So here is the chapter you've all been waiting for; the next stage in Henry and Isabella's relationship. They're nearly 18 in the time line. I tried to keep the style of writing as it would have been described in that time period so lemons and historical inaccuracies ahead, hope you enjoy :)
Other the following years the relationship between Isabella and Henry began to blossom. She would find excuses to see him; if the Queen ever required his presence Isabella would always volunteer to fetch him. The Queen was perfectly happy with this arrangement, in fact she found it rather endearing; Isabella was a good worker and it was often the case that Henry would refuse to come if it was not Isabella who went to fetch him. Henry also found excuses to see her; he waited until he knew that she was alone and would go to converse with her while she worked.
Henry enjoyed watching her while she worked; he found her fascinating and she was very easy on his eyes as well. The curve of her spine when she carried something that was particularly heavy, the flush of her cheeks as she exerted herself dashing all over the Palace and the intricate way her fingers made even the most difficult of tasks look easy. Henry was enthralled by her and every time they were together his infatuation only grew. The same could be said for her; every conversation they had, every time they shared a secret kiss Isabella could feel her desire for him gradually becoming stronger until she was most definitely falling in love with him.
Of course, the two of them had to keep their relationship a secret. The King would never allow Henry to be with a serving girl, especially not after the death of his wife and first born son. Henry's marriage to a Princess to save ties with other countries was paramount. Henry had even begun to suspect that his father was trying to marry him off to Arthur's widow Catherine. Isabella made no comment on the subject whenever he voiced these suspicions to her – 'it wasn't her place to say anything', she would always reply.
"What if it was your place?" he asked her one afternoon.
"I don't understand." she replied. Henry got off the chair he had been sitting on and made his way towards her. He put his arm around her waist, pulled her to his chest and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes.
"What if it was your place to comment on whether I marry Catherine or not?" he asked. Isabella blushed and cleared her throat, turning her face away so that she was not looking into Henry's eyes.
"Well if it were my place to comment on the subject I would prefer if you did not marry her." she told him, stumbling over her words.
"And why is that?" Henry whispered huskily in her ear. Isabella bit her lip and cleared her throat again, trying to refrain from melting at the sound of his voice.
"Because..." she began, choosing her words very carefully. "hypothetically speaking, I would prefer to be the one that you were to marry." Henry tilted her face up, forcing her to look into his eyes.
"I would prefer you to be the one that I marry too." he told her. "I would much prefer to marry you than Catherine; you have a personality Isabella. I feel I can be myself around you; not the heir my father wants me to be not the Duke the kingdom wants me to be but the person I want to be." He leaned towards her to kiss her but she swiftly turned her head so that his lips collided with her cheek.
"But, as I have said before, it is not my place to say." she reminded him giving him a pointed look. Henry sighed and let go of her waist. Sometimes she was much too realistic for her own good, but it was also one of the things that he loved about her. He watched her as she went back to her work and it looked as if she was trying to hold back tears.
Maybe their affair was costing her a great deal more than it was costing him. He knew that while his father was King then he could never be with her but he held on to the hope that eventually he would take over the throne and he could marry whomever he wanted. Isabella did not have that hope. All she knew was that one day Henry would be made to marry a Princess (more than likely Catherine if his father and the King of Spain had their way) and that would leave her as what? His mistress? His whore?
Continuing a teenage infatuation that consisted of sneaking around and never being able to show their true affection for each other was not the life that Isabella had planned for herself. It was not the life that Isabella deserved and it certainly wasn't the life that Henry wanted to condemn her to. She deserved to have a husband that could proudly show her off in public, not one who could not allow himself to marry her for fear of what his father would do to the two of them. Maybe he should put an end to the affair but the way she was standing at that moment, folding some freshly washed linens before returning them to their rightful place, he knew he wanted to be selfish for just a moment longer. He couldn't let her go just yet.
Henry didn't let her go. Even though his better judgement had told him that he should he didn't. The two continued their affair until both had reached the age of seventeen; it was made vastly easier by the fact that Isabella now worked in the Palace full time. Her parents had died in the early New Year, after both suffered a harsh bought of pneumonia, leaving her an orphan. Henry had offered her a permanent as a member of the Palace staff and as she had worked for the family for many years his father had not objected to his son's decision.
It was not only that Isabella worked in the Palace but she lived there as well. She had her own quarters which were only a few constantly deserted corridors from Henry's. (Isabella suspected that the Prince may have had a hand in this but she didn't broach the subject when they were together.) This made it very easy for the two of them to see each other during the late hours of the night. They were also less likely to get caught if their trysts too place in one of their chambers.
