Festina Lente

Chapter Three: Welcome to Court

It worried Katherine that he seemed so intent on ending their marriage, they had Mary and she would be just like her grandmother. 

"I am most pleased to be here, Your Majesty. I have heard of the joys of your court and had to come and see it for myself," Clarice stated looking at the King, she could only hope that her words would be believed. 

The last thing that she wished was for anyone to discover why she was truly here, she doubted that it would end well should her reason for being got out and she would be shamed for that.

King Henry smiled at her words, he was most certain that she would find English Court much more enjoyable than her time at French court. 

He had recalled what he had heard about how Francis ran his court, it almost made him laugh and he was most certainly sure that Clarice would find greater enjoyment here. 

"I trust that you will enjoy your time here at English Court," King Henry said and with a wave of his hand, he dismissed her allowing Clarice to mingle with the others of his court while he continued to greet people. 

Clarice bowed her head in respect before she moved away from the thrones, she was not sure what to do with herself now; she had no friends here and she knew that there would be people that were wary of her. 

She was most thankful that she had her ladies with her, she would be able to count on them while she was here and she did not know what she would do without them. 

Glancing at the lords and ladies around her, Clarice remembered the last time that she had felt so alone in the world; it had been shortly after her mother had died. 

Her father had passed when she was eleven and there had been no one else save for Clement to take her in when she had nothing after her mother had gone. 

It had been a strange thing arriving to meet him for the first time, she had passed by people waiting for his blessing and she recalled how they whispered about her and the fact that Clement had been so kind as to take her in. 

Something that he had gone on to repeat when her cousin, Caterina, had been left an orphan when her parents had died; a small part of Clarice had been sad that she had not been able to say farewell to Caterina. 

Clarice had often wondered just why her cousin had taken her and her bastard brother under his wings; what purpose could they serve him and now she understood. 

Her brother had entered the church, appointed to a position by Pope Clement after the loss of Florence while she herself had been sent to England to do as he wished for his own means. 

Clarice paused as she looked back to the throne, her eyes moving from the King to the Queen and wondered just what to expect from the royal couple who looked like they would both rather be anywhere else.

Clarice looked away quickly when her eyes meet with the Queen's, she swallowed doubting that she would get much of a warm reception from her; she was a French Duchess by birth even if she were raised Italian. 

Her mother had been French and Clarice had spent her youth there before being sent to live with Pope Clement; she doubted that the Queen being Spanish would welcome her truly. 

Their counties had long since been at war and Clarice had not forgotten that it was the Emperor that had imprisoned her cousin for years; he had only gained his freedom by exchanging his sons until a deal could be made. 

The Emperor had also sacked Rome, a place that Clarice had called her home for many years now; she knew why it had been done and she was sure everyone else did as well. 

It was an attempt to stop Pope Clement finding in favour of King Henry so that he might have his divorce and be free to remarry and have the son that he longed for; King's had been given divorces for much less in the past. 

Only now things were returning to normal in Rome, however there would be no going back on the decision that had been made when Pope Clement had been a prisoner to the Emperor. 

It would forever change the world as they knew it, no man would have ever dared to do such a thing to get his way before and now that line had been crossed there was a fear that it could happen again. 

Clarice looked back at the King and Queen, she swallowed the lump forming in her throat; she eyed them both wondering just how far each was willing to go to get what they wanted. 

The Queen held her head high and tried to pretend that her husband's obvious attentions were not focused on his whore who was stood across the room speaking with her own supporters. 

Katherine did not understand what sort of spell the expensive whore had over her husband, she had never known him to be this infatuated with another woman; his whores had come and gone before without much issue. 

That included Lady Blount who had given the King his only living son, she had lost his attention soon after Henry Fitzroy had been born; she had never thought that she would lose him like this. 

He could have all the whores he wanted, she just did not know why he wanted to marry this one and be rid of her when she had been a good wife and queen to him.