The Lady Carey

by Anne R Bailey

  “Your Grace, perhaps you should come away and sit by the fire.”

  “No, maybe later.”

  Catherine bit her lip. She saw Lady Rochford note Kitty’s behavior too, but it did not shock her. In fact, she had to hide her smile by looking down at the hands in her lap. She talked to her aunt once the Queen had retired with the King.

  “You do not seem concerned about her behavior,” she said.

  “There is nothing here for you to concern yourself about.”

  One of the ladies passing by heard, guessed what they were talking about and laughed aloud. “Oh Kit-I mean her grace was always very generous to gentlemen who paid her attention at Lambeth.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Catherine asked.

  “Nothing, of course. She told us never to speak of it and I shall not.” Mary Hall went away before she could question her further.

  Catherine turned to Lady Rochford, who was white-faced.

  “And you say you are not worried?”

  “The girl is a mean gossip. She shall be sent away.”

  “I don’t think your secrets are going to be kept secrets for long. I certainly won’t stay silent.” She stood but felt her aunt’s tight grip on her arm.

  “You shall not say anything. There is nothing to say.”

  Catherine struggled in her iron grip. Finally, she managed to free herself, and she saw Jane had left angry red marks on her arm. “I shall do what I think is right.”

  She did not sleep in her rooms that night but sought out her uncle, the Duke. He was furious to be awoken from his sleep, but, seeing her unabashed expression, he invited her to sit — something he had never done before.

  “What do you know?” He poured a glass of wine for her.

  Their conversation was brief. There was not much to say. The Queen was acting indiscreetly and it seemed she had a history of acting this way. Whatever gate had kept the knowledge secret for this long was opening. Whether it was by witnesses or by the Queen’s own foolish actions — she would be discovered soon.

  There was no way the Howards would survive this disgrace twice unscathed. But the Duke of Norfolk, with his pride, would try. He thanked Catherine and sent her back to the Queen’s rooms.

  “I shall not stay at court for much longer,” she said as she reached for the door handle. “I will not let her drag me down with her.”

  “Smart girl.”

  By the fireplace where she had left her, Lady Rochford waited anxiously.

  “Where have you been?”

  “I was with my husband.” Catherine lied smoothly. “Can you not sleep?”

  Jane did not bother answering but glared at her suspiciously. With a fake yawn Catherine declared she was tired herself and went to her own room.

  Catherine did nothing other than warn her husband. He was unlikely to be caught up in all of this and did not fear. But he knew that whenever the Queen was put on trial her ladies would be as well.

  “I want you to make an excuse and leave court before we arrive back at Hampton Court.”

  “I’ll say I have to move Mary to Readings.”

  Francis nodded. “And stay there until I tell you to come back. Don’t listen to anyone else.”

  “I’ll let the Queen know tomorrow.”

  They enjoyed a last night together, knowing they would be separated yet again.

  Queen Katherine was in a jovial mood and could barely hear what Catherine was saying.

  “May I be excused, your grace?”

  “For what?”

  “A few weeks to settle my daughter in her new home.”

  “Oh! Of course, but you will miss a wonderful celebration on All Saints Day. Are you sure you want to miss it?”

  “I will see it next year.”

  “Very well.” The Queen kissed both her cheeks in farewell and Catherine curtseyed to her.

  She was in the stable yard with a hired escort of two men before Lady Rochford even knew she was gone. What would she say to stop her anyways?

  Her mother was surprised by her sudden reappearance, but Catherine refused to explain further except that the court was yet again unsafe.

  In a week, her fear was justified as Francis sent her a written message by a trusted servant that the Queen was under investigation. There had been no warning except that one night the King had simply disappeared from Hampton Court.

  Among her judges were Admiral Fitzwilliam who had now taken over the position of Lord Privy Seal, Sir Anthony Browne and Baron Russell. These men had served at one time or another under Cromwell and were notable Protestants.

  Even Catherine knew the real prize for them was taking down the Howard faction at court with their dangerous Catholic agenda. It was an endless cycle of courtiers trying to topple each other. For now, they had caught Katherine Howard in their web, and when they discovered that Francis Dereham had been her lover while she was at Lambeth, they did not spare the King’s feelings and told him everything.

  Surprisingly, Henry, the cold-hearted monster, had broken down in a fit of anger and despair. In the end, he had her imprisoned at Syon House for further questioning. The Duke of Norfolk was questioned, and the Duchess, in whose household she had been raised, was as well.

  It was only a matter of time before the axe found its mark.

  Catherine, sick with worry that the King’s men would be riding up the road to take her in for questioning, suffered through sleepless nights. She had no appetite and was often sick in the mornings.

  “You must eat. They will not come for you now. You are hidden by your husband’s name just as I am hidden by the Stafford name.”

  As time dragged on Catherine did manage to sleep more, but her appetite showed no signs of returning. She distracted herself with watching over her daughter who had seemed to double in size since the last time she had seen her.

  For Christmas, Francis returned to them and was shocked to see Catherine looking so sickly.

