“What do you mean, she barely speaks to you? You’re the same age, of similar station, with surely not dissimilar interests. Surely you must be among her inner circle?”
“No, Father,” Kathy bit her lip, hating to disappoint the most important man in her life, “The Queen is never anything other than courteous to me, but she has her sister serving her as a maid and Lady Sarah and Mistress Joanna at her side at all times. She has no need of other confidantes.”
“And you can’t use our influence at Court to win yourself a better position?”
“No, Father. She’d hate me for it.”
Edward Stafford sighed, then waved his daughter towards the door, “Very well, Katherine. I suppose, if there’s nothing you can do, you’d better carry on as you are for now. I’ll inform you if I want anything to change. Go back to the Queen.”
“Yes, Father,” Kathy turned for the door, obedient, as always, to her father’s wishes. Edward called after her.
“Katherine. Send Giovanni into me on your way out.”
She nodded; went on her way, only momentarily curious as to why her father might want his newest page, an Italian lad sent over from Rome to learn the ways of the English Court, to come to him in his private chamber.
*** *** ***
“You understand what you have to do?”
“Yes, Sir. But I don’t understand what you’re hoping to achieve. Even if the Queen were to be removed as an obstacle, who’s to say His Majesty would turn to his daughter in his grief?”
The soft voices woke Kathy from her slumber. For a moment, she lay, only half-listening to the indistinct murmurs before her ears passed on a piece of vital information. The voices belonged to her father and his new Italian page.
Now curiosity got the better of her. What were they doing, talking together in the dead of night? Sitting up, Kathy reached for her wrap and crept out of bed towards the door of her father’s study, careful not to wake her maid, who slept on a pallet at the foot of her bed.
She reached the door, leaning against the frame just in time to hear her father say, “You wouldn’t know what happened after Queen Katherine died, you weren’t here. But trust me. With the Boleyn upstart out of the way, Lady Katherine’s path to the King’s heart will be clear. Do this for me and I’ll see you suitably rewarded once my daughter wears her rightful crown. Do we have a deal?”
There was a pause and then Giovanni’s husky whisper, “Aye, My Lord. We have a deal.”
Kathy stifled a gasp. Her father wanted her to be Queen!
Before she could get any further with her train of thought, however, there was movement in the room behind the door.
Kathy’s mind went blank, except for one thing – she couldn’t afford to be discovered. Whirling around, she fled back to bed, trying to still her pounding heart as she dived beneath the covers and lay there, scarcely daring to breathe.
Her father wanted her to be Queen. King Henry’s Queen. But for that, Queen Mary would have to be taken out of the picture. He was plotting treason, that much was sure. But should she tell someone? Ideally, yes, of course she should, but what if she was wrong, had been dreaming or misheard? Father was a loyal servant to King Henry; he always had been. He wouldn’t hurt Queen Mary, not when she was pregnant and had made King Henry so happy. He wouldn’t. Of course he wouldn’t. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her. it must be.
And anyway, she had no proof. She couldn’t tell anyone without proof. To accuse her own father of treason...No. Kathy stopped that train of thought before it could go a whit further. She wouldn’t risk that. Not without proof; not until Father did something.
Having made her mind up, Kathy rolled over and forced herself to sleep.
