Page 69 of Love, Remember Me

God's foot!She was bored. What good was it to be a queen when you could not have fun? She could almost wish she were not the queen; that the lady Anne was still the queen, and she just a maid of honor who could flirt with the gentlemen and have fun. Now it was the lady Anne, the king's dear sister, who was having all the fun. Gone was the slightly dowdy lady of Cleves. In her place was an absolutely fashionable woman who danced gaily into the night, bought whatever took her fancy, and was beholden to no man. It was not fair!

Still, the lady Anne must be lonely without a man. Catherine could not imagine life without a man. In that respect she found the lady Anne odd. Not that the gentlemen did not court her predecessor, but the lady Anne, while enjoying their attentions, would favor no man in particular. Still, she did enjoy leading them on; implying much, giving nothing. Princess Elizabeth, who was with her often, clearly admired the lady Anne.

When asked why she would not remarry, she would say with a twinkle in her blue eyes, "How could I choose another gentleman vhen I vas ved to a king like Hendrick? Who could compare vith him?" Then she would laugh merrily, and Catherine was never certain what she quite meant by her words, or why she laughed so happily.

Actually the lady Anne was a great deal more fun than any of the queen's ladies were. She came to court on a regular basis and was quite friendly with both the king and her pretty, younger successor. The first time she had come, Catherine was very nervous. But Anne had thrown herself facedown before the royal couple, and then rising up, wished them every happiness. She actually meant it, and had also brought magnificent gifts for them both.

The king had gone to bed that day with his leg paining him, but Queen Catherine and the lady Anne had danced together into the night, much to the court's amazement. The next day the former queen returned by special invitation to have dinner with the bride and bridegroom. They sat together laughing and toasting one another. No one had ever seen the king so genuinely affable toward Anne of Cleves. The court was goggled-eyed, which delighted both women.

At New Year's the lady Anne had presented the king and the queen with two great magnificent horses from her own stables. Identical yearlings, they were a fine dun color, with ebony fetlocks, and were caparisoned in rich mauve velvet edged in gold fringe with golden tassels. Their bridles were of heavy silver. They were led into the hall at Hampton Court by two handsome young boy grooms garbed in mauve, gold, and silver livery. The royal couple were enchanted, but some of the court sneered at the lady Anne for a fool.

"On the contrary," said Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk, wisely. "She is an extraordinarily clever woman, I think. The only one of the king's wives to survive his displeasure, regain his favor, and lose nothing but a crown for her troubles."

And fun, thought the young queen. The lady Anne is far more fun than these proper ladies of mine. Unfortunately, it would cause talk if I kept her about me all the time, but oh, how I wish I could! If only Nyssa were here. The queen sighed so deeply that her ladies looked at her.

"What is it, Your Grace?" Lady Rochford asked solicitously.

"I am bored," the queen admitted irritably. "There is no music or dancing because the king is ill. I have not seen my husband in almost two weeks." She flung down her embroidery.

"There is no reason why we cannot have some music here in the privacy of your chambers, Your Grace," the Duchess of Richmond said.

"Let us call upon pretty Tom Culpeper to come and perform for us," Lady Edgecomb suggested. "He has a lovely voice, and plays both the lute and the virginals quite well."

Catherine considered the suggestion. "Very well," she finally agreed. "If the king can spare him, I should like it if Master Culpeper would come to amuse us for a time."

The queen's page was sent to the king to ask his permission, and Henry granted his young wife's request. He felt very guilty that she was beginning to chafe with boredom, and all because of his damned weaknesses.

"Go," he told Tom Culpeper, who was one of his favorite gentlemen. "And tell the queen I send her my dearest love. I will see her in just a few more days. Tell her that, Tom, and then when you return later, I would know in detail how she took the news." He grinned almost lasciviously and chuckled. "I know she has missed me."

Tom Culpeper was a handsome young man in his mid-twenties. His hair was chestnut-brown and his eyes a bright blue. He was fair of skin and had a most pleasing countenance, which he did not hide behind a beard. The king was very fond of him, and consequently spoiled him badly. It was something of which Tom Culpeper took full advantage. He had come to court as a boy to seek his fortune, and it would appear as if he were finally going to be successful in his quest.

Picking up his lute, he bowed to his master, saying, "I will bring your message to her grace. Then I will entertain her and her ladies, my liege."

The queen's ladies fluttered about Master Culpeper from the moment he arrived. Tall and slender, with a well-turned leg, he accepted their homage as his due. His charm, coupled with the twinkle in his eye and his easy smile, did not escape the women, most of whom were married. He amused them for two hours, singing and playing upon his lute. At one point he played his lute and sang while little Princess Elizabeth, up from Hatfield to visit her father, talented beyond her years, played upon the queen's virginals. Bess's fingers were gracefully long for a child of seven. Several of the ladies whispered that she had her mother's beautiful hands.

Finally the princess was escorted off to bed and the queen dismissed her women. Culpeper lingered a moment, and when Lady Rochford made to shoo him away, he said with authority, "I have a private message for the queen's ears, from his grace. I should like to deliver it now."

"Go along then, Rochford," Catherine said, "but stay near."

Lady Rochford curtsied, and backing from the room, closed the door behind her. Her pinched face was curious, but she dared not listen at the door.

Tom Culpeper bowed politely to the queen. He thought how very beautiful she looked. Her gown, in the French style, was quite smart. He had always known she would shine in the proper setting.

"Scarlet velvet becomes you," he said quietly. "I once tried to give you some, as I recall, and not so long ago."

"I accepted it," Cat reminded him. "I simply did not pay your price, Master Culpeper. It was far too high. Now, what message did his grace send to me?" Her look was imperious, but she was thinking how young and how very virile he looked right now. His hose hugged the curving calves of his long legs, and she wondered what it would be like to have those legs wrapped about her.

Tom Culpeper repeated the king's message slowly, watching her face as he did so. She was no great beauty, but there was an enticing sensuality about her.

"You may tell his grace that I miss him greatly and will welcome his return to my bed, and company," the queen said when Culpeper had finished speaking. "You may go now, Master Culpeper."

"Will you not call me Tom again, Your Grace?" he asked her. "We are cousins, after all, through our mothers."

"I am aware of our relationship, Master Culpeper. We are sixth cousins to be exact," she answered him severely.

"You are adorable when you are being stern, Cat," he said daringly. "Does the king like your mouth? I think you have the most perfect little mouth. It looks quite succulent."

"You are dismissed, Culpeper," she repeated coldly, but her cheeks were pink and her heart was beating quickly.

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