“Yes, Cromwell barged his way in here without an invitation and behaved with great indelicacy. I complained to Henry, and normally he would never have tolerated such a slight, but he merely shrugged it off, as it suited his purpose.”
“Terrible behaviour,” said Mary Tudor. “I will speak to my brother. A lady’s privacy must be sacrosanct.”
Thomasin’s attention wandered. As the queen continued to speak, Nico crept back into her thoughts, and she turned over the words he had spoken earlier in the garden. There was a formality about his proposal, a formality that was full of respect and honour, unlike the raw, animal passion of Rafe, who had simply sought to satisfy his desires. She recalled Nico at Windsor. No one could dance like him, move with such elegance. It would not hurt to see how he would go about wooing her, and what offer he might make. To be courted by a Venetian could be very exciting.
Lady Howard was speaking. Thomasin was surprised to hear her expressing such determined views, but returned to the conversation.
“The situation has become so severe,” she was saying, “due to the hold Anne Boleyn, my niece-in-law has over the king, almost like an enchantment. It is that hold upon him that we must weaken. The king is of a resolute and stubborn mind, but Anne herself might be the chink in his armour. We must consider her history in France, our natural enemies, her forwardness, which could cause awkwardness at court, and her reformist views.”
“Do you think Henry will listen to reason? Agree to just walk away?” Catherine snapped. “That woman is as ruthless and ambitious as a man, and has set her sights upon him.”
“So she is,” agreed Lady Howard, “but another woman might not be. Listen, with apologies to those present, men are easily charmed by a pretty face. They barely see beyond that until they are hooked.”
The room murmured, some in protest, others in agreement. Thomasin watched their reactions with surprise and a little amusement.
“We must be realistic about this. The king has been bewitched by young, vibrant woman, a novelty. Lacking the stamina and patience for longevity, he has been diverted. But this can work in our favour. It means that he can be diverted again. If we can find another young woman, vivacious and beautiful, more so than Anne, who can offer what she does, but is more pliant and amenable to our cause, then we might prevail. What matters is to break the spell she has over him.”
There was silence for a moment.
“My goodness,” said Charles Brandon, stroking his beard. “I think you might be right. We need to beat Anne at her own game. We need an Anne of our own.”
“All she need do is be attractive and available. Distract Henry from Anne, wounding her pride and breaking her hold. Then, once the damage has been done, our Lady can simply withdraw — leave court or marry elsewhere.”
“If she were to promise him a son,” said Mary Tudor, thoughtfully, “but stop short of sharing his bed.”
Lady Howard shrugged. “She would need to secure his interest in whatever way she could, using her feminine charm. It might be that she needs to do so, to make the break with Anne complete. Henry must see that another woman can give him what he requires.”
“What would prevent him from returning to Anne afterwards?” asked More.
“Anne herself,” said Lady Howard. “She has a character that, once scorned, will show her spite. We need do nothing. Her unpleasant side will be her undoing. Once she knows he has strayed, she will scold him and become intolerable: he will not wish to unite himself to such a woman. It will break her hold. What do you think, my Lady?”
The room turned towards Queen Catherine, who had sat at attention throughout, listening to the idea unfold.
“It is an interesting approach,” she said at length. “If it were to happen, all would depend upon the choice of woman. It must be someone we can trust completely, who understands the intention of this move and seeks to serve us.”
“I will say now,” chimed in Mendoza, “that it can be none of your good ladies. They are too well known to the king and he will see their motives at once. It must be someone on the outside.”
Thomasin felt some relief at this and smiled at Mendoza, who inclined his head in return.
“But that also lessens her motivation to assist us,” said Catherine. “This woman cannot be too distanced from my cause, or else there is no reason for her to remain loyal. She shall be rewarded, of course; we shall arrange a good match for her once it is over. But she must be noble and willing, and although not completely new to the court, she must have knowledge of its ways and our cause.”
“We are asking a good deal of this woman,” said Mary Tudor. “It makes me a little uneasy on her behalf. She stands to risk her reputation for this cause, and lose her good name. She must understand what it is she does, for it is a very dangerous game and she runs the risk of making some powerful enemies. First she will anger Anne and her faction, and then, when she withdraws, she will enrage the king. She must be attractive enough, and yet have the edge over Anne, and be completely trustworthy.”
Fisher looked around the room. “Does anyone know of such a woman?”
No one made a sound.
“Then that is our immediate task, if the queen is willing.” He turned to Catherine.
“It is less than ideal. I do not like the subterfuge of it, nor the use of the woman; it feels wrong to me in many ways. And yet, knowing my husband as I do, this may be the only way to break the spell this Boleyn woman has over him. I give my consent, although we must tread carefully. Let nothing be done without my consultation.”
After the others had left Catherine’s chamber, Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor lingered. The queen called for more wine and a blanket to cover her legs. Thomasin and Ellen withdrew to the antechamber, where a pile of mending awaited them. One burgundy coloured dress needed the hem turning up, having become scuffed from use. Lady Mary sat with them, clicking her knitting needles, but Maria Willoughby took her little daughter away to read some improving works.
Lady Howard lingered between the rooms, poking her sharp nose into the main chamber, then back into the women’s business.
“Can you not stitch faster than that?” she asked Ellen, looking over her work. “The dress will not be ready before the year’s end otherwise.”
Thomasin bristled at her words, and felt Ellen and Lady Mary do the same. But Ellen had a reply ready.
