Brand new installment and we're getting all angsty and what-not (well in some places), hope you enjoy it and many apologies for the terribly written German accent
Isabella heard a great deal more of the Queen's childish nature, and the childish nature of her ladies maids, from His Grace the Duke of Suffolk. It seemed as if the Duke of Suffolk had about as much time for Her brand new Majesty as the Lady Mary and Isabella did. One afternoon while out walking together he voiced these concerns to Isabella, also wanting her opinion on the subject.
"What say you Lady Lockhart?" he asked. "How do you like the new Queen?"
"I find her...most cordial," Isabella hedged. "and very pleasant to me whenever I see her although I do not think she particular knows who am or all that much about me including my previous relationship with His Majesty."
"Perhaps you should count that as a blessing My Lady." Brandon replied. "I hear that Her Majesty is often trying to make friends with the Lady Mary, much to her dismay."
"Yes, Mary is not the largest fan of Queen Katherine in the world." she replied. "And, from what I hear, neither are you, Your Grace." Brandon raised an eyebrow at her.
"You believe those rumours and speculations?" he asked.
"Hardly." she replied, smirking back at him. "I just know you."
"Too well, Isabella." he told her. "Much too well." There was a moment's silence between the two of them and Isabella could not help but wonder what would have happened if she had given in to Charles all those years ago, even though she knew it would have been a terrible idea. She had been finding herself very nostalgic of late and she suspected that it had something to do with Henry trying to recapture his young by marrying a girl you enough to be his own daughter. "So how do you like the Queen?" he asked, again.
"As long as I am not required to spend too much time in the same room as her I find her very amiable, if a little annoying in large doses." she replied, smiling. Her expression fell when her mind turned to another new member of Henry's household – one who she did not particularly like or trust at all. "It is not her in particular that troubles me." she stated.
"And whom, may I ask, would you be referring to?" Suffolk asked her.
"Your Grace what do you know of Mr Culpepper?" Isabella asked, answering his question with one of her own.
"Culpepper?" Suffolk replied. "I know very little of him and he does not show a great deal of emotion or interest in anything other than...well anything at all in all honestly." he stated.
"That was what I was afraid of." Isabella muttered.
"What do you mean, My Lady?" Suffolk asked. Isabella hesitated, should she tell Suffolk what she had overheard? It was one thing to think these things of Culpepper but to actually voice her suspicions? She may have been wrong in the meaning behind what she heard but what other meaning was there for it? What other meaning could Culpepper possibly have been thinking of other than his desire to have carnal knowledge of Her Majesty? As long as he never acted on those desires then he was no threat.
"Nothing, Your Grace." she said finally, giving her head a little shake. "There is just something that I find unsettling about Mr Culpepper that is all."
"He is a rather unsettling person." Suffolk agreed.
"I think it is that he rarely speaks and I have yet to ever see him smile." she stated.
"There you go!" Suffolk exclaimed. "A man who does not smile is not a man to be trusted." he joked and smiled as if to emphasise his point.
"He most certainly is not Your Grace." she replied, with only a hint of truth behind her own words.
Isabella's suspicions and dislike for Thomas Culpepper would have to wait for there were other members of the court, close to both the King and the Queen, who also troubled her. As she was so far away from the court there was nothing in particular that she could do to put rest to these suspicions or do anything to gain evidence to support them. Upon realising this she decided to put them out of her mind and spend her time getting to properly know the previous Queen.
Even though they had had little interaction in Anne's brief stint as Queen Isabella found that she enjoyed the Lady's company. Both Lady Mary and Lady Elizabeth had wanted to keep up their relationship with Anne of Cleaves (as they both found her a great deal more pleasant, and much less irritating, than Katherine Howard) and Isabella found herself inclined to visit her with them. She found Anne easy to talk to; she was very amiable.
"How is ze King's new marriage to Queen Katherine?" Anne asked Isabella the evening of their arrival in London. Henry had invited the both of them for the New Year (much to the displeasure of the new Queen as Henry had not consulted her about it first.)
"His Majesty is very happy with his new Queen and I believe she is very happy with him." Isabella replied.
"Yes, she seemed very happy with him." Anne replied smiling. "She is a lot younger than I had thought that she would be." she remarked. Isabella laughed softly.
