Arthur

Chapter 29

Elizabeth of York; London, England. February 1502.

Cecily did not write me again for a few days, which brought me great anxiety. I believe it was visible, for Henry asked if I was feeling well several times. It would take time until our man would be able to send news again, and I craved for those news desperately. Not knowing was worse than anything, and God knows, I had a lifetime of ignoring facts.

It was not before a week that I received another note, but not by my sister; this time, the sender was my cousin Margaret Pole, now the most trusted lady-in-waiting of the Princess of Wales, or so I’d heard.

“To Elizabeth, Queen of England

Your Majesty, dearest cousin, I greet you well,

I have been spending a great amount of time with the Prince and Princess of Wales, who are both enjoying good health and the married life. The Princess and I have been spending long hours together, most of which are dedicated to lessons of the English language for Her Highness, who has been showing an impressionable and remarkable understanding of everything that is taught to her.

The Prince of Wales is also doing a very hard work on his studies and duties to the Princedom. The young couple is merry, lovely and cheerful, enchanting everyone surrounding them.

The Princess of Wales has been showing interest in reading about our family’s genealogy, the English House of Kings. I have given her my own book, although I would imagine she would need a more appropriate one, from the court.

I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits, and I send you my loyalty and love.

Your cousin,

Margaret, Countess of Salisbury.”

I folded the letter carefully, as if that act had a big importance, and threw it in the fireplace. Margaret had done well, I thought as I watched the flames consuming the letter; she had written a letter that would pass off as perfectly innocent if read by anyone else. However, I knew what I needed to know. Margaret and Catalina were bonding, becoming friends and confidents. Surely Margaret would have already started the ‘real lessons’ to the Princess, and she showed interest in it. “Has been showing an impressionable and remarkable understanding of everything that is taught to her”, Margaret had written; “Everything”, so I hoped.

And she was interested in English genealogy! It was a very good sign. I would send her my own book in the next chart to Ludlow, showing the great House of Plantagenet, followed by the House of Tudor. It would take a very ignorant person not to realise the contrast; and Catalina was anything but ignorant.

That same evening, I decided to spend time with my two daughters, as Henry had decided to take Harry to a card game with the men. Margaret was reading some of her poetry for us; my little girl was not very fond of poetry, but I tried, perhaps uselessly, to motivate her to write more, introducing her to skilled poets and having her read different collections. For my disappointment, she would recite them emotionlessly and drearily. My daughter Mary yawned by my side.

“Oh, Margaret…” I shook my head.

She looked at me. “Lady Mother, with all due respect, I shall be Queen of Scots. Why would I need to write poetry? I will have a whole court to do so for me!”

“Because you are a woman before you are a queen, Margaret, I thought you knew that.” I replied.

“Grandma says differently.” She defied me. “She always says duty first. Therefore, I am a Queen; then I can be a woman.”

I was livid with the thought of Margaret Beaufort putting such ideas on my daughter’s head, but I managed to control myself.

“Margaret, and you too, Mary” I looked at my youngest daughter. “You both are Princesses of England. Margaret, you will be Queen of Scotland, and you, Mary will probably be a queen as well. There will be times when you will have to be a Queen first. Times when you have to think of your country first, your people, your land. But there will also be times when you will have to be a woman first, and think of your husbands, your children and yourselves.”

Both of the girls seemed confused.

“Never forget you are Queens; therefore, you will have to make hard choices, know about your country, do what is best for your realm, make huge sacrifices for your people. But never forget you are also women; you will need a place within yourself where you can call your own. This place can be a needlework, a poem, a dance… Anything that reminds you who you are, not what you are.”

“And how would I know, Lady Mother, whether to act as a Queen or as a woman?” Margaret asked.

“You will know when time comes. It isn’t a gown that you can choose whether to wear today or tomorrow; it is your heart, and it is yourself. You are many in one, and you must know that, so you cannot lose yourself among them all. There are things, my dearest ones, that are more precious than a crown.”

“Like what?” Mary said, her piercing blue eyes fascinated. I smiled. 

“Family.” I replied. “And the truth.”