Prisoner of the Queen (Tales From the Tudor Court) (22 page)

“Upon my life, Your Grace, I will see her safely there.”

My insides shook at his words. To feel safe, it was a wondrous thing.

“Lady Katherine, I have a letter for your mother
. Will you deliver it to her for me?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

She handed me a rolled parchment, and then we all walked to the courtyard where the horses were saddled and ready for our journey. The sun still shone bright in the afternoon sky. I tucked the parchment Lady Anne gave me into the satchel tied to my mare.

“Cook has packed you
some food, as you will most likely need it upon your journey,” Lady Anne said.

I thanked her, and w
ith last hugs, Ned boosted me onto my mount. I was pleased the stable master remembered that I preferred to ride astride. And, thank goodness, Princess Elizabeth did the same, as did Queen Mary. I settled my skirts around me, gave one last look at Hanworth and its inhabitants and then breathed a sigh. This journey would surely change my future—and I had a feeling it would be a most glorious change.

We rode out through the gates, Ned beside me and behind us
Mrs. Helen, Ned’s groomsman, and a half-dozen retainers for protection. The ride would not be long, and we would arrive before dark, but one could never be too careful upon the road, and although I preferred to forget it, I was a princess of the blood. Plots being hatched and my person being kidnapped for a hefty ransom were always of concern when we traveled.

For the first several miles
, we rode in a comfortable silence as I basked in the fresh summer air and the wind in my hair and smelled the various wildflowers we passed in shades of yellow, purple, red and white. I had been able to sneak away from Hanworth only a handful of times to ride, and my body and mind craved the exercise.

The road was empty save for a few monks on donkeys, the occasional family walking with satchels upon their backs, and merchants pulling carts of half-rotted vegetables. The latter two pulled at my heartstrings. Was the family homeless or simply going on a journey to visit relations? Were they looking for work so that the precious children did not starve?
Was the merchant unable to sell the vegetables? Or was he so desperate for money he’d picked the rotted vegetables from a discard pile in hopes of making a few coins?

To the family and the merchant, I tossed a few
coins, and when I thought Ned might offer a rebuke, as my father so often had, at my soft heart, he only smiled.

“
You are most generous, my lady.”

“I feel if I
’ve the means to make someone’s life a little more pleasant—if only for a short time—then it is my duty to do so.”

“A true lady. Most would keep what precious coins they
have for jewels and gowns.”

I laughed at this. “Have you not seen I have more than enough?”

“I have noticed you dress most beautifully, but I should never think you had enough. You, my princess, deserve the world at your feet.”

I ducked my head.
“You flatter me, my lord.”

“
I’ve told you before, I wish you to call me Ned. Our servants cannot hear us.” His smile sent my heart fluttering.

“Ned, you flatter me unduly.”

“I never flatter anyone unduly. You have swept into my life again and again and wound me up in your web, little spider. I am just as paralyzed by your charm. Do with me what you will.” He bent at his waist in a bow.

My eyes widened at his words, at
the flirtatious glint in his gaze. I laughed gaily. “You must call me Katherine. Spider simply won’t do.”

“
Hmm…Katherine is too formal. May I call you Kat?”

“Indeed, yes
, most who are intimate with me do.”

“Is that an
other invitation, Kat?” He brought his horse closer, so that his thigh bumped and rubbed against mine, and that all-too-familiar tingling that made me want for him to touch me all the more took over.

I gulped. “An
other invitation?”

“To be intimate with you.
You asked me to kiss you before…”

I looked down at my hands, tightly grasping the reins of the horse, the knuckles white.

“I’d thought us already on intimate terms, unless you think a kiss such a trivial thing.”
Oh, please do not think it so!

Ned tossed back h
is head and laughed. He leaned closer once again. “I think a kiss one of the most intimate things, and I wish to kiss you again.” He glanced behind him. “If only we were not so encumbered.”

I smiled and met his gaze. “Perhaps we should stop to sup, and I could once more get stung by a pesky bee.”

Ned chuckled and tweaked my chin. “You are a little imp, Kat. But the idea does hold merit, for I do not think I can go another minute without tasting your soft lips.”

With his words, his gaze went from teasing and flirtatious to one filled with desire. My body reacted visce
rally, tingling, hot.

“Oh, Kat, do you have any idea
how ardently I admire you?”

I glanced up, lips parted in astonishment and my own deep yearning. “No,” I whispered, but I had an idea, if it was anything like my own body
’s reaction.

He held up his hand to indicate for their party to stop.

“We shall rest, and you shall be chased by a bee. Then, I will show you.” He smiled and winked devilishly.

I sucked in my breath in nervous anticipation.

Ned dismounted in one fluid, masculine motion and then came to my side to help me down.

“We shall rest
and refresh ourselves a few moments,” he told our entourage, and then taking me by the hand, he led me toward a tree, a couple of apples in his hand. “Will you let me feed you an apple, Kat?”

I nodded and sat beside the tree, smoothing my skirts around me.

I was surprised when Mrs. Helen did not venture close, for we were at a reasonably inappropriate distance away. Instead, from my prone position I watched her flirt with Ned’s groomsman as they sat and shared food by the horses.

