Chapter 22 #3
“And the end of him!” Will said grimly.
Kate changed the subject; she had had enough of this depressing discussion and did not want the happy atmosphere to be marred. “Would anyone like some cakes? I made them this morning.” She handed them around, then turned to Dot. “I have always found it serendipitous that you are a Stafford, too.”
“Indeed!” Will chimed in, brightening. “I married above myself, for she is from the grand side of the family. She has royal blood!”
Kate wondered if this was a blessing or a curse.
“Yes.” Dot hesitated. “You all know that my mother was born Ursula Pole.”
A hush descended again. They knew about the noble families of the realm, and so they were aware that Dot’s was a lineage trebly tainted by bloodshed.
For Ursula Pole was the granddaughter of the late Duke of Buckingham, a descendant of King Edward III who had been executed for treason more than thirty years ago.
Her mother had been Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, a niece of King Edward IV and King Richard III and therefore also of the old Plantagenet royal blood.
In 1541, the Countess, at a ripe old age, had been executed by King Henry simply because he saw her as a threat to his throne.
Going back further, her father, the Duke of Clarence, had been attainted for treason and executed, some said by drowning in a butt of Malmsey wine.
But what came most forcibly to Kate’s mind was the manner of the aged Countess of Salisbury’s dying, since the headsman had been inept and had butchered her horribly on the block.
And Dot would then have been, what, fifteen—old enough to know the terrible truth of it.
She quickly turned the conversation to pleasanter things. “Are you gentlemen going hawking this afternoon?”
“Yes, darling, we will. What will you and Dot do?”
“We will spend some time with the children. Yes, you rascals!” Her gaze raked the trestle table where her offspring were enjoying the cakes.
“We can play hide-and-seek, or Mother Bird. This hall is big enough for that. And then your aunt Dot and I would like some time to ourselves.” She smiled at Dot.
—
It was a lovely afternoon, and she and Dot ended up in the still room, crushing early flowers for potpourri to scent the rooms. A convivial supper followed, after which Kate played her lute for their guests, with Francis looking on admiringly.
It was obvious what was on his mind. The years had not dimmed his ardor.
Outwardly, he was an upright, moral man, puritanical in his views, but in bed, he had no inhibitions.
Later that night, after they had held each other close and lain quiet for a while, he spoke.
“I like Dot, and Will is clearly happy with her, but I do wonder why he married her. He gained no material advantage from it. She has dangerous family connections, and I gather she brought no dowry to speak of.”
“Does that surprise you?” Kate murmured. “She is one of fourteen and has four sisters to be provided for. That will be a fine burden on her father’s purse.”
“Mine will be burdened too if we have many more daughters!” Francis chuckled.
Kate laughed. “Will fell in love with her. That’s why he chose her, just as you chose me. I brought you no great advantages.”
“You have brought me everything,” Francis said, growing serious. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. “I would choose no other, were I to start again.”
“And I would still choose you,” she whispered, when he released her.
“To return to Dot,” he resumed, “what really puzzles me is that Will, a staunch Protestant if ever there was one, chose a bride from one of England’s foremost Catholic families, with all its perilous connections.”
“But Dot is not a Catholic. She made that very clear this afternoon. She’s as staunch for the Gospel as Will is. No, he married her for love, as he married my mother. One can only admire him for spurning material gains for love.”
Francis nodded. “I’m sure you’re right. But we might also ask what Dot saw in him to begin with.
He told me today that he had incurred increasing debts.
Last year, at his request, the King agreed to exchange his royal pension for a large cash sum, so that he could clear them.
And he confided that his career at court is in jeopardy because in November, he got into a fight with one of the guards and ended up being thrown into the Fleet Prison to cool his heels.
He was released pretty quickly, but he is convinced that the episode cost him the Privy Council’s respect and confidence. ”
Kate was dismayed to hear this. “I did not know he had such a hot temper.”
“Apparently, the guard said something disparaging about your mother.”
“Well, then, I am glad he defended her honor! And I am sure that he will rehabilitate himself in the Council’s eyes. He’s a good man, Francis. I can see what Dot saw in him.”
“I can, too, darling. I feel privileged to have him as a friend. He looks out for me, as my father would have done if he had lived. And I look out for him too, of course.” His voice was drifting off, and when Kate looked at his beloved face in the candlelight, she saw that he slept.
—
The next afternoon found Kate and Dot sitting by the solar fire with their embroidery tambours.
Dot drifted off to sleep, lulled by the warmth and another good dinner, and Kate was about to give way to the impulse too when she heard men’s voices below the window, which she had opened slightly to prevent the room from becoming stuffy.
“Sobriety is your name!” Will said in a teasing voice. “You are the lamp and torch of truth. But being committed to reform does not mean that you have to lead a cheerless life.”
“I’m not always sober,” Francis protested. “I enjoy a drink as much as any man, and good food.”
“But look at you, always dressed in black!”
“That’s because I like it, and Kate likes me in it, too.” It was true. There was something about a man in black that Kate found most enticing.
This was proving to be an interesting conversation, and she tiptoed to the window to hear it more clearly.
The men were sitting on a stone bench just below her, so she drew back behind the curtains.
It crossed her mind that eavesdroppers were said to hear no good of themselves, but she was too curious to move away.
“She’s a good girl, is Kate. And she has made you an excellent wife.” Will’s tone was fond.
“She is my constant blessing,” Francis said, as tears sprang to Kate’s eyes.
“She unburdens me of many cares and keeps my house, my estate, and my private accounts in good order. She is one of the most intelligent women I have ever known and always offers me sound advice. She gives it to all who ask, even the Lady Elizabeth. They write regularly, you know. And Kate is a steadying influence on our children, who would probably be little ruffians without it. They are a handful, and yet she has time and patience for them all. We both try to set them a good moral example. Kate oversees the education of our daughters and makes sure that that hothead Palmer treats them the same as the boys.”
“You afford them the same education?”
“Broadly. I want my daughters to be literate and to write in an elegant hand. I’ve asked Palmer to give them some instruction in languages. Of course, the boys will go to Eton when the time comes, and I like to think that they will go on to Oxford, to Magdalen College if possible.”
Kate smiled, thrilled by Francis’s praise. They had discussed their hopes for the children many times, and it pleased her greatly that he consulted her on such matters.
“I would like my children to have a similar education,” Will said.
“The key is to find a good tutor. But your Edward is young yet.”
“Aye, but he will soon grow. By the way, I hear that Harry Carey has finally sold Rochford Hall.”
“Yes, to Lord Rich. I don’t think Harry ever liked the place.
He spent all that money on refurbishments, too.
Still, he got a good price for it. I gather he’s been at Hatfield, ingratiating himself with the Lady Elizabeth.
She seems to hold him in high favor. She stood godmother to his daughter Philadelphia. ”
Their voices grew fainter. They were walking away toward the ruins. Kate sat down, giving thanks to God for sending her such a good husband.