Festina Lente

Chapter Twelve: The Agreement

20th of December 1530 - London, England

Stepping into the private room, Katherine did not speak a word unable to meet Henry's eye knowing that there was nothing that she could do that would change the evidence that he had against her. 

Already the news that not only had she lied about the fact that her marriage to Arthur was consummated but the fact that she had betrayed the country that she had called her own to her home country would sit well with no Englishman. 

The Queen's jewels no longer decorated her like they had done that morning when she had come to speak with him; her dress was simple and she did not look like the Queen she had done that morning. 

Henry watched Katherine, he had wished that Anne could have been by his side for this but she had cautioned him against it. 

The last thing that they needed was to provoke an already beaten Katherine, she had been humbled and now Henry just had to deal with her; there would be people that wished for him to mount her head on a spike. 

However, Henry knew that should anything happen to Katherine then he would still have to deal with the Emperor; there was no denying that the Emperor would jump at an excuse to invade England. 

"Will you now admit that you were in fact my brother's wife?" Henry asked simply, he didn't move from his chair and simply stared at the woman that had not only betrayed his trust but made a fool of him. 

He wished that he'd listened to his father and grandmother, they had cautioned him against marrying Katherine and now he could see why they had done so. 

Katherine had valued becoming Queen more than anything else, she'd sacrificed everything to get where she was to live up to the destiny that her parents had set before her to become Queen of England. 

The cost had been the fact that none of his children except for Mary had lived passed infanthood; his daughter was sickly often and was more Spanish than she was English. 

"What will happen to me?" Katherine asked not answering his question, she met his eyes and couldn't help but wonder if she'd be sent to the tower; she'd seen him do worse to people for less.

She had betrayed the crown and there was going to be men that counselled Henry to have her executed for that; she was sure that her nephew would invade for less, she was his aunt after all and that would count for something. 

"You shall be granted lands and a small pension fitting of by brother's widow to retire quietly to the country," Henry said evenly, it had been discussed at length and he had no desire right now for a war with the Emperor. 

An ambassador had already been sent to speak with Charles about what had occurred today, informing him that Henry knew that Katherine had betrayed him and what would happen to her. 

If Katherine was treated with dignity and sent from court to live out the rest of her life in peace then surely even Charles could not intervene on her behalf nor that of Mary. 

"I have had the papers drawn up and servants sent ahead to Kimbolton Castle where you shall be housed. Should you behave yourself in such a way that I find acceptable then you shall be granted a title further down the line," Henry informed her, he wanted to make sure that Katherine would not cause him any issues when he married Anne. 

It would serve her well to remember that he was still being most generous to her, he could have easily cast her out of the palace with nowhere to go. 

They could not allow her to return to Spain, she would no doubt raise an army and attempt to stick Mary on throne after having married her to one of the Emperor's relatives.