In the Shadow of the Crown - By Jean Plaidy Page 0,131

she must have been overcome with alarm.

It was the sign for her enemies to prick up their ears, to ask themselves if the familiar pattern was emerging again? No sons … a barren wife … and so on. Even though he now had one son and two daughters, we did not give him great delight. Edward was too delicate, and Elizabeth and I were only girls.

Gardiner was waiting to step in. He already suspected Katharine of leaning toward the new religion; he was right in that. I had warned her to be careful, and she had been, but it was not easy for one who was constantly on the stage to keep out of danger.

It was not only the Queen they had their eyes on. Wolsey had fallen through Anne Boleyn, Cromwell through Anne of Cleves; they had decided that Cranmer should go with Katharine.

Very soon after that portrait had been painted, several people of the Queen's household were arrested and taken to the Tower.

Katharine was in a state of great anxiety, but fate was kind to her on this occasion for the King's ulcer was worse and nobody could dress it like the Queen. She managed to soothe it with her gentle fingers; he was pleased with her and turned angrily on those who were preparing to trap her.

He wanted to know what all this was about—arresting people in the Queen's household. What did it mean?

It meant, they told him, that writings had been found in the possession of these people, and they had been overheard to make certain remarks.

The King made it clear that he wanted no implications about the Queen, and by arresting people in her household they had cast a slur on her. The whole thing was a fabrication to annoy him, he declared, and he wanted to get at the truth of the matter.

The truth actually was that evidence had been forged. It would have been perfectly acceptable if—as they had calculated—the King wished to rid himself of his wife. But he certainly did not at this time. He grumbled that he was surrounded by clumsy oafs who handled him roughly. Only the Queen had gentleness in her hands.

Gardiner was berated as a fool who should have taken more care before flinging accusations at his betters.

Gardiner pleaded that his servants were over-zealous in their service to the King, but he was sent away with the King's abuse ringing in his ears.

But Katharine was left uneasy. She had escaped this time, but would she again? It had just been good luck that he had happened to need her attentions more than usual and that had made him realize her value to him; he was still hankering after another son, and there were several younger and very pretty women at the Court.

Hostilities proved a diversion. Relations with Scotland were never good; now they were verging on disaster, and it seemed that we should soon be at war not only with that country but with France also.

Norfolk was sent north with an army, and at the Battle of Solway Moss James V was killed, leaving his infant daughter, Mary, Queen of Scotland.

My father now had the idea of preventing trouble in Scotland by uniting the two countries through a marriage between Edward and little Mary of Scotland. He wanted Mary to be sent to England to be brought up at his Court. The Scots blankly refused.

My father was now ready to conclude a treaty with the Emperor Charles; and we were at war with both France and Scotland.

Edward Seymour was sent to Scotland with an army, and Thomas Seymour to France. Then my father decided that he would accompany the army for, with the Emperor as his ally, he must have contemplated an early victory and naturally he wanted to be there for the triumph.

He must leave a regent in England and as, years ago, my mother had filled that role, it was now Katharine's turn. She would have Cranmer to help her.

My father set out for Calais, leaving her in charge not only of the country but of Edward.

I think the latter must have caused her the greater anxiety. Edward's health had been a matter of concern since his birth. It was not only Mrs. Penn who watched him so anxiously. Mrs. Penn did so from love of the child whom she regarded as her own, others out of fear of what their fate would be if anything should happen to the heir of England and they