“Your eyes are red, lady. What did that woman dare to say to you? She has no right to bother you and never did!” Nancy stood up from the bench under the window in their room.
“No, Nance, calm down. I am fine. She only asked me for a favor. The tears are of my own making.”
“Well, you had best get them off your cheeks and comb your hair. His Grace is here and quite unannounced.” The girl’s face glowed at the news.
“Here? Where?”
“In a barge to see the Lady Anne acourse, but the thing is—Lord Stafford is here too. I saw him from the window and he hardly came to see the Lady Anne.” Nancy came closer and stared intently into her mistress’s face. “You do not look too happy at the idea of seein’ him, Lady Mary. I cannot understand you. I just do not understand sometimes.”
“Of course I will be happy to see Lord Stafford. And if you intend to scold me or try to read my mind, you had best leave me now.”
She instantly regretted her words as Nancy wrapped her ever-present shawl tightly about her and flounced from the room. It was hard to hide her emotions from the girl, but she was not at all certain she could face Staff after that interview with Will’s sour sister. As ever, Staff would read her thoughts and he would know she had agreed to help Eleanor when she had him nearly convinced she was free of guilt over Will’s death. Damn, why had His Grace not waited to see Anne until their appearance at his court tonight?
Mary had hardly bathed her face and dusted her cheeks with rice powder before there came the familiar tap-tap on the door. She smiled and opened it carefully.
“His Grace was longing for his Lady Anne, so I am here. I assure you that if I were the king, the royal barge would have been here at eight of the morning, and not to see the tart-tongued Anne.” He bent to kiss her and she yielded her lips coolly. “Not a very warm welcome for such a pretty speech, sweetheart. Are you all right?”
“Of course, only...” He might as well know right away and not have to pry it from me, she thought. “Eleanor Carey was just here to ask my aid in getting her the position of prioress of Wilton.” She waited, but he said nothing and bit into an apple from the wooden bowl on the table. “I told her I could do no more than to mention it to Anne.”
“You should have told her to get what she wants by marrying someone the king favors, as her brother once did. You might have told her I am available for marriage since the lady I favor evidently does not want me.” He laughed with his mouth full and almost choked on his apple.
“She made me remember the unhappy times with Will,” Mary plunged on, ignoring his last teasing remark. “She made me think that perhaps you were right—I have been unrealistic about his death.”
“Then I thank the lady heartily for her visit.” He looked quite serious as he tossed the apple core in the fireplace. “I do not think Anne will give a tinker’s damn for who runs the priory at Wilton though. Nor His Grace either. Between the two of them, they are most likely to ruin Wilton along with the rest of the religious houses if the pope’s Campeggio and fat Wolsey do not get this divorce rammed through. The queen is gathering her forces and, since the Holy Roman Emperor Charles is her nephew, it will be harder going to get a papal divorcement bill.”
“Actually, Anne may be interested in this, Staff. You see, the other candidate for the post is touted by Wolsey.”
He whistled low. “You are right, sweet, though I am afraid you are getting to think like a courtier. Yes, Anne will go for the bait if she can best Wolsey by it.”
“I really think that is why she wanted Whitehall, Staff. She has ordered the cardinal’s hats effaced from all the windows—you know there are hundreds of them—and her initials engraved with His Grace’s.”
“I know. We stopped to admire them on the way in. Now, so much for His Grace and the Lady Anne Boleyn. I would know how fares my Lady Mary Bullen when she has not seen her love for two days.” He pulled her against him, and she willingly rested her head on his chest under his chin, where it fit so perfectly.
“Is Catherine all right, Staff? Have you seen her?”
“I see her for a few minutes almost every afternoon. Her Grace, the Princess Mary, has seen me there more than once and she asks me about you if she has not seen you. She looks at me with those clear, dark eyes and she knows I love you, Mary.”
Mary lifted her head. “You did not tell her so?”
“I did not have to.”