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He was lying on his back, the sheets tangled around his calves. He looked down at his chest and saw a nest of curls resting there. Elizabeth Darrell, sensing his eyes boring into the back of her skull, lifted her head.
"Can I help you, my lord?" She said with a laugh, the kind that was low and quiet, almost a breathless whisper barely touching her lips as it passed through them. Thomas smirked. He rested a hand on her bare waist. Her skin tingled at his touch, and she laughed again. It was late, and he was acutely aware of the thin wooden walls and the corridor just beyond his wooden door, and the sea of ears that lay beyond with no telling who was listening in the hopes of finding something scandalous to gossip over at breakfast tomorrow morning.
"What would your wife think of this, I wonder?" She asked teasingly. Thomas laughed shortly.
"My wife?"
"Yes. Your wife. The one you still haven't officially separated from." She asked. "Good lord, Tom. Did you honestly think you could try and hide it forever? Everyone knows." Thomas raised an eyebrow; he'd never explicitly told Elizabeth about his wife. Court gossip really did feed on even the slightest hint of something juicy - even Tom and his failing marriage seemed to suffice.
"I've not seen the woman in fifteen years. And I've not given her a single penny from my purse for the last five." He said with a shrug. Elizabeth laughed, the sound like water running over the rim of a glass; high pitched and tinkling. She was teasing him, taunting him with the memory of his last Elizabeth. But his wife Elizabeth had been sour and bitter, and they had never gotten along. He was still adamant that she had been having several affairs during his time at her side.868Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFY9IcwVinK
Besides, this Elizabeth was better than the last. Elizabeth Darrell was the epitome of fun and flirtation, but her bed was reserved for Thomas only. She was lithe and slender and had a head full of bouncy, brunette curls. Thomas was surprised the king hadn't had her yet, but then, the king was rather preoccupied with his new teenaged bride.
"Are you contented now, my love?" He asked. She nodded.
"Aye, Thomas, aye." She said with a yawn. "But now I am quite tired. And I have to rise early to prepare the queen's bath."
Thomas nodded, and tucked the sheets around her.
"Sleep well, my love." He said softly. She turned over onto her side, facing away from him.
"Oh Thomas, I forgot to tell you something." She added, her eyes sparkling with mischief in the growing darkness.
"Hmm?"
"I'm with child." She said with a grin, before turning over and shutting her eyes, leaving the poet beside her sitting upright, staring at her face as she gave way to sleep. For once in his life, Thomas Wyatt was left speechless.
Thomas was awoken the next morning by fists pounding on his door. The place next to him was empty; Elizabeth had already risen and left for the queen's apartments.
"A moment!" He called.
Swiftly dressing, Thomas had only just pulled his legs through his breeches before his door was thrown open. The king's men swept into the room like a hurricane, seizing his arms and surrounding him.
"Sir Thomas Wyatt, you are under arrest for treason. You are to be taken to the Tower of London to await the king's pleasure." The guard by the door said grimly.
Thomas had seen him around a few times, usually guarding the door to the king's apartments, and he had always smiled as a way of greeting. Tom had never learned the guard's name, but the chap seemed a friendly fellow. His face was not smiling now. It was grim and worn out. Thomas wondered how many familiar faces this man had had to arrest lately on the king's orders.
"Treason?!" Thomas spluttered.
"Aye." He said bluntly. "My lord, if you can come with us." He added almost pleadingly. It was early, and the last thing he wanted to start his day with was dragging a lord from his chambers and through the corridors of the court, heels scratching the freshly-waxed and glossed wooden floors.
Thomas nodded, shocked to his core. He followed the guards that surrounded him, his feet moving automatically. The hands gripping him were tight and his hand was beginning to grow numb from loss of circulation.868Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhTJt4yYpQ
He kept his eyes on the floor, on his feet and the feet of the guard in front. He could not bear to see the faces of the court witnessing his ordeal.
He racked his brain trying to think of anything - anything - he had said that could have been construed as treasonous, but he was coming up blank.
"Well," He muttered under his breath. "Fuck."
Anne was brushing out her hair when the letter arrived. When she saw the hand and recognised it as Thomas', she immediately put down her brush.
"Oh, I haven't heard from Thomas in so long!!" She said to her one and only maid servant, Jane. "He says his Elizabeth Darrell is pregnant with his child! Oh, how happy I am for him. He always wanted to be a father."
Her eyes lit up, truly happy for her dearest friend. She may have first felt a pang of jealousy when Tom first told her he loved the girl, but Anne found herself remarkably devoid of any emotion other than happiness. Tom deserved it.868Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk79eOc9UQF
She smiled softly at the page before her, reading on hungrily.
"He also says my Elizabeth has been visiting court semi-regularly, but she spends most of her time at Hever with Anne of Cleves." She said with a raised eyebrow. "Well... I suppose I should be quite angry that Henry has given my childhood home to another. Ah well." She said with a shrug. "At least Elizabeth can run about the gardens as I did in my own youth."
