The Traitor's Daughter

Chapter Twenty-Five

Elizabeth had the worst headache of her entire lifetime. Or, so she thought, but she always had a tendency to be a bit melodramatic. She had tried to stay in bed instead of attending the feast that Henry put together at the last minute to welcome Francis Gordon and Jasper Herbert into his home, but Katherine had forced her out of her bed and down to the feast, where Elizabeth swore everyone seemed to be screaming instead of speaking at a normal volume level. She could blame no one but herself, of course, since she had a tendency to feign headaches whenever she wanted to get out of an uncomfortable situation. Of course, this time she actually had a headache, but yet, there she sat next to Katherine, a forced smile on her face while it felt like someone was happily hammering away inside her head.

Elizabeth laughed along with everyone else when Jasper tried to make jokes, but broke off into a coughing fit in the middle of said joke, then forget what he was saying altogether, and she pretended to be embarrassed instead of disgusted when Francis made inappropriate remarks about her chest throughout the night. She ignored the way Katherine seemed to throw herself at Henry throughout the evening, and pretended to be preoccupied with the contents in her wine chalice. She paid no mind to the pins in her hair that made her headache worse by pulling on her hair and poking her scalp, and she made sure that her posture was perfect. She kept looking at the door and imagining ways that she could leave the room without being seen, although all of her "plots" ended in her making a scene.

As if he sensed Elizabeth's discomfort, Henry stood up in the middle of what felt like Francis's hundredth jab at Elizabeth. The duke picked up two chalices nearby and hit them together, the noise loud enough to get everyone's attention. Francis Gordon stopped mid-sentence, his eyes wide and his hand held over his heart, as if the sound had caused his heart to skip a beat. The laughter subsided in the room, but Henry kept hitting the glasses together, which caused Elizabeth to wince in pain with every 'clang' that echoed throughout the dining hall.

Once he was satisfied, Henry set one of the chalices back onto the table, and held the other in his right hand.

"I hate to interrupt your magnificent jests, Lord Francis, but I would like to say a few words before everyone gets drunk on my wine." Henry paused and allowed people to laugh politely, then continued. "I would like to thank you all for joining us for supper this evening, and for so kindly welcoming Lord Gordon and Lord Chancellor Herbert. It isn't often that I get to entertain two of His Majesty's closest companions."

Francis and Jasper straightened their posture in their chairs, smug expressions on their faces. It took everything Elizabeth had to keep the smile on her face and keep from rolling her eyes at the two old men. 

"All I ask of you all tonight is to eat, drink, and be merry!"

At those words, everyone around Elizabeth began to cheer, and she once again winced in pain, but kept the smile on her face. The last thing she needed was to have to explain her lack of enthusiasm to anyone. 

Henry raised his chalice of wine in the air, which prompted everyone else to do the same.

"Tonight, I'd like to make a toast to our guests of honor: Lord Gordon and Lord Chancellor Herbert. Thank you for gracing us with your presence, gentlemen. To your health and happiness!"

"To your health and happiness," Elizabeth repeated with the rest of the people in the room.

Henry sat down, which prompted the servants to begin bringing out the food. Roasted pigs, fish, and pheasants were carried into the dining room, all of them cooked and displayed to perfection. Sweetmeats, marzipan sculptures, and little brightly colored cakes were placed in close proximity to Elizabeth, and she found it increasingly difficult to ignore them until she had finished the first course. Instead, she ate a bit of pork and fruit provided, and did her best to block out the conversation around her. It worked for most of the people around her, but unfortunately, she could still hear Katherine complaining about nearly everything.