Arthur

Chapter 23

Elizabeth of York; London, England. January 1502.

 

My cousin Margaret had only just left when Cecily told me she had to depart as well. I held her hands.

“You cannot leave me here, Sissy.” I said, hurt. “Not now. Please, stay.”

“Sister, you know I cannot stay. I have my duties outside the court. Besides, you know very well I am not too fond of here anymore.”

“How am I supposed to go on without you near me?”

Cecily tapped my hand kindly. “My dear, do not say it as if you are a weak, delicate damsel in despair, especially when you are anything but.”

“I have never been through such thing before. I need my sister by my side now.”

“You have gone through worse thing and yet you are here now, Queen of England. Why do you need anyone by your side, Elizabeth?”

“I might have gone through worse before, but I had someone with me. Mother, you, our sisters… I was never alone.”

Cecily came closer to me, and went on the tip of her toes to kiss my forehead.

“And I will always be with you, Bess. It doesn’t matter if I am right here before your eyes or miles away. You will always know where to find me.”

“No, no, you must stay!” I insisted, holding back my tears. “I will not have you away, Cecily.”

She shook her head. “Do not make this hard, sister.”

“I am the Queen. I command you to stay!”

“Oh, now you are the queen.” She smiled. “Bess, dear, you know I am not supposed to stay longer than the invitation from the King specified. Meaning, I am not supposed to abuse of his hospitality for longer than the first two weeks after New Year.”

I frowned, upset. “You know it is utterly unfair that I cannot have my own sister as my maid of honor.”

“Even if you could, I cannot be in such place, when I have young children to wait on, my dear Bess. Now stop whining, it is not the behaviour expected from a Queen of England.”

I raised an eyebrow, in what I intended to be a disdainful glare, but taking for the snort my sister gave, calling out the attention of whoever was nearby, I suspect it came out rather as comical.

“Oh, Bess… I promise I shall write you.” She said out loud, smiling pleasantly as she ever did when in front of court. In a more intimate and secretive whisper, she said: “And I will keep you posted about that other matter.”

“Well, you should.” I replied. “For I shan’t give you peace unless you keep this promise.”

“Another reason for me to keep it, I see.” She jested. “I shall leave tomorrow after lunch. Now, Bess, why won’t you help your sister to fetch her belongings and pack them?”

“Rather order someone to do so.” I said, making a gesture to one of my maids-in-waiting, the young and lovely Elizabeth Boleyn. She had just recently married Thomas Boleyn, a gallant courtier, and we could see the naïve happiness of a young foolish bride-to-be.

“Lady Elizabeth Boleyn, please, fetch Lady Mary Kingston and Lady Jane Howard, and help my sister to pack her belongings. Her Highness is leaving court tomorrow.”

The girl curtseyed low, obediently, and left. Everyone at court had a special love for that creature, but somehow, she failed to endear to my heart.

“Let’s not worry about anything as for now.” Cecily said. “There will be time and place.”

However, maybe because of fate, as soon as she said that, we were approached by a young pageboy who timidly bowed low to us and handed Cecily a basket of fruits and flowers, leaving almost immediately.

“What was that?” I asked, laughing.

“This is my personal pageboy.” She replied in a low voice. “He is of trust and he takes secret messages from and to me. And this might be of your concern. Let us go to somewhere private.”

Quickly, we walked to my private chambers, away from the loud movement of her own rooms where the maids were working hard on packing my sister’s belongings. She threw the basket’s content on the bed as soon as I locked the door, looking for something among the grapes and the small wildflowers.

“Here it is!” She said, triumphantly, holding a small piece of folded parchment. Our heads were side to side as she opened.

Only a single line was written down, a single line that made us both very hopeful:

“I have just arrived.”