September 1542
Hatfield House, Hertfordshire
I considered the morning as I sat brushing my hair.
Studies went particularly well, I felt. Robert and I both felt the need to show off, so as not to be outdone by the other. The problem was I was far more educated and, hard as it was for me to accept, he was more intelligent. He figured the problems out faster than me, but I always had the right answers to the questions. School had never been so much fun. I told him that a little competition had improved my lessons dramatically and insisted that he visit every day he could. He agreed with eagerness, but I could tell that Kat was worn out by the time we were finished.
I pulled the brush through my hair one last time and smoothed my plain linen skirt. I wanted to throw on my prettiest dress and have my hair tied back. "Not for fishing!" I told myself again.
As I exited my room, Robert's hand came out of nowhere and began dragging me down the hall. We ran as fast as we could, skidding around corners and almost sliding into furniture. Not wanting to seem too slow or not up to the task, I sped up, so he did not have to pull me.
It had been a while since I had run—really run—and as soon as we reached the outdoors, I embraced the freedom of it and pushed myself to the limit. The day was beautiful, and the grass felt marvelous beneath my bare feet. This was what my soul needed, for it was almost as liberating as riding. Kat never let me run. She thought it beneath me, but I sometimes wanted to tell her that I was only nine and running was a normal part of youth.
When we reached the lake, Robert plopped down on the bank and tossed his line into the water. I did not have a pole, so I sat down next to him and he handed his to me.
"Do you really think we will catch anything?" I asked, holding the pole steady while I caught my breath.
"Probably not. But that's not the point, is it?"
I looked at him curiously. "What do you mean? We have a pole and a hook. What other reason could we have for sitting on the lakeside?"
"We are here to talk and enjoy the quiet."
Just then a large duck quacked loudly in our direction, and Robert turned to me with a laugh. He said to the duck with mock severity, "Silence duck! We are here to enjoy the quiet." I laughed again and thought how different he was from yesterday or this morning. There were no pretty courtier words or flirtatious smiles, only funny jokes and playful laughs. I liked this side of him.
Before long, I found a wonderful muddy spot on the lakeside, and Robert and I constructed all sorts of villages in our homemade modeling clay. At first, it was hard for me to get all dirty, but after Robert had thrown a few handfuls of mud at me, I gave up my attempt at playing clean.
We had a marvelous time, but the most important thing we did, as far as I was concerned, was talk. We talked about everything and nothing. I told Robert about how my mud hut would look if I could build it the way I wanted, and he constructed a battlefield of mud men, or rather lumps, to protect my village from the water serpents. Afterward, we cleaned ourselves off in the pond and, naturally, had a water fight.
We made boats out of leaves and pushed them about the lake with sticks. I told him about my life with Kat, Blanche, Mary, and Master Parry, and he told me about his family and his life at court.
"I do not particularly like court. It is all parties, and late nights, and children are never allowed. If I did not have my horse and my brother, Guildford, I would have been bored out of my skull. Guildford and I played tricks on the maids and roamed the castle like it was our home."
"It was your home," I said with a smile. "I have not been to court for a very long time. Father banished me," I added frankly.
He chuckled. "Oh yes, I remember this story. Didn't you tell him he was a bad man for killing people?"
I did not laugh as I said, "Close." Pausing, I considered if I should tell him the truth, and as I looked into his merry blue eyes, I chose to trust him. "I asked him how it was that he could chop off the head of anyone he chose. Then I told him that Queen Anne was my mother, and his wife, and it was naughty of him to kill her."
Robert stopped laughing and said, "I am sorry. That really is not funny."
"I dare say it was not. I can still remember the anger in his face, and I was just a wee child." I sighed. "Do you think he will ever let me back into his favor and back to court?"
"I am certain he will." He smiled and patted my shoulder. "It looks like your boat has been sent to the fathoms below."
I looked over and he was right. My oak leaf had sunk. "I suppose that means you win?"
"It does, indeed. Now, pay up!" he said, and held out his hand.
I reached in my pocket, fished out a smooth black rock I had found, and laid it in his palm. "You are just awful for taking my pretty rock."
"Well, perhaps one day I shall let you win it back from me." He smiled and slipped the rock into his breeches pocket.