“Well,” he said, after a time, “I cannot fault this. Nor will the Pope rule against a marriage that was previously dispensated by one of his predecessors. But the king feels differently?”
“He does,” continued Catherine, “mistakenly.”
“He questions the validity of the match, in the light of there being no male issue.”
“But there was male issue,” insisted the queen, “as he well knows. I did bear a son, Prince Henry, who lived for six weeks before it pleased God to take him from us. As the Bible says, a cursed match will not bring forth children, but I bore six of them, with my daughter Mary as evidence of our fruitfulness. The truth is, my husband is enamoured of a woman who haspromised him a son, although it is impossible to know how she intends to fulfil such a promise, when God has been pleased to take my sons from me.”
“I have heard of the Boleyn woman,” nodded Campeggio, “although the king has instructed me that he is most determined to keep her name out of the court proceedings. The court will try to establish the validity of the marriage, nothing more.”
Catherine was quiet.
“I know this is far from ideal, my lady, but with this dispensation, you have a stronger case.”
“Is it not fair,” said the queen at length, “to consider the reasons why the king wishes to bring the case at all? Do his motives not have bearing upon the truth of the marriage?”
“Of course they do. I understand. But it is the validity of the marriage that the papal court will investigate; they will call witnesses back from those days, people who were about the court, who celebrated the wedding with you, who were present on the occasion.”
“Of course they will. All men who are loyal to the king, of course. And chief among them, Thomas Boleyn!”
“Boleyn was present at your marriage to Arthur?”
“As a young man, newly married himself, he was one of the groom’s party.”
Thomasin tried to consider this: a young Thomas Boleyn, his wife Elizabeth heavy with a child that would turn out to be Anne.
“He will be bound by holy oath to swear the truth,” said Campeggio, “and will have to obey.”
Catherine gave a cynical smile. “And my ladies, my dear friends who were with me on that day and during my married life, most are gone now. I have my dear Maria, but all know of her devotion to me, and so they question her impartiality. But my dear Dona Elvira, Francesca, and even little Juan have now left me; I knownot of their whereabouts. I am at a disadvantage, being Spanish, in this country.”
“Dear lady, this is your country as much as the king’s. It has been your home these past twenty-seven years, and for nineteen of those you have been its queen. Far longer than you ever lived in Spain. Rest assured that the court will hear your pleas faithfully and diligently, with all the fairness and charity that God will afford us. But I must ask you, in truth, whether this is the best course of action for you and your daughter.”
Thomasin saw the queen stiffen and knew what was coming.
“I do not doubt,” continued Campeggio, “that you are certain of the truth of your case, that you feel the blessing of virtue on your side, but this will not be easy. To be publicly questioned in this manner, to have the details of your intimate relations made public for all to hear, recorded for all to see, is beneath the dignity of a woman of your position.”
“Then my husband should not insist upon it.”
“Are you certain that you wish to proceed? Would it not be an act of kindness and charity to step aside with grace, to retire to a life of devotion, to preserve the dignity of your name, the health and security of your daughter? Will you not consider the king’s very generous request to support you as a dearly beloved sister, and live out your days in the shelter of an establishment of your choice?”
Catherine sprung from her chair in anger, crossed to the window and stood with her back to the room.
“My lady, I think only of your comfort.”
Catherine raised a hand to silence him. “I know what you think: an easy case with a swift resolution for all, and Anne Boleyn upon the throne of England.”
“I assure you, my lady, that is far from my wish.”
“Did our dear Lord Jesus Christ think of his comfort, when he gave his life to save us from our sins, so that we might goto be by his side in eternal light?” Her eyes were blazing as she turned back to the room. “Did the dear martyred saints think of their comfort when they fought to defend their faith? Even those heretics, who have burned for their mistaken beliefs in the country of my birth, did they think of their comfort? Never forget, Cardinal, that you speak to the daughter of the most Catholic king and queen of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella, who fought a crusade upon their own soil in order to bring their people to the light!”
If Campeggio was cowed, as he should have been, he held his expression firmly.
“I will no more yield than my parents did. Since I was three years old, and betrothed to Prince Arthur, it was God’s intention that I become Queen of England, and I have suffered in that duty and given everything I have to fulfil the role I was chosen for. I will not stop now because my husband has doubts, or desires another woman, not for the first time. I am England’s queen and will remain so until my last breath leaves my body.”
“And your daughter, the princess?”
“It is for her right to inherit the throne that I take this stand.”
“Very well,” said Campeggio. “I can see that you are quite resolved in this matter. If you are prepared to make your solemn confession to me, swearing to all you have stated, and your true word as a woman and queen before God, I shall relay that information to the Pope, and into the courtroom, as irrefutable evidence of your clear conscience.”
