Grace FitzRoy and Cecily Neville were two sides of one deal. On Loveday in the year 1458, when York and Lancaster came together ceremonially to reconcile their two warring factions, the Duke of York and King of England struck a deal. A daughter for...
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TOWTON
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March 1461, London
Katherine Howard had felt the twisting, bitter feeling of regret many times before. It grew slowly, like rot in her belly. When it festered long enough, the taste grew so vile in her mouth that she couldn't bear it. And just like all those other times, she knew deep down that, no matter how much she wished it to be otherwise, she had no choice but to continue on the path she'd chosen.
The river Thames stretched before her, shrouded in darkness just as she was in a cloak. She heard the small disturbance of the water as it licked up and down the stone walls of the hidden passage she stood in. It was a wonder, really, that she was standing here. She'd never even considered it before.
"Are you ready, my lady?" A gruff, but sincere voice muttered to her. She looked down at the old man seated in the small boat, barely large enough to seat two. "We must go soon before the guards change their shift."
She knew they were on a time crunch, but she couldn't help the hesitation that pulled her back towards Westminster Palace by a golden string tied to her heart. It was woven through the halls, ending in the chest of her daughter. Her sweet, manipulated, traitor daughter. The taste of betrayal was almost as bitter as the regret, made even more rancid by the knowledge that it wasn't even truly Grace's fault.
Katherine wasn't leaving her now because she despised her or thought of her as less than before. She was leaving because she knew that if she didn't go and find Margaret, the vengeful queen would soon find it in herself to knock the head off those slim, frail shoulders of hers. Katherine had always been able to tame Margaret's anger. They were of a similar age, both despised by court and country, so it had been easy to fall into the rhythm of friendship despite the circumstances that would usually tear women apart.
All those years ago when she first arrived in England, Katherine had been rather frightened of Margaret. She still was to this day, if she was entirely honest. But that didn't matter, because Margaret loved her more than anything else in the world, except maybe her son. She was her shield, her insurance that she could be by Henry's side till the end of her days, protecting both him and her. Katherine could convince her of Grace's innocence.
She had to.
And so she nodded at the man in the boat, accepting his offered hand as she stepped into the unstable boat. It rocked beneath her weight, and she thought for one fearful moment that it would capsize right then and there. But it held firm, stabilizing a bit as she sat down.
She had to do it. For Henry, for Margaret, for Prince Edward and even little Henry Tudor.
