Hatfield House, Hertfordshire
Kat insisted on staying in my rooms for lessons. She did not want any interruptions today, and her anxiety over the matter perplexed me. The moment I sat down, she drew a yellowed piece of parchment from her corset and set it on the table in front of me.
The first thing I noticed was how incredibly beautiful the handwriting was, the letters narrow and slightly flourished, but straight up and down with thick-inked lines. There were no blots or mistakes, and as I began to read, I noticed the writer’s French was impeccable.
I looked up at Kat with wonder in my eyes and she said, “Well, what are you waiting for? Get to work, my Lady.” She smiled at me excitedly.
I spoke French better than most English women and I read it fairly well, but translating a letter could be difficult unless you knew the intent and background of the writer. However, as I got to work, I noticed that there was nothing remarkable about its contents. It was interesting because it mentioned me and my grandmother, but even more interesting was the time and effort taken to make this singularly beautiful, yet perfectly ordinary note. And there was the mystery of its mode of delivery and specified date. All these factors utterly confused me, and when I had completed translating the body of the letter, I looked up to Kat with all of this bewilderment apparent on my face.
“The postscript, Elizabeth. Finish, please,” Kat said with a touch of annoyance.
As I started on the postscript, my excitement grew with each word. Immediately I asked, “Where is the box?”
“I have put it in a safe spot. Do not be anxious about it. It is made of very hard metal and is securely locked. I dare say it weighs as much as you do. In fact, I had to buy a special riding bag to carry it. Now that you are finished, I would like you to read the entire thing aloud for me, please.”
Thinking that this was just a part of the lesson she had planned for me, I asked, “In French or in English?”
“English, please. Come now, Elizabeth. You are a bright girl.”
I did not know what she meant by this, but I started to read anyway.
Dear Ms. Katherine Champernon,
* * *
I hope all is going well. The weather has been very pleasant here. I am currently involved in so many projects that I have no idea how I will accomplish all I wish. I guess it will all be done in the Lord's own time. I hope that your placement in the princess’s house is going well. Her grandmother just told me the other day how she does not see the girl as often as she would like. I think Lady Elizabeth Boleyn the very definition of wisdom and grace, and I am sure any young girl would benefit from a bit of her council.
* * *
We will be wintering in London. Christmas always brings me such joy. I am hoping to bring joy to all in our circle this Christmas with the birth of our first son. Let us pray that he is healthy and vibrant just like his Father.
* * *
I hope this letter finds you in good time.
* * *
My best wishes for your health and happiness, and that of your charge.
* * *
A.
* * *
P.S. Lady Elizabeth Boleyn sends me with this gift for her granddaughter, hoping to entice a visit since it cannot be opened without a key.
I looked at Kat as I finished and said, “I cannot believe I have a gift from my grandmother.”
“There is a problem, Elizabeth. Your grandmother is dead. How are we to get a key from a dead woman?”
“Very gently put, Kat,” I remarked, a little perturbed at her crass comment. “I do see the problem, of course.” I thought for a moment. “Perhaps she would have left it for me…maybe with a trusted relative.”
“I thought of that, but the only close relative would be Mary, your mother’s sister, and no one in court would admit to knowing where she is.”
“Father would know her whereabouts, or do you think he would not keep up with one of his sons? He has only three.”
“Yes, and are you going to ask him where his bastard son from your mother's sister is at present?”
It had not occurred to me that I would be the one asking. “No, that does not sound like a good scheme when my status with him is so…volatile.”
“So, it is evident by this letter that I must, in the author’s opinion, take you to your grandmother. It is hinted at once and stated twice.” She paused to let this sink in, but when I had no response she continued. “My Lady, look at the date on the outside of the paper.”
I did so. 24 October 1535. “You see it there as plain as the nose on your face.”
“Yes, I see it. Kat, what is your point?” I said in a slightly whiny voice. I was growing impatient as I flipped the paper back over and saw the words “Dear Ms. Katherine Champernon,” printed on the letter’s top. This did make me pause for a moment, but I did not have time to think of why, for Kat had already begun to tell me.
“My Lady,” she said slowly, “your brother Edward was not yet—”
“—born in 1535,” I finished for her. “Which means, at this time in history, Lady Bryan was still my nurse, and you had not so much as entered my doorframe.” I looked more closely at this letter. “There is no mistaking that this letter is for you, and there is no mistaking that this letter is about me. How in the world did this ‘A’ person know you were to be my governess? How could she possibly know?”
“That, my dear, is the question of the day.” She looked at me seriously as if assessing me in some way. “I have more to say about this, but I do not want to upset you.”
“Kat, how could anything about this upset me?”
After a moment more of examining me, she continued in a great rush and did not breathe again until she finished. “Do you know of a person who was close to your grandmother, spent time in court, and not only had enough gold to pay a man to deliver a letter five years in the future, but who, for some reason, would come to this man with veiled face? Also, this person was in a position where the birth of a son would be an important event in her circle. And furthermore, if there was any doubt, a person whose name starts with an ‘A’?”
I looked down at the ‘A’ on the paper and I instantly knew what Kat was saying. I had in my possession a sketch of Hatfield which my mother had done when I was born. She had signed it, “Anne Boleyn,” at the bottom and hung it in my nursery. I knew that “A.” I had seen it my whole life on my wall. Shock caused my words to stutter. “This—this looks—like my mother’s—mother’s ‘A’.” I looked at Kat, mystified. “Could this ‘A’ stand for ‘Anne’?”
“I believe that is exactly what it stands for. Reread the letter. I believe she left clues to her identity there for anyone to find, if they did not just disregard the letter as drivel. She certainly made sure that neither of us would think it such.”
I reread it and all the clues matched perfectly, except that she did not refer to me with any kind of affection, excepting the last line of the body, where she wished me health and happiness.
“She certainly has our attention, but what would make her go to such lengths to tell us to go see Grandmother, and why does she pretend to not know me?”
“My dear girl, she obviously did not want anyone to know who she was or that she had any connection with you, so if it fell into the wrong hands…I am sure your grandmother had the key to that package, which very well could be from your mother and not your grandmother.”
I was overwhelmed. I had no idea what to do with this information, so I went on to something else. “Well, nothing explains how she could have known about you and your charge as my governess.”
“Nothing, unless she arranged this somehow. She set all this up for us, so how do we know she did not leave instructions with someone stating her wishes regarding your care?” Kat did know how to make sense when she needed to, but she continued uncertainly, “There is, of course, a very different explanation.”
I saw the apprehension on her face and knew to what she was referring. “Kat, do not be ridiculous. You do
not believe in that sort of sorcery, and neither do I.” I considered all she said, and as soon as my mind grasped the fact that my mother might have left something for me, all I wanted to do was to get that key and open that box. “Kat, will you bring me the box, please?”
“Of course, my Lady.”
While Kat was out of the room, there was a knock at the door, and since there was no one else around I went to answer it. It was Robert. He had a grand smile for me. “I have brought Emma and some tea,” he said as he ushered Emma into my room and followed after her. I wondered how it could already be teatime. “I have missed you, my Lady.” He bowed and kissed my hand, and for a moment, as I looked into his beautiful face, all thoughts of mysterious letters were forgotten. “What have you been doing all morning long whilst I have been pining your absence?”
He was in his role again, and I smiled widely at him to let him know how happy I was to see him. To show him I would play along, I said flippantly, “That is none of your concern, good man. I am a free woman and can do all that I want without regard to your pining or lack thereof.”
He laughed heartily at me, squeezing tightly the hand he still held, and for a fraction of a moment I saw in his eyes that he really had missed me. I hoped he saw that I had missed him.
As we stood there, hand in hand, looking at one another, Kat came back into the room. She was carrying a long, flat, gorgeously ornate metal box. She stopped when she saw Robert and me. I wanted to let go of his hand, but he held mine tightly as if he were completely unashamed to be doing so. Probably because he was completely unashamed. He was obviously just touching me as he would a sister. But I was ashamed because I realized that, for me, touching him meant something.
Without letting go, he led me to Kat and said politely, “Lady Katherine, how glad I am to see you again. I have been desiring to have another lesson from you. I feel as though my mind is turning to mush without your instruction to harden it.”
Kat was momentarily affected by Robert’s charm, but soon enough she was looking at him with annoyance. “Lady Elizabeth and I are in the middle of a lesson right now, Robert,” she snapped.
“Yes,” I broke in, “but it is teatime and Emma has brought it in for us.” After setting the tea down Emma curtsied and exited the room. Kat walked to a table by a window and set the box down as she searched the sky for the sun. “I cannot believe it is near noon already.”
“That is precisely what I said. Now, let’s sit. I want to tell Robert all that has happened today.”
Kat’s head swung sharply in my direction and she gave me a warning look. I knew what she was thinking. If my mother had done so much to keep this a secret, then we should as well. But she did not understand. I did not have secrets from Robert. As soon as we sat, I began telling him everything, starting with Alice’s message on the day he had arrived. He of course asked questions and was completely involved in the story and mystery of it all.
“So, that box Kat just brought in is at least from your grandmother or, perhaps, even from your mother?”
“Yes!” I said excitedly.
“Well, you must rush to your grandmother’s house and see if she also has left you a clue.”
“Kat, do you know where we should begin? Mother grew up at Hever Castle in Kent, but I know that, after Grandfather died, the castle went back to Father’s ownership, and he, then, gave it to Anna of Cleves. However, I think Grandmother and Grandfather lived the last bit of their lives at Baynard’s.”
“I would think your grandmother would leave something for you in a place that would be associated with her family. I am sure that, of the two castles, Hever is the best place to start—the only problem being that it is upwards of fifty miles away, while Baynard’s is but twenty miles.”
I was frustrated. “So that makes neither of the castles a possibility for visiting. I cannot make a trip of that distance in the near future. I have no excuse for it, excepting this secret one.”
“I guess you will just have to find some excuse for going,” Robert said, as he smiled and touched my hand that rested on the table. “Do not be overanxious about it, my Lady. It will work itself out.”
“Perhaps a visit to Anna. She is always inviting you,” Kat said offhandedly.
“Yes, that would be a wonderful idea, except I have never showed much interest in her, and I fear to ask, now that I have refused so often.” However, no other plan came to mind and then it was time for tea to be over.
“My Lady, we need to get you ready for your party. It starts shortly,” Kat said stiffly as she looked over at Robert. She had been impolite to him the entire half an hour.
“Yes. Well, Robert, out with you. The ladies must make themselves beauteous,” I said.
He laughed. “The men too!” Then he headed for the door, but stopped and turned before exiting. “Oh, my Lady.”
“Yes,” I said instantly, for I was watching him walk out.
“I know there will be dancing, and I would consider it an honor if I might share a dance or two with you.”
“Robert, I would be offended if you hadn’t asked. I probably would have just demanded you do the deed whether you wanted to or not,” I said as haughtily as I could.
He looked at me adoringly and sighed. “You know not how you quicken my heart with your words.” I giggled and watched him slide his hand just under his doublet, right over his heart, and pat it rapidly. “You see, my Lady, I shall die, it beats so quickly.”
“Get out, you silly boy!” I said, and tossed a nearby pillow at him. With that, he rushed from the room. When I turned to face Kat, I knew that I was in for a lecture and it came immediately.
“The two of you act like courtiers, not like children. I thought you were playing in the mud, not making love to one another.”
I felt the shock of her words flush my cheeks. “Robert and I do not—do not make love to one another.” I calmed myself and thought how I did not want to explain this to Kat. But if I did not I would never see Robert again. Kat would see to it. “In public, we practice on one another because that is what is expected. However, when we are alone we play as children do, because that is what we are in our hearts.”
“I am not sure where his heart lies, but Elizabeth, it is absolutely incontestable that you are smitten with him. You cannot deny it for I will not believe you.”
I hated this. I did not want to have this conversation. I just wanted things to be easy with Sir Robin and me. I wanted to have a normal friendship without it leading to marriage conversations. I also hated the fact that she saw what I knew: that I was his sister, but he was in my heart. I felt spurned, rejected, a little humiliated, and foolish. However, I knew I had to tell her something.
Explaining my now-dejected attitude was important to my pride. “Kat, it does not matter the way I feel. Robert is beautiful—even you cannot contradict me there—so of course I am going to be smitten with him. Is it not time for me to have my first attraction? For heaven sake, Father has already promised my hand to four different men. Should I not discover what I like?” I realized how this sounded and quickly went on. “Never mind any of that. Truthfully, it is not important. What is pertinent is Robert. He is more than a first attraction to me. He is my playmate, my confidant, someone I trust and want to be with. He is the first friend I have ever had—that is not an adult.” I looked at her and willed her to see what I meant but could not explain very well. “Do you understand me?”
Kat did not say anything for a full minute, but as her sharp eyes finished assessing whatever she was assessing, she slowly said, “I see.” Then her look turned half-amused, half-conflicted, and she sighed. “Let’s get you dressed. You do not want to make your guests wait too long.”
Episode 7
September 1542
Hatfield House, Hertfordshire
The afternoon was all I had hoped. There was a large canopy with tables and chairs set up in the south end of the garden. I wondered if God had listened to all my prayers concerning the weath
er, because it could not have been more uncharacteristic or more beautiful. The sun was warm, and I knew that this was certainly one of the last warm days of summer, before the land would succumb to autumn. The trees were still green, the flowers were still in blossom, and the bees still buzzed.
Blanche had outdone herself. Everything was perfect. I wore my most elegant gown: gold with white silk lace borders and brown and green silk flowers embroidered onto the corset. An elegant three-tiered cake sat in front of me.
I stood to deliver my birthday speech, which I’d been practicing, for it was my main duty tonight. I did not have much to say, but I was full of gratitude. Clearing my throat, I lifted my glass. “To my close friends and family. Thank you for celebrating this special day with me. Thank you for traveling so far to see me, the humble daughter of an important man.”
Many laughed, and I laughed too. “I hope this is the first of many celebrations that I host. Though I am nine today, I flatter myself that I am old enough to make a proper hostess speech, and that, my dear friends, is what this party is about: my education as a hostess.” I added in a jesting manner, “Which tells you that Kat just doesn’t know what else to teach me. She says I already know everything and there is considerable angst in her tone when she admits this.” I giggled and so did my audience. “Really, I have invited you here because I think it important to celebrate change, personal growth, and the gaining of skills and knowledge. That is what life is about, correct?” There were murmurs of agreement. “I feel that this year I have changed. I have overcome many things, by the grace of God, and there are many things I look forward to accomplishing.” I raised my glass. “So, to another wonderful year and many thanks to Blanche and all those who helped me put this together. I hope I have learned all I ought.”
Elizabeth Tudor- Ancestry of Sorcery Page 5