Jane was surprised at Anne's good humour. She had expected her to throw the letter into the flames, to upturn the tables and chairs, when she heard about the king's gift of Hever to Anne of Cleves. Jane supposed Anne had just had too much unhappiness lately, and she had rather stopped allowing bad news to upset her.
She was happy that her mistress had something to smile about. Anne had always been kind to her, and she always felt it was a dreadful misfortune that she had fallen from grace so swiftly and so hard. It was nice to see Mistress Boleyn in a jovial mood. God knows it was rare.
She studied Anne's face as her eyes scanned the page, but as Anne read the letter further, the more the smile steadily dropped from her features. The letter fell to the floor and Anne's face seemed frozen.
"He's been sent to the Tower." She said almost inaudibly. "Accused of treason." Her eyes were frantically searching left and right, her breathing had become laboured. She looked at Jane, a look in her eyes like that of a child looking at a mother when scared and looking for a solution. She let out a strangled sort of cry, slender hands clutching at her throat.
And just like that the steady, rising happiness that had begun to seep into Anne's recent months was destroyed. Never had she felt so powerless. She had mourned the loss of Cromwell but a little, and had not at all felt compelled to try to save his life. Thomas on the other hand...
Losing George was one thing. Losing Elizabeth to the arms of another Queen Anne was another. And now to loose Tom on top of all that?868Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxq8D3RgY3
Anne did not think she could stand the heartbreak of another loss. Her father was in disgrace and had refused to receive her letters. Her mother, too, ignored her correspondences, declaring that she had only ever had one daughter and one son. Anne was almost alone in the world, and losing Tom would leave her only Mary and, on the odd occasion, Elizabeth.868Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqH9la1D1d
It was not enough.868Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJY8Oqrgek
She didn't think she could stand anymore night terrors. Her heart would surely stop if she had to endure visions of Tom's death, too.868Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQVWuIczwz
"He has no chance." She whispered, the tears brimming in her eyes. She could not guess why Henry had decided to imprison Thomas on the charge of treason, but she feared it was his connection with not only herself, but Cromwell too.
Henry had already executed two of his closest friends and most valued advisors... what would stop him sending Thomas to the block? Tom had evaded the axe once - that was more than any man could hope for - but this time there was no Cromwell around to save his neck. No, Anne thought, Thomas cannot escape the scaffold this time. Henry will kill him. Henry would kill all of us, if he could.
She hung her head sadly, and Jane exited the room silently, leaving her mistress to grieve the inevitable death of the only true friend she had left.
Elizabeth Darrell sat in the corner of the queen's apartments. The other ladies looked at her sympathetically whilst they did their sewing. She had made no secret of her relationship with Thomas, and now the whole court knew that he had committed treason and his mistress was beside herself with grief.
She could only thank the lord they did not know she carried his unborn child... but how long could such a thing remain secret? Soon they would all know. Bearing the bastard child of a lord was of no great consequence; bearing the bastard child of a traitor was a different case altogether. She would be a pariah.
The queen sighed angrily, breaking the comfortable silence. She had pricked her finger whilst sewing the king's shirts. She examined the tip closely, tilting her head as the blood blossomed near her fingernail. She sniffed in disdain, and cast aside the shirt.
"I'm bored." She said bluntly. The ladies around her, like birds, immediately started chirping, suggesting they play cards, or practice dancing, or go for a walk in the gardens. Catherine listened to none of them.
"Mistress Darrell?" She said, looking directly at the woman across the room. Elizabeth raised her head and looked the queen in her rounded brown eyes. "Would you care to walk with me in the gardens?"
Elizabeth, somewhat confused, nodded. The ladies around Catherine's feet rose to accompany the pair, but the queen held up a hand.
"Alone. I confess I am rather tired and cannot stomach so much company." She said haughtily. Elizabeth nodded nervously, but obeyed the queen's wishes nevertheless.
She smoothed out the blue folds of her dress, and stood up straight, trying to convince herself rather than others that everything was okay, that she was fine, that she was still a proud woman with no need for any man, much less for Thomas Wyatt.
The sun was weak and masked by the clouds. The breeze was cold, running its icy fingers through Elizabeth's brown hair, and running rings around the queen's dark locks.868Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhenXkajlwp
Catherine had neglected to bring a wrap, but if she was cold she did not mention it. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was positively shivering.
"You are sensitive to the cold." The queen observed. Elizabeth nodded.
"Yes your majesty. I have never enjoyed the colder months."
Catherine nodded.
"I see."
Silence fell between the pair as they walked through the gravelled pathways in the gardens. Elizabeth longed to ask why the queen had requested her presence alone, but did not dare. Thankfully, she did not have to wait long to find out.
