Eltham, April 1522
He rode into Eltham just as the sun was setting. Maria greeted him formally, with an elegant curtsy that made him realise, with a sudden pang, just how fast she was growing. Six years old already! And what a little lady she was. Just like he imagined her mother must have been at her age.
But supper soon broke the ice and, before long, he was seated by the fire with Maria enthroned on his lap, his little nieces at his feet and the Parr girls and Susan White on cushions not far away, one sitting properly, the other two sprawled on their stomachs, heads both turned to him and propped on their arms. The firelight danced over their faces, creating unearthly shadows and adding to the mood in the room.
“So what have you monkeys been up to recently, then?”
He wasn’t prepared for the guilty glance that his daughter shared with the others.
“Maria?” he prompted gently.
“We weren’t doing any harm, honest! We just wanted to see Eltham without Lady Bury or the maids!” Fanny blurted.
“So you slipped away from them,” Henry sighed. He couldn’t truly be angry; he remembered doing the same many a time as a child. Nonetheless, no doubt the poor women had been absolutely frantic. He said as much to the girls and the older ones, at least, had the grace to look abashed.
“We apologised afterwards, Sire,” Kate reassured him and he shot her a smile.
“Oh well. All’s well that ends well, eh? At least one of you has some sense.”
“Yes, but Papa, we were exploring near the west wing, you know, where Hal has his rooms, and I think Hal must be very naughty,” Maria insisted, “He seemed nice at my party, but I think he must be very naughty for Lady Tailboys.”
“Oh? And why do you think that, then?” Henry asked, fighting to keep his voice steady.
“We heard Lady Tailboys shout and something breaking and then she started crying,” Meg explained, “We could hear her all the way down the corridor, Uncle Henry.”
“Really?” Meg nodded and Nannette added, “It scared me! Mama and Lady Bury never shout like that!”
A flicker of misgiving flared in Henry but he quashed it firmly. It was probably nothing. Bessie had always been emotional. There was no reason for her loss of temper to mean anything out of the ordinary.
“Well if it scared you, that should teach you to know better than to wander away from Lady Salisbury and Lady Willoughby, shouldn’t it?”
He tried to be stern, but he was having a hard time keeping a straight face and when Maria begged him to play Pass the Lady with them, he didn’t require any persuasion.
It was only later, as he was tucking Maria into bed, that she asked him again why Marie hadn’t come with him.
“I told you, Mama’s feeling tired because of the baby in her belly,” he murmured softly, “But she’s looking forward to seeing you again, just as soon as she feels up to it.”
“Oh,” Maria replied, burrowing down obediently as he drew the covers up around her, “Will you be here in the morning, Papa?”
“I’ll be here for breakfast,” he promised, pecking her on the forehead.
“Good,” she murmured sleepily.
He was about to get up and leave the room when she suddenly spoke again.
“You know Mama’s got a baby in her belly? Can I have a sister this time? Lady Bury and Lady Willoughby say I should pray for a brother, but I don’t need a brother. Lionel’s enough. Can I have a sister instead? Please?”
Henry had to laugh at her pleading tone. She clearly had yet to learn that, much though he hated being powerless, this was one area God, rather than he, controlled.
“We’ll see, my pearl,” he responded, as he got up, “You lie back and go to sleep now. There’s a good girl.”
