Very quietly, Thomasin melted back into the darkness. She was certain that Rafe had not seen her, as she had reacted so quickly and his head had been turned the other way. On tiptoes, she crept back down the side staircase. If she darted through the courtyard, no matter how cold it was, she could hurry up the main stairs and emerge beside the queen’s apartments without being seen. Fleeing through the night, she wondered how long Rafe would wait.
TWENTY-ONE
The day dawned bright and crisp. Above the palace, the skies were almost blue, with all the snow clouds blown away. The tiltyard had been cleared in preparation: each wooden platform had been brushed and strewn with carpets and cushions, branches of greenery hung from the roofs, along with silver bells, and braziers of bright coals burned at intervals. The rich, inviting smell of chestnuts drew the crowd.
Thomasin was pleased to see the place again, remembering the jousting she had witnessed there in the summer. She followed Catherine and Princess Mary as they headed toward the queen’s stand, with its red and green hangings on three sides, and the chairs laden with furs. The space before them had been scraped clean and spread over with sawdust. At either end of the lists, colourful tents had been set up for the competitors and two bonfires burned bright. Beyond, the snow still lay thickly, but at least it had stopped falling and the sky was a pure white now, with promising brightness behind it.
Catherine turned and nodded to Thomasin, indicating that she should leave Ellen and Maria, and remain close to the princess. As she took her seat with Princess Mary, Thomasin felt a welcome wave of heat penetrating her kid gloves and squirrel tippet. After much consideration, she had decided against informing the queen about Anne’s presence at the Cardinals’ Feast. It would cause more upset and disruption, and Catherine would suffer the most. It was best to protect the poor woman from further pain. If Thomasin was asked directly, she would not lie, though. The truth might still come out.
“You should sit closer to the brazier, my lady,” she said to Princess Mary, who had been complaining of a toothache during the night.
“You should really have remained in the palace today,” added Catherine, looking sharply at her daughter. “I am still of a mind to send you back.”
“Please don’t, Mother,” implored Mary. “I have applied the clove oil and can barely feel it now.”
“But the cold will make it worse. You must speak up if the pain returns, no matter how much you want to watch the tournament.”
Princess Mary pulled her furs up around her ears to cover her jawline and shuffled closer to the brazier.
The competitors were beginning to warm up by the fires, moving slowly in their armour. Horses were being led into position and an array of weaponry arrived on the back of three carts, drawn up close to the tents.
Thomasin scanned the crowd. The opposite box was occupied by the Suffolks and their friends, the next by Norfolk, and further down, Anne Boleyn sat dressed in the red gown that Thomasin had seen thrown across the bed in the chamber with George Zouche. Now he and Nan sat behind Anne, with George, Jane, Mary and Rafe. Thomasin continued to search the crowd, but there was no sign of her parents, although she did spot her uncle Matthew Russell, seated with More.
Trumpets sounded a report. Two lines of fighters faced each other, bearing axes.
“This looks brutal,” whispered Ellen, as they began to charge towards each other and the air rang with the clash of metal.
“I care for this less than jousting or tilting,” Thomasin admitted. “I spend the whole time in fear of injury.”
“Injury?” asked Princess Mary.
“Nothing to worry about,” said Lady Salisbury, “but if you fear seeing it, I shall escort you back to the palace.”
The princess sank down in silence, snuggled into her furs and refusing to move.
Ellen leaned back a little, so that she might speak to Thomasin without being heard. “Has she gone?”
Thomasin knew at once that her cousin spoke of Cecilia. “She was due to leave, and the snow has stopped, so I cannot see a reason why she would still be here. I notice my parents are absent, and can only assume they are overseeing her departure. I hope her presence did not upset you.”
Ellen shook her head. “I was grateful that she was alone. I can’t say how I would have felt if Hugh had been with her.”
“That, at least, is a blessing. We had a visit from Thomas Boleyn.”
“What? To your chambers?”
“Yes, my parents’ chambers. He was urging her to leave. Her arrival must have unsettled Anne.”
They both looked across the heads of the combatants to where Anne sat, her face unusually mask-like for someone so animated.
“She is putting on a brave front,” said Ellen, “but she cannot have welcomed the reminder, especially now that she must give precedence every day to the queen. There is no avoiding it here.”
Thomasin nodded. “Save for the Cardinals’ Feast. I don’t doubt that we will see an outbreak of temper at some point soon.”
“I am sure of it.”
Then Thomasin remembered Ellen’s absence. “Oh, where did you get to, when you were sent out for sneezing? I came to seek you, but you were not in the queen’s apartments.”
Ellen sighed. “You will think me foolish. I don’t want to admit to it.”
