through an illegitimate strain—and wondered if Lady Mary was aware of their blood tie.
Then it was the turn of the Duke of Norfolk to kiss her hand, with a reverence I’d never seen him show anyone. Yes, she was the heroine and hope of their party. Although deemed illegitimate by the king, she could yet be restored to the succession. If the king did not marry again, she would be second in line after an infant boy.
Gardiner peered at me out of the corner of his eye. In a moment an order would be given, and Brother Edmund and I would be swept out of her sight—to be dealt with later.
This was my only chance.
I made a deep curtsy, not one seen in the English courts, but the sort of curtsy that was practiced in the castles of Castile, where my mother was raised. As was Katherine of Aragon.
“Dona Maria, es un honor estar en su presencia,” I said.
She drew back in surprise. “Seniorita, habla el español muy bien.”
“Dona Maria, yo hablo la lengua de mi madre, Lady Isabella Stafford.”
She trembled, and for a moment, I thought Lady Mary would collapse. A violet vein quivered on the side of her pure white throat.
“You are Joanna Stafford!” she gasped. “I have wanted to meet you for so long. Maria de Salinas told me you attended on my mother. I wanted to find you, but Maria died before you could be located.” She turned to the Duke of Norfolk, eagerly. “Is there some place I could speak to her privately, here in your house?”
“Of course,” the duke said, between gritted teeth. “Follow me.”
I saw him send Gardiner a look, his head extending ever so slightly in Brother Edmund’s direction. They meant to get their hands on him now, at least.
“Lady Mary,” I said swiftly, “allow me to present a friend of mine, Brother Edmund.”
“You are a man of the monasteries—truly? This is no disguise?” she asked, a radiant smile transforming her delicate face to beauty.
Brother Edmund bowed, with great dignity.
“Then come with us, please.” She turned to the Duke of Norfolk. “Lead the way, Your Grace,” she ordered. He had no choice but to do so.
Soon we were all upstairs. The Lady Mary walked the entire way with her arm linked with mine, as if we were already the closest of friends. It was a tremendous honor to walk next to a king’s daughter, not behind. My heart pounded as I tried to decide how much to reveal to her.
In the dim, quiet parlor facing the lawns of Norfolk House, Lady Mary asked me about the last weeks of her mother, at Kimbolton Castle. We stood close to each other, by the window, watching the guests streaming out of Norfolk House. Apparently the party had been cut short. There would be no masque tonight. While the rich young aristocrats mounted their horses and rode away, I re-created that cold, lonely house off the fens and her mother’s brave death. Tears spilled down the Lady Mary’s cheeks, and she fingered her crucifix as she listened. Norfolk, Gardiner, and Brother Edmund stood silently, a discreet distance away. After I described how the queen made it to dawn, to hear the last Mass, and then faded into death, I bowed my head. No one spoke for a moment.
Lady Mary said, “I know that you came as replacement for your mother, but the service you rendered my mother, the queen, will always be cherished by me. I reward those who have shown my mother a kindness. Tell me how I can begin to repay you.”
I shot a look at Brother Edmund. I was still not sure what to say—if only he and I could consult with each other. But it was not possible.
“Do you live at court now?” she asked. “I have never seen you there, Mistress Joanna.”
“No, my lady, I took novice vows after the queen’s death.”
She drew back, confused. “So this is not a costume?” she asked, examining my nun’s habit.
“It is a costume,” I said haltingly. “I am a member of the Dominican Order at Dartford Priory.”
“Ah, Dartford,” she said, smiling. “My mother spoke of the Dominican Order to me. She admired them, I know. In Spain, they are honored above all.”
I took a deep breath. “Lady Mary, I professed at Dartford because your mother asked it of me.”
Tears filled her eyes again. “Truly, you are a woman dearer to me than any other living. Ask anything of me, anything, Sister Joanna, and