To Catch A King

Chapter 1: Birth of a Plan

Chapter One - Birth of a Plan

Howard Residence
November 1539

"The King is to marry the Cleves woman after all." My uncle Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk, informs me without a hint of emotion on his grey face.
"Even though she is so...ugly?" I question, appalled that the King would take a woman who looks like a horse as his fourth wife.
"Yes. And I have arranged for you to go to court and attend her, Catherine."
"Me?"
"Am I not talking to you?"
"But why me, uncle?" I cannot understand why I would be chosen to come to court, nobody seems to know me, especially not King Henry VIII.
"Catherine, there is complex reasoning behind this decision. I can attempt to explain it to you if you think you can comprehend it." He states patronisingly.
"Yes, do, I want to know -"
"But there is only one thing you really need to know." He interrupts me mid-sentence.
"Explain it, uncle." I demand stubbornly.
He sighs deeply and runs his hand across his tired face. He looks exhausted.
"Alright." He gestures for me to sit with him by the fire. "Cromwell has arranged this match. We do not like Cromwell, and we certainly do not like his choice. The Cleves woman has little to offer other than that she comes from a Protestant country. She is ugly, stupid and probably infertile."
"But what does that have to do with me going to court?" I ask.
"Catherine, you are young, beautiful and of noble blood." He looks me dead in the eyes. "You are going to seduce the King." A sharp silence fills the room momentarily. I cannot believe that he is being serious, no, surely not. It is a joke.
"What, me?" I giggle. "Seduce the king!"
"Do not laugh!" He grabs my arm. "Listen to me." I stop laughing at his serious, direct tone. "The marriage will go ahead, we cannot stop that. But, once the King realises that this marriage is wrong he will look for a new wife, a fifth wife. You will already have caught his eye by this point, and he will be drawn only to you."
"But...then I would become Queen of England."
"Indeed you would, and that is exactly what us Howards need. Anything that damages the seemingly invincible force of Cromwell is good for us, we will once again be restored to our rightful place by the King's side."

It dawns on me then that I am the last hope for my uncle, likely for my whole family. My uncle Thomas Howard has had it hard in recent years, being forced to take on impossible tasks deemed to fail, and falling from King Henry's favour. This may be our last chance to regain favour and stay in power. For my uncle, it could be the last chance he gets to keep his life, for we are all fully aware now - us relatives of the Boleyns especially - that the King is not afraid to make those who displease him one head shorter.

"But, what if I cannot seduce him?" I question. Although it is every noblewoman's dream and desire to be able to attend the King's court at Greenwich, or Hampton, or wherever else, it is a truly hostile environment. Beneath the dances and dresses and feasts and plays it is a web of deceit and scheming treachery. I worry for my ability to fit in, to do my duty, to seduce the King. In response to my question, my uncle gives me an appalled look.
"Need I remind you of Henry Mannox and Francis Dereham?" He stands up in frustration, causing me to blush and look down. "You seduced them perfectly well, and they were not nearly as easily swayed by appearances as the King!"
"Uncle, I promise you -"
"Don't start." He rules.
"But please listen! It's wasn't what you think!"
"I will hear no more of your scandals with those men!" He leans closer to me. "And hear me clearly when I say this, Catherine, nobody is ever to know anything about you and them. God forbid that the King should hear of it - he would never agree to marry a whore like that!"

A few minutes of silence pass; I sit in shock and disgrace as he paces up and down the room.
"I worry that I will not be able to keep his attention."
"Fear not, Catherine. After the Cleves horse he will be desperate for a young, beautiful wife. You should have no problem catching and keeping him."
"And...if I can't?"
"Can't what?" He snaps.
"Keep him."
My uncle turns slowly to face the fire, then turns his head to look down at me. "You know what will happen, niece. Do you not remember what happened to your dear cousin, Anne Boleyn?" And with that he turns and heads towards the door. "You leave for court in a week."

For a long while I sit and think about what he said. My poor cousin Anne, executed without fair reason, with a jaded and dishonest court dead set on destroying her. My uncle has some nerve to mention her as 'dear' since he was on the jury that unanimously voted her guilty. Since her execution it has been like she never existed. We don't mention her unless as a warning, or in disgust. And yet, she too was pressured into seducing the King, and by the very same men.
I fear that I will meet the same fate as her.

***

The Road to Greenwich
December 1539

As my grey palfrey carries me towards Greenwich Palace, my mind begins again to wander about the life ahead of me.

I am only 17, and the thought of going to court, to the centre of all excitement and fashion, is of course fascinating to me. The gowns I will wear, the jewels I will receive, even the dangerous gossip I will engage in cause shivers of excitement to run through me.

But I am not so much of a fool as everyone thinks.

I do have sense, and a mind of my own. What worries me is what I will become, how the court will change me. I worry about the enemies that I will already have simply because I am related to the Boleyns. No, I was related to the Boleyns. They are almost all gone now. Anne was executed three years ago along with her brother George, their mother Elizabeth died last year, and Thomas Boleyn, the father, died in March this year. The other daughter, Mary, is no longer a Boleyn.

Regardless of their deaths, I am still of the same family. Many will hate me and suspect me of adultery, incest and witchcraft - as they outrageously accused Anne of. But I will prove them so very wrong, I will not let them gossip about me. If I seduce the King - no, when I seduce him - they will not dare to speak a word against me in fear of their silly little lives.

"Only about half a day's riding left, my Lady. We will arrive at Greenwich by this evening." My steward calls to me from his horse.
"What will happen when we get there?" I ask him as he reaches my side.
"You will be introduced to Anne of Cleves."
"So soon? What if she doesn't like me?"
"I do not believe it is in the Lady Anne's nature to dislike someone upon first meeting." He looks around to make sure nobody else can hear us. "I shouldn't say this really, but your uncle - and many others - judge her wrongly. She is kind and thoughtful, and I believe she will make a good Queen."
I am not sure whether my steward knows about the intended seduction or not, for he seems so keen for Anne to be Queen. My uncle Thomas did make it clear that this must be kept secret, but how secret I do not know. I smile at him and nod in response.

We reach Greenwich as the sun is beginning to set, casting streaks of orange, pink and gold across the sky. I love the sky: it is so very peaceful and beautiful. I dismount from my palfrey and smooth down my cobalt coloured dress and dark green cloak.

The courtyard in which I stand is surrounded by high walls of white stone. Several wide staircases lead up from the yard towards various doors and archways, revealing snippets of the interior. This stunning work of architecture is truly magnificent. But within its sublime beauty hide the ghosts of past counsellors, Catholics, heretics and suspected committees of treason. I think about some of the great powers who walked these walls once, before they fell - rightly or wrongly - from favour. Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More, Catherine of Aragon, Bishop Fisher...all once here at the top.

I suddenly realise just how nervous I am. The sky and the journey had distracted me so deeply that I forgot the purpose of the ride; but now I am here, at Greenwich Palace, at court, with one true purpose: to catch a King.

Hi readers,
How did you find the first chapter? Any votes and comments would be appreciated, thank you for reading.
Issy ❤️