Mary- Tudor Princess by Tony Riches

Author:Tony Riches [Riches, Tony]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781979919289
Publisher: Preseli Press
Published: 2018-02-01T05:00:00+00:00

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Brandon’s riverside mansion at Suffolk Place needed a woman’s touch. More like an abandoned soldiers’ barracks than a home, the wood-panelled walls were decorated with the antlers of long-dead stags, ancient weapons, and faded tapestries of hunting scenes.

The rambling property was inherited from Brandon’s family and enclosed a large courtyard. As well as formal gardens leading to a private jetty, there were some eighty acres of established oak woodland to the south, a potential source of useful income if money ran short, as Mary knew it would.

Brandon had grand plans for their home, despite their lack of funds. Inspired by what he’d seen in Paris, he commissioned an imposing new entrance and the courtyard soon rang to the clink of masons’ chisels on stone and carpenters sawing wood.

The work had hardly begun when he had to travel north to oversee the transfer of his estates. There were over forty manor houses in different ownership and tenancies to resolve. It was work Brandon needed to do in person but Mary would have travelled with him if she’d known he’d be away so long.

Instead, she remained at Suffolk Place and filled her days by making their house fit for a family. Mary explored the rooms before choosing one with the best view out over the River Thames. She set to work, directing servants to sweep away cobwebs, whitewash the walls and lay fresh rushes on the floors.

She smoothed her hand over the bulge, hardly visible under her gown, yet growing larger each week. She’d been loosening the lacing of her kirtle a little each week but now more drastic work was needed. Mary examined the new panel her seamstress had sewn into her gown. The material was a good enough match but the dress, one of her favourites, would never be quite the same.

She smiled as she remembered telling Catherine her news and hearing that they would both be having babies before Eastertide. She’d prayed they would have sons and they’d laughed together as they realised the obvious choice of name would be Henry.

After the baby was born she planned to send for Brandon’s daughters by his first wife, Anne Browne, to complete their family. Little Anne, now eight years old, had been sent to the court of Margaret of Austria the year before. Despite Brandon’s protests, Mary still wondered if it was because he’d planned to marry the archduchess. Little Mary, only five years old, remained in the care of her mother’s relatives.

Upstairs in her new chamber she found the servants had left the painted wooden casket containing her personal belongings. She’d not opened it since their hasty packing in Paris and she had to try several keys before finding the right one. Mary opened the lid and took out the contents, placing them on the polished wooden top of her dressing table.

The little portrait of pale-faced Prince Charles seemed from another, more innocent age. She wasn’t sure why she’d kept it but couldn’t bring herself to throw it away.

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