City of Ladies by Sarah Kennedy

Author:Sarah Kennedy [Kennedy, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781910282090
Publisher: Knox Robinson Publishing
Published: 2014-11-10T05:00:00+00:00

32

“You cannot go now,” announced Kat the next morning. Eleanor peeked out from the maid’s quarters when she heard the familiar voice and quickly withdrew. Kat had driven Joseph off at first light, and Eleanor looked as though she had no wish to answer any questions about where he had spent the night.

“Why?” Catherine had been making out a list of Mary Tudor’s preferred foods and paused her writing. “Is Elizabeth ill? Mary?”

“No, but they both may be down in their beds before the week is out. We all may be. The king is coming.”

“Here?” Catherine dropped the quill. “When?”

“In three days, and the house must be in perfect order. The Lady Mary must attend him. She must behave and she must hold her tongue. They must both be fed well, and the king must see who oversees his younger daughter’s diet. They must not look sallow or thin.”

“That is enough must to make wine, but I fear it will be sour,” said Catherine. “Three days? My husband may be upon his death bed. I cannot stay.”

Kat crossed her arms. “You will remain here until the king has gone. We need every hand.” She looked at Catherine and finally sat. “I wish I could let you go. I know what it is to love a man, but is his sister not with him?”

“She is a fool, God forgive me,” said Catherine.

“And you are not. Stay and the reward will be great. That should heal him quickly enough.”

Catherine considered it. If she lost her place, he would be sick at heart, perhaps to death. “I will stay, but I fly the moment the king leaves.”

“I will set your things upon the pack horses myself,” said Kat.

“But three days?” said Catherine. “Mary and Elizabeth are neither one of them hearty. We must get a calf fresh killed. And all the geese and ducks that are fat.” She glanced down at the list and handed it to Eleanor, who’d stepped into view. “You will oversee the bread. Can you do it?”

“May I use the white flour?”

“Use both. They will complain after if we seem to serve them finer when the king is here and rightly so. The father should see what his daughters eat. But we should have finer for the head of the table.” Catherine turned suddenly to Kat and pitched her voice to a more submissive tone. “Unless you think otherwise, of course.”

Kat sniffed. “The king will hardly see what color of bread he puts in his mouth, as long as there is meat, and we give him tarts and puddings afterward. And plenty of wine.”

“Mary will not eat more on account of his coming,” said Catherine.

“She must eat. She cannot appear sickly.”

Catherine removed some of the garments she had packed. “She is fastidious, but perhaps I can entice her with her favorites. There is good French claret still and I will make her a meal to celebrate her mother’s memory. She will eat for that.”

Kat came forward in a rush

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