The only thing that their relationship had not grown into was a sexual one, although not for lack of trying on Henry's part. He had tried to take their relationship further on numerous occasions but Isabella always stopped him before he could go too far. Although frustrated after their encounters Henry knew why she was refusing to sleep with him; she wanted to maintain her purity for if she ever was to marry.
The thought of Isabella marrying another man awoke something within Henry that he had never experienced before. He was jealous of Isabella's future husband and it was absurd that he should be. His father would never allow the two of them to marry leaving her free to marry whomever she desired (especially now that her parents were gone and there was no one else to have any say in the matter.) He himself was also still betrothed to Catherine, when it finally came to light that her marriage to Arthur had not been consummated that is. Henry half hoped that it would prove to have been – he did not want to marry Catherine, but his father wished to keep an alliance with Spain meaning that he had no choice in the matter.
Two months before Henry turned eighteen his father passed away very suddenly. Now with his father and his elder brother gone that made him the new King of England. He was due to be crowned shortly after his father's funeral and he would be expected to take a wife very soon after that. There was only one woman he wished to take but the pressure he was receiving from his father's court, pressing him into an alliance with a maiden from another country (namely Catherine) were mounting. This was ridiculous, Henry thought to himself, what was the good of being the King if you didn't get the opportunity to change the law to suit you?
Isabella was retiring for the evening when he broached the subject to her once again. He had snuck into her room after the sun had set with the intention of making her a proposition. When he had found her she had been changing into her night clothes and the sight of her in next to nothing made him momentarily forget what he had come to talk to her about. He cleared his throat to alert her to his presence.
"Henry!" Isabella turned round startled, grabbing her robe in order to cover herself. Henry smiled to himself, it had taken her a very long time before she felt comfortable calling him by his name and that was only when he was in her room. Even when they were alone in other parts on the Palace she still referred to him as His Highness or Majesty. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I came to see you." he stated. "I had something I wanted to talk to you about." But the way she was looking at him; blonde hair tousled slightly, skin softly flushed and bottom lip trapped between her teeth as she looked at him in confusion, made him completely forget what.
"What did you want to say?" she asked. Henry took a step towards her and Isabella suddenly became painfully aware of how little she was wearing, he had walked in on her when she was changing after all. Henry looked her up and down taking every inch of her body and decided that what he had come here to tell her could wait.
Without a word Henry pulled Isabella towards him by the front of her robe and passionately crashed their lips together. Isabella let out an involuntary moan as he slipped an arm around her slim waist and tangled his other in her hair, giving her long tresses a firm but gentle pull. She moaned again and pressed her body flush against his. A growl rumbled in Henry's chest as Isabella wove her hands through his own hair and pulled softly. He pushed her backwards until her back collided with the wall, causing her to gasp against his lips.
Henry used this to his advantage and slipped his tongue past her open lips and began to massage it against her own. As their tongues collided in heated passion Isabella arched her back off the wall pushing herself closer to Henry. She couldn't think about anything other than what was happening, her heart felt as though it would break out of her chest and she could hardly catch her breath. Isabella used her grip around his neck to pull him closer into the kiss; she wanted him, she wanted all of him and there was no way that she was going to stop him from continuing what he was doing.
A hand shifted slightly from round Isabella's waist and slipped up the front of her robe to rest on one of her ample breasts. She moaned against his lips as he rubbed his thumb over one of her swiftly hardening nipples. Isabella felt her legs beginning to weaken, not to mention her resolve, as Henry began trailing kisses from her swollen lips across her jaw and down her neck. She clutched at his hair and pressed his mouth into the crook of her neck as he began biting and sucking on the tender flesh he found there.
"Do you want me to stop?" he whispered in her ear. Isabella swallowed, she didn't know how to answer that question. She certainly didn't want him to stop what he was doing but she didn't want to lose her purity...but she really didn't want him to stop what he was doing. Henry rubbed his thumb over her nipple once again, she had to hold back the loud moan that threatened to escape and her resolve shattered completely.
"No," she breathed heavily in his ear. "don't stop." Henry smirked against her skin and continued to suck and bite on her neck as Isabella shuddered beneath him. He took hold of both her wrists and with one hand pinned them to the wall above her head while his other slipped inside her open robe and set to undo her night dress.
Once the top was open he slipped his wandering hand underneath the material and began to push it off her shoulder as he pressed his lips to hers once more. As the material fell away from Isabella's shoulder he ran his hand down to her now bare breast and began to caress it gently. He rubbed his thumb over her nipple once again and she moaned against his lips. Her own lips parted and he slipped his tongue into her hot mouth and began massaging it against hers once again.
