And I Love Her

CHAPTER TWO

NOVEMBER; 1565:

Katherine took a sip of her ale as she sat at the table, not far from the head, not far from Anne. The only person separating the two of them was Constance, another of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting, and Katherine's childhood friend. Opposite her was Marjorie Stanley, the Earl of Derby's daughter, and next to her, opposite Katherine, was Esther Borell, daughter of a rich family, though not in the aristocracy. To finish them off, next to Esther was Elizabeth Howard, daughter of the Duke of Norfolk.

To say she was anxious was an understatement, though Katherine couldn't for the life of her figure out why. She had tried to persuade herself that it was just because of her fatigue, and of course, the fact that it was her first meal as part of the royal court, but she couldn't quite let it go.

She began to eat the meat on her plate, venison, glancing occasionally at Anne, who seemed to be completely at peace with her environment, completely in her element, unlike Katherine of course. Anne suddenly looked over at her, the two making eye contact, and Katherine jerked her head away, her cheeks flushed pink, embarrassed by her moment of weakness, of vulnerability. She realised a moment too late, that the quick movement had probably made her seem odd, or suspicious to the Queen, and looked down at her plate, wanting to seem inconspicuous.

There was quiet chatter up and down the table, members of the court making hushed conversation. Katherine knew why this was, she knew how rare it was for the Queen to eat her meals with the rest of the court. Usually, Anne retired to her Privy Chamber, away from public scrutiny, and it certainly was odd that she had decided to eat here with the rest of them.

Katherine took another bite of her venison, looking around the luxuriously decorated dining hall and swallowing harshly as she felt a surprise tap on her arm. She turned to her right, seeing Constance looking at her with a confident smile on her face. Constance had always been a confident and charming woman, attracting all sorts of men, and when they were younger, boys. Out of the two of them, Constance had always been better at talking and socialising, she had a natural knack for it, avoiding all of the awkward stumbling and small talk that Katherine had offered up in polite conversation when they were younger. Of course, as the years had passed, even Katherine had obtained a level of charm that had satisfied many visiting members of the aristocracy, but she had never got to be as good as her dear friend Connie.

Constance spoke quietly, as though not wanting the Queen to hear, though, with the close proximity, there was no chance of that. "After supper, we'll go to Her Majesty's private apartment, to her bedchamber, and we'll attend to her."

Katherine nodded, thankful for the direction.

"We'll help her get ready to sleep, we'll tend to her needs. Don't worry, it's easier than you think, I've only been here a few months, and I've already got a handle on it." Constance spoke in a hushed tone.

Anne looked up from her plate suddenly, and gave a small, self-assured smile to the five women sat around the head of the table. "Ladies, you can take the night off, I only have need of Katherine tonight."

Katherine's eyes shot up to the Queen's face, looking at her with a slight frown, searching for answers in her eyes, though finding nothing. The rest of the ladies-in-waiting nodded obediently, Constance turning to Katherine with slightly raised eyebrows. Katherine raised a hand, brushing her blonde hair behind her ear and nodding at Anne. "Yes, Your Majesty, of course."

Katherine felt as though she was in a slight haze throughout the rest of the meal, picking at her second course and the sweet pastries she was served for dessert. She felt as though there was a heavy weight on her chest, weighing her down and making it hard to breathe. She knew deep down that her anxiety was unfounded, it wasn't as though she was being sent to be beheaded, it was just time alone with her Queen, but for some reason she just couldn't settle.