November 1471 to April 1472
Mary was only minutes away from the palace of Westminster. Soon she would meet her future husband Richard Plantagenet, Duke of Gloucester and his family. She was very nervous about this family, especially his elder brother King Edward IV... she feared that he would seduce her and get her into bed with him, which would ruin her chance to marry Richard. Her brother, King James III of Scotland, depended on this alliance with England. Mary would do anything for Scotland. She would not let her brother down.
Before Mary knew it, her carriage had arrived at Westminster Palace. Her entourage had arrived a few minutes before. Mary was so nervous about meeting Richard that she was shaking. Her carriage driver opened the door and helped her out. After that, Mary was escorted to the palace. William Hastings, Lord Chamberlain of England, was waiting inside to escort Mary to the throne room. William Hastings was charming, but respectful. He linked arms with Mary and escorted her to the throne room.
As Mary walked into the throne room, she could not stare at King Edward and Queen Elizabeth. They were two of the most beautiful people that Mary had ever seen. She also noticed two young men standing next to the king.
'These must be the king's brothers,' Mary thought to herself, 'which one of them is Richard?'
Mary tried her best to remain formal, but King Edward did not seem to be in the mood for formalities.
"Mary Stewart..." said Edward out in his loud, booming voice, "your brother lied to me."
Mary suddenly felt nervous. 'Oh know... what did James do?' Mary thought to herself.
"James told me that you were 'of pleasing countenance.' What he failed to mention is that you are beautiful." Edward went over to Mary and kissed her respectfully on the hand. "You are beautiful, Mary Stewart. I am lucky to have you as a future sister-in-law."
Mary blushed. "Thank you, your grace. I am lucky to have such a handsome man such as yourself as my future brother-in-law." Mary curtsied to him.
Edward roared with laughter and the surrounding nobles all clapped. Edward then silenced them. "How rude of me. I have yet to introduce you to my brothers."
Edward walked Mary over to the two men standing next to his throne. Mary was first introduced to George, Duke of Clarence. She found him handsome and charming like Edward, but there was an arrogance to him that she did not particularly like. After that, she was introduced to Richard. Mary found Richard handsome, but in a different way compared to his brothers. Mary liked his darker looks. There was a quietness to him that she liked. Mary hoped to speak to him privately later on. They would be married in the near future.
Once all the formalities were exchanged, Mary was escorted to her chambers. Four young women were inside waiting. The first, a young woman with dark, curly hair and light blue eyes, introduced herself as Alice Percy. Alice seemed to be in charge of all the other ladies. She then introduced the other three. There was Margery Beauchamp, a very pretty girl with long, brown hair and brown eyes, Eleanor Neville, a curvy girl with blond hair and brown eyes and Jane Howard, a slim girl with straight blond hair, pale green eyes and pale skin. Mary liked all of her new ladies. She hoped that they would all become great friends.
The rest of the day was spent preparing Mary's chambers. Mary would have rather explored the castle, but decided that she would do that on a later day. Later that night, Mary and her new ladies-in-waiting made their way to the celebration. King Edward was throwing a feast in Mary's honor. She was touched by the king's generosity.
All eyes were on Mary when she and her ladies made it to the feast hall. Mary liked the attention. She had a place of honor next to King Edward. She sat to the king's right while Richard sat on her right. Mary hoped that she and Richard would be able to talk, but he barely spoke to her all night. She was disappointed that he did not speak to her, but decided not to let that ruin her night. When the dancing began, Mary had many partners, including King Edward and George of Clarence. Richard did not even offer to dance with her.
'How are Richard and I to be husband and wife if he will not even speak to me?' Mary thought to herself. She was extremely disappointed. She hoped that things would change between her and Richard. After all, hey were to be husband and wife.
It was nearing the Christmas season. Mary had been at court for over a month, but Richard had barely spoken two words to her a day (if she was lucky enough to be graced by his presence). Mary was tired of waiting. She would make her move on the first of the Twelve Nights of Christmas, but Mary was distraught to learn on the first night that Richard was not even at court.
"Richard is not at court right now. He is visiting a dear friend of his," said George when Mary asked him where Richard was.
"Who is this friend?" Mary asked, though she feared what the answer was.
