrupted Elizabeth, before Anne could retort. "Now shall we continue with our supper, or do you intend to discuss politics throughout the night? I for one, wish to finish our savoury dishes and begin dessert. It had been quite some time since I tasted court delicacies."
Everyone laughed.
"One last thing," said Arthur, as they slowly returned to their meals and began eating again. "Who is this Guillame de Luil?"
George will hopefully make an appearance in the chapter as will Philip and Jane :) Merry Christmas and have a fantastic New Year! :D