  “Dearest, you must take care of yourself.”

  She promised she was trying to. “I just can’t seem to eat anything. It makes me sick to my stomach.”

  “Perhaps we should call a doctor.”

  “Tomorrow. Now tell me what happened?”

  “I won’t go into details. But Henry Manox was taken to the Tower and questioned. Francis Dereham is accused alongside him for improper behavior with the Queen.”

  “But she wasn’t married then.”

  “Yes, but Francis was given a place in her household, and they suspect there may be more to the story.”

  “They have enough to annul the marriage.”

  Francis nodded and looked away.

  “But that’s not enough for them?” It came out sounding like a question but Catherine was truly horrified at the thought. It was an all-out witch-hunt.

  “They are questioning Lady Rochford too. Your uncle, though, has escaped the King’s wrath.”

  Catherine always assumed he would. He was a survivor and that made him dangerous.

  “What are they questioning Lady Rochford about?”

  Francis shrugged. “I don’t know but perhaps she was witness to the Queen’s behavior. If she was, then it’s treasonous she didn’t report it.”

  “I didn’t report it either.” Catherine gulped.

  “You told your uncle, that is enough. Besides you are safe here. Hush.”

  After they celebrated the New Year, Catherine was still not quite recovered and they called in a doctor who listened to her symptoms, and then, after asking her a few questions of his own, gave his diagnosis.

  “Mistress Knollys, I think you are with child.”

  “What?” Her mouth was gaping like a fish.

  “A midwife can confirm it. This is not my area of expertise.” He packed up his tool bag and left the room, quite embarrassed himself.

  Catherine looked at Francis who was laughing.

  “Sweet wife, this explains everything does it not?”

  Catherine blushed. She had th
ought she was so afraid she had made herself sick with worry.

  “My goodness at this rate we shall have a brood of children.”

  Catherine looked aghast. “I would be happy with just a few.”

  Francis chided her. “Whatever God blesses us with will be absolutely perfect.”

  It was indeed confirmed that she was with child, and, as January drew to a close, Catherine believed that her cousin who was still imprisoned at Syon might eventually be freed. The King couldn’t possibly bring himself to kill a young woman over a previous indiscretion.

  Unfortunately, in February, they heard from London that Culpeper was arrested, and he confessed to liaisons with the Queen. The minute Catherine heard this, she knew her cousin was a dead woman.

  There was no way Henry would forgive her making a cuckold out of him.

  Poor Kitty went from Syon House to the Tower and only came out again to put her head down on the scaffold. Lady Rochford followed soon after. The cruel woman, who had blatantly betrayed yet another of her mistresses to save her own skin, suffered the same fate.

  Francis had to return to his work at court, but, seeing as there was no longer a Queen to serve, the ladies had been temporarily disbanded. Catherine decided to put her own household to rights. She prepared for Mary and her nursemaids to travel with her to Readings where she planned to rebuild a nursery for her children.

  Along the way, she stopped by Richmond Palace and paid a visit to Lady Anne who welcomed her as warmly as ever.

  “What a pretty daughter you have.” She complimented the sleeping child.

  “Just wait until you hear her scream. I don’t know how it will be with two babies in the house.” Catherine patted her ever expanding belly.

  Anne chuckled. “It’s a blessing.”

  “Yes,” Catherine agreed, realizing for the first time that Anne would likely never be a mother herself. She could never marry while the King or the Duke of Lorraine lived, since her own marriage had been annulled due to the pre-contract. Even then, if she remarried, she would forfeit the lands given to her by the King. She would be left penniless. No man of good breeding would want her.

  “Do you still remember your German?” Mistress Loew appeared.

  “Ja, but very little. We shall have to practice.”

  Anne, who was in a constant battle with her accent, laughed. “You sound funny when you speak German, just as I do when I speak English.”

  They talked of other affairs, but, in the end, the conversation circled back to Kitty Howard.

  “She was a sweet girl.” Anne remained steadfast in her opinions. “Meant no harm.”

  “Bah!” Mistress Loew was much more critical. “Sinful girl. It’s a shame to think she seduced the King away.”

  “She has been punished now.” Catherine stopped her before saying anything treasonous.

  “True.”

  Then they were silent wondering for a moment who would be next? Who would dare to stand by Henry’s side as his wife?

  Chapter Thirteen

  Reading had changed in the four years since she had taken up residence here. She had the walls inside painted with white stucco, new tapestries were brought in and furniture as well. Soon they would need a bigger house, for they already had five children in the nursery. One for each year of their marriage.

  Catherine’s younger brother Henry Carey had wed Anne Morgan the year before, and they were living at Rochford Hall. He would run for a seat in Parliament and make his way through the world that way.

  Between the blessings and the good times, there had also been sorrow.

  Her mother had passed away three years ago and her younger sister Elizabeth a few months after of the plague. Her stepfather had left to serve in Scotland, and she wasn’t sure if she would ever see him again.

  It felt as though their family had become fragmented.

  “Come to court with me,” Francis said.

  “Once Edward is weaned.”

