The Traitor's Daughter

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Elizabeth was restless. She had only been staying in the cottage for two days, and yet, she felt as though she had been locked up for weeks. She hadn't spoken to the king for those two days, nor heard from Mary, who was probably 'forgetting' to send her friend a letter on purpose. She was dying to hear news from court, to see if the king had put his interests in another woman, but she had absolutely no way to do so, especially if Mary refused to write to her.

Elizabeth took advantage of the peace and quiet by plotting against her enemies. She spent most of the first two days in her room, demanding that meals were brought to her her, while she wrote her ideas down. Later, once she was sure everyone was asleep, she went into the secret alcove and hid her notes amongst the books, just in case someone else stumbled across her hiding place.

Her next targets were Edward and Anne Hastings, two people who had become baron and baroness after creating false evidence that helped to condemn her father. They hadn't been back to court for years, instead preferring to stay hidden inside of their large home, which was a gift to them from the king. Elizabeth was still trying to plan out how to get them out of their home, but knew that she would befriend them, then plant evidence in their home and have the king's men search their home. She still had to straighten out a few of the details, but she had an overall idea, which was good enough in her eyes. All she had to do then, was get out of the cottage and return to court, where she would convince the king to invite the couple to the palace.

Elizabeth collected all of the parchment she had written on, then put it all into a neat pile. She stuck the papers in her desk drawer for the time being, then headed into the hallway to make sure that she could go downstairs into her alcove. She peered down over the balcony that looked down into the sitting room below, and found Henry sitting in front of the fireplace, drinking out of a silver chalice. She sighed, hoping he'd retire soon, considering it was the middle of the night.

At the sound, Henry looked up and spotted Elizabeth, although she tried to duck into the shadows. He jumped, startled by the sudden person. He had believed that he was the only one still awake. He peered into the darkness, unable to figure out who the person was. Although he was a grown man, the dark still made him nervous, along with the cottage, considering it was old.

Elizabeth contemplated returning back to her room, but instead decided to make herself known. She wasn't tired yet, and the last thing she wanted to do was lay in bed, waiting for sleep to come. She walked down the stairs and met Henry in the sitting room, then curtsied.

"Your Grace, I believed I was the only one still awake," She said truthfully. "I apologize if I frightened you."

She gave him a knowing look, and he smiled down into his wine glass. Up close, Elizabeth noted his rosy cheeks and glassy eyes, telling her that he had had too much to drink. She decided she'd take advantage of the situation.

Henry motioned for her to sit across from him, then nodded towards the tankard of wine.

"Care for some?" He asked.

"Please," She spoke.

He carefully, and slowly, poured her a chalice of wine, then handed it to her, making sure to be careful not to pour any on the girl's gown. He did find it odd that it was late and she was still dressed in her clothing, but decided not to question it since it would be rude. After all, he was still fully dressed as well.

"I thought you were a ghost," Henry said with a laugh as Elizabeth took a long drink out of her chalice. The wine was cold, but spiced wonderfully, and she longed to drink all of it up, but resisted, and instead drank the wine slowly, just as she was expected to.