So we're actually getting into the series cannon now so here is a little filler chapter because Henry can't stay away from Isabella forever :p
After their night together and Isabella's refusal of Henry's offer of marriage Henry did not visit Isabella's chambers anymore. He stopped seeking her company and a few weeks later he suddenly announced his decision to marry his brother's widow Catherine of Aragon. For a long time a small part of Isabella wondered if he did actually love the woman or if he was only announcing this marriage in a childish attempt to get back at her for denying him. The later seemed even more likely to her when Isabella was introduced to Catherine as one of her new ladies maids. Serving the woman who got to be with the man that she loved was heart breaking for Isabella but, she supposed, she deserved nothing less – she had had her chance to marry Henry and have everything that she had ever dreamed of but she had turned him down. She had chosen to remain in her rightful place and she had to pay the price for that.
The years rolled on. Henry established himself as a great King, making England a better country in all walks of life. Isabella continued to work as Catharine's ladies maid and eventually found herself a confidant of the new Queen's. At first Isabella found this very strange; Catherine would tell her about any marital problems she and Henry were having and the fact that he rarely visited her chambers. Isabella never knew how to respond to these discussions but her silence seemed to help Her Majesty all the same – it appeared that she just needed someone to listen to her. More than anything the Queen seemed desperate to give her King the son and heir he so desired.
When Catherine conceived for the first time there was a great joy throughout the kingdom but that joy turned sour when the child was born as a still-birth and was a girl. It was not long after this that Catherine conceived once again and this time gave birth to a son. The entire country was overjoyed, not to mention the King and Queen, but once again this joy ran out as the child lived for only seven weeks. Catherine was devastated and Henry began to become cold and distant towards her, taking a number of different mistresses but never returning to Isabella.
After a few brief affairs Henry went to Catherine and she fell pregnant once again, only for the child to be another still-born. Henry's hopes of receiving an heir, any heir, were slowly dwindling and he desired comfort but found it nowhere. When all hope seemed lost that the King and Queen would gain a child Catherine fell pregnant once again and Henry's fears for the welfare of his unborn child consumed him. One day as she was alone servicing Catherine's bed chamber before Her Majesty arrived the King paid Isabella a visit.
"Your Majesty." she curtseyed on his arrival. He must have come in here by mistake, she thought, he hadn't sought her company for so long.
"Miss Lockhart." he smiled as he took her hand and kissed it softly. It was the smallest of gestures but it sent waves of desire flowing through Isabella once again as the memory of their night of passion together resurfaced. She could not tell if Henry felt it too but the air around her suddenly became very thick and heavy with want, hope, lust and desire and it felt as if it wasn't just coming from her.
"May I help you Your Majesty?" Isabella asked, averting her eyes and trying to rid herself of these feelings. If Henry had wanted her to be his mistress then he would have asked for her to come to his bed chambers, not any of the other girls. She had lost her chance to be with him when she had refused his proposal.
"I wanted to converse with you again, as we used to." Henry stated. "I know you are a great confidant of Her Majesty's and I remembered a time when you were also a great confidant of mine. I have missed talking with you... Isabella." And there it was; that emphasis he always used to put on calling her by her name and it made her heart skip.
"I too Your Majesty." she replied. Isabella tried not to react to this sudden change in formality but she didn't trust herself to do the same so settled for keeping the conversation formal on her part. She had learnt her place by now and would not allow herself to grant him such an informality as to call him by his first name again.
"May I speak plainly with you, Isabella?" he asked after a moment's silence.
"Of course Your Majesty." she replied, unsure of where he was going with this. He was keeping his distance and that was helping her keep her thoughts collected, which was something at least.
"It is not just that I have missed talking with you but I have missed you." he stated. "Seeing you every day and not being able to act as I used to. Seeing how beautiful you are and not being able to be with you."
"You have many mistresses Your Majesty." Isabella cut him off allowing herself a rueful smile as she turned to continue her work so that he wouldn't see any trace of hurt she may betray. Henry waved his hand dismissively.
"Girls." he replied flippantly. "Girls who are only interested in my status and power; they are nothing compared to you, Isabella. I should not have taken no for an answer when I proposed marriage to you all those years ago. I should not have cast you aside the way I did and I should have come to apologise sooner."
"There is no need to apologise Your Majesty." she told him, turning to face him. "When I rejected your proposal I was only thinking of your position as King, otherwise I would not have rejected you." Henry kissed her hand softly again and that feeling that had been dormant for so long jolted to life in Isabella's stomach. The memory of Henry inside her, filling her, making her tremble and bringing her total and complete ecstasy was almost too much for her.
"You are too good to me Isabella." he told her and used her hand to slowly pull her closer to him. When their bodies were almost touching he cupped her cheek in his hand, running his thumb over her smooth skin and softly pressed his lips to hers. The familiar feeling of his lips against hers was wonderful and Isabella quite forgot herself for a moment and began to kiss him back. She allowed her hands to travel up to wrap around his neck.
It was as if time had stopped in the moment that they were last together; Henry had never married Catherine, they had never drifted apart and all that was left was the two of them together after she had given herself to him. All that mattered was the fact that Henry's lips were against hers once again and that he wanted her. Still with his lips attached to hers he began to walk her backwards to the bed but the sudden realisation of where she was made Isabella snap back to rationality. She pushed him away slightly.
"I'm sorry...but I can't..." she began. "not here and not while your wife is pregnant." Henry sighed and kissed her forehead softly.
"At least one of us has held on to some morality over the years." he muttered. Isabella was unsure if she was supposed to hear that or not. "You know I worry that this child will be yet another still-born." he told her.
"If nothing else you can at least hope that it won't." Isabella replied giving him a small smile. Henry laughed softly.
"As always you are ever the optimist, Isabella."
"I have hope that things can improve, that the happiness that someone truly deserves will be granted to them in the end." she stated, looking away from him. "I also don't want to be responsible for causing someone else's misery." she added.
"You are very wise." Henry stated. "I hope that one day I can gain some of your wisdom."
"Thank you Your Majesty." she smiled. He pressed his lips to hers once again and turned to leave the room.
"I shall let you continue with your duties." he stated, leaning against the door frame slightly.
"Thank you Your Majesty." she replied and began to busy herself with tidying the room once again. Henry watched her for few minutes and then turned to leave.
"I hope to be able to converse with you again soon Isabella, I would not like to leave any more years where the two of us are unable to speak as we did when we were children."
"I hope so too Your Majesty." she smiled and curtseyed, as was the proper thing to do in this situation. He smiled back at her once again.
"Isabella, please find it in yourself to call me Henry as you once did."
"I promise to try...Henry." she replied, putting the same emphasis that he always put on her name on his. He smiled at her and then left her to continue her work, leaving her glad of what had transpired between them. Maybe after this they could mend and rebuild their relationship to the status it had previously been in.