In The Midst of Madness: Tudor Chronicles Book Two by Lesley Jepson

Author:Lesley Jepson [Jepson, Lesley]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: Wives, Book 2, Chronicles, Cleves, Parr, Henry VIII, Anne, Seymour, Tudor, Fiction, Romance, Family, Howard
Published: 2016-02-25T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter 16 - 1540

eg and Mary laughed at Cat as she helped them pack her clothes chests before they departed for Hatfield House.

‘Oh, Meg,’ Cat clasped her hands together, ‘I hope you thought your wedding was as perfect as mine was to Francis.’

‘My wedding was lovely, my Lady. But it is perfectly fitting that it shouldn’t be as grand as yours,’ smiled Meg, folding shifts carefully and placing them in Cat’s clothes chest.

She remembered her happy tears falling as Cat, looking quite beautiful in her sumptuous cream silk gown, with a hand-embroidered shell-pink brocade under-gown and sleeves and trimmed with pink sapphires and seed pearls, walked down the aisle on the arm of her step-father to become Lady Catherine Knollys.

Lady Mary had sobbed into her handkerchief most of the day, assuring everyone that she was overwhelmed with happiness, and everyone had kissed everyone else, and danced and made merry late into the night.

‘Yes, it was very grand, Meg. But Francis is so lovely. He was so kind, you know, when we ……,’ her words trailed away as she realised that perhaps this wasn’t a proper subject to discuss in front of her mother.

Mary simply smiled and carried on folding and packing. She had known Francis Knollys would be kind to her little chick, which is why she had chosen him. And she knew he would take care of Cat and Meg when they went to Hatfield.

***

All too soon for Mary the chests were loaded onto the carts and Cat, Meg and Francis climbed into the carriage that would take them to their new life. Tears coursed down Mary’s face again, but she knew this was for the best, and she also knew that she would see them often.

‘Give my love to Princess Elizabeth, my lovely,’ Mary clasped her daughter’s hand through the carriage window before they left.

‘I will, Mother. Look after Henry, and I will come back and see you soon.’

Mary smiled at her daughter, then nodded at Meg, knowing she would take care of Cat as she had always done. The carriage began to roll away down the gravel drive, and Mary stood in the stable yard, waving until she could see them no longer.

***

‘Princess, allow me to present your cousin, Lady Catherine Knollys, and her lady in waiting, Lady Margaret Sadler.’ Francis Knollys made the formal introductions, and Princess Elizabeth held out her hand in greeting.

Both Cat and Meg curtseyed deeply to the Princess, and kissed her hand formally.

‘My Uncle of Norfolk told me you would come,’ said Elizabeth, with great formality. ‘I am pleased to welcome more of my kinsfolk, as I seem to have so few.’

Cat’s eyes filled with tears at the sadness implied in her cousin’s voice. She was only eight years old, and wouldn’t really remember her mother, Queen Anne. Cat couldn’t imagine her own life without Mary’s love, like a rock on which everything in her life was anchored.

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