Beside me, Ned cut into a crisp green apple, the juices flowing over his fingers. He held the slice to my
mouth, and I took a bite. The fruit was sweet and tangy, and my love of apples was wholly renewed. Ned took a bite from the same slice, licking juice from his lips. I found myself staring at his tongue, recalling how it had once swiped over my lips in the very same way.

He sliced another
chunk. This time when I took a bite, juice dribbled from my lips over my chin. Ned stroked his thumb over the trickle and then brought it to his mouth, his eyes never leaving mine. He pressed a thumb to his tongue and sucked the juice from it. If I had been standing, my knees would have buckled at so sensual a move. How would I ever be able to eat an apple again?

“Where is that pesky bee when we need him?” Ned teased.

I glanced over to where the retainers, Mrs. Helen and the groomsman sat, chatting and eating. Not one of them looked in our direction. Ned’s gaze followed mine. He stood, then he held out his hand. I placed my hand in his, marveling at how much larger he was, how warm his grip was, and how once again I felt such comfort and safety.

He didn
’t lead me far, just behind the tree, so that parts of us were still seen, but our faces were hidden.

“Kat, I must know, would you have me to wed?”

I was stunned, although I’d had an idea he would ask me. “Are you proposing to me?”

“Indeed, my lady, I would have you with me always.” He bent to one knee, my hands in
his, looked up into my eyes, and produced a pointed diamond ring. “Say you’ll be my wife. That day so long ago, when we danced, both of us but babes, I knew then. I love you, Kat, with a fierceness that steals the breath from my body.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. The emotions boiling inside me grew to bursting, stealing my voice.

“Say something,” he pleaded.

I blinked rapidly, willing the tears glistening in my eyes to
recede, as I squeezed his hands tight. “Yes, a thousand times, yes!”

Before I could take another breath
, he’d risen to stand, his full height well beyond my own. He slipped the ring upon my heart finger, the metal as warm as his fingers. Excitement and love filled me. He slid his hands up my arms and gently held my face, his mouth coming down on mine so quickly, I barely had a chance to take a breath.

His lips were gentle, loving
. I was completely swept away, the world disappearing around us, and all I could sense in every way was Ned.

At first I was hesitant, letting him kiss me,
letting his tongue taste, but as the sensations whipped around inside me, I grew bolder. I pressed my lips to his, tentatively stroked my tongue over his and was reworded with a carnal growl from within his chest. His hands glided from my face, to my neck and shoulders and then down my back in a sensual caress that sent my body plummeting into a pit of craving.

I felt wanton. I felt hunger for more of his touch, and I felt needed, desired.

But the kiss ended all too quickly at the sounds of approaching footsteps.

“My lady?”
Mrs. Helen slowly approached, her footsteps loud as if she purposefully stepped on every fallen branch she could find and scuffed her riding boots on every rock.

Without saying more, I knew that
Mrs. Helen had allowed us those brief moments alone and that she had not actually taken her eyes off of me once. I was grateful for her gift.

Chapter
Ten

And many a sad and heavy thought,

between them both had past,

Of Princes grace and favor great,

(to which regard they took:

As chiefest thing and only cause)

whereon they ought to look.

~Thomas Churchyard

Elizabethan
soldier and poet

The sun had just begun to set below the horizon, giving Charterhouse a pink and orange backdrop to which the rooftop and crenellations cut through. It was quite a sight to see. The windows glinted black and glittering. When our horses’ hooves pounded through the gate and into the courtyard, Master Stokes rushed from the great front doors to descend the stairs and take my reins himself.

“Lady Katherine, I am so grateful for your arrival, and Her Grace, when I told her of your plan to come hither at once, did fight the fever that raged inside her. It has only just broken this past hour!” Sweat poured off Master Stokes
’ forehead, as if he’d spent the better part of the day pacing in the heat.

“Thank God for such a miracle!” When I turned to dismount, Ned was there to
lift me, and along with Mrs. Helen, we followed Stokes into the great hall. “Mary!”

I was pleasantly surprised to see my sister standing in the great hall, as if she
’d positioned herself just so and then adjusted her stance until finally coming to be where she stood now. She was still incredibly short. It had been at least a year since I’d last seen her, and I had expected her to have grown somewhat, but she had not grown a single inch. At age fifteen, she was the size of a girl half her age. Her eyes, set close together, stared at me blankly.

“I am please
d you have come to see Mother, Katherine,” she said. Her voice was high-pitched and gravelly, as if she gargled rocks and speaking was painful.

“Are you ill?”

Her back stiffened. “I had a touch of what Mother suffers from but am much improved.”

“I am pleased you are recovered.”

And I was glad she’d recovered, but I wanted to know about her state of mind. Why was she so angry to see me? Or was it only my imagination? When we were younger, Mary was the least favorite of our parents. I was well aware of how my mother nitpicked her small frame and pinched face and how nothing Mary did could be right. My own upbringing had been much the same when Jane was present. The Nine Days’ Queen, they called her now.

Back still stiff and rigid, Mary said, “Thank you.”