"She is, yes." she replied. "Only seventeen."
"Seventeen?" Anne asked, slightly shocked. "I knew that she was young but I did not realise just how young."
"His Majesty spoils her." Isabella stated. "Or so I am told." she added.
"Do you still keep in contact with ze Lady Rochford?" Anne asked.
"Not particularly." Isabella replied. "Lady Rochford has never truly warmed to me – she is civil enough but I believe that she has never held that great a love for me."
"I do not know how anyone who has ever met you could not love you." Anne told Isabella, smiling warmly at her. Isabella smiled back.
"Many." she replied laughing softly.
"But that cannot be true." Anne stated. Isabella's smile widened.
"Thank you, My Lady." she said. "I feel exactly the same way about yourself, it is a shame that His Majesty did not want to continue in your marriage." Anne waved her hand dismissively.
"I am just thankful to still be in His Majesty's favour and presence." she stated. "I do not think we were a particularly good match from the beginning but I find him to be a good friend." Isabella smiled thinking that it would have been better for the Kingdom if Henry had stayed married to the Lady Anne rather than taking this silly little girl with no decorum for his new Queen. But, alas, this was a thought she could not voice – not while she was staying at court anyway.
The next morning Isabella was attending to the Lady Mary in their shared chambers when Queen Katherine demanded and audience with the Princess. Katherine seemed upset about something and Isabella knew that she should not listen to the exchange but could not help herself, besides Mary had not sent her away so she deemed that it was not important enough to be a private conversation. Then again any conversation that Mary had with the Queen she did not deem as very important.
"Majesty." Mary curtseyed graciously even though Isabella could tell she was angry with the Queen for interrupting her in the middle of her morning prayers.
"Lady Mary I have come here in person to ask you why you will not show me the respect which, as Queen of England, I am entitled to expect even from you." Katherine said. "I noticed, as did everyone else, that you show the greatest respect to the Lady Anne of Cleaves even though she is now just a private person and worth no account."
"Forgive me," Mary said after Katherine had finished. "but surely the Lady Anne is worthy of every respect. She carries herself with great dignity and also modesty," Which you do not, Isabella thought to herself and she knew that was what Mary was implying when she said this to the Queen. "and she desires nothing more than to please the King, her Lord."
"Do you mean I do not try to please him?" Katherine shot back.
"I think you desire almost nothing else than pleasure." Mary stated. "It pleases you, it seems, to do nothing but wear pretty clothes and dance. Some people may thing that frivolous in the consort of a King whose flesh is also sacred."
"If His Majesty thought me only frivolous," Katherine began with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "why did he marry me?" Why indeed, Isabella thought and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from voicing this opinion out loud.
"You are thought capable of bearing sons." Mary replied. "Unfortunately, for all the King's attentions I see you are still not pregnant." Katherine looked at her belly, downcast. It was true what Mary said; even though she was visited nightly by the King she was still not with child. "In any case," Mary added. "he will soon tire of you. You'll see."
"And what about you?" Katherine asked.
"And what about me?" Mary asked in return taking a step towards the Queen.
"I think you're jealous!" Katherine shot back. "You're jealous because you're that much older than me and you're still not married. Perhaps you'll never be married and will grow old a maid." Katherine smirked at Mary and turned to leave, thinking that she had won and for a moment Mary was silent and Isabella thought that she had won as well.
"How dare you speak to me like that!" Mary exclaimed finding her voice.
"I dare because I can!" Katherine replied. "And I can do something else too. As punishment for your disrespect towards His Majesty's wife I am removing two of your maids from your service. A good day to you, Lady Mary." she finished and flounced out of the room. Isabella went to Mary's side to comfort her; she was on the verge of tears and in need of a friend.
"Do not despair My Lady." she said soothingly. "She had no right to say any of those things to you and if your father found out..."
"But they are true!" Mary cried, finally breaking down in tears. "All those hateful things that she said about me are true!" Isabella allowed Mary to cling to her as she felt her world collapsing around her.
"My sweet Lady." Isabella said soothingly. "She had no right to say those things to you and you were right about what you said Your father will soon tire of her, as he tired of all the others. I would not worry about having to answer to her for too much longer."