There and Back Again: The English Journeys of Catherine of Aragon
- Thread starter Awkwardvulture
- Start date
Queen Eleanor is definitely I bit more mature than she used to be with age. As far as the baby is concerned, let's just say it will likely be healthier than the late Elizabeth had been... Thank you so much for your input!
Chapter 112, November 1520
Hertford Castle, Kingdom of England, November 1520
“Oh, my Lord Suffolk, I am quite surprised to see you here! Are you well? How is the Duchess?”
Charles, the Duke of Suffolk gave the Dowager Queen a tired smile,”My wife took some time to recover from Elizabeth’s birth. I was so worried for her that I named our daughter after Elizabeth in case she took a turn for the worse, but luckily she has not.”
Flurries of snowflakes began to drift onto the ground, the first snow of the coming winter. Noticing this, Giovanna of Naples said,”If there is more to discuss we can do so inside, it is far too cold to stand out here in the snow. I know you English have some strange practices, but I did not know that freezing to death was one of them.”
Brandon chuckled at this as they made their way inside,”No we have our peculiarities Madam, but that is not one of them.”
When they entered the parlor, Giovanna motioned for the man to sit at a chair by the window, filling a goblet of wine,”Would you like some too my Lord Suffolk?”
“Yes please.” The man answered
She poured another goblet, this batch of dark red wine had just arrived a week ago, from Aragon. The woman had paid quite a bit for it, but she could afford it, her dower lands and pension provided her with more than enough income after all. It reminded her of her maternal ancestry and was quite tasty, so it was well worth it. In any case, she brought Charles Brandon his wine, and after taking it into his hand the man settled into his chair. As Giovanna followed suit across from him, he asked,”So how are your children? The King says that Joanna and Charles are growing like weeds.”
“Yes, they certainly are Charles, I am glad that His Majesty speaks well of them.”
“He does, he is proud of them. Which leads me to something else milady.”
“What is that His Majesty requires of me?” Giovanna asked
Suffolk sipped his wine,”As you know the King’s aunt, Cecily of York, fell out of favor during his father’s reign for her third marriage. Now her children by Thomas Kyme are of age and petition him for positions in the royal household. Henry feels for his young cousins, but does not think that his late father, your husband, would approve of giving them a place in his or the Queen’s household.”
“So, he wants me to host them here at Hertford, so that they may serve my children?”
“Indeed, he does.” Charles Brandon answered
Giovanna of Naples made her mind up quickly enough,”Then they shall join us here. Young Richard can become a companion to Charles, and Margery will serve Joanna as a maid of honour.”
Getting up, the Duke of Suffolk cleared his throat,”His Majesty appreciates your cooperation as always, I’ll be sure to put a good word for you at court. Perhaps you’ll be Godmother to the Queen’s unborn child.”
Giovanna was grateful but shook her head, smiling,”No, tell him I want Catherine to have that privilege instead, she’s the Holy Roman Empress after all.”
“Then I shall do so.”
“Good… You went to Flanders with His Majesty, how was my darling daughter?”
“The Empress was well, the Emperor took a mistress during her pregnancy, but Catherine seems to have forgiven him, and he has not strayed again.”
The Dowager Queen was relieved that the young woman was not too badly hurt by her husband’s indiscretion,”Catherine was always such a sweet girl, so I am not surprised.”
When Charles Brandon left, Giovanna relaxed in her chair, wistful from the conversation and the wine.
I only hope that whoever Joanna marries will not hurt her in such a way.
Oh, he's certainly still around, I just sort of omitted him for a while... But we'll see him again. I'm thankful that you like him though!
Great update! I hope Richard and Margery are happy living with Giovanna. Also I have an inkling of who joanna’s eventual husband will be and lemme just say that I think Giovanna will be disappointed lol
Deleted member 147978
Gee golly, what is it with royals and their life-size homoerotic toy playmates?
First Carr in Albion Rising, and now Antonio ITTL? Well damn.
I believe they'll be most happy, at the very least they'll no longer be ignored by the Tudors, even if they technically aren't quite cousins to Giovanna's children as they are to Henry. As far as Joanna's eventual husband is concerned, well as I say we shall see.... Thank you so very much!
In this case, it's not quite homoerotic, Anthony is sleeping with an older woman after all, not a man but I do see your point. Thank you for your input!
Oh no, like any good nobleman he drank it all first
Yeah it's a good way of providing for them without Henry himself having to pay much money. Thank you very much!Yep, IOTL they seem to have lived but were mostly ignored, here they'll be a bit more prominent. Thank you for your input!
Chapter 113, November 1520
Ribeira Palace, Kingdom of Portugal, November 1520
Catalina of Aragon nearly jumped when she heard the door swing open. Of course, that would have been quite a feat, considering how large her belly was. The Queen of Portugal had not been expecting a visitor, but she would not complain if she was to receive another well-wisher.
“Who is it?” The pregnant woman called out.
The voice, slightly lilted came out sweetly,”Close your eyes Queen Catalina.”
It was rather obvious just who it was, but Catalina played along, giggling, and squeezing her eyes shut. Through the darkness, she heard trundling footsteps and smelt something rather sweet.
“You may open them Meu amor.”
The moment Catalina opened her eyes she was filled with delight. In her husband’s hands was a plate, with a large piece of flan nestled in the middle of it.
“Oh Manuel!” Catalina beamed in gratitude.
Manuel smiled happily as he passed over the plate,”I know that flan is your favorite dessert, and now that you are with child I think you should allow yourself to indulge as you please.”
Taking the plate, the Queen of Portugal greedily dug into the cake with a spoon, moaning in satisfaction as a chunk of the cake, topped with snow cream (1), entered her mouth.
The woman rested the plate on her pregnant belly for a moment, and exclaimed,”Thank you Manuel Meu amor you are kinder to me than I deserve.”
The older man leaned in and planted a soft kiss against his wife’s cheek,”Anything for you my dear.”
When Manuel pulled away to give her room, Catalina continued to eat the cake her husband had made for her, feeling lucky to be married to such a kind, caring man.
....
(1) Basically a precursor to what we know as whipped cream today
PS: I know this is a quick, short chapter, but I figured some fluff between Catalina and Manuel was in order.
Thank you so much, glad you liked it! They certainly do make a lovely couple, similar in character and truly love each other.
It was definitely a thing that people made, though in English it seems to be just called snow (or in the contemporary orthography, snowe)
it is documented as being served with strawberries and wafers