Festina Lente

Chapter Ninety-Nine: The King Lives

23rd of February 1536 - Greenwich Palace

Storming into his private quarters, the Duke of Suffolk slammed the door behind him unable to believe the nerve of Wiltshire threatening him like that when he had done. 

That the man had the audacity to come to him with such accusations when he had been nothing but loyal to Henry for as long as he had known him. 

The two of them had been childhood friends, with Charles being brought up at the court of Henry VII because his father had been the standard bear for the former King and had died during the Battle of Bosworth Field, where he had been killed by Richard III. 

There had never been anything that had truly come between them, not even when Charles had eloped with Henry's sister after the death of her french husband, although things had gotten a little rough between them. 

Cursing loudly, Charles grabbed the nearest item and launched it at the wall across the room from him as he tried to wrap his head around what had happened. 

The sound of the vase breaking against the wall drew attention from the other chambers, the noise had been rather loud especially when the chamber had been so quiet, and Charles swore under his breath as he stared at the mess. 

"Husband?" Catherine Brandon, the Duchess of Suffolk asked appearing from one for the other rooms, she held their son in her arms and Charles felt his stomach drop at the sight of her. 

Every plan in his mind about going back to Wiltshire and telling him to go take a long walk off a short pier, that he did not need his help and he was not going to be blackmailed into supporting the harlot. 

"What is the matter?" Catherine asked approaching him, her eyes searching for the cause of the crashing that had disturbed her while she had been in the nursery with their son. 

The son that she knew her husband had longed for after the death of his son with Mary Tudor, one that would carry on his legacy when all he had were girls that would struggle to hold on to his legacy as she had done with her own father's. 

A part of her feared the news that the King had died, she wondered if she should have gone to the chapel and joined Queen Anne in prayer rather than retiring to her chambers to hold her boy.

 "Thomas Boleyn," Charles snarled as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, he would not allow the man to take anything from him, he was a damn fool if he thought that he could threaten him in anyway.

Even when he had not agreed on the path that Henry found himself on and had done his best to guide his friend during such troubled times. 

Staring at her husband, Catherine waited for him to continue knowing not what he meant by his anger towards the Queen's father, who would likely be busy with his role as Lord Privy Seal as they awaited news on the King's health. 

"Boleyn confronted me in the corridor, he offered his silence on my actions and support with the King after the accident that I caused," Charles scoffed with a shake of his head. 

Anyone who knew him would surely know that he meant no harm to His Majesty during the tourney, he would never dare hurt Henry especially if it meant that the Boleyns would gain more power. 

Catherine was silent as she took in her husband's words, her lips pursing tightly as she stared at the man that she loved dearly and considered him. 

"He insists that our son shall be married to one of his granddaughters by Bedford in exchange for my loyalty to his whore of a daughter," Charles continued with a shake of his head, he would never agree to marry his son into the family of the woman that had brought nothing but trouble to this country.