  “Catherine, if it’s Edward now, next year it will be another babe. It seems you will always have that excuse.”

  “I went to court to see you off to war when you sailed for France,” she said.

  “That was two years ago.”

  “And I suffered enough that time.” Indeed, the court had been rife with conflict, and she had been worried for Francis’ safety. The siege of Boulogne had lasted four months, but she had not known if he was safe or not. It was heralded as a great victory for the English, but the King had not reached Paris as he had hoped.

  The Spanish Emperor Charles had failed to do his part and their whole campaign had fizzled down to nothing. It had also bankrupted the crown in the process. Catherine still felt the effects of the taxes the King had levied to pay for the expedition. They had managed to stay out of debt, but there was very little money left and she had taken to penny pinching.

  Francis gave her a look but she knew she had won. It was hard for him to get her to leave their children and newly renovated home.

  The court had become a very different place under the influence of the new Queen, yet another Catherine. It was now a center of learning and religious debate within the Kingdom. She had lectures in her rooms and had no fear in arguing with the great men of realm over theology. The Queen was even working on a book of translations, and, though she did not put her own name to it, everyone knew her as the author.

  It was a great gamble to take a position so openly, especially in King Henry’s court. Where factions fought to pull each other down.

  Catherine, who had been taught to speak three languages, had not been taught to debate with men. So she felt out of place when she had stayed at court, though she enjoyed being reunited with her cousin the Lady Elizabeth who, thanks to Catherine Parr, had been reinstated to the succession.

  Lady Elizabeth had grown into a beautiful girl. There was no mistaking her sharp wit and intelligence. They kept regular correspondence with each other. Catherine would write to her of family news and practice her French while Lady Elizabeth would keep her abreast of court gossip. At least the gossip that was safe to write about.

  It was clear that under Catherine Parr’s tutelage, Elizabeth had become a firm supporter of Protestantism.

  Catherine’s own husband believed in the cause wholeheartedly, but Catherine was too cautious to say anything one way or another. She believed in God, did she believe that the wine turned into blood during the mass? She couldn’t say.

  She hid behind the ignorance of being a woman, and, though Francis encouraged her to read books he brought her, she dared not touch them in fear of one day being called a heretic.

  The pyres at Smithfield were waiting for any accused of heresy, and, in this day and age, the King decided what that was. Most dangerously, his opinion from the morning changed in the evening, so Catherine took the safe route of silence.

  On a sunny day in winter, she decided to have a little feast for the children in the dining hall. Since her youngest children were still babes, she had the tables moved away and arranged carpets and cushions in the middle of the floor like a makeshift picnic. They were sprawled before the fire, enjoying little treats from the kitchen. Her eldest, Mary, was now steady on her feet and ran around chasing after a puppy and pulling at her younger brother’s hair. Only Henry, who was four years old, could toddle after her to get his revenge.

  As she called after the pair to not stray too far, she noticed the dust being kicked up on the road from the window. She narrowed her eyes to get a better look. It was a rider coming up quickly to the house. She stood and told the nursemaid to watch over the children and keep them safe.

  By the time she reached the courtyard, the messenger was talking to her steward.

  “Mistress Carey! You have an urgent message from your husband.” He ran over to her with a sealed letter.

  Catherine tore it off, fearing the worst, that he had taken some illness in the city.

  “There is good news and bad. Rest assured I am in perfect health as I ho
pe you and the children are as well. I am to be knighted by the King as part of a New Year’s celebration. But your Uncle the Duke of Norfolk and his eldest son have been arrested. You are to come to court and be questioned. Have no fear of your safety but come as soon as you can. Be careful on the road and kiss our children for me. Love Francis”

  Her hands trembled at the thought of being questioned. What was there for her to tell?

  Still, she obeyed the summons. She spent the mornings with the Queen in her rooms, though she did not have an official position, and the evenings in Francis’ arms. She was happy to be among women for a change and make idle chitchat with them. Other times, she would play a game of chess with the Lady Elizabeth.

  But whenever conversations turned to something more serious, Catherine would smile and make some excuse to go away. She was then called in before a panel of lords and ordered to sit in judgement. Edward Seymour in the center of them all.

  “Mistress Knollys, you are here to answer our questions to best of your knowledge. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.” She fought the urge to fiddle with the ring on her finger.

  “If we find you have lied or hidden anything away, you shall face the full wrath of the King.”

  Catherine nodded. She did not plan to defend her uncle. He had taught her to look out for herself and leave a drowning man behind to save your own skin. He likely had never thought he would be the one left to suffer alone, but there was nothing for it now.

  “Has the Duke of Norfolk ever spoken about his desire to covet the throne?”

  Catherine’s initial response was to say no. After all, he had never said it outright. “My Lords, I never heard him say he wanted the throne himself.” She saw them frown with irritation but she quickly went on. “When the King was married to his niece Catherine Howard, he would always say how he hoped a Howard Prince would one day sit on the throne.”

  This intrigued them. Of course, the words would probably be twisted, but they had also been dangerous. He should have said Tudor Prince.