"You are in a deep melancholy. I do not like it when one of my ladies is unhappy." The queen said gently. Elizabeth sniffed.
"Indeed, your majesty." She said softly. Catherine blinked.
"I know your lover has been arrested. But there are other men around the court you could take into your bed. Thomas is not the be all and end all." She said with a shrug. Elizabeth fought the urge to laugh.
"It is not just that he is my lover, your majesty." She said, the disparity of her situation seeming to her at the present moment almost humorous. It simply could not get any worse. The hysteria had begun to build up and she fought back a giggle. The queen raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.868Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tgyLP2u19
Elizabeth paused for a moment, but under the intense gaze of the woman who she remembered was none other than the queen, her tongue began to move almost of its own free will.
"He is the father of my child, your majesty. I am with his child." She said, resting a palm on her still-flat stomach.
"Ah." Catherine said. "That complicates things a little."
The queen may have been young, but she understood the burdens of a bastard child for an unmarried lady of the queen's court. Catherine bit her lip in consideration whilst Elizabeth went on.
"Yes. If he... if he is executed... who will support myself and my child? My father will disown me, no man in his right mind will ever marry me and I will no longer be fit to hold a position at your court. I may as well move to the country and live in poverty."
Catherine tilted her head again, as she tended to do when she was deep in thought.
"I feel for you, my lady." She said. "I wish to help you, in any way that I can."
"Your majesty?" Elizabeth asked inquisitively.
Catherine was thinking, the fingers of her right hand drumming on her left forearm. Her head was still tilted to the side. Elizabeth could almost see the wheels in her brain turning overtime.
"I have a plan." She said suddenly, brightly. Catherine was easily excitable, and Elizabeth put it down to her tender age. The queen was almost clapping her hands in delight, truly joyous at the plan she had concocted. "I will go to the king. He grants me anything; I will ask him to spare your Thomas. I will tell him that you are deeply grieved, and that I cannot have any one of my ladies being so put out. The king will revoke the charges and your Tom will be returned to you without a scratch!" She said with a grand smile. Elizabeth returned the smile shakily.
"What if..." She began.
"If it doesn't work?" Catherine continued. "Well then I shall send you away to my country estates to administer some 'business'. There you will have your child in secret. I will appoint a nurse to take care of the child and I will myself pay for its care. The king will find you a husband and give him a ... reasonable ... bribe to accept your child as his own!" She said with a flourish. "A brilliant plan, is it not?!"
Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, your majesty. It is certainly a perfect plan."
Catherine laughed, the sound of it like delicate wind chimes blowing in the breeze.
"You still doubt it!" She said with another laugh. Elizabeth gave a small nod. Catherine laughed, linking her arm through Elizabeth's.
"Do not fret. All will work out as I have planned. I always get my way with the king." She said proudly, a smirk on her lips, as though bending the king to her every will could never - or had never - had any disastrous consequences of any sort.
Elizabeth smiled gratefully, thankful that the queen was endeavouring to help her. But she couldn't shake the thought of all the other women that had gotten their way with the king, and couldn't help but note they had not lasted very long.
She sent a silent prayer to the heavens, hoping that the queen was right and that she could make disappear the charges of treason that Thomas was surely innocent of.
The corridors were silent.
Fashionable men's pointed shoes tapped quietly on the wooden floors, the wearer being exceptionally careful not to make a sound. His fingers gently brushed the tapestries lining the walls, revelling in the adrenalin rushing through his veins and making his heart beat like a drum. He was almost fearful that it would beat right out of his chest.
He reached the door he wanted, and tapped lightly three times. He paused, and then tapped twice more. It was the knock they had agreed upon. She wasn't to open the door unless she heard those five choreographed taps.
She came to the door. Her brown hair was loose and flowing down to her waist. Her cheeks were flushed from anticipation and the white shift gown she wore for bed was light and he could glimpse the shape of her body beneath it. He could see the curve of her hips and the graceful bend of her shoulders.868Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbpd23fIqOp
He looked her up and down, from head to toe, desiring every inch. She smiled seductively, twirling strands of her hair around her index finger.
"Are you planning on entering, Master Culpepper?" She whispered.
The man smiled and nodded.
"Yes, your majesty." He said with a lopsided grin, slipping inside the room and closing the door silently.
Jane Boleyn watched from the end of the corridor, concealed in the shadows, peeping out from the corner of a tapestry. She watched with glee as he knocked on the door and a stream of light from inside the room illuminated the man's face. She watched as a woman who was definitely Queen Catherine, dressed in nothing but her nightdress, invited with beckoning fingers a man into her bedchamber who was definitely not the King.868Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDi4ha8VAv
Jane smiled mischievously. She loved nothing more than the thrill of gossip and the sweet taste of a scandal. And boy, she thought, I've found a scandal to top them all.
