“My favourite also. Let every table be graced with pork and mustard.” He glanced up at the staircase. “But now I must depart; the king awaits me. How pleased I am to see you again, Thomasin.”
She watched him disappear through the dark garden and up the stairs. A shiver ran through her that was not caused by the cold of the evening, but she shrugged it off and turned back towards the queen’s chamber.
FIVE
Catherine paused in the walled garden and turned her face to the sun. Its warm rays lit her red velvet sleeves as she stretched her arms out wide, and the golden trim of her headdress sparkled.
“Here, let us linger a while to show ourselves to the court,” she said defiantly up to the lines of windows that encircled them. Behind them, men and women of the court might gather, unseen, to watch those enclosed below.
Thomasin and Ellen stopped a little way behind her. The queen had roused them early, demanding to be dressed in her splendour to return to the church of St Bride, before heading to the lodgings of Cardinal Campeggio. Bishop Fisher’s words the previous evening had struck home, and she would do anything not to appear weak or afraid in the eyes of the court. It was essential that she put on a display of strength, no matter how she felt inside, so the little stone church that stood just outside the palace was firmly back on the itinerary.
Last night it had been Thomasin’s turn to sleep on one of the truckle beds in Catherine’s room, along with her usual companion, Maria Willoughby. She had heard the queen’s muffled sobs and her whispered prayers continue into the early hours before Catherine finally drifted into a deep sleep.
“Perhaps I should announce myself,” Catherine said to the garden, almost playfully, although there was bitter sarcasm in her voice. “Here is the Queen of England, dressed in scarlet, still married, still alive!”
Thomasin and Ellen exchanged glances. This wasn’t what Bishop Fisher had in mind.
More worshippers from the morning service were entering the garden now, returning to their chambers or their employment.Catherine made a point of greeting them all with a cheery good morning or nod of the head, depending upon their rank.
“Never let it be said that the Queen of England is one to hide away!” she muttered under her breath.
From a door on the east wall, the red-robed figure of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey appeared, solid and serious about his purpose. He paused upon seeing Catherine, then bowed and headed towards her as protocol dictated. A man whose career at court had advanced alongside Catherine’s queenship, he would be the second of the two cardinals to preside over the Legatine Court, taking his place beside Campeggio.
“My lady,” he said, bowing low.
“I believe we match this morning,” said Catherine brightly. “Both of us in flaming red, Cardinal.”
“You are looking very well, my lady. It is good to see you in health.”
“I have sought spiritual guidance and am confident of my case,” she replied. “God knows the truth, Cardinal: I was truly married in his eyes, and he will be my only judge in this matter.”
Wolsey looked uncomfortable.
“We have been to St Bride’s,” the queen continued, “to thank him for his mercy. I trust the proceedings will soon be resolved to his satisfaction.”
“To God’s satisfaction, my lady?” Wolsey asked. “Or to that of the king?”
“Can there be a difference?” Catherine jumped in quickly. “Surely the king cannot wish for a different outcome from that which God desires? Or does he place himself above our Lord now?”
Wolsey shifted from foot to foot.
“My lady,” whispered Maria, who was closest, “that is not so wisely said, especially so loudly.”
“You see, Wolsey, I have good counsel about me, who do not fear to speak the truth. I do hope the king has the same. Is Cromwell with him now?”
“My Lord Cromwell is working hard on the case.”
Catherine laughed. “I expect he is. What a hardworking man he is. I do wonder where the king found him.”
There was an awkward silence. Thomasin remembered that Wolsey, like Cromwell, also came from humble origins, so he would not have received the comment well.
Wolsey bowed his head. “I must beg your permission to depart, my lady. I must away to continue my work. There is much to be done.”
“What, no words of advice or comfort for me? No reassurances, Thomas?”
The unexpected use of his first name brought Wolsey up sharp. “I am sure that all will pass as God wishes, my lady.”
“Hmm.” Catherine turned away from his lukewarm sentiments as he hastened away. “I have spent enough time in dalliance,” she decided. “Now let us proceed to Campeggio’s lodgings. He should have arrived from Richmond by now.”