Isabella's skin ignited at Henry's every touch, her knees were so weak she knew that if he let go of her she would just melt there and then. She strained her wrists against his hold, desperate to be able to touch him, to feel his muscles ripple underneath her hands, but his grip stayed firm. The hand that had been caressing her breast slowly made its way down her body until it reached the hem of her nightdress and began to slide up the inside of her thigh, taking the dress with it. His hand settled between her thighs and he started to slowly trace his fingers over her.
Isabella's entire body jolted at the contact and she began to strain even harder against his hold on her. Henry pulled away from the kiss and look at the beautiful sight in front of him that was Isabella; her hair was tousled from where he had run his fingers through it, her lips were slightly swollen, her eyes were clouded over with lust and her chest was heaving as she tried to catch her breath. It was a truly breath-taking sight and he wanted to keep her in this state for as long as he possibly could. Slowly he slipped one of his fingers inside her.
She gasped at the dull pain the intrusion caused but as he brushed something inside her her gasp turned into a low moan of pleasure. Henry slowly began to move his finger in and out if her making sure that he barely brushed that spot that made her hips buck against his hand. He inserted another finger into her tight heat and he felt his groin twitch at the thought of throwing her down on the bed and plunging into her. Isabella bit her lip to hold back the moans that were reverberating in the back of her throat, afraid that if she was too loud someone would hear them, but as Henry finally hit that spot inside her she leaned her head back against the wall and moaned loudly.
Seeing his lover in the throes of ecstasy made Henry's resolve break – he needed to be inside her now. He let go of her hands, ripped off her nightdress and pushed her down on to the bed. Isabella propped herself up on her elbows and watched as Henry very swiftly removed his own clothing. Within seconds he stood naked before her and Isabella took a moment to take in the sight. He was stunningly handsome, not only in the face but everywhere; years of riding and learning to fight had left him with powerful legs and a muscular torso. Isabella's stomach contracted as her gaze moved down to his, now free, erection.
There had been rumours of Henry's endowment circulating around the Palace from a number of the other servant girls but the rumours certainly did him no justice. Isabella could find no fault with it (despite the fact that Henry was the first man she had ever seen naked) and as she looked she realised that she desperately wanted him inside her. No, it was more than a mere want – she needed to have Henry inside her. She sat up on the bed, closed the distance between the two of them and pressed her lips to the taught skin of his lower abdomen. She heard Henry gasp at the contact and felt his rock hard member twitch slightly as she began to suck lightly at his sweet flesh.
She began to move her kisses lower down towards his crotch while, at the same time, running her hand up the inside of one of his strong thighs. Just as her hand was about to come into contact with his manhood an animalistic growl leapt from his chest, he grabbed both her hands and pushed her down on to her back on the bed. She gasped slightly as her back came into contact with the mattress but as Henry climbed on top of her, pinning her down, she gazed up at him with half lidded eyes.
"You have no idea what you're doing to me." he told her before attacking her neck with his lips again and grinding his hips down so that his erection rubbed against the inside of her thigh. She moaned wantonly and brought her own hips up to meet his, trying to get another feeling of that delicious friction between their bodies once again.
Isabella reached up to run her hand through his dark hair and as she did she took hold of the back of his head and pulled him down into another bruising kiss. Henry, in turn while propping himself up with one arm, ran one of his hands down her body taking in every curve and contour until he reached her hip. He slipped his hand round to cup her backside and used it to pull her groin up to meet his, earning him another throaty groan from the girl underneath him. Using this hold on her he pulled her leg up so that it was resting on his hip, spreading her legs apart. He positioned himself between them, readying himself to enter her.
"Do you consent?" he asked, panting slightly. Isabella nodded.
"Please…fuck me." she whispered in his ear. That was all the encouragement Henry needed and in one swift motion he pushed into her, filling her completely.
Isabella cried out in paid as her hymen broke. It felt as if her insides were being ripped apart, the pain was burning through her entire body and she clutched onto Henry's shoulders as she rode it out, knowing that once he hit that spot inside her again it would completely melt away. Henry buried his face in the crook of her neck, trying not to lose his self-control entirely as her heat and tightness overcame him. He waited for her to adjust planting soft kisses along her neck and jawline. Henry shifted his position ever so slightly and the pain Isabella was feeling was suddenly swept away by pure pleasure. She moaned softly, signalling to him that she wanted him to continue.
Filled with this new confidence Henry began to drive in and out of Isabella and she continued to writhe and moan beneath him. She wrapped her legs around his hips and he drove deeper inside her, as he did he hit that spot he had before but this time with a force that made her vision blur and her voice tremble as she called out his name. Each time his name fell from her lips he could feel himself getting closer to the edge and as he felt her walls beginning to clench around him he felt his own orgasm building.