"He's just visiting an old friend, Mary. There is no need for you to worry. He will be back for the Twelfth Night celebration."
Mary nodded her head and smiled, but she could not shake the uneasy feeling she had.
The Christmas season passed by quickly. Before Mary knew it, the Twelfth Night celebrations were here. Mary looked especially beautiful in her new gown of gold cloth (it was made especially for the Twelfth Night). 'Perhaps things will be different tonight.'
Mary was right. The night, Richard was much more sociable. They made small talk during the feast, they danced together and Richard even flirted with her. Mary was pleased by Richard's change in behavior, but also worried. Something must have happened between him and his "dear" friend. Mary decided to ask him about that on a later day.
Around midnight, Mary and three of her ladies Alice, Eleanor and Jane left the festivities and headed back to Mary's room. On the way back, the four of them saw Margery and King Edward kissing passionately in a dark corner. Mary surprised to see the king with one of her ladies, even though he was a known womanizer. She would certainly have to inquire about that later.
More time had passed since the Christmas celebrations. It was nearing St. Valentine's Day. Mary wanted to spend a private evening with Richard. The had already become good friend, but had yet to start caring for each other. They had spoken about their studies and their hobbies and their families, but had not shared the important things.
Mary's wish came true. The night before St. Valentine's Day, she was invited to Richard's private chambers for supper. Mary looked forward to their evening. She wore a gown of murray and blue (Richard's colors). Richard seemed to be pleased with Mary's gown and complemented her. Mary was touched by Richard's complement, since he looked like he actually meant it. After that, he did not say anything for a while. Half way into their meal, Richard decided to finally speak up.
"Mary, I have something to tell you," said Richard. He was serious.
"What is it?" Mary was suddenly nervous about what Richard was going to say to her.
"I have two illegitimate children."
"Oh..." Mary did not expect that.
"My daughter Katherine is three and my son John is one and a half."
"Their mother?"
"Her name is also Katherine , but I like to call her Kate. I will not share her last name right now. She wants her life to remain private and I will respect her wishes."
Mary nodded. "Was she the 'dear friend' you were visiting during Christmas?"
"Yes, but that was the last time I will be seeing her has my lover. Our affair is over."
Mary was relieved. 'Thank God,' she thought to herself. "What about the children?"
"Katherine and John will be apart of our lives, Mary. Kate wants to raise them for now, but when John is six, both of them will be brought to me. They will be publicly recognized as my children... I hope that you are okay with this, Mary. I want you to love Katherine and John as I do."
"Yes, I am fine with this, Richard," Mary said, even though she did not actually mean it. She was not fine with this. How could she accept Richard's bastards?
Neither Richard nor Mary said anything after that. The rest of their evening was spent in awkward silence.
In late March, King Edward decided that it was time for Richard and Mary to be wed. The wedding date was set for the twentieth of April in the year of 1472.
The night before the wedding, Mary was full of nerves. She wondered if Richard felt the same way. She spent so much time worrying that her night passed by quickly. The morning of the wedding came quicker than she wanted it to. Once Mary was dressed in her wedding gown, it was time for her to get to the cathedral where she and Richard were to be married. The ceremony began at midday and ended in the blink of an eye. Mary was officially the duchess of Gloucester.
Mary paced around the room as she waited for Richard to come to her. She smiled when he finally came to into the room. Richard went straight to a table with wine and two cups and poured him and Mary each a glass of wine. Mary eagerly accepted the cup of wine and took a few small sips, hoping it would calm her nerves. It helped for a little while.
"Mary," said Richard after a little while, "we don't have to do this if you don't want to."
"We have to," said Mary, "it is our duty."
"I know we have to, but we don't have to do it tonight."
"I want to Richard."
"Are you sure?"
"I am very sure. You are my husband, after all."
"Alright then," Richard said, a light smile crossing his face, "we should do it now."
Mary nodded her head, then laid down on the bed. She was ready. Richard joined her shortly after. Richard was gentle, but it still hurt Mary. It only lasted a few minutes, since it was Mary's first time. Afterwards, Richard rolled over on his side. He kissed Mary on the cheek, then went to sleep. Mary lay awake for a long time afterwards before finally going to sleep herself. She hoped that she and Richard would grow to love each other. She wanted that more than anything else.