Arthur

Chapter 10

Arthur, Prince of Wales; Road to Ludlow. December 22nd 1501.

Perhaps the weather was indeed too cold for someone to travel on the litter, but frankly, I could not care less about Catalina’s complaints. After all, she made it perfectly clear what she thought of me: I was nothing but an object to her, an instrument she needed in order to be Princess of Wales. Very well, then.

From the beginning, her annoying crone of a maid, Doña Elvira, looked at me with disapproval and kept talking in Spanish with the Infanta. I did not feel bothered by it.

The horse-riding kept me warm enough, but I reckoned the weather was unusually harsh that year. The strong icy wind combined with the heavy snow made it quite difficult to see clearly. At one point, the beautiful Maria de Salinas came close to my horse, on the side-saddled mare, looking as her nose had turned into a cherry.

“Your Grace, perhaps we should stop?” She said, bravely. “The Princess is not feeling too comfortable. Perhaps we can stop by a villager’s house to eat?”

“We shan’t stop.” I replied, smiling triumphantly. “The faster we go, the sooner we will get in Ludlow. If the Princess is hungry, she can have something on the basket. I reckon my Lady Mother has prepared her some ham, bread, cheese, fruits and bottles of ale.”

“The Princess has eaten and shared her little provision already, Your Grace.” Maria replied.

“Then I suppose she can wait.”

Maria did not insist, knowing I would not change my mind. I felt a deep satisfaction to know that Catalina was uncomfortable and annoyed. Surely she had never faced such strong winter in Spain. But if she wanted to be Princess of Wales, and Queen of England, then she should get accustomed to it quickly.

At night, it was too dark to keep going without getting lost, and I decided we would spend the night at some local tavern. My men found a decent one with no time and I turned to the Princess’ litter.

“We are stopping now. We will spend the night on Mr. Bennett’s tavern.” I said.

I heard Maria de Salinas give a relieved sigh and say something in Spanish to Catalina. The cold made Doña Elvira look even more annoyed and irritated. I was surprised to find out how much fun I was having with the Spanish court.

The tavern was small, but comfortable enough. The owners quickly made arrangements to receive us, and we were greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Bennett with enthusiasm. The Princess took some time to enter, and when she did, it was aided by Maria de Salinas and Doña Elvira, for she seemed too tired to walk alone. Her face was paler than the usual, and she held a deadly expression at me.

“Well, Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, this is my wife, Princess Catalina.” I said cheerfully. “I believe the Spanish are not used to our harsh winter, which is sad, for such a hot-minded lot!”

The men laughed at my last line, and the tavern’s owners smiled timidly. Catalina’s court looked outraged, and it diverted me. But it surprised me to see how Catalina was not affected by my words. She simply stepped forward and offered her hand to Mr. and Mrs. Bennett.

“I am grateful and honored to be here.” She said, in her heavily accented English, as they kissed her hand. “You are very kind.”

“It is our pleasure, Princess.” The woman replied, kindly. “Please, let’s go eat, I have prepared dinner.”

In a large table, there was some soup, bread, cheese, ham and bottles of ale and wine. We sat down with the court and Mr. and Mrs. Bennett and started to dine.

I did not bother to look too often to my wife; she seemed annoyed and pale, barely touching her food, talking with her maids and occasionally with Mrs. Bennett. Feeling a strange sense of revenge, I prolonged the conversation with the owner of the tavern, talking about business, the winter and even conceding some gifts, which he accepted with a broad smile and repeated toasts. I knew Catalina was trying to wait for me to announce the dinner was over so she could sleep; it would sound rude if she left before than that. And as I had predicted, she finally gave in.

“Milord, forgive me, but I’m afraid I will have to take my leave for the night.” She said, between her teeth. “The journey has been very long and hard, and I need some rest.”

“We will be up at six in the morning to leave.” I said.

She did not move. “Six? It is past midnight.”

“It means you have about five hours to rest. I assume it is enough. Good night, wife.”

Catalina curtsied to me. “Good night, husband.”

She left, followed by her maids and Mrs. Bennett who insisted to wait on her and show her the room where she would say. Before she was too far away, I screamed, mockingly: “Women!”, and was cheered by the usual toady laughter from the men.

The next day, the Princess was late. I sent for her to be ready at seven at the latest, and we were all waiting for her outside.

“Where is your lady, Maria?” I asked her lady-in-waiting.

“Your Grace, the Princess is not feeling so well…” she replied, nervously. “Perhaps we could delay the departure? Give the Princess a few more hours to recover herself?”

“We cannot delay. We are ready, and as I’ve said, the sooner we leave, the sooner we reach our destination.”

She curtsied. “Your Grace, I must insist. The Princess’ health is of prime priority and…”

“Is she that weak that she cannot handle a simple English winter? Then I was misguided, I was not well-handled. My parents and I were convinced she is healthy and strong. What is it now? Were we fooled?”

“N-no, Your Grace!” the girl shook. “I will go fetch her.”

“Tell her we will not wait for too long.”

In fifteen minutes, Catalina was at the doorstep, Doña Elvira holding one of her arms and Mrs. Bennett holding the other. She was wearing a heavy fur coat and had covered her face so much it was impossible to see her. I had to hold my laugh.

“Well, I guess we can leave now!” I said cheerfully.

Catalina turned to Mrs. Bennett to say goodbye, and the woman gave her something wrapped around a blanket. I looked inquisitively to her.

“It’s a hot stone, Your Grace.” She replied. “To keep the Princess’ feet warm during the journey.”

I looked at Catalina disdainfully as she climbed up the litter. “May her precious feet be warmed, then. Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. and Mrs. Bennett. Your kindness will not be forgotten.”

“Have a safe journey and God bless you and the Princess.” He said. “May you both have a long merry life.”

“The merriest.” I thought with a grin.