Since Gilbert and Cecily's wedding took place without her father knowing, the King was not all too pleased by the union and went as far as to claim that Gilbert had abducted Cecily from Almswood Castle.
The King's men arrived at our doorstep to bring Cecily back, but she refused to step out, and we had to deploy our family's soldiers to deter them away.
However, each time we expelled them away, they would always return the next day with a larger army. This pointless charade lasted for weeks on end, and eventually, the King sent his own brother-in-law to bring back Cecily.
Thomas Ainsworth was a short and plump man with thinning blond hair, a forehead so wide and shiny that it reflected the sun, and legs so short that instead of walking, he waddled. It is interesting how the Ainsworth women looked like living goddesses, while the males were like real-life versions of Humpty Dumpty.
"His Royal Majesty King Edward, Our Lord, has ordered me to take Lady Cecily back with me," he huffed, having become out of breath from walking a total of five feet from his carriage to our doorsteps.
"And why should I let you? On what grounds, Lord Ainsworth?" I challenged him while Cecily peeked at her uncle from behind me.
"I am her blood relative, and the King and Queen has decreed that I am to marry her a week before your brother decided to kidnap her in broad daylight," he retorted, now finally noticing Cecily hiding behind me.
His face immediately sweetened, and his tone became strangely mellow. "Oh, poor Sissie! Come with me so we can annul the marriage, and then you shall marry me, don't you like that Sissie? You will become a princess again, and the King will grant me the title of Duke! You will be the wife of a Duke rather than a mere Earl!"
Indescribable disgust filled my chest as I looked at this man-child that was Thomas Ainsworth, who had the guts to insult my father's title despite not having a single title of his own.
"It's a bit odd, don't you think Cecily?" I said, ignoring Thomas Ainsworth's existence. "If you marry him, he will be a Prince Consort, and he will be given the rank of duke. What will you get, Cecily?"
Thomas Ainsworth's pasty white face became red with fury as he balled his pudgy fat fists threateningly. "She is a woman! She should be grateful that I am willing to marry her despite her hideous face! She shall stay home quietly, not overstepping her boundaries like some people, who fail to know their places."
I let out a loud scoff and rolled my eyes in disbelief. Of course he had to be talking about me. How could such a pathetic person exist in this world? "So, you receive benefits and two titles from being her husband, but you treat her as if she is inferior to you? What a joke you are, Lord Ainsworth," I taunted.
"Women will always be inferior to men! This is what happens when we men allow women to read and learn! They start to think! And not about loyalty and morals, but politics! Politics should be reserved for us men, not women like you.
If you were my wife, I would keep you locked inside your room until you shed away your insolence!" he shouted at me, droplets of saliva flying in the air and splattering onto the cobblestone ground.
"But you are not my husband, are you?" I asked him. "Who are you to question me, Lord Ainsworth? My father saw it fit for me to be educated in the same aspects as my brother, so that I will never be slighted or mistreated by anyone, including you.
As for you saying that I don't know how to treat men right, well what do you want me to do? Kiss your feet? Allow you to scold me as you please and smile back in return? Or should I invite you into my bed in broad daylight, because it seems that you think of women as nothing but pleasure slaves.
How would you feel if I deprived you of your voice and locked you up in your room? How would you feel if I married ten other men and treated you as nothing but a sleeping partner? How would you feel if I divorced you on the grounds of you being unable to give me a son?"
Thomas Ainsworth sputtered on his words, eyes widening at the audacious things I said. How dare I treat him like he treats women? Unacceptable! Preposterous!
"That goes against the laws of nature! How can a woman marry more than one man? It is unheard of!" he shouted and seemed as if he wanted to recite religious scriptures that proved his point, but he was too dull to remember any of them.
"Now, Lord Ainsworth, I suggest you go home and softly cry into your pillow while the King finds another poor girl for you to marry, hm? It's just that Cecily knows how to read and write, and she can think for herself too. You said you didn't like that, did you?"
He gritted his teeth tightly and turned to Cecily. "Come with your uncle, Sissie. Do not waste your time with such ingrates!"
Cecily shook her head, finally emerging in front of him. "I am loyal to House Winterbourne and my Lady Anne. I do not wish for my title back, and I will be satisfied with my husband's title. He is a future Earl, and a promising soldier at that. It is more than sufficient for me, uncle. So, please go and tell my father to not worry about me anymore. I am treated better here than I ever was anywhere else, and unless that is an issue for him, I believe there is no need for him to be concerned."
Realizing that he was not going to become a Prince Consort, Thomas Ainsworth immediately shed his cordiality and said, "Never mind, you are too ugly anyways! I deserve so much better than you!"
When his carriage took off, Cecily yelled at the top of her lungs, "Likewise!"
Both Edmund and Gilbert were at the barracks at the moment, and they would soon return in a week for my wedding. Never did I expect that my brother would marry before I do, but things happen. I do wonder how Cecily felt about the entire ordeal, as her wedding was nothing more than exchanging vows, and she could not even bring her dowry with her. She had no wedding dress, no bridesmaids, and there was no feast after the marriage.
"Cecily, when you are of age, I shall talk to Gilbert about having an appropriate ceremony to celebrate your marriage. You should also renew your vows, in case someone tries to claim that your marriage is invalid," I said with caution. Legitimacy was hardly an issue for common people, but in royal families, brothers and sisters would turn upon each other for the throne. Cecily's own father was a prime example of that.
She nodded, and her pale blue eyes were filled with gratitude. "Yes, thank you Lady Anne. I would very much like that."
That night, I told my father about Thomas Ainsworth saying that he is to marry Cecily, and how he was to receive so many titles upon marriage.
"Could it be that the king is trying to limit our power, Father? Or are they trying to control her?" I asked him.
My father was silent for a moment, mulling over my questions.
"It is more serious than that, Annie. There is something that I think you should know, but you must never tell anyone about this," he warned.
I nodded in anticipation, and then my father whispered in my ear, "I heard this rumor when I went to the palace a few days ago. People say that there is something wrong with Prince Gregory.
They say that he isn't right in the head, and one of his arms had become crooked, and he cannot even speak yet. Toddlers his age had begun to talk and walk, but not Prince Gregory."
I looked down somberly, knowing that it was entirely my fault.
"It was the incense stick, Father," I said with a sigh. "I used it to terminate the Queen's first pregnancy, but I suppose that it had damaged her body for good. It can kill off a fetus with just a single whiff, and it did its job. Since the effects of the poisoned had weakened slightly, Prince Gregory survived but is deformed."
Guilt filled my heart, knowing that the boy would have to live his entire life that way. That poor Prince Gregory was unwillingly brought into this world and was caught in this fight for the throne and ultimately paid the price.
"You did it for the sake of our family, for your future husband. If he were a worthy heir, our efforts will be all for naught. True, he is a but a child, but he will grow up to be a thorn in your side, Annie.
The golden thrones of the King and Queen are bathed in blood, and no ruler is clean of sin. No matter how kind, no matter how virtuous, blood stains their hands. This is your sacrifice, the price you must pay in exchange for the throne, Annie.
More and more trouble will arise, and there will be a time where you will be forced to act even if you don't want to."
As I listened to his words, it became apparent to me that the day Edmund usurps the throne is not distant anymore. We have come to the point of no return, and to continue living, we must succeed, and losing is no longer an option. If we fail, then we lose everything. My family will lose their heads, and I was not likely to be spared either.
At this point, it was to kill or to be killed. Either way, I would have to get my hands dirty yet again.
Hi! If you liked this story, try checking out my other story, which is set in the early 1700s, Catarina and The Prince ! And please vote and comment, it means a lot to me 🥰