He quickened his pace and began to pound her into the mattress beneath them, each time making sure that he hit that place that made her moan and tremble. She clutched at his back as he drove her closer and closer to the edge, heavy moans falling hard and fast from her lips no longer caring who heard her or if they were discovered. All she could think of was Henry and what he was doing to her. How he filled her completely with every thrust, how his lips felt against her skin and how, with every single thrust, he managed to hit the spot that made her scream.
A few more thrusts and Isabella was pushed over the edge. She reached her climax moaning Henry's name and raking her nails down his back. This dull pain coupled with her clenching around him as she rode out her orgasm pushed him past the point of no return too and he came, filling her with his essence before collapsing on top of her and pressing a sloppy kiss to her sweat slicked forehead as they both came down from their high. Henry rolled off her and pulled her close to his chest. She laid her head against him, hearing his heart beat decreasing to normal in his chest.
"Henry," she began once her breathing had finally returned to normal. "what did you want to say when you came in?" Henry tilted her head up so that she was looking into his eyes.
"Marry me." he stated. Isabella sat up, clutching the bed sheets over her exposed chest, her dishevelled hair falling about her shoulders. She stared at him in confusion as if he had gone completely mad.
"What?" she asked.
"I am asking you, Isabella Lockhart, to consent to be my wife and marry me." he said again, this time more slowly to make her understand.
"Henry I…I can't..." she began but he cut her off.
"Yes you can!" he told her. "I am the King now, I get to say whom I marry or not. We no longer have to worry about what my father will say – we no longer have to hide. I can take you as my wife and parade you to the Kingdom."
"But what about Catherine?" she asked.
"To hell with Catherine!" he exclaimed. "I want to take you as my wife I have no desire to be with her. Catharine's marriage to my brother may have been consummated anyway meaning that if I marry her I will be doing a great wrong against God."
"But still to take me as your wife..." she began but her cut her off once again.
"Is what I want." he finished firmly. "It is what I have wanted for a very long time and I know that you want it too. You told me you did."
"That was a long time ago." she murmured, looking away.
"Have your feelings changed?" he asked, cupping her head and making her look at him again. If they had he was very confused as to why she would have let him take her innocence.
"No..." she began.
"Then why are you so hesitant?" he asked. Isabella fell silent for a few moments trying to think of how to word what she wanted to tell him. "Do you think I am not honest in my affections for you?" he added.
"It's not that it's just…oh Henry be reasonable." Isabella implored him suddenly. "Yes, you are King now but you still have a Kingdom to think about and that Kingdom is even more important now."
"I don't understand." he stated. "Why should I not take you as my wife, the Kingdom will happily accept you as my Queen."
"And what if they don't? Where does that leave you? Where does that leave England?" she asked incredulously. "Shunned by the other royals of Europe because you have no marital alliances? Facing the prospect of war because you have refused their daughters in favour of a servant? I will not do that to you, I will not be the reason you are caused trouble by other countries."
"What are you saying Isabella?" Henry asked. Isabella looked into his eyes, tears beginning to fill her own.
"I'm saying that I cannot marry you." she told him. "I'm sorry but I will not marry you if it will cause you this much political trouble."
"I don't care, Isabella!" Henry stated. "I love you."
"I love you too, Henry, and that is why I cannot marry you. I'm just a servant and I can't be the Queen you need me to be." she told him, averting her eyes but feeling his gaze burning into her. He was silent for a long time and to Isabella, who was holding her breath in anticipation of the rage her refusal would surely ensue, it felt like a lifetime.
"If that is the way that you feel." he trailed off. He stood up and began to dress. Isabella picked up her robe and covered herself with it. She went over to him and tried to console him but he shrugged her off, continuing to dress himself. Isabella watched in silence as he finished putting his clothes on and made his way to the door.
"I'm sorry Your Majesty." she said. Henry noticed the sudden change back to formality and he knew that their relationship had changed forever.
"Goodnight Miss Lockhart." he stated monotonously, also switching back to formalities. He left the room closing the door behind him. Isabella let the tears she had been holding back spill from her eyes and she flung herself down on her bed and cried. She cried until she felt as if she had no more tears left within her. Her tears were for Henry – she had so desperately wanted to marry him but she knew that it would be a huge mistake. Her tears were also for herself and her lost purity to a man she loved so dearly and so completely, a man that she had loved ever since she had laid eyes on him when they were children, but had just turned down.
What had she done?