“She is an arrogant and vindictive bitch!” Philippa cried. “She has even threatened to make the princess her servant!”
“Indeed,” Elizabeth murmured. “And do you really think the king, who adores his child, would tolerate a woman who threatened such a thing? You are listening to unfounded gossip, sister. Your devotion to Queen Katherine has blinded you. You must learn to control your feelings lest you endanger your sons’ careers.”
“Why should I take advice from you?” Philippa demanded to know. “You are a country woman, and you have no idea what life in the court is like.”
“Because I am your little sister, and despite the fact you have turned into a pompous prig, I love you. And Uncle Thomas said I must help you, for he knew you would feel this way, Philippa. Be reasonable, and be sensible. You can do nothing to change what has happened to Queen Katherine. As I have previously said to you, the problem is the king’s lack of a male heir. If it had not been Anne it would have been someone else. You must think of your sons. Disapprove if you will. You are surely not the only one who does. But keep your anger to yourself. It does you no good, and it does poor Queen Katherine no good. While Anne is not cruel, she will remember a slight done her, and eventually find a way to repay the person in kind,” Elizabeth warned her companion. “Your irrational behavior could reflect upon us all, and we have held royal favor now for many years. That favor comes as much from the king as from Queen Katherine. If you cause us to lose it, Mama will certainly not think kindly of you.” Elizabeth reached out and took her sister’s hand in hers. “Remember that the family is everything. Nothing is more important.”
Philippa sighed. “I know you are right,” she said, “yet I cannot help but be angry at everything that has happened.”
“You are a consummate courtier, sister. Mask your anger. Do not tell me you haven’t done it before, for I am certain you have,” Elizabeth said. She arose. “I have been traveling for what seems forever. I want a hot bath, a good supper, and a bed that is not home to a family of voracious fleas. Will you be here when I wake up tomorrow?”
Philippa nodded. “I’ll go down to Greenwich with you,” she said. “Crispin is already there. We are asked to the coronation. While some, like the Duke of Norfolk’s wife, will not come, my husband says we must.”
“The Duchess of Norfolk is Anne’s aunt,” Elizabeth said, surprised.
“By marriage, not blood,” Philippa answered her. “And like me she is devoted to Queen Katherine. Ohh, that I dared be as brave as she, and refuse to go!”
“You have not the name,” Elizabeth answered dryly. “Nor are you family. Anne does not like either her uncle or her aunt. She will not be sorry they are not there. And she will sooner than later discover a way to repay the duchess for her contempt.” Elizabeth kissed her sister’s cheek and departed the hall where they had been sitting. Reaching her old bedchamber she found Nancy awaiting her.
“’Tis good to be back in a respectable house,” Nancy said. “They’re filling your tub now, and the water is so hot it would peel the skin off a peach.”
“When I’m through you bathe,” Elizabeth said. “It may have rained most of our way to London, and while that kept the dust down, the road was still dirty.” Waiting for the serving men to leave, she then loosened the tabs holding her skirt up, and unlaced the petticoats beneath. They fell to the floor, and Elizabeth stepped from them. Unfastening her bodice, she handed it to Nancy, who had gathered up the dusty skirts. Next came her stockings and chemise. Climbing into the tall oak tub, Elizabeth sighed gratefully. “Have I anything to wear to court, or must you refurbish my traveling garments, Nancy?”
“It will have to be these,” Nancy said. “Your trunks are by now at Bolton House in Greenwich, mistress. We have a day, and I’ll have your skirt and bodice respectable by then. I’m going to take them off right now and into the gardens to shake. Then I’ll hang them out by the kitchen to air. You just enjoy your soak.” She hurried out.
Well,Elizabeth thought,here I am again in the one place I vowed never to be. London. And the court lies ahead of me. The journey was tedious. I hated every step I took away from Baen, young Tom, and Friarsgate. I hope the queen will not keep me away from them for too long. What can Anne Boleyn want of me? I have nothing to offer her. She has attained her goal. She is the king’s wife, and shortly to be crowned queen. She is carrying the king’s child. What can she want?
Elizabeth had asked herself this question over and over again as she had traveled south from Friarsgate. But she had not come up with an answer. She prayed she would not get to Greenwich to learn that Anne had merely called her on a whim. Yet when Elizabeth had requested an escort from Anne, one had been forthcoming. She would know soon enough. Emptying her mind of its confusion, Elizabeth washed her long blond hair, pinned it atop her head, and washed herself before sitting back in the water for a few minutes to relax. She needed food, and she need a good night’s rest. She did not need to be asking herself questions that only Anne Boleyn could answer.
The next day she and Philippa spent together. Sitting in the gardens of Bolton House they watched the river traffic and talked of their childhoods, of their mother, and of Friarsgate. Philippa was surprised—and yet she asked herself why she would be—at her youngest sister’s maturity and great sense of responsibility. She realized how much like Rosamund the youngest of her daughters was. Elizabeth was fascinated by her sophisticated elder, who had so skillfully negotiated her way amid the high and mighty all these years. It took a rare talent to survive within the royal world. The sisters realized that they were gaining a deeper understanding of and respect for each other. The two young women felt closer to each other than they had ever felt in their lives.
The next morning, they prepared to depart for Greenwich. The house barge bobbed at the quay at the foot of the gardens. The bargemen wore the Earl of Witton’s livery. Philippa was dressed in a silk gown so deep a green it seemed almost black. The square neckline was embroidered with pearls, and the fitted sleeves were trimmed with creamy lace. About her waist was an embroidered girdle of gold and tiny seed pearls. The long rope of large pearls about her neck was pale gold. Upon her auburn head the Countess of Witton had set a gable hood with a veil that covered her hair. It was very much in the style of Katherine of Aragon.
“An English hood would be more flattering,” Elizabeth said quietly.
“It’s old-fashioned,” Philippa said.
“No more so than the gable,” Elizabeth murmured.
“I will not wear a French hood!” Philippa declared.
“Then either wear the English, or wear just a veil over your hair,” Elizabeth said. “Anne notices things like that. She is very conscious of fashion.”
Philippa made a derisive noise, but she pulled the gabled hood from her head, calling to her tiring woman as she did. “Lucy! Fetch the English hood. I’ve decided to wear it instead of this gabled one.” She looked at her sister. “Are you satisfied now?”
Elizabeth grinned and nodded.
“Is that the gown you arrived in?” Philippa demanded to know.
“’Tis all I have. My trunks are at Greenwich. Nancy refurbished it,” Elizabeth told her sister.
“Aye, and did a fine job of it too,” Philippa said. “Tell me you didn’t ride astride with your legs showing,” she begged.
Elizabeth just laughed. “You would have been more shocked if I arrived in woolen breeks of Friarsgate blue,” she said.
Philippa shook her head. “Aye, I would have,” she admitted, smiling. “The color suits you. ’Tis like doeskin. I have always liked that light creamy brown, but alas, I am too sallow for it. With your blond hair and fair skin it is quite lovely. There is no decoration on the bodice, though, and those marten cuffs are a bit plain. So is your hood.”
“But it was perfect for traveling,” Elizabeth said. “And once I have paid my respects to the king and his new wife I will return to Uncle’s Greenwich house to change into something more appropriate. But Anne will appreciate that I have come directly to her from London, not even bothering to change, so anxious